Leviticus 19:2 reads, “Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.”

We believe we need to live a holy lifestyle not only to please God but to make it into heaven (Leviticus 19:2).

True holiness originates from a person's inner thoughts, motivations, and character, rather than just outward appearances or actions. A verse that directly reflects the idea that “holiness starts on the inside" is 1 Peter 1:15-16, which states, “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy'" - essentially saying that our outward actions should reflect the inner holiness we receive from God.

Mark 7:18-23: Jesus teaches that what comes out of a person (their actions) is what defiles them, implying that the heart and inner thoughts are the source of true defilement.

Holiness in the Hebrew is, “Kadosh” meaning to be set apart. We are not to be like “the world,” meaning going to clubs, drinking, smoking, fornicating…etc. The Apostle Paul spoke about this in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 where it states, “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.”  To be holy means to not engage in worldly activities. 

Another form of holiness is what we wear. 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 says, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.”

The temple that is spoken of in the Old Testament contained something called the “ark of the covenant” which signifies the presence of God and the spirit of God. It resided in the temple and because this was such a holy thing living inside the temple. What was on the outside and inside of the temple mattered. Exodus 26-31, Moses received extreme detail as to how this dwelling place was to look. It wasn’t up to Moses. It wasn’t up to the prophets. It wasn’t up to the people. But it was up to God. 

Because we are the modern day “temples” of God, what we say, do and wear matters to God.