Getting Started

We’ve talked about holy places, holy people and then holy sacrifices and offerings. Do terms like “holy” or “sacred” have new meaning for you now? Has this path into Israel’s ritual system moved you personally in any particular way?

In this lesson we’ll summarize some of the most helpful ways to think of holiness. We’re going to treat this as a cross-cultural experience as we try to make sense of all the dimensions and dynamics of holiness. You might say that God’s holiness is the most essential attribute he has. And you could also say it is absolutely defining for his people.

As we seek some perspective on this topic, we’ll eventually shed light on conflicts Jesus would have with his contemporaries centuries later. And this will all become very personal for us in this lesson by the time we’re done.