Key Scripture — Hebrews 12:14: “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord” (NKJV) 📖 Read in NKJV
What this chapter says
Confronting the idea that holiness is a negative, restrictive code, Tozer redefines it as “moral wholeness” — a positive, intense quality of kindness, purity and blamelessness that first describes God Himself and, derivatively, His people. He traces the word’s Hebrew root to a sense of otherness and awe rather than mere ethical correctness, and warns that counterfeit, legalistic versions of holiness have driven sincere people away from the real thing. Genuine holiness, built on repentance and obedience, can stand up under testing; imitation holiness cannot.
Reflect
Is your understanding of holiness mostly a list of prohibitions, or a positive, whole-hearted likeness to God’s character?
This UECF.NET web book presents an original chapter-by-chapter guide rather than Tozer's full copyrighted chapter text, which remains in print from Moody Publishers. Read Tozer's complete chapter (pp. 33–39) in the original PDF, or see About this edition for details.