Holy Research Paper

Holy is a term that most of have used or heard at some point in our lives, but what does it really mean? It is simply a word that we sometimes overuse or is there still a meaningful purpose for the word holy? As I was discussing this with several people, I was able to gain a deeper understanding and respect for the word holy. Even more so than before and I hold the word holy in high regard. Most people will associate God with being holy, when they are faced with the question “What is the meaning of holy?” Even those who are not religious are most likely to hear the word holy, and will place it with religion of some sort. When I asked these questions, God was the focal point of all the answers that were given to me. In fact, I can sum up the
answers with this, being holy is being a person, place, or thing that is dedicated to God or for God’s purpose. Holy means to be of God, unblemished and without any evil or sin because God is above all sin. Words such as innocent, unblemished, and sanctified are often words that are used to descriptive what holy is. But, what about the word sacred? It is another commonly used Christian term, does it and can it mean the same thing as holy? Both holy and sacred can be defined and being set apart so naturally people can see them as meaning the same. Out of all the people I interviewed only one of them felt they were different to an extent. They believe that holy and sacred are synonymous, but the word sacred was viewed to be less religious than the word holy. We do not sing Sacred, Sacred, Sacred we sing Holy, Holy, Holy. God is Holy and they felt to use any other term as to lessen the impact that the word holy should have. I have to agree with this statement, why should we lessen power and authority that God has over us by not calling it what it is, holy. Yes, God is sacred, cherished, and revered but, when it all comes down to it all of that is defining what holy is and above all God is holy. When faced with the question what is the meaning of profane people were not as quick to answer. They had to think about it and process it a little longer than when they were asked what the meaning of holy was. After they processed it the consensus was that they saw it as profanity so it could only be defined as something that is unholy. Profane can be seen as vulgar, foul, obscene so the definition of profane is the exact opposite from holy. When I asked the question what is the holiest place on earth?
I was prepared for the obvious answers such as Jerusalem, Mount Sinai, the River Jordan, and Bethlehem. I did get some of these answers but, I was not prepared for a couple of the answers that I got. One answer I got was the villages in Cancun Mexico. I was not sure where she was going with this until she explained it more. She went there on a mission trip and she got to see God work in ways that she could not have seen possible. She had an experience that left her in awe and for her the place she experienced God is the holiest place on earth. No one place is holier than another, God can make any place a holy place just by adding his presence into that place. If we really stop and think about it there is no denying that this is true. What made Mount Sinai holy? God was there with Moses, what made the River Jordan holy? God was there with Joshua and again when Jesus was baptized there. When we experience God the place where we experienced him will forever be etched into our minds. It is the hope that we have that our faith is not in vain, but it has a reason and a purpose. We realize just what it meant for Jesus to die on the cross for our sins and give us the gift of eternal life. In essence the holiest place on earth is wherever God
is. Everything comes back to God when we talk about being holy we are led to think about God and his holiness. I got a resounding no when I asked my interviewees if their definition changed. The reasoning behind this is because they know what holy is and that is God. They did not change their views simply because their holiest place on earth backed up their definition of what holy is. It is all about our relationship with God, seeing how he is holy and how we ourselves can strive to be holy as well. We will never be able to be as holy as God that is simply impossible but we can live lives that are free of the yielding to sin when that temptation comes along. For me I think my view and definition of what is holy is only solidified even more so. As I stated I hold the word holy is very high regards and these questions have helped me respect the word holy and what it stands for even more. I am thankful that we have places that we can call holy because God has revealed himself to us in these places. A place is just a place until God places his presence into that place. No one person or place can determine what our relationship with God is going to be only God can do that. God does use people and places to reveal himself to us and this allows us to get a glimpse of what raw natural holiness looks like. I for one am looking forward to seeing how God reveals himself to me more and gives me more holy places on earth.