A Love of Holiness

The first evidence of a newly converted person is a love for all that is holy. What is holiness? The simplest answer is that holiness is to be “separated” or “different.” The question is, separate or different from what? Sin. It is to love righteousness, purity and goodness, while hating unrighteousness, impurity and evil.

The new child of God has new tastes, values and desires. The Bible says the result of the new birth is change. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Of course, the words, “all things have become new” does not mean you have a new Mercedes instead of your old Chevy. When the Bible uses the word all it doesn’t always mean all without any distinctions. Sometimes it uses the word all to mean all in a certain class or category. The Apostle Paul, whom God used to write these words, means “all things” in a spiritual sense have become new. In other words, everything that has to do with how you relate to God has changed.

For example, before you were a Christian, you did not love God or anything that God stood for. Holy living to you was very unattractive. It was about as appealing to you as the flu. In fact, if you had to choose suffering the flu for two weeks or living holy you would choose the flu. That’s how much you were opposed to God and holiness.