One of the primary characteristics of the people of God is that they will be holy as the Lord is holy (Lev 20:26; 1 Pet 1:16). But this identification is something affirmed, something declared by God to define His chosen people. God places the badge of holiness upon His people, holiness. But it is essential to recognize that this distinction is not earned or attained by the chosen people; it is given by God's grace.
This is important. There has always been a large swatch of the Christian experience that has thought of personal piety as a status, some state of being to be attained through personal discipline or strength of will. But this does not conform to the narrative of Scripture. Holiness is an attribute that only God possesses and the only way for a human being to possess holiness is for God to bestow it.
The key is this: no man can achieve holiness, God gives it by virtue of His choosing. There is no effort to exert aside from obedience to the covenant obligations, but God, because of who He is, bestows the status of holiness to whomever He pleases as expressing His love and faithfulness. Only in Christ are we made holy. This cannot be stated any more firmly. What it means, though, needs to be carried throughout its ripples in the pool of theology.
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