There are at least two major parts to the subject of holiness. The following two each of which are definitely enmeshed in life. For one, to be holy means to be morally set apart from sin and other impurities. But it doesn't stop there for Christians, as if we can purify ourselves and then simply remain in that state for the rest of our lives. No, the second part to the issue is that we are also set apart to God for action. We have responded to His call to strive for purity so as to please our Father. As a result we are more apt to be used as an instrument to further minister, and to participate in a deeper understanding of a personal fellowship with Him.
Now, we are all still sinners, yet an amazing transformation takes place in the form of grace: God's plan from the beginning was to allow His Son to die in our place as the complete sacrifice necessary to make us holy in God's sight. Without such a sacrifice, we would be left to our own devices to strive for holiness and then one day, stand at the throne of judgment and hope we had been a good enough person in life. Instead, Jesus says, "This one is mine. He is covered.", and we are no longer enemies of God, since we know that He cannot look upon sin. Thankfully, God no longer looks at us as sinners, but as holy and righteous, because of our acceptance of the ultimate gift of His Son.
Yet He still calls us to purify ourselves. Only with the power of the Holy Spirit can we accomplish this. There are many different forms of impurities that we delve into as each person has possibly a different vice. We are challenged to examine our lives to shine light on anything that might be hindering our fellowship with God, His will being enacted in our lives, or our witness to others. If anything is found, we need to take it to God and do our best to commit to Him an effort to have success in controlling it. Because what lies in front of us is a life that is close to God as He uses us and reveals more of Himself and His purposes to us, and at the end, as we stand before Him, He will allow us to come and fellowship with Him as we are now perfectly and completely holy in His eyes.
