en_tw/bible/kt/holy/01.md

# holy, holiness

## Definition

The terms "holy" and "holiness" refer to the character of God that is totally set apart and separated from everything that is sinful and imperfect.

* Only God is absolutely holy. He makes people and things holy.
* A person who is holy belongs to God and has been set apart for the purpose of serving God and bringing him glory.
* An object that God has declared to be holy is one that he has set apart for his glory and use, such as an altar that is for the purpose of offering sacrifices to him.
* Since God is holy, people cannot approach him unless he allows them to, because they are mere human beings, sinful and imperfect.
* In the Old Testament, God set apart the priests as holy for special service to him. They had to be ceremonially cleansed from sin in order to approach God.
* God also set apart as holy certain places and things that belonged to him or in which he revealed himself, such as "holy ground" (Exodus 3:5) or his temple.


## Translation Suggestions



* Ways to translate "holy" might include, "set apart for God" or "belonging to God" or "completely pure" or "perfectly sinless" or "separated from sin."
* To "make holy" is often translated as "sanctify" in English. It could also be translated as "set apart