Even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and without blemish before Him in love.

(Ephesians 1:4)

Lesson 8

Topic: God is Holy

Elementary:

Verse: “There is none holy like Jehovah…” (1 Samuel 2:2a).

Focus: God is holy, that is, unique, set apart, uncommon, different from everything else in a special way. There is no one else like God.

Practical Application: Consider showing examples of things that are “special” or “different.” Set out several dirty, old pennies, and one bright, shiny, new penny; or some dirty, rough rocks, and one shiny, smooth stone. Explain how you can immediately tell that the shiny penny and rock are different from all the rest. To keep the shiny pennies and rocks from being the same as the dirty pennies and rocks, they need to be set apart, kept separate from the others.

Intermediate:

Verse: “Even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and without blemish before Him in love” (Ephesians 1:4).

Focus: God is holy and God’s people were chosen to be holy. That means we are also set apart, uncommon, different from everything else around us. We cannot always do what “everyone else” does.

Practical Application: Consider using the example of mixing oil and water—they do not mix. As God’s holy people, we cannot mix ourselves with unholy things. We should be different from other children who do bad things or use bad words. The children can discuss examples of other things that we cannot do because we are set apart.

Advanced:

Verse: “But according to the Holy One who called you, you yourselves also be holy in all your manner of life; Because it is written, ‘You shall be holy because I am holy’” (1 Peter 1:15- 16).

Focus: God is holy and things related to God are also holy, such as God’s word, God’s people, etc. As God’s people, who we are and how we live, i.e., our manner of life should also be holy.

Practical Application: Discuss examples of things in “all our manner of life” that may make us “unholy,” such as video games, TV programs, or books with evil characters like demons, zombies, sorcerers; music with inappropriate words; certain kinds of speech. We should realize that we should be set apart, different, as God is, in all these areas. Also, discuss the positive examples of how we can be holy—praying to God, reading His holy word, setting apart Lord’s day to meet and be with the saints, etc.