06/22/2026
Has anyone ever said to you, “What, are you holier than thou?” Well, as baptized believers in our Lord Jesus Christ, and depending upon who may have said this, your answer should be a resounding YES!
Some context first. As Christians, and contrary to what the world thinks, we are NOT called to be perfect, but we are called to be holy. Holy in the Greek is ἅγιος (hagios), which means to be set apart, set apart from the world or sanctified.
In 1 Peter 2:9-12 states…9 But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.
11 Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. 12 Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may [a]because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of [b]visitation (Jesus’ return).
When we become Christians at baptism, the unsaved person joins the ranks of the saved, the moment that in which he/she is set apart from the world as such, from their old way of life, and from “this present evil age” (Galatians 1:4).
As Jack Cottrell says, “It is a change of status or change of position in relation to God and in relation to the world. It transfers the sinner from the domain of darkness into the Kingdom of Christ (Colossians 1:13). Just as God in His ontological holiness is ever set apart from and distinct from the creation as such, so does the sinner in his/her conversion transcend the old (sinful and condemned) creation and become identified with the new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17 and Ephesians 2:10)
Holiness or sanctification is an ongoing process in that the Christian should become more and more holy, or more separated from sin the longer his/her walk is with Jesus. At this point, there’s no change in status or relationships, but we should continue to be transformed of our inward character and thought process including our outward behavior and conduct. 2 Peter 3:18, this is how we “grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” and “work out our own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12).
No, God does not expect perfection from an imperfect being, but why should He? If we are covered by the perfect blood of the perfect Lamb, and because of His awesome love and awesome grace for us, I know every time He looks down upon me, I am so thankful that He doesn’t see the imperfect me, but He does see HIS PERFECT, HOLY SON!!! Not because of me or anything that I have done, but because of the grace of God Almighty I can say to the world, “Yes, I am holier than thou!” Thank You Jesus!!!
