One of the defining attributes of God is His holiness. Right now in heaven, angels cry out day and night, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” (Revelation 4:8). Mary, the mother of Jesus, sang, “holy is his name” (Luke 1:49). And Peter wrote, “…as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy’” (1 Peter 1:15–16).

Holiness is God’s character, and holiness is our calling (1 Thessalonians 4:7). To be holy means to be set apart, distinct from this world, and cleansed from all impurity and unrighteousness.

Through faith in Christ, we have been made holy (Ephesians 1:4). Yet here on earth, we still wrestle with temptation and the pull of sin. That’s why Solomon reminds us: “The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil” (Proverbs 8:13a). The more we walk in the fear of the Lord, the more our spiritual tastebuds change. We begin to hate what is evil and hunger for what is good. Sin loses its appeal, and the Holy Spirit reshapes our desires (Psalm 37:4).

Recently, while eating at a Mexican restaurant, my meal came garnished with cilantro. The problem? I’m allergic—and I dislike the taste (forgive me, cilantro fans!). I had to carefully pick it out. In the same way, we need to examine our lives and remove anything God hates. If there’s pride, take it out. Arrogance? Take it out. Perverted speech? Take it out. Acts of evil? Take them out. As we yield to the Spirit, He makes us holy—and His holiness will lead to our happiness.

“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.” – Romans 12:9