Word of the Week
February 1, 2025
Hagios: The Holy God
But like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves in all your behavior, because it is written: ‘YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.”
1 Peter 1:15-16 NASB20
It’s a standard line in movies and TV: the parent says, “I just want my son/daughter to be happy.”
Can you imagine a scene where the mom announces, “I just want my son to be holy”?
No, that’s not on the moral radar these days. But biblically, it would make lots of sense. The Scriptures do promise blessings for those who know God, but happiness is a by-product, not the central goal. Holiness holds a higher priority in God’s eyes. It is at the core of God’s attributes, and His aim is to bring us to ever-deepening holiness.
People, however, have strange ideas about holiness. The Pharisees thought they were holy because they refused to eat lunch with a Gentile. Some people figure they’re holy if they don’t smoke, drink, or chew.
Is that all there is to it?
We have previously studied a not-so-common Greek word for “holy.” This time we are returning to get acquainted with the standard word for holiness. It appears well over 200 times in the New Testament, so it’s the one you will usually encounter.
Our word for the week is hagios (HAH-gee-awss). It is almost always translated as “holy” and it comes partnered with a matching noun that means “holiness.”
What does it mean?
The ancient Greeks had a certain concept of holiness. They spent most of their days working or relaxing, eating and sleeping. But they believed in an unseen realm populated by the gods like Zeus or Apollo. These deities existed on a higher level, and it was important to treat them with respect, offering sacrifices and participating in ceremonies at their temples. Anything connected with the worship of their gods was considered “holy.”
This involved at least two concepts. First, it referred to things that were set apart or dedicated to the gods. A sacred place was one used exclusively for the worship of the gods. Second, it involved behavior that was morally acceptable.
The picture comes into sharper focus when we come to the Scriptures because we move from disreputable deities to the one true, living God. Consider three observations about the meaning of “holy” in the New Testament.
- God is absolutely holy.
The Bible repeatedly describes God as holy. In Isaiah’s vision of the heavenly throne, the seraphim cried “Holy, holy, holy” (Isaiah 6:3). God the Father is holy (John 17:11). Jesus, God’s Son, is called the “holy Servant” (Acts 4:27). And there are constant references to the Holy Spirit.
God is the very definition of holiness – absolutely pure and righteous. He cannot do wrong, and His majesty is infinite. He possesses every possible perfection without limits.
- Things are holy when they are set apart for Him.
Hagios describes things and places that are set apart from normal use and dedicated exclusively to God. The tabernacle was holy because the presence of God was focused there (Hebrews 9:2). The temple had the same status as a place reserved for God’s worship (Acts 6:13). Even the city of Jerusalem was called the “holy city” because it was the place chosen by God (Matthew 4:5). Zechariah even predicts a future day when horse bells will be inscribed, “Holy to the LORD” and the pots, altar, and bowls of Jerusalem will be sacred to the LORD of hosts (Zechariah 14:20-21).
To use a homely parallel, we all know of families who have a set of “good china” that is stored most of the time and used only when guests have come for dinner. Those plates are not for common use; they are reserved for a special occasion. Similarly, something was hagios when it was used exclusively for the worship of God.
- People are holy when they are set apart for Him and set apart from sin.
We cannot match God’s absolute holiness, but there is a kind of holiness that He desires from His people. First, we are holy when we are dedicated to him. No, we don’t have to drop the demands of daily life, but there is a sense in which God asks us to be wholly given to Him for His purposes and His glory. Second, we are holy when we are separated from sin. His purity leaves no room for evil, and heaven is going to be a place where no sin exists. Our eternal home, after all, is going to be the “holy city, new Jerusalem” (Revelation 21:2.
Some translations render hagios as “saint.” This can be confusing because of the Roman Catholic doctrine of saints as unusually righteous people. The New Testament, however, uses the title for all believers, every member of God’s family. If you have placed your faith in Christ, you are a “saint” or “holy one” (Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:2; Colossians 1:26).
So in one sense, every Christian is holy because we have been set apart as members of God’s family. We are destined for maximum holiness In eternity. And, as 1 Peter urges us, we are to increasingly be hagios in our attitudes and behavior today. Holiness in practice paves the way for fellowship with a holy God.
Study Hint:
You will notice that we used several Old Testament verses in our discussion. To get a comprehensive understanding of hagios, it is important to go back to the Old Testament. The Hebrew word for “holy” is qadosh, which occurs over 100 times and is usually translated by hagios in the Greek Old Testament. One of the key themes of the Old Testament is the holiness of God; the New Testament builds on that foundation. You can even see the connection when a New Testament writer quotes an Old Testament passage about holiness. 1 Peter 1:16 is a good example.
Q/A:
Q: 2 Thessalonians 2:3 says that the day of the Lord will not come “unless the apostasia comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed . . .” My Bible translates this as “apostasy,” but I have heard some teach that it refers to the rapture. What is going on here?
A: We get our English word apostasy from the Greek word used here. Apostasia evidently comes from the word aphistēmi, which means “to move away from something. Sometimes it means to move away from a person or a location; other times it means to move away from a previous allegiance or to rebel. It is also connected to the word apostates, which meant a political rebel or a religious apostate.
Some interpreters have suggested that it refers to the rapture because that is an event where believers are removed from earth at the coming of Christ. The normal use of the word, however, refers to renunciation of a previous loyalty or falling away from prior commitments. The only other use in the New Testament occurs in Acts 21:21, where Paul is accused of teaching people to fall away from the laws of Moses. I believe that Paul is describing a major defection from the faith that will occur prior to Christ’s return.
Coming Up
How do we know what is right? Ultimately, God Himself is the standard of right and wrong. Next week, let’s explore the Greek word that describes the righteousness of God.
©Ezra Project 2025
5 Responses
Yes, I agree with the situation of having special plates that you only get out for certain occasions, that does help the explanation of being set apart as being the definition of the English word holy.
I did come across something a few years ago from a guy teaching Hebrew that I thought was really interesting, he said that in the Old testament you have the word qodesh which is translated as holy, but there were also prostitutes, male and female, which in Hebrew have the name of qadesh and qadesha, the root word of both of those words being the word qodesh, meaning holy.
But these were not holy prostitutes, they were simply dedicated and set apart – but not dedicated to God. They had set themselves apart to do evil things, so in this way they were set apart for evil in the same way that the faithful people were set apart for God.
Like the stuff in my trash can is set apart, but it is not set apart for me to eat, that stuff is in the fridge. The stuff that is set apart in the garbage can is trash and going to the dump..
That explanation has been helpful for me because holy has kind of a mysterious/otherworldly connotation with it that I’ve never understood. But I can definitely understand set apart and I can be set apart from the world and dedicated to God.
It’s very important to understand the different meanings of a word. The example used above is a perfect indicator of this. God is not the author of confusion. His word clearly states His intended meaning(s). I’m in agreement with you Sir. Different teachings can mislead others. This is one reason why I enjoy the Ezra Project. Following/studying Sound Doctrine/Teachings will satisfy those with itching ears… if they truly want to believe.
Dear Dr. John Bechtle:
Thank you for your balanced presentations of Hebrew and Greek words. I continually encourage others to follow your word studies! Keep up the good work! Thank you.
Thanks for this very informative post. Just wanted to mention that a word might have dropped off the end of following sentence: “Some people figure they’re holy if they don’t smoke, drink, or chew … [? missing word].
Perhaps, it was set apart for another use?
That was a reference to an old saying that we used to use in describing legalistic practices. It refers to chewing tobacco.