What is holiness and how do we grow in it?

Jason Dohm explains in this video that for many people, when they hear of “holiness,” it makes them think of self-righteousness. But this is an incorrect thinking of the word. Holiness means being completely set apart for God. Being available to do His will at all times. Holiness stems from a heart of love for God and His ways.

What we desire should be based upon an overflow of affection for God. Hearts that love God most want to be set apart to do whatever it is that He is pleased with. That is the nature of holiness. It flows from a life of affections that are fixed on God. Consequently, we desire to be set apart for Him.

Matthew 22:37 (NKJV) – “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.”

So, what I'm fighting against is the first thing coming to mind being self-righteousness. A lot of people, when they hear the word holiness, that's what they think. In other words, they think of it badly. It makes them nervous because it sort of makes it seem like a self-righteousness which everybody knows we're not supposed to have. Holiness is really simply just being set apart for God, being completely God's, being his, being available to do his will at all times.

And this is to come from a heart of love. So it is our duty to be holy, but really what we desire is for it to be an overflow of affection for God. God has laid claim to our highest affections. In fact, if you look at what Jesus says in Luke chapter 14, he says, if anyone comes to me and does not hate his father or mother, his wife and his children, his brother and sister, yes, even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. So Jesus in saying that lays claim to our highest affections.

Hearts that love Jesus most do want to be just set aside, set apart to do whatever it is that he's pleased with. And this is the nature of holiness. It flows from a life whose affections are fixed upon Jesus, and that leads to wanting to be set apart for him.