Holiness in the Letters of Paul: The Necessary Response to the Gospel

Pauls understanding of holiness stems from the holiness of God as revealed in the Old Testament. Using varied terminology Paul describes the holiness that should characterize the believers as the people of God. God expects moral integrity of his people because he has provided believers with his Holy Spirit to enable them to live exemplary Christlike lives in this present world though polluted as they prepare for the world to come. Believers who like Paul anticipate the Parousia must not only desire but also pray that holiness becomes a reality in their lives cognizant of the fact that holiness is a matter of practice not merely a status that one attains upon justification. Thus holiness is an imperative for the people of God.