Since “holy” is usually defined as separate or set apart one would be forgiven for thinking that we must withdraw from the world to become holy. During the middle ages monks would go to extreme measures to do exactly that, moving to monasteries far removed from civilization and even forgoing talking to one another in some such retreats. On one occasion a humble monk joined just such a monastery and was told he could only speak two words one every three years. At the end of the first three years he went before the Cardinal and said, “bad food.” Three years later he returned and spoke to the Cardinal, “bad bed”. On his ninth year he appeared before his superior and reported, “I quit.” The Cardinal replied, “I’m not surprised, you have done nothing but complain since you came here.”

The truth is, holiness is not a withdrawal from the world or even a physical location. Israel was chosen to be a holy nation “among the other nations”, and we too are meant to be holy among the unholy. The implication is that being holy is more than making moral choices but rather a state of being. God himself is evidence of this truth. God is holy, the only holy person in all of creation (Revelation 15.4), and he commands that we attempt to be holy in the same way. But how?

It is my understanding that the answer to being holy lies in Jesus’ words to his disciples in John 15.1-17. If only God is holy, then it seems to me that the only way to be holy is to “abide” in God. Since Jesus is the physical manifestation of God, it is only natural for Jesus to instruct us how we abide, or remain, in him, He does just this in verse four.

Remain in me, and I will remain in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me.

Throughout the passage Jesus provide us several keys to living the life that God wants for us – his will -- for our lives. It is important to understand that these items are not a list of things to do, but an intention about how to live. With that in mind let’s have a look at what Jesus has to say.

For Jesus to remain in us, he gives us four commands: We ought to remain in Jesus, we ought to let the word (the Bible) remain in us, obey God, and let our joy be complete in God. Each of these could be, and perhaps one day will be, a post of their own but for now let’s try to draw enough meaning from them to set us on the path of holiness.

NOTE: In looking at this passage I feel it is only right to also mention that Jesus tells us a by-product of these four commands, that we will love one another; in loving one another we will bear fruit; in bearing fruit we honor God. This is not directly related to our study of holiness, but worth mentioning in relation to this passage.

What does all this mean in practical terms? We’ll find out, next time.