The holiness of Christ refers to His absolute purity, perfection, and separation from all that is sinful and unrighteous. As the Son of God, Jesus Christ possesses the very nature and character of God – including God’s holiness. Throughout Scripture, Christ’s holiness is emphasized and contrasted against humanity’s sinfulness.
The Bible declares that God is “holy, holy, holy” (Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8). To be holy means to be set apart and distinct from everything else. God’s holiness speaks to His transcendent majesty, perfection, and purity. He is entirely “other” from His creation and entirely without sin.
When Jesus Christ is called “holy,” it is a declaration that He shares in the perfect holiness of God. Christ is the exact representation of God’s nature (Hebrews 1:3). This includes Christ’s absolute moral purity and separation from evil.
Here are some key aspects regarding the holiness of Christ:
1. Christ is sinless
A primary element of Christ’s holiness is His complete sinlessness. He lived His entire earthly life without committing a single sinful act, word, or thought (2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter 2:22). This includes:
- He had no inward sinful desires or fallen human nature (John 8:46)
- He perfectly obeyed God’s laws and commands (John 8:29)
- He never used His divine powers for selfish or sinful reasons
- He resisted every temptation to sin, from Satan and the world (Matthew 4:1-11)
Christ’s moral perfection contrasts humanity’s universal sinfulness. He alone qualified as the spotless Lamb of God to atone for sins (1 Peter 1:19).
2. Christ is undefiled
To be undefiled means to be free from any stain, corruption, or impurity. While on earth, Jesus lived in the midst of sinners, yet remained Himself untainted by sin of any kind (Hebrews 7:26). Christ’s holiness meant He was absolutely undefiled by:
- The sinful world system (John 17:14-16)
- The sins of others (Hebrews 13:12)
- Death and the grave (Acts 2:24)
Furthermore, because Christ is holy, His nature is incompatible with sin. Sin has no hold or mastery over Him (Romans 6:6-11).
3. Christ is sanctified
To sanctify means to be set apart or consecrated for divine service. Jesus was sanctified by God the Father (John 10:36) in that He was:
- Appointed and sent by God into the world (John 10:36; Hebrews 10:5-7)
- Empowered by the Spirit for ministry (Luke 4:18; Acts 10:38)
- Set apart as the only acceptable sacrifice for sins (Hebrews 10:10)
Furthermore, Christ’s own holiness and obedience qualified Him to sanctify His people – making them holy by His grace and truth (Hebrews 2:11).
4. Christ is righteous and just
Christ’s holiness is directly linked to His perfect righteousness and justice. He demonstrated complete integrity, virtue, and godliness in all His words and actions – fulfilling both the letter and spirit of God’s laws (Matthew 5:17-19). Key aspects include:
- He perfectly obeyed the will of God (John 8:29)
- He judged sin, yet graciously extended mercy (John 8:10-11)
- He practiced what He preached (Luke 6:40)
- He will righteously judge the world (Acts 10:42)
Christ affirmed divine justice by going to the cross to pay sin’s penalty in full (Romans 3:25-26).
5. Christ is morally pure
Christ’s holiness includes moral purity in every part of His being – spirit, soul, heart, mind, and body. He is absolutely untainted by any impurity or corruption of any kind. For example:
- His heart and mind were free from evil thoughts or intents (Luke 6:45; John 13:2)
- His eyes were pure, never lusting (Matthew 5:28; 1 John 2:16)
- His speech was righteous, gracious, and edifying (Luke 4:22; John 7:46)
- His body was undefiled by sensuality, excess, or glutony (Romans 14:17)
Jesus embodied the very standards of purity He taught in the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:8).
6. Christ hates and opposes sin
An important aspect of Christ’s holiness is that He utterly hates evil and fully opposes all forms of sin. Examples include:
- Driving out money-changers from the temple (Matthew 21:12-13)
- Openly rebuking sinful religious leaders (Matthew 23)
- Pronouncing woes upon unrepentant cities (Luke 10:13-16)
- Condemning sinful hypocrisy (Matthew 15:7-9)
Jesus taught extensively against sin, including greed, sexual immorality, lying, worry, and prayerlessness. He warned of hell more than any other preacher.
7. Christ has authority over demons, disease, and nature
Christ’s moral purity gave Him authority over the immoral forces of evil and corruption in the world. Examples include:
- Commanding demons, who obeyed Him (Mark 1:27)
- Healing all diseases and sickness (Matthew 4:23)
- Calming storms and nature by His word (Mark 4:39)
- His touch made lepers clean (Luke 5:13)
Sin had marred God’s original creation (Genesis 3; Romans 8:20-22). As the holy Son of God, Jesus exercised dominion to reverse sin’s curse and restore divine order.
8. Christ cleanses repentant sinners
A beautiful truth is that Christ’s holiness has power to cleanse even the worst of repentant sinners. His purity overcomes the defilement of sin. Examples include:
- He forgave an adulteress (John 8:11)
- He had mercy on gross public sinners (Luke 15)
- His blood cleanses all confessed sins (1 John 1:7)
- He touches lepers and makes them clean (Luke 5:13)
The only unforgivable sin is continued unbelief and rejection of Christ (Matthew 12:31).
9. Christ fulfilled the Law and the Prophets
Jesus said He came to fulfill the Law and Prophets (Matthew 5:17). This relates to His holiness in that:
- He obeyed the Law perfectly (Hebrews 4:15)
- He lived out the full righteousness of the Law (Romans 8:4)
- He fulfilled Messianic prophecies regarding the holy Savior
- His teachings perfectly reflected God’s true intent for the Law
Christ’s holiness was proven by completely fulfilling everything Scripture required of the Messiah.
10. Christ was declared holy by the Father
At key moments in Jesus’ ministry, God directly declared the holiness of His Son. For example:
- At Christ’s baptism (Mark 1:11)
- At the transfiguration (Mark 9:7)
- Through the Holy Spirit (John 16:14)
- Through Jesus’ mighty miracles (John 3:2; Acts 2:22)
The Father’s witness confirmed that Jesus Christ is the holy Son of God who came to take away the sins of the world (John 1:29).
In summary, the holiness of Christ encompasses His absolute moral perfection and purity – in nature, character, obedience, teaching, authority, and mission. This qualifies Him alone as Savior. He calls His followers to pursue Christlike holiness and purity by the sanctifying power of the Spirit (1 Peter 1:15-16). The glory of the gospel is that sinners can be cleansed and made holy in Christ.
