Holiness as Excellence

There are many ways to define Holiness. I am wary of definitions that try, in an academic and philosophical streak, to succinctly encapsulate the essence of Holiness. There are multiple angles to shine a light into the diamond of Holiness.

An angle I have found helpful as of late is the one of excellence. A way to define Holiness through this angle could be this: Holiness is excellence in all we do through God’s Grace.

Holiness is Excellence
Let’s begin with our first part of our definition. Why Excellence? The Scriptural witness of God as excellent and God’s call to pursue excellence is evident in many passages. This passage from Matthew is arguably the clearest call to a life of excellence:

“You must therefore be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48 ESV, emphasis added).

The word perfect here is teleios, which can be translated as brought to its end, finished, fully grown, lacking nothing. This definition differs radically from our colloquial definition of perfection: without error. 

Compare the Biblical Greek’s definition (similar to the Hebrew Shalom or Tamim, which can both mean completeness, wholeness) to the Merriam-Webster definition of perfection: being entirely without fault or defect. 

Excellence is also connected to holiness. Another way to define excellence is “an excellent or valuable quality: Virtue.”

2 Peter 1: 3  makes the connection of holiness to excellence clearer: “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence”(ESV, emphasis added).

Peter continues: “For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness...” (2 Peter 1: 5-6 ESV, emphases added).

Because of God’s call to God’s own glory and excellence, we should make every effort, through grace, to pursue a life of virtue. More on grace later.

In All We Do
Now, why pursue excellence in ALL things? Isn’t that a bit too much? Isn’t that too high a demand, what with all of life’s demands pulling us in multiple directions?

The temptation here is to focus on a few big things and do them well while neglecting other seemingly small and insignificant issues. I have been too guilty of this temptation. I have struggled, for example, to keep my spaces in an orderly manner. Ask my family about my car 5 years ago, and they will probably tell you that it was a hoarder’s dream. A black hole, I believe is what they called it.

I thought the mess was insignificant. Who has time to clean up their car when I’m out working, studying and doing ministry? Isn’t that enough? Unfortunately, that’s not how things work. We can’t simply compartmentalize our lives in impermeable boxes so that one aspect of our life doesn’t affect the other. Every aspect of our life is permeable. How I keep my car affects how I do work, study, and ministry.

Jesus warns us against this temptation: “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much” (Luke 16: 10 ESV). The edifice of faithfulness is built brick by brick. We are called to practice excellence in all things because that is the only way to move forward in excellence.

Through God’s Grace
This is the most important part of this definition of holiness. It would be so easy to delude ourselves in thinking that if we just try hard enough, and have complete attention and control over our affairs, holiness is ours for the taking.

This is particularly troublesome for those of us residing in the West, where we are sold the myth of the self-made man. There are no bootstraps to pull ourselves up in the road to holiness. Holiness, after all, is not just what we do, but who we are. A change in our nature needs to happen.

This does not mean that no effort is needed on our part. It does not mean that we have the luxury of idleness while we wait for God’s grace to change us. No. Effort is still required. We are called to collaborate with God’s grace. We are asked to consent to God’s grace and act in the full knowledge that our strength comes from the maker of heaven and earth.

Peter makes this clear as well, as he balances the careful tension between grace and effort. God has given us “great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature” (c.f 2 Peter 1: 4). It is only through God’s grace that we can be partakers of God’s divine nature.

And yet, Peter also exhorts us “to make every effort” to supplement our faith with virtue. This effort, I believe, it’s our collaboration and consent to God’s grace. This effort is not necessarily an easy one just because we have God’s grace. The effort may still be incredibly difficult. The difference is, that with God’s grace, we are partakers of the divine nature, and so our actions are made with the integrity of who we are in God.

What are other definitions of holiness that you find helpful? Please share in the comments below!