You Are Holy

Introduction:

Holiness is not a distant ideal—it is a present identity.

In Ephesians 4:24, Paul urges believers to “put on the new man,” a spiritual transformation that reflects God’s own righteousness and holiness.

This is not about perfectionism or performance—It is about living out the reality of who you are in Christ. You are holy because God has made you holy.

So if God has made you holy you should chose to live as holy. If you do not then you are not holy.

2 Peter 3:10–12 says “10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. 11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?”

This lesson explores what it means to be holy and how it shapes your life.

Body:

Israel Was Set Apart for God and So Are We.

Leviticus 20:26 NKJV

26 And you shall be holy to Me, for I the Lord am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine.

Context—Leviticus was written to instruct Israel on how to live as God’s covenant people. Holiness meant being distinct—morally, spiritually, and culturally—from surrounding nations. God’s holiness demanded that His people reflect His character.

Key Insight—To be holy means to be set apart for God’s purposes. You are not common ordinary—you are chosen and consecrated.

Hannah set her son Samuel apart for God’s purpose when she promised him to the temple. Samuel was raised to be a servant of God. Hannah did not place earthy education, sports or even preparation for a career (college) above Godliness. She prioritized Godliness in Samuel’s life. Mater of fact she not only prioritized it she dedicated the entirety of his life to Godliness (1 Sam. 1:1-28).

We are God’s children and when we decide to give our lives to him in baptism we are prioritizing ourselves for work in His temple.

1 Corinthians 3:16–17 “16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.”

Application—Live with intentional separation from sin and be devoted to God.

Identify one area of compromise and commit to surrendering it to God.

Create a daily reminder (card, phone alert, sticky note etc..) that reminds us that we are set apart for God.

New Testament Connection:

2 Corinthians 6:17 “17 Therefore “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.””

Reflection:

What does being “set apart” look like in your daily life?

How do we live separate from the world?

Ask yourself. Are there areas where you have blurred the line between holy and common?

Holiness Needs to be Your Identity.

Ephesians 4:24 NKJV

24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

Context—Paul is writing to Christians about the transformation that comes through Christ. The “new man” is not a better version of the old—it is a completely new creation, reflecting God’s nature.

Key Insight—Holiness is not something you earn—it’s something you receive. You are holy because you are in Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:17 “17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

We do not just get into Christ however we want.

We are baptized into Him.

Galatians 3:27 “27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”

This is where you receive holiness.

Galatians 2:20 “20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

We receive holiness because baptism is not our work it’s God’s.

Colossians 2:11–12 “11 In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.”

In baptism God circumcises our heart by cutting away sin that is in our lives.

This forgiveness that we receive in baptism is what allows us to live holy lives (Acts 2:38, 22:16).

It is also the point in which Christ add us to His church (Acts 2:47).

The word church in the Greek is