We Latter-day Saints usually understand “holy” to mean “without spot.” (This can also lead us to think in terms of comparison, “holier than,” which can be unpleasant.) Moral or ritual cleanliness is part of its meaning, but there is more.
The word translated as “holy” in English is usually the Hebrew word ka-DOSH. It does refer to purity, but it also means “set apart.”
Some analogies can help illustrate the other meaning of the word we miss out on in common usage:
When do we pull out the genuine silver and expensive China for a meal? When there are important visitors or events. Those dishes are set apart, designated for special use only. A child digging in the garden with a regular fork or spoon may get leniency; to find the same child using Grandma’s silver ladle to dig up dirt is a capital offense. Those dishes are kept under lock and key; they are designated for certain important occasions, and nothing else.
A bullet might roll around in the back of a truck, or sit in a pocket, or gather dust on a shelf; it might spend a week quietly waiting inside a gun. But once the gun is aimed and fired, that bullet is committed to its target, a two-inch circle hundreds of yards down the firing range. It is thoroughly dedicated to that target, and nothing else. Before the bullet is fired, it has many possible targets; after the bullet is fired, it is committed, dedicated, to one specific purpose.
The limited, selective use of those special dishes, or the trajectory of the bullet, parallels the fuller meaning of the word “holy.” Something holy is committed, designated, devoted, or dedicated for specific use or special purposes, and to nothing else.
Holiest of All
In Isaiah 6:3, we read of Isaiah seeing heavenly beings, seraphs, flying around the throne of God and chanting: “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of Hosts…” In Hebrew, using an adjective more than once intensifies it. But to use a word three times in a row turns it into a superlative: “holiest.” God is holiest, they are saying—more so than all others.
Though it does not use the word, 2Ne. 26:24 is telling us about His commitment, or holiness: “He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world…” This implies great focus. We and our salvation are His targets, what He is committed to: “For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39).
Can we comprehend just how committed the Lord is to our salvation? If He merely liked us, our immediate comfort and convenience would be the extent of His actions towards us. But He loves us and is committed to making us like Him, and therefore the circumstances He will put us through can become extreme.
Jesus was not spared the extremes during His mortal probation, either. “The Son of Man hath descended below them all” (D&C 122:8). But He did not balk: “…for I do always those things that please [the Father]” (John 8:29). He wanted to always do God’s will. “Jesus said unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work” (John 4:34). He rejoiced in obedience the way we do in breakfast, lunch and dinner.
“…God doth not walk in crooked paths, neither doth he turn to the right hand nor to the left, neither doth he vary…therefore his paths are straight, and his course is one eternal round” (D&C 3:2). How can His course be straight AND round? If you walk in a straight line on the surface of a globe long enough, you eventually get back to where you started. The Lord probably works in cycles and periods and eons that repeat. Seen from above, a hoop looks like a circle; seen from its edge, it is a straight line.
The Lord’s consistency and reliability take some uncertainty out of life. Nephi explains, “For he is the same yesterday, today, and forever; and the way is prepared for all men from the foundation of the world, if it so be that they repent and come unto him.
“For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well as in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round” (1Ne. 10:18-19).
Nephi describes the dedicated-style holiness of the Savior: “He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world…” (2Ne. 26:24). What, no hobbies? It can be hard to imagine God loving what He has committed to do when our lives often consist of fulfilling unpleasant commitments while longing to go out and play. (Is merging “have to” with “want to” true success?) In any case, the opposite of holy is not just dirty; the opposite of holy is distracted, ambivalent, hesitating, scatter-brained, lacking focus, or “For Generic Use.”
Like Jesus
We talk about becoming like our Savior; that does not just mean clean, free from sin; it also includes being fully committed to doing what we can of the Father’s work. One of the happiest verses in all scripture is D&C 60:7. The Lord tells us, “For I am able to make you holy…” Alma the Younger and the sons of Mosiah are great examples of this. They were the “the very vilest of sinners” (Mosiah 28:4), but the Lord made them into the greatest of missionaries.
He said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest…
“For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt 11:28, 30).
The Lord can change our hearts to be more like His. The more committed-holy we choose to make our hearts, the more spotless-holy He will make us.
“…thou shalt lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better” (D&C 25:10). The things of a better world also require work and seeking to obtain, but testimony and knowledge and covenants are much more portable and durable than the treasures of the earth. We can even carry them into the next world.
It is easy to confuse frantic “multitasking,” scurrying from one chore to the next, with virtue. But being busy is not necessarily the same as being holy.
“…sad to say, we even wear our busyness as a badge of honor, as though being busy, by itself, was an accomplishment or sign of a superior life.
“Is it?
“I think of our Lord and Exemplar, Jesus Christ, and His short life among the people of Galilee and Jerusalem. I have tried to imagine Him bustling between meetings or multitasking to get a list of urgent things done.
“I can’t see it.
“Instead I see the compassionate and caring Son of God purposefully living each day” (President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Of Regrets and Resolutions, October 2012 General Conference).
Our time on earth is short. We have an infinite number of options in this life; the biggest limiting factor is time. Everything is available to us, but we only have time to pursue a few things effectively. Our choices in this life expose our true character, where our hearts really are.
God told Moses, in essence, “I AM God, YOU ARE Moses—this is what I do; here is your assignment.” He then explained part of Moses’ purposes and mission on earth: “…and thou shalt be made stronger than many waters; for they shall obey thy command as if thou wert God” (Moses 1:25).
Each of us has unique combinations of gifts, and a unique mission to fulfill here on earth. Not all talents are glamorous. We may have agreed premortally to deploy talents here that we have not yet even considered. We should make certain we are not like that precious silver ladle that gets used as a shovel in the garden. We should find out how the Lord prefers us to use our gifts.
Like Jehovah
The Ten Commandments still get modern respect as the foundation to our faith (and stable civilizations), but how often do we notice the thesis statement, the reason for the rules the Lord hands to Moses? “Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me…
“And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation” (Ex. 19:5-6). Prudery is not the reason behind the Law of Moses. Israel was meant to be set apart, peculiar, different from the rest of the world.
The rules do not just focus on outward behaviors. The Lord wanted to make Israel like Him in feeling, too:
“And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
“Speak unto all…say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy” (Lev. 19:1-2). In other words, everyone needs to be like God.
“…if ye offer a sacrifice of peace offerings…ye shall offer it at your own will” (v. 5). We are to be sincere, authentic, and genuine in worship. God’s love for us is real; we should return real love, “without compulsory means.” Gifts given grudgingly are counted evil.
“And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest” (v. 9). Why are they to be inefficient, and leave some fruits and grains behind in the field?
“…thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the Lord your God” (v. 10). Ancient Israelites were supposed to leave something behind for anyone who wanted it, especially the poor. And the Lord reminds us that this is who He is by signing the verse: “I am the Lord your God.” He is generous with us; we should be generous to others.
“Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumblingblock before the blind, but shalt fear thy God: I am the Lord” (v. 14). We are not to take advantage of the disadvantaged, for sport or otherwise. We are to respect others’ handicaps as God respects our weaknesses.
“…thou shalt not respect (show favoritism to) the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbor” (v. 15). Money or social status or outward beauty (or their lack) should not dictate our respect towards others; we should base our opinions on a person’s character.
“Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart…
“Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge…but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord” (v.17, 18). We can reprove another’s behavior when prompted by the Spirit, but we are not to harbor silent bad feelings or contempt towards anyone—this makes us more holy, more like God.
This is all part of the Law of Moses. God has treated us, His begging children, well; we are to treat others the way He has treated us, with the same indulgent, fatherly patience, kindness, mercy, and generosity. Compulsion and “holy” are incompatible.
Holiness
The fuller meaning of “holy” expands our understanding of another word—“holiness.”
The High Priest of the Old Temple and the Tabernacle wore a gold crown inscribed with the words HOLINESS TO THE LORD. This phrase is displayed prominently today on each new Temple.
What does it mean?
“Holy” means “committed;” “holiness” is a verb—“consecrated to the Lord.” The fullest expression of holiness is keeping the Law of Consecration, devoting everything we are, have, or will yet own or be, to the Lord.
The Lord has devoted all His resources and time to us and our salvation; it is symmetrical for Him to expect similar total devotion from us.
Whatever we offer to God—a temple or ourselves—receives a greater portion of His Spirit, and His glory. He improves whatever we consecrate to Him. “Men and women who turn their lives over to God will discover that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities, comfort their souls, raise up friends, and pour out peace. Whoever will lose his life in the service of God will find eternal life” (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p. 361). An entire community that lives and thinks and feels this way, and receives that improvement from the Lord, is referred to as “Zion.”
To be holy is to be as committed to the Lord and His work as He is to us—it is reciprocal. Holiness is the action that flows from that commitment, the act of giving it all to Him. Instead of substituting the appearance of moral and physical cleanliness for “holy,” we should give it all to God so that He can purify us, inside and out. Then we will be clean, and committed—completely holy.
When do we pull out the genuine silver and expensive China for a meal? When there are important visitors or events. Those dishes are set apart, designated for special use only. A child digging in the garden with a regular fork or spoon may get leniency; to find the same child using Grandma’s silver ladle to dig up dirt is a capital offense. Those dishes are kept under lock and key; they are designated for certain important occasions, and nothing else.
A bullet might roll around in the back of a truck, or sit in a pocket, or gather dust on a shelf; it might spend a week quietly waiting inside a gun. But once the gun is aimed and fired, that bullet is committed to its target, a two-inch circle hundreds of yards down the firing range. It is thoroughly dedicated to that target, and nothing else. Before the bullet is fired, it has many possible targets; after the bullet is fired, it is committed, dedicated, to one specific purpose.
The limited, selective use of those special dishes, or the trajectory of the bullet, parallels the fuller meaning of the word “holy.” Something holy is committed, designated, devoted, or dedicated for specific use or special purposes, and to nothing else.
Holiest of All
In Isaiah 6:3, we read of Isaiah seeing heavenly beings, seraphs, flying around the throne of God and chanting: “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of Hosts…” In Hebrew, using an adjective more than once intensifies it. But to use a word three times in a row turns it into a superlative: “holiest.” God is holiest, they are saying—more so than all others.
Though it does not use the word, 2Ne. 26:24 is telling us about His commitment, or holiness: “He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world…” This implies great focus. We and our salvation are His targets, what He is committed to: “For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39).
Can we comprehend just how committed the Lord is to our salvation? If He merely liked us, our immediate comfort and convenience would be the extent of His actions towards us. But He loves us and is committed to making us like Him, and therefore the circumstances He will put us through can become extreme.
Jesus was not spared the extremes during His mortal probation, either. “The Son of Man hath descended below them all” (D&C 122:8). But He did not balk: “…for I do always those things that please [the Father]” (John 8:29). He wanted to always do God’s will. “Jesus said unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work” (John 4:34). He rejoiced in obedience the way we do in breakfast, lunch and dinner.
“…God doth not walk in crooked paths, neither doth he turn to the right hand nor to the left, neither doth he vary…therefore his paths are straight, and his course is one eternal round” (D&C 3:2). How can His course be straight AND round? If you walk in a straight line on the surface of a globe long enough, you eventually get back to where you started. The Lord probably works in cycles and periods and eons that repeat. Seen from above, a hoop looks like a circle; seen from its edge, it is a straight line.
The Lord’s consistency and reliability take some uncertainty out of life. Nephi explains, “For he is the same yesterday, today, and forever; and the way is prepared for all men from the foundation of the world, if it so be that they repent and come unto him.
“For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well as in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round” (1Ne. 10:18-19).
Nephi describes the dedicated-style holiness of the Savior: “He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world…” (2Ne. 26:24). What, no hobbies? It can be hard to imagine God loving what He has committed to do when our lives often consist of fulfilling unpleasant commitments while longing to go out and play. (Is merging “have to” with “want to” true success?) In any case, the opposite of holy is not just dirty; the opposite of holy is distracted, ambivalent, hesitating, scatter-brained, lacking focus, or “For Generic Use.”
Like Jesus
We talk about becoming like our Savior; that does not just mean clean, free from sin; it also includes being fully committed to doing what we can of the Father’s work. One of the happiest verses in all scripture is D&C 60:7. The Lord tells us, “For I am able to make you holy…” Alma the Younger and the sons of Mosiah are great examples of this. They were the “the very vilest of sinners” (Mosiah 28:4), but the Lord made them into the greatest of missionaries.
He said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest…
“For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt 11:28, 30).
The Lord can change our hearts to be more like His. The more committed-holy we choose to make our hearts, the more spotless-holy He will make us.
“…thou shalt lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better” (D&C 25:10). The things of a better world also require work and seeking to obtain, but testimony and knowledge and covenants are much more portable and durable than the treasures of the earth. We can even carry them into the next world.
It is easy to confuse frantic “multitasking,” scurrying from one chore to the next, with virtue. But being busy is not necessarily the same as being holy.
“…sad to say, we even wear our busyness as a badge of honor, as though being busy, by itself, was an accomplishment or sign of a superior life.
“Is it?
“I think of our Lord and Exemplar, Jesus Christ, and His short life among the people of Galilee and Jerusalem. I have tried to imagine Him bustling between meetings or multitasking to get a list of urgent things done.
“I can’t see it.
“Instead I see the compassionate and caring Son of God purposefully living each day” (President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Of Regrets and Resolutions, October 2012 General Conference).
Our time on earth is short. We have an infinite number of options in this life; the biggest limiting factor is time. Everything is available to us, but we only have time to pursue a few things effectively. Our choices in this life expose our true character, where our hearts really are.
God told Moses, in essence, “I AM God, YOU ARE Moses—this is what I do; here is your assignment.” He then explained part of Moses’ purposes and mission on earth: “…and thou shalt be made stronger than many waters; for they shall obey thy command as if thou wert God” (Moses 1:25).
Each of us has unique combinations of gifts, and a unique mission to fulfill here on earth. Not all talents are glamorous. We may have agreed premortally to deploy talents here that we have not yet even considered. We should make certain we are not like that precious silver ladle that gets used as a shovel in the garden. We should find out how the Lord prefers us to use our gifts.
Like Jehovah
The Ten Commandments still get modern respect as the foundation to our faith (and stable civilizations), but how often do we notice the thesis statement, the reason for the rules the Lord hands to Moses? “Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me…
“And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation” (Ex. 19:5-6). Prudery is not the reason behind the Law of Moses. Israel was meant to be set apart, peculiar, different from the rest of the world.
The rules do not just focus on outward behaviors. The Lord wanted to make Israel like Him in feeling, too:
“And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
“Speak unto all…say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy” (Lev. 19:1-2). In other words, everyone needs to be like God.
“…if ye offer a sacrifice of peace offerings…ye shall offer it at your own will” (v. 5). We are to be sincere, authentic, and genuine in worship. God’s love for us is real; we should return real love, “without compulsory means.” Gifts given grudgingly are counted evil.
“And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest” (v. 9). Why are they to be inefficient, and leave some fruits and grains behind in the field?
“…thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the Lord your God” (v. 10). Ancient Israelites were supposed to leave something behind for anyone who wanted it, especially the poor. And the Lord reminds us that this is who He is by signing the verse: “I am the Lord your God.” He is generous with us; we should be generous to others.
“Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumblingblock before the blind, but shalt fear thy God: I am the Lord” (v. 14). We are not to take advantage of the disadvantaged, for sport or otherwise. We are to respect others’ handicaps as God respects our weaknesses.
“…thou shalt not respect (show favoritism to) the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbor” (v. 15). Money or social status or outward beauty (or their lack) should not dictate our respect towards others; we should base our opinions on a person’s character.
“Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart…
“Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge…but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord” (v.17, 18). We can reprove another’s behavior when prompted by the Spirit, but we are not to harbor silent bad feelings or contempt towards anyone—this makes us more holy, more like God.
This is all part of the Law of Moses. God has treated us, His begging children, well; we are to treat others the way He has treated us, with the same indulgent, fatherly patience, kindness, mercy, and generosity. Compulsion and “holy” are incompatible.
Holiness
The fuller meaning of “holy” expands our understanding of another word—“holiness.”
The High Priest of the Old Temple and the Tabernacle wore a gold crown inscribed with the words HOLINESS TO THE LORD. This phrase is displayed prominently today on each new Temple.
What does it mean?
“Holy” means “committed;” “holiness” is a verb—“consecrated to the Lord.” The fullest expression of holiness is keeping the Law of Consecration, devoting everything we are, have, or will yet own or be, to the Lord.
The Lord has devoted all His resources and time to us and our salvation; it is symmetrical for Him to expect similar total devotion from us.
Whatever we offer to God—a temple or ourselves—receives a greater portion of His Spirit, and His glory. He improves whatever we consecrate to Him. “Men and women who turn their lives over to God will discover that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities, comfort their souls, raise up friends, and pour out peace. Whoever will lose his life in the service of God will find eternal life” (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p. 361). An entire community that lives and thinks and feels this way, and receives that improvement from the Lord, is referred to as “Zion.”
To be holy is to be as committed to the Lord and His work as He is to us—it is reciprocal. Holiness is the action that flows from that commitment, the act of giving it all to Him. Instead of substituting the appearance of moral and physical cleanliness for “holy,” we should give it all to God so that He can purify us, inside and out. Then we will be clean, and committed—completely holy.
