Holiness is a word used an awful lot in Christian theology — “holy,” “holiness,” “be holy,” etc. The problem is that it’s clear many people who throw the word around don’t actually know what it means, including some well-known and respected theologians (I’ll not name the one I’m thinking of… but boy, he’s pretty far off base).
I was ordained in the Nazarene tradition, a Wesleyan-Holiness denomination. Holiness — specifically the doctrine of Entire Sanctification — is a major distinctive in the Church of the Nazarene. I still believe this emphasis is thoroughly biblical, and dismissing holiness as unimportant is simply contrary to Scripture.
Leviticus makes it plain: “Be holy, because I am holy” (Leviticus 11:44-45; 1 Peter 1:15-16).
Ah! So we’re supposed to be perfect like God? Got it.
…No. That’s not what it means.
At its root, “holy” means set apart. Distinct. Different. It means your life is increasingly marked by the character of God rather than the patterns of the world around you. People should be able to tell something is different about you — not primarily by what you say, but by how you live, especially when you don’t think anyone is watching.
Where I Diverge from Some Holiness Traditions
This is where the Church of the Nazarene and I began to diverge in practice. Too often, holiness got reduced to a list of external rules: no movies, no dancing, no alcohol, no “shiny objects,” no fun. (I may be exaggerating slightly, but not by much.)
That’s not holiness.
Going to see Gnomeo and Juliet isn’t inherently evil (unless we’re counting terrible movies as a sin). Enjoying a single beer with dinner or after mowing the lawn isn’t sinful either. Scripture doesn’t say “never drink alcohol.” It says don’t get drunk (Ephesians 5:18; Proverbs 23:29-35). Paul even told Timothy to drink a little wine for his stomach (1 Timothy 5:23).
The obsession with external rules was often more about maintaining a certain image than about heart transformation. Jesus had strong words for that kind of religion:
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness.” (Matthew 23:27)
Performative Christianity — looking holy on the outside while the inside remains unchanged — is not holiness. It’s exactly what Jesus condemned.
Real-World Examples of Confusion
We see this confusion played out publicly today.
Take Sophie Rain, the OnlyFans creator who claims she can do porn and still “love Jesus” with no need for repentance. She says things like “God is very forgiving,” which is true — God is very forgiving. But forgiveness is not a license to keep sinning. Jesus never said “come as you are and stay as you are.” He said “come as you are and follow me” — which includes repentance and transformation (Mark 1:15; Luke 5:32). Any porn actress (or anyone else) who argues that God is cool with porn is simply ignoring the clear biblical call to holiness and repentance. That’s not freedom. That’s self-deception.
On the other side, some churches (like Xenos, now Dwell) have dismissed any strong call to repentance as “legalism,” while simultaneously practicing church discipline against members struggling with same-sex attraction. That’s inconsistent at best. You can’t preach “no rules, just grace” and then selectively enforce rules when it suits you. True holiness avoids both cheap grace and harsh legalism.
What Holiness Actually Is
Holiness is being set apart for God.
It is the Holy Spirit progressively making us more like Jesus in character, love, integrity, purity, and obedience. It has two inseparable sides:
- Separation from the sinful patterns of this world.
- Consecration to God — heart, mind, will, and body.
Christian perfection (or Entire Sanctification) is not absolute perfection. That won’t happen until we are in God’s presence (Philippians 3:12; 1 John 1:8). Think of it like lane assist in a car: the Spirit gently nudges you back when you start to drift, but you can still override it if you’re determined to drive into oncoming traffic. Holiness is that ongoing nudging toward Christlikeness.
My mentor Dr. Rob McCorkle has described it well: when we’re born, we’re rooted in depravity. After salvation, the “bungee cord” that pulls us toward sin is gradually replaced by a new default — being drawn toward what is holy. We can still override it, but we’re more naturally compelled toward goodness.
In other words, true holiness is a reflection of God’s character — however imperfectly we live it out. It is not something we try our way into through sheer willpower. It is a work of grace that resets our default nature.
Holiness is not the enemy of joy — it is the path to real joy. It is not opposed to love — it is love’s fullest expression. It is not about earning God’s favor — it is the grateful response to the favor we’ve already received in Christ.
We will never be perfect in this life, but we are called to grow in holiness until the day we see Him face to face (1 John 3:2-3).
That’s what holiness is.
Everything else is just noise.
Rooted & Reckoned 
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