That's right, my toothbrush is holy. WHAT! You may be thinking, that’s heretical to say that, how could you!
But give me a chance to explain.
When I say my toothbrush is holy, I am saying that it is set apart or dedicated for a specific purpose. My toothbrush is only used by me, and my toothbrush is only used for the purpose of cleaning my teeth. I’m not about to go and let some random person use my toothbrush on their teeth and I’m also not about to go and use my toothbrush to clean the toilet.
The word 'holy' is a normal word that is often used in religious situations, and instils a special status to an object, to an individual and also to God. We often use the word 'holy' when we talk about God, when we talk about His laws for us or when we talk about how he calls His people to act. We use it often, but do you really know what holy means?
Defining 'holy'
In the Bible, when something is referred to as holy, it means it is dedicated or it is set apart for a specific purpose. Have a look at some of these verses that talk about God, people or things being holy:
- “Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.”(Genesis 2:3)
- “Do not come any closer … take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” (Exodus 3:5)
- “Hang the curtain from the clasps and place the ark of the covenant law behind the curtain. The curtain will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place”. (Exodus 26:33)
- “I am the Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy.” (Leviticus 11:45)
- “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession”. (Deuteronomy 7:6)
We can see from these verses that things that are holy have been dedicated or set apart by God for a special purpose.
These things ranged from:
- a special day (the seventh day),
- the place in the tent of meeting where God dwelled,
- God Himself and
- God’s people.
These are just a few of the many and varied things that are called holy. All of these things could be dedicated or consecrated, or made holy and were set apart for God or dedicated to be used for God’s purposes.
This is the essence of something being “holy”. It means something is set apart.
But it is not just set apart, it is set apart for a specific purpose. In the case of the Bible, the specific purposes are the purposes of God.
Holiness – the difference between toothbrushes and Christians
See my toothbrush is holy in a sense because it is set apart for a specific purpose. But as Christians when we think about holiness we have to think in God’s terms, holiness from the Christian perspective comes down to God’s purposes. My toothbrush is set apart but, it is not really for God’s purposes is it?!
But as Christians we are called to be set apart and dedicated to God’s purposes. In 1 Peter 1:16 is says “Be holy, for I am holy” – our holiness is from God, we are set apart from this world because we now belong to God. We are dedicated not just to any special purpose but to God’s purposes.
How are you going at reflecting God’s holiness and living a life that shows you are dedicated to God’s purposes?
Maybe each time you use your toothbrush it can be a reminder to you to be holy.