What does the Bible say about holiness?

Do you want to experience spiritual victory, peace of mind, intimacy with God, and an outpouring of His blessings? Growing in holiness is the key! We are so much more effective in serving God from a place of personal holiness.

The Bible tells us to be “imitators of God” (Ephesians 5:1), and holiness sums up God’s character and actions. But what is holiness? In what ways is God holy? How can we be holy, and why is it important? What does holiness look like in a person’s life? Can we pray for holiness, and how would we do that? What examples of holiness do we see in the Bible?

And what about the “Holiness” movement? Is it legit? Let’s check out the answers to these questions!

Christian quotes about holiness

“Only when we understand the holiness of God will we understand the depth of our sin.” Billy Graham

“Holiness is the habit of being of one mind with God, according as we find His mind described in Scripture. It is the habit of agreeing in God’s judgment, hating what He hates, loving what He loves, and measuring everything in this world by the standard of His Word.” J. C. Ryle

“The holiness of God is traumatic to unholy people.” R. C. Sproul

“Holiness, not happiness, is the chief end of man.” Oswald Chambers

What is holiness according to the Bible?

In Leviticus 20:7, God commanded the Israelites: “You shall consecrate yourselves therefore and be holy, for I am the LORD your God.”

The Hebrew word for “holy” or “holiness” is קָדוֹשׁ (qadosh), which means sacred, consecrated, or dedicated to God, separated from sin and impurity.

In the New Testament, being holy is related to our behavior. “Like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior” (1 Peter 1:15). The Greek word here for “holy” (hagios) means “different” or “set apart” from the world and having a sacred nature like the Lord’s. If we are set apart for God, we are exclusively His and pure, clean, and moral.

• “Put off your former way of life, your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be renewed in the spirit of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:22-24)

Here, we see a three-step process toward holiness:

1. Put off the “old self” with its deceitful desires
2. Be renewed in our minds
3. Put on the “new self” to be righteous and holy like God

1. Leviticus 20:7 (KJV) “Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the Lord your God.”

2. Ephesians 1:4 “For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love.”

3. 2 Corinthians 7:1 (NIV) “Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.”

4. 1 John 2:15-17 (ESV) “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”

5. Hebrews 12:14 (NASB) “Pursue peace with all people, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.”

6. Ephesians 5:3 “But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.”

7. 1 Peter 1:15-16 “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

8. Ephesians 4:22-24 “put away the old person you used to be. Have nothing to do with your old sinful life. It was sinful because of being fooled into following bad desires. 23 Let your minds and hearts be made new. 24 You must become a new person and be God-like. Then you will be made right with God and have a true holy life.”

9. Corinthians 11:1 (ESV) “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.”

10. 1 Thessalonians 4:7 “For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness.”

11. Titus 1:8 “but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, just, devout, self-controlled.”

What does it mean that God is holy?

God is entirely moral, completely pure, and completely good. Our sinful natures separate us from God’s absolute purity and holiness. Yet, in His holiness, God is divinely just and merciful. In the books of Isaiah and Revelation, we see the angels and saints declaring God is “holy, holy, holy” – emphasizing His all-encompassing nature and how much higher He is than us.

Even as redeemed saints who have been made righteous by the blood of the Lamb, we cannot live in holiness in our own efforts, but only as we cooperate with God’s work through us by the Holy Spirit. Because God is perfectly holy and good, He is our source of holiness.

God’s holiness is unchanging, and His standards of goodness are also unchanging. Even though our current world constantly redefines what is “good” and “bad,” God’s standards are consistently the same because He does not change.

12. Exodus 15:11 “Who among the gods is like you, Lord? Who is like you— majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?”

13. Isaiah 6:3 “And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”

14. Revelation 15:4 “Who will not fear you, Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.”

15. Psalms 98:1 “Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.”

16. Psalm 111:9 (KJV) “He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name.”

17. Revelation 4:8 (NIV) “Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.”

18. Hebrews 13:8 (ESV) “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

19. Acts 3:14 “You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you.”

20. 1 John 1:5 (KJV) “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”

21. Mark 1:24 “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”

22. Ezekiel 39:7 “I will make known my holy name among my people Israel. I will no longer let my holy name be profaned, and the nations will know that I the LORD am the Holy One in Israel.”

23. Leviticus 11:44 “I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves along the ground.”

24. 1 Peter 1:16 “for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

25. Isaiah 49:7 “This is what the LORD says— the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel— to him who was despised and abhorred by the nation, to the servant of rulers: “Kings will see you and stand up, princes will see and bow down, because of the LORD, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”

26. Psalm 99:9 “Exalt the LORD our God and worship at his holy mountain, for the LORD our God is holy.”

27. Psalm 22:3 “Yet You are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.”

28. Psalm 99:3 “Let them praise Your great and awesome name–He is holy!”

29. Joshua 24:19 “But Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the LORD, for He is a holy God; He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your rebellion or your sins.”

30. 1 Samuel 2:2 “No one is holy like the LORD! There is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.”

Be holy, for I am holy.

When God brought the Israelites out of Egypt and gave them the laws, He repeatedly told them, “Be holy for I am holy” (Leviticus 11:44, 45, 19:2, 20:26).

The context was not eating unclean things, respecting one’s parents, and observing the Sabbath because God had singled them out to be His. God set them apart to be a blessing and a witness to the rest of the nations. As they obeyed Him and lived in holiness, He poured out His blessings on them, so the rest of the nations would see what happened to a nation that followed the true God.

• “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing” (Genesis 12:2)
• “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:5-6).

As a kingdom of priests, they were God’s representatives – His ambassadors – on earth. And thus, they needed to represent His character – His holiness

And that is what we are today! As believers, we are a kingdom of priests: God’s representatives to everyone around us. And that is why Peter repeated God’s command to the Israelites, “Be holy because I am holy” (1 Peter 1:15-16).

• “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of the One having called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9)

31. Leviticus 19:2 “Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.”

32. Matthew 5:48 “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

33. Leviticus 20:26 “You are to be holy to me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own.”

34. Titus 2:14″ He gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.”

35. Deuteronomy 14:2 “for you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD has chosen you to be a people for His prized possession out of all the peoples on the face of the earth.”

36. Deuteronomy 7:6 “For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His prized possession out of all peoples on the face of the earth.”

37. James 4:4 “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

38. John 15:19 “If you were of the world, it would love you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.”

39. 1 John 1:5-7 “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”

40. Psalm 89:15 “Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, Lord.”

Why is holiness important?

Holiness is essential because we represent God to the world. If we say we are Christians yet live immorally or without love, we bring shame to His name. Our lives should reflect God’s nature – His love, purity, kindness, and faithfulness. We should live our lives in a way that attracts others to Christ.

Holiness also brings us happiness. When we obey God, we don’t have the consequences of a sinful lifestyle, like certain diseases, pregnancies outside of marriage, being arrested, being disliked by the people around us, and so forth. Living a life of integrity and love brings blessings, such as happy marriages, secure finances, healthier bodies, and the high regard of those around us.

41. Matthew 5:8 (ESV) “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

42. Ephesians 5:5 “For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”

43. Hebrews 12:14 “Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.”

44. Romans 6:22 “But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the fruit you reap leads to holiness, and the outcome is eternal life.”

45. Ephesians 4:22–24 (NIV) “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”

46. Psalm 15: 1-5 “Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain? 2 The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart; 3 whose tongue utters no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbor, and casts no slur on others; 4 who despises a vile person but honors those who fear the Lord; who keeps an oath even when it hurts, and does not change their mind; 5 who lends money to the poor without interest; who does not accept a bribe against the innocent. Whoever does these things will never be shaken.”

47. 1 Peter 2:9-12 “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 11 Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”

48. 1 Peter 1:13-17 “Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. 14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” 17 Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear.”

49. Hebrews 12:14 “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.”

Characteristics of holiness

We must recognize the fine line between holiness and legalism or being works-oriented. Holiness does not involve the harsh judgment of those we deem less holy. Holy involves correct behavior, but it is more than that. Jesus said that all the law and prophets hang on two commands: 1) “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and 2) Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-40).

Holiness involves agreeing with God on what He says is right and wrong. It is hating what He hates (the sin, not the sinner) and loving what He loves. Holiness measures everything by God’s Word. Holiness involves not doing what God forbids and doing what God tells us to do in His Word and delighting in obeying God. Holiness means striving to have the mind of Christ and aligning with His actions (Romans 8:29), being humble, forgiving, unselfish, loving others, praying, and doing good to others, yet denouncing sin. A holy person is patient, kind, and gentle, controls his or her temper and words, and exercises self-control in what he or she eats, drinks, and does. A holy person sets his or her mind on things above and avoids getting overly distracted by worldly things.

50. 1 John 1:5 “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.”

51. Psalm 145:3 “Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.”

52. Colossians 1:16 (NKJV) “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.”

53. John 1:14 “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

54. Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”

55. Jeremiah 23:9 “Concerning the prophets: My heart is broken within me; all my bones tremble. I am like a drunken man, like a strong man overcome by wine, because of the Lord and his holy words.”

56. Romans 8:29 “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”

57. Revelation 6:10 “They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?”

58. Isaiah 57:15 (NASB) “For this is what the high and exalted One Who [a]lives forever, whose name is Holy, says: “I dwell in a high and holy place, And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit In order to revive the spirit of the lowly And to revive the heart of the contrite.”

59. Psalm 27:4 “One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord And to meditate in His temple.”

60. Isaiah 1:16-17 “Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. 17 Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.”

61. Matthew 5:48 “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

62. 1 Samuel 2:2 “There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.”

63. Deuteronomy 7:6 New International Version 6 For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.

64. Leviticus 20:26 “You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own.”

Pray for holiness

Praying for holiness is something all of us should do, as there are always some areas in our lives that still need the Holy Spirit’s work.

When praying for holiness, ask God to reveal activities that might seem harmless but can distract us from godly pursuits and/or make sinful things appear justifiable or right. Ask for God’s guidance in what we read or watch on TV or social media. Ask Him to guide us away from situations that would put us into temptations. Ask Him to make us influencers for good and not be influenced by evil.

Ask God to guide us as we read the Bible to observe Jesus’s actions, such as being devoted to prayer, the scriptures, and helping others. Ask God to make us imitators of Jesus and holy people like Barnabas, Dorcas, and Joseph.

Ask God to make us tender and obedient to the Holy Spirit as He reveals sin in our lives and directs our paths. Ask God to help us love Him with all our hearts, souls, and minds and to love others as we love ourselves.

65. 1 John 3:21-22 “Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him.”

What is the Holiness movement? Is it biblical?

The holiness movement began in the 1700s with the teachings of John Wesley. He taught that we cannot save ourselves through virtuous works but only through the grace of God enabling a person to repent and believe in Jesus Christ. He said that once saved, the Holy Spirit begins His regenerative work that changes character and produces holiness. He pointed out Jesus’ command to “Be perfect therefore as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Mt. 5:48).

However, Wesley’s understanding of “perfection” meant having a mature character and constantly growing in love for God. Wesley encouraged people toward “Christian perfection,” which he said means a pure love for God and others, a lifestyle increasing in virtue, and in loving, selfless actions toward others. He did not envision arriving at a certain point and having no more room for increased love for God and others. However, although he never claimed to be perfectly sanctified, he did write of others who he felt were delivered from sin and lived in the pure love of God.

In the 1800s, some Methodists began teaching that a Christian could and should seek perfection – meaning becoming sinless and thoroughly sanctified. They said this was possible by a “second work of grace” after salvation. This “second blessing” freed believers from original sin and empowered them by the indwelling Holy Spirit to live wholly sanctified lives and avoid conscious sins. Some even taught that if a person willfully sinned after receiving the “second blessing, ” they lost their salvation.

Mainline Methodists disagreed, which involved a split away into “holiness” denominations like the Church of the Nazarene, the Wesleyan Church, and the Church of God.

The Keswick-Holiness (or Higher Life) revival of the 1870s did not teach sinless perfection but did encourage a “second blessing” of sanctification following salvation. It taught that a normal Christian life meant victory over sin. Some influential teachers of the ongoing Keswick movement included R. A Torrey, Andrew Murray, Oswald Chambers, Dwight L. Moody (and Moody Bible Institute), and A.B. Simpson, who founded the Christian & Missionary Alliance (C&MA).

The C&MA theologian A.W. Tozer wrote Keys to the Deeper Life, which urged moving beyond spiritual mediocrity into a deeper life: “deeper only because the average Christian life is tragically shallow.” Tozer taught that we must aggressively deal with sin and confess daily. “This is not to preach sinless perfection so that there is no more sin anywhere in our lives.” “Separation, obedience, humility, simplicity, gravity, self-control, modesty, cross-bearing: these all must again be made a living part of the total Christian concept and be carried out in everyday conduct.”

So, is the holiness movement legit? Does is align with what the Bible teaches?

The teachings about sinless perfection do not line up with the Bible. Jesus did say, “Be perfect therefore as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Mt. 5:48). However, the Greek word He used for “perfect” is teleios, which means complete, mature, having reached the goal of a long journey.

The Bible never teaches that a Christian can ultimately conquer all sin in this life. The Apostle Paul spoke of his ongoing, exasperating battle against evil in Romans 7:

• “For what I want to do, I do not do. But what I hate, I do.” (vs. 15)
• “For I do not do the good I want to do. Instead, I keep on doing the evil I do not want to do.” (vs. 19)
• “But I see another law at work in my body, warring against the law of my mind and holding me captive to the law of sin that dwells within me.” (vs. 23)

Secondly, the Bible does not explicitly teach a “second blessing” in which an already saved person becomes wholly sanctified. Everyone has different experiences in their Christian walk. There are Christians who are saved but never actively pursue holiness. They are stunted Christians, who the author of Hebrews urged, “leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity” (Hebrews 6:1).

Some Christians, especially those saved in their late teens or as adults are radically changed at the point of salvation and live in great victory (although not sinless perfection). Other Christians, especially those who came to Christ as children, might have a second crisis experience in their lives where they realize they need to fully consecrate themselves to Christ and live in holiness.

But for all of us, holiness is a progressive experience, not a one-time event. It is a struggle, as Paul said. We might have times when we slip and fall back or just get satisfied with where we are and never seek to pursue a deeper walk with God and greater holiness of living. Spiritual complacency is the enemy of holiness. We will never fully  “arrive” this side of the grave. There is always room for greater love and rooting out the sin that insidiously keeps us from where God wants us to be.

66. Hebrews 12:1 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”

67. Hebrews 6:1 “Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God.

68. Romans 7:23-25 “but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.”

Examples of holiness in the Bible

1. Barnabas wasn’t even his real name. It was the nickname the apostles gave him, meaning “son of encouragement.” His name was Joseph, and his first recorded act was selling a field, and laying the money at the apostles’ feet to give to the believers in need (Acts 4:34-37). Barnabas loved God and he loved others fervently and sacrificially. The next mention of Barnabas was shortly after Paul (Saul) was saved and everyone was afraid of him because he had been persecuting the Christians. But Barnabas took Paul to the apostles and told them about Paul’s amazing conversion experience and how he’d been preaching boldly in Damascus.

When a church sprung up in Antioch, the apostles sent Barnabas to guide it. The Bible says Barnabas was “a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and faith” (Acts 11:24). Barnabas went to get Paul to help him, and later that church sent Barnabas and Paul out as missionaries. They served together in great power. Barnabas lived up to his nickname as “encourager.” He was generous, willing to give people a second chance, and tireless in serving God.

• Dorcas (or Tabitha) was a disciple in Joppa. The Bible says she “was always occupied with works of kindness and charity” (Acts 9:36). After she got sick and died, the disciples sent for Peter, who was in a town nearby. The widows showed him all the clothing Dorcas had made for them while she was alive. Paul prayed for her, and she came back to life. Dorcas followed Jesus’ command to love others as she loved herself.
• Joseph in the Old Testament was sold by his jealous brothers to be a slave in Egypt. When his owner’s wife asked him to sleep with her, Joseph said, “How could I do such a wicked thing? It would be a great sin against God.” The woman kept enticing him, but Joseph refused to sin, so the woman told her husband he had tried to rape her, and he was put into prison. But Joseph’s character and integrity impressed the warden, who put him in charge of the prison. (Genesis 39)

Eventually, Joseph was delivered from prison and became the second most important ruler in Egypt, next to Pharoah. He encountered his brothers again when they came to Egypt to buy grain, but they didn’t recognize him. Joseph forgave his brothers for selling him as a slave, saying, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people” (Genesis 50). Joseph lived a life of holiness, resisting sexual sin and forgiving those who hurt him.

69. Acts 11:24 “He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.”

70. Acts 4:34-37 “that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need. 36 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”), 37 sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.”

Conclusion

Holiness is not just our actions but the condition of our hearts – our desires, motives, and whether or not we are loving Him and others. Our actions and words flow from our heart, so holiness begins with the condition of our hearts.

A healthy and holy heart comes from a mind fixed on Christ, determined to pursue holiness. It comes from studying and meditating on God’s Word and spending time in worship and praise of the lover of our souls. As we do this, our conscience realigns with God’s Word and enables our actions to be holy and pleasing to God. As we submit to the Holy Spirit, He guides us in righteous thoughts and actions.

• “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved, entirely blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23)