What are the characteristics of a holy person? And how do you identify them? These questions are what this article will address today as many people struggle with these vital questions.
There are many characteristics that one will show if that person is holy and has God’s holiness imputed in that person that enables them to be holy in the first place.
And this post will look at the 13 major characteristics of a holy person that one will show if that person is born of God and has the divine nature of God in them. Let’s dive in.
What is A Holy Person? Biblical Definition.
The biblical definition of a holy person is simply someone who lives a holy life that is spotless from this world with God’s holiness imparted into that person.
In short, a holy person will strive to be like Jesus Christ as He is holy and obeys what is written in the holy scriptures. Implying that a holy person won’t want anything to do with sin.
A holy man or woman can live a life of holiness because of the divine nature 2 Peter 1:4 talks about which they are a partaker of.
What Makes A Person Holy?
The simple answer to that question is the imputed holiness and righteousness of Jesus Christ that happens at salvation is what makes a person holy.
And this is only possible if one becomes genuinely born again with a definite salvation experience in their life which brings about the new birth and nature that makes one have the holy character of Christ.
It’s this new nature of Jesus Christ that one gets at salvation that makes one holy and forsakes the sins that person once loved when the old Adamic nature of sin was active before salvation. In short, a holy person will hate sin and won’t have anything to do with it.
13 Major Characteristics Of A Holy Person.
Below are 13 major characteristics of a holy person that one will manifest if that person has the holy character of the Lord Jesus Christ in them.
- Lives A Holy Life.
- Doesn’t Conform To This World.
- Truly Born Again.
- Has A Pure Heart.
- Has Pure Thoughts.
- Detests Evil.
- Holy Spirit-Filled.
- Exhibits A Godly Character.
- Set Apart.
- Walks After The Spirit.
- Has The New Nature Of Christ.
- Fears God.
- Born Of God.
1. Lives A Holy Life.
A holy person will live a holy life that reflects the holy nature of Jesus Christ which is what holy living is all about by the way.
Since God who has called us is holy as 1 Peter 1:16 wonderfully puts it, we must also be holy as well and as a holy man or woman wanting to live a life of holiness free from the pollution of this present evil world, this is something you must always remember.
If you are not living a holy life and claim to be a believer, then you are a fake believer who won’t make it to heaven when all is said and done because as Hebrews 12:14 says without holiness, no man will see the Lord.
Must Read: 7 Major Characteristics Of A Holy Life [+ Nice Sermon]
2. Doesn’t Conform To This World.
A person who is living a holy life that the Lord expects will not be conformed to the evil systems of this world as they are not compatible with true Christianity,
Romans 12:1,2 says that you must not be conformed to this world but rather be transformed by the renewing of the mind so that you remain spotless from this evil world.
And if you are truly saved and walking on the path of holiness and righteousness, you won’t desire to conform to this evil world which will eventually pass away unless you are not truly born again yet with genuine conversion.
3. Truly Born Again.
It’s just a matter of fact that if you are a holy man or woman who wants to live a life of holiness you will be truly born again with a definite salvation experience in your life.
Without being born again, it’s impossible to live a holy life that pleases and glorifies God because you need a new nature of the Lord Jesus Christ to help you do that which only comes when you become born again.
Living a holy life that’s above sin is easy for someone who’s truly saved as that person has God’s grace mentioned in Titus 2:11 which helps one deny all forms of ungodliness and worldly lusts.
Must Reads:
- 17 (Must-Have) Characteristics Of A Born Again Christian.
- 11 Signs Of Being Born Again (Every True Christian Must Have)
4. Has A Pure Heart.
Having a pure heart is essential for holy living as, without it, you won’t be able to live godly in this present evil world and most importantly be in heaven and see God (Matthews 5:8).
If you are a holy person, you will have a pure heart given to you by Jesus Christ at salvation. It’s this new heart the Lord promises in Ezekiel 36:26 that will enable you to live a life of holiness as your old sinful stony heart will be done away with via a new spiritual birth in Christ.
This means that your heart will have pure desires and not the sinful desires you once had when you had your old sinful corrupt heart before you became saved.
5. Has Pure Thoughts.
A holy man or woman of God will not entertain impure or immoral thoughts in their mind as their minds have been transformed by the renewing power of the Holy Spirit.
Just as Romans 12:2 tells us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, if you are holy and righteous, you will have a transformed mind that will only entertain pure thoughts that will edify you to pursue holiness and not sin.
And it’s this transformed mind of Christ in you that will make you have pure thought and not entertain evil and immoral thoughts that come about as a result of an unclean and untransformed mind where the battlefield is.
6. Detests Evil.
We are told in Romans 12:9 that we must abhor that which is evil and cling to what is good which will be the case if you are a holy person living a godly life of holiness.
And if you claim to be holy, you will hate evil and have no business with it and cling to what is good and righteous but sadly, the opposite is the case with many so-called Christians who are not truly saved yet
Only unholy people love to do what is evil and if you are born again with God’s divine nature imparted to you, certainly you will hate all manner of evil that most people these days seem to love.
7. Holy Spirit-Filled.
A holy man or woman who has been called unto holiness as 1 Thessalonians 4:7,8 wonderfully puts it will be filled with the Holy Spirit who only dwells in the presence of holiness and not sins.
1 Corinthians 6:16-19 tells us that everyone who claims to be a saint of God is the temple of the Holy Spirit and should glorify God in spirit body and not defile your body with sin which will be the case if you are a righteous person.
This is why you can’t afford to defile your body with sin and the moral pollutions of this world as a true believer as the Holy Spirit will not dwell in people who defile their bodies with sin and the moral perversions of this world.
8. Exhibits A Godly Character.
When you say someone has a godly character, it simply means that person has a character that reflects God’s attributes and holy nature in them imparted by Christ Jesus.
And a holy person will exhibit a godly character of holiness that will set that person apart from the ungodly and unholy people of this evil word who possess an evil character that makes them do evil.
It’s this godly character of holiness Paul talks about in Colossians 3:12 that will make a true Christian live a life of holiness and be conformed to God’s image through Jesus Christ.
Must Reads:
- How To Live A Godly Life (In 7 Simple Steps)
- 7 Habits Of A Godly Life For Godly Living (+Video Sermon)
9. Set Apart.
In 2 Corinthians 6:17 in the new testament, Paul tells everyone who claims to be a believer to be separate and to come out from evil people.
If you are truly saved by grace through faith which brings about salvation and eternal life and are living a spotless life of godliness, you will set yourself apart from the world or evil associations that entice you to sin.
This implies that the way you live, conduct yourself, and dress especially as a lady will be different from the people of this world. Since you are set apart for God, you will desire to please Him and not the world instead.
10. Walks After The Spirit.
Walking after the Spirit and not the flesh is among the major characteristics of a holy person that one will do if they are holy and living by the truth of God’s word.
Paul tells us in Galatians 5:16 that we must walk after the Spirit and not fulfill the sinful desires of the flesh which will be the case if you are a person who is living a life of holiness.
You won’t desire to please your sinful flesh if you are pursuing a godly life but that won’t be the case if you are not following after righteousness or if you are not born again yet with the new nature of Christ Jesus to help you not obey your fleshly lusts.
11. Has The New Nature Of Christ.
Having the holy pure nature of Jesus Christ is one of the most important traits you will have if you are a righteous person wanting to imitate Christ (Ephesians 4:24).
It’s this nature of the Lord Jesus Christ in you that will enable you to be a holy man or woman of God and live a holy life that glorifies God as you can’t be holy on your own as we are all natural-born sinners with a sinful nature that loves sin and hates holiness.
Without the nature of Christ in a person, living a holy life in this present evil world is impossible. This is why those who say you can’t live a godly life that is unspotted from sin say so because the holy nature of Christ that comes after genuine conversion is not yet in them.
Must Reads:
- 11 Major Traits Of A True Convert With Genuine Conversion [+ Wonderful Sermon].
- 15 Signs Of A True Christian [That Show If One Is Truly Saved].
12. Fears God.
If you are a holy person who strives to please the Lord by staying away from sin as far as possible, you will have this godly and reverent fear for God.
It’s this godly fear that will make you depart from all evil and this is why we are told in Proverbs 16:6 that it’s the fear of the Lord that makes us depart from evil.
But if you are evil and unholy, you won’t fear the Lord and as a result, you won’t depart from evil but you will rather embrace it with your Satanic pride that all sinners have that makes them sin proudly not realizing that they ruining their precious souls in the process.
13. Born Of God.
Of all the characteristics of a holy person discussed so far, the above characteristic is the most important one that will show if one has God’s holiness in their life.
We are told in 1 John 3:9 that if you are born of God, you won’t desire to sin as God’s seed of holiness is in you which you inherit when you experience a new birth in Christ after genuine conversion.
It’s this seed of God present only in truly born-again believers that will make one not sin or desire to sin. So, if you are finding it hard to live a life of holiness, it’s likely that this seed of God is missing in your life due to a lack of genuine conversion on your part.
Conclusion.
I hope the above 13 characteristics of a holy person will help you understand what being holy is all about and help you avoid sin at all costs so that you don’t miss heaven at last.
On the other hand, if you feel convicted that you are not holy yet but want to, read this post on how to be truly born again which is all you need to live godly in this evil world.
In closing, if you found this post helpful, kindly let me know in the comments below along with the questions you might have on what you have read. Stay blessed and don’t forget to share.
You Will Also Like.
- 13 Major Traits Of Genuine Faith [+ Wonderful Sermon].
- 11 Traits Of Ungodly People (That Defines Who They Are.)
- 13 Characteristics Of A Sinner (That Gives Them Away.)
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