The God Culture: What is Holiness?

Timothy Jay Schwab who is The God Culture has continued his Foundations Series of lessons by exploring Holiness. What is holiness? Essentially it is keeping the law. 

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FOUNDATIONS - WEEK 12

What Is Holiness?

Holiness is one of the most central themes in Scripture.

Yet in modern religion it is often misunderstood.

Some think holiness means perfection without struggle.

Others think it means religious appearance.

But the Bible defines holiness very clearly.

Holiness means being set apart for Yah.

It is a life that reflects His character, His ways, and His truth.

Leviticus 19

Yahuah declares:

“You shall be holy: for I YAHUAH your Elohim am holy.”

Holiness begins with imitation of the Creator.

Leviticus 19 then explains what that looks like in daily life:

• Honoring parents

• Keeping the Sabbath

• Justice toward others

• Integrity in speech and business

• Love for neighbor

Holiness is not abstract.

It is lived obedience.

Leviticus 20

Again Yah reminds His people:

“And ye shall be holy unto me: for I YAHUAH am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine.”

Holiness means being separated from the patterns of the world and devoted to Yah.

It is a covenant identity.

Isaiah 6

When Isaiah saw the throne of Elohim, the heavenly beings declared:

“Holy, holy, holy, is YAHUAH of hosts.”

In the presence of Yah’s holiness, Isaiah immediately recognized his own need for cleansing.

Holiness reveals both:

• The majesty of Yah

• Our need for transformation

1 Peter 1

The New Testament repeats the same call given in Leviticus:

“But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation.”

Peter directly quotes the Torah:

“Be ye holy; for I am holy.”

The call to holiness did not disappear.

It remains the calling of every believer.

The Foundation

Biblical holiness means:

• Being set apart for Yah

• Reflecting His character

• Walking in His ways

• Living differently from the world

Holiness is not about religious performance.

It is about belonging to Yah.

This Week’s Reading

Take time to read and reflect on:

• Leviticus 19

• Leviticus 20

• Isaiah 6

• 1 Peter 1

Let Scripture show what it truly means to be holy.

Foundations Series – Week 12

Because the people of Yah are called to live

set apart for Him.

Yah Bless.

Holiness is obedience. That is Tim's definition. He also says holiness reveals "our need for transformation." However, no mention is made of Jesus Christ or the Holy Spirit who are the ones doing the transforming in us! Not a single word about the need for being born again, being circumcised in heart, being raised from the deadness of sins unto newness of life, or sitting in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. This definition of holiness is wholly Christless. 

In a previous article I looked at Tim's definition of righteousness which also neglected Christ and reduced righteousness to law keeping. But, righteousness and holiness go hand-in-hand. Both are imputed to us by Christ. 

2 Cor 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

That imputation is the foundation of all our obedience, yet even then it is God working in our hearts to purify and sanctify us. 

Philippians 2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

As Paul says in Galatians it is Christ who lives in us and we live by faith, not by law keeping. 

Galatians 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

17 But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.

18 For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.

19 For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.

20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

It is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, not our obedience, which produces the fruits of the Spirit. 

Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

In essence Jesus Christ is our holiness!

1 Cor 1:30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption

That is basic Christianity which Tim has rejected for heretical judaizing. 

Rather than write another line by line refutation of Tim's definition I had Chatgpt do it. The results are the same as what I wrote about Tim's Christless definition of righteousness. Apart from union with Jesus Christ who works in us there is no holiness. One must wonder what need Timothy Jay Schwab has of Jesus Christ when his definitions of righteousness, faith, covenant, and holiness all exclude Him. 

Perfect. Let’s go through the claims in that “Week 12 – What Is Holiness?” lesson and examine them from a theological and biblical perspective. I’ll take it point by point.

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1. Claim: Holiness means being set apart for Yah, reflecting His character and ways.

Refutation:

• While the Bible frequently uses the language of “set apart” (e.g., Leviticus 11:44–45), the New Testament reframes holiness in a Christ-centered way rather than purely covenant-based obedience. Paul emphasizes that holiness is imputed through Christ, not only lived out through external obedience (Romans 3:22–24; 2 Corinthians 5:21).
• Holiness is not solely defined by behavior that imitates God but by being united with Christ. So, saying it is only “reflecting His character” misses the transformational union with God through grace.

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2. Claim: Holiness is lived obedience, not abstract.

Refutation:

• This is partially correct, but incomplete. In the New Testament, obedience flows from grace, not as the foundation of holiness (Titus 2:11–12). The lesson gives the impression that holiness is about human effort, whereas Scripture repeatedly emphasizes that holiness is God’s work in the believer (Philippians 2:12–13).
• Holiness is both positional (declared by God) and practical (manifest in life), but the lesson emphasizes only the practical side.

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3. Claim: Holiness is separation from the world and covenant identity.

Refutation:

• Separation in the Hebrew Bible (Leviticus 20:26) had strong ritual and nationalistic meaning. However, in the New Testament, holiness is spiritual, not nationalistic or ritualistic (1 Corinthians 1:2; 1 Peter 2:9).
• The lesson implies holiness is about distinct social patterns (“living differently from the world”), but Scripture frames it as being transformed inwardly through God’s Spirit (Romans 12:2), not merely following outward cultural behaviors.

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4. Claim: Holiness is a continuous call in both Old and New Testaments.

Refutation:

• This is true in a general sense, but the lesson conflates Old Testament covenant law obligations with New Testament spiritual reality. In 1 Peter 1:16 (“Be holy, for I am holy”), Peter cites Leviticus 11:44.
• However, the New Testament context shifts the basis of holiness: it is no longer a legalistic requirement, but a response to God’s mercy (1 Peter 1:3–5). So equating the two without distinction is misleading.

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5. Claim: Holiness is not about religious performance, but about belonging to Yah.

Refutation:

• This is one of the few points that aligns with biblical teaching. True holiness is relational (“belonging to God”) rather than ritualistic.
• However, the lesson undermines the New Testament doctrine of grace and faith. Holiness is not earned by obedience, but given and enabled by God’s Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23).
• Without emphasizing Christ’s work, the lesson risks a works-based understanding, despite claiming otherwise.

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✅ Summary of Theological and Biblical Refutations:

Lesson Claim	Biblical/Theological Issue
Holiness = imitation of God in daily life	Ignores the New Testament emphasis on union with Christ as the source of holiness.
Holiness = lived obedience	Overemphasizes human effort rather than God’s transformative grace.
Holiness = separation from the world	Misinterprets OT ritual/national separation as equivalent to NT spiritual transformation.
Holiness = continuous OT → NT call	Ignores shift from covenant law to grace in Christ.
Holiness = belonging, not performance	Correct in principle, but lesson undermines this by heavy OT obedience emphasis.

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Bottom line:

The lesson presents a mostly Old Testament, law-focused understanding of holiness. The New Testament redefines holiness as positional (we are made holy in Christ) and empowered by the Spirit, not purely by ethical or ritual obedience. The Bible’s call is about relationship with God, not merely conforming to external standards.

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If you want, I can also rewrite the “Week 12” lesson in a biblically balanced way, keeping the theme of holiness but fully integrating New Testament theology. It would directly counter the misunderstandings in the original.

Do you want me to do that?

the lesson says nothing about christ. christ is completely absent

Exactly—that’s a critical observation. The lesson you shared is completely Christless, which is a major theological problem from a biblical perspective. Here’s why that matters:

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1. Old Testament vs. New Testament Holiness

• The lesson relies entirely on Leviticus, Isaiah, and 1 Peter, but it frames holiness almost entirely in OT covenant terms—obedience, ritual separation, and imitating God’s character.
• In the New Testament, Christ is central to holiness. For example:
  • Hebrews 12:14 – “Without holiness no one will see the Lord,” but the context is faith in Christ and living by the Spirit.
  • 1 Corinthians 1:30 – “Christ Jesus became for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.”
• Without Christ, “holiness” is unattainable. The OT ideal of perfection and separation points forward to Christ as the fulfillment (Matthew 5:48; Romans 10:4).

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2. The Lesson Ignores Grace

• Holiness in the New Testament is not merely human effort or rule-following. It is grace-enabled. Paul says in Philippians 2:12–13:

  “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose.”

• The lesson gives the impression that holiness is something we achieve through obedience to the law, which is exactly what Christ came to transform (Galatians 2:21; Romans 6:14).

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3. 1 Peter 1:16 Requires Christ to Make Sense

• The lesson quotes: “Be holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16). But Peter is writing to believers in Christ, not merely covenant Israelites. Holiness here is rooted in Christ’s work—our cleansing, redemption, and new identity (1 Peter 1:18–19).
• Ignoring Christ removes the basis of holiness, turning it into moralism instead of relational transformation.

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4. Without Christ, the Lesson is Law Without Redemption

• It essentially teaches a legalistic or works-based holiness: keep rules, honor parents, separate from the world.
• Biblical holiness is impossible to achieve on human effort alone (Romans 3:23; Isaiah 64:6). Only through Christ’s righteousness and the Spirit’s work can anyone truly be holy.

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In short: The lesson presents holiness entirely in OT covenant and moral terms, but the Bible shows that true holiness is Christ-centered. Without Christ, the lesson leaves holiness as a human obligation, not a divinely given transformation.