To begin with, let us do a brief word study. As mentioned earlier, the word holy is found in the Bible 596 times, and the word holiness, 43 times.

Perhaps it would be interesting to note that the word righteous is found 236 times, the word righteousness 300 times, the words sanctify, sanctified, and sanctification a total of 136 times.

All of the previously mentioned words appear in both the Old and New Testaments in the Bible with the exception of the word sanctification, which appears only in the New Testament.

What do all these words mean? First, let's check the dictionary, in this case, a Merriam-Webster Classics Edition Dictionary.

holy 1: set apart to the service of God. 2a: characterized by perfection and transcendence. b: spiritually pure; godly.

holiness 1: the quality or state of being holy. 2: sanctification.

righteous 1: acting rightly; upright. 2: according to what is right.

sanctify 1: to set apart to a sacred purpose or to religious use: consecrate. 2: to free from sin. 3: to give moral sanction. 4: to make efficient as the means of holiness.

sanctification 1: an act of sanctifying. 2: the state of being sanctified.

holiness: purification, sacredness, sanctification.

righteous: just, lawful, cleansed.

Most of today's "modern Bible scholars" somehow have come up with the idea that there are two gods, one god in the Old Testament, and another god in the New Testament. Did God somehow have a great change of mind between the Old and New Testaments?

You can often hear the comment made, "But that doesn't apply to us, that's Old Testament." To be sure, there are laws and commandments in the Old Testament that do not apply to us in these New Testament times. Why? The laws which do not apply to us today are the ceremonial laws that were types to point us to Christ. These ceremonial laws are clearly discussed in the New Testament.

Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. Colossians 2:14-17

For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love. Galatians 5:6

There are laws, commandments, ordinances and rituals given to the Jews (i.e. Exodus 31:12-17) that were never meant to apply to Gentiles. In fact, these ceremonial laws do not even apply to the Jews today, because Christ has come and fulfilled these laws which were a sign or a type.

For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and unto them that were nigh. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Ephesians 2:14-18

Jesus Christ broke down the wall that separated Jews and Gentiles. The Jews had a stone wall that kept their part of the temple separated from the Gentiles' part. To cross that wall meant certain death for any Gentile. Christ brought us all to the same level. This was emphasized when the veil of the temple was torn in two. When God rent the veil it was from the top down. If man had done the action, it would have gone from the bottom up.

So you see God did not have a great change of heart, He was leading us, both Jew and Gentile, to Jesus Christ.

Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. Galatians 3:24,25

The ceremonial laws and ordinances and rituals were all pointing us to Christ. When Christ came and fulfilled these types, they ceased to be necessary to keep, and thus we have passages of scriptures such as Colossians 2:14-17, Galatians 5:6, and others.

There are also humane laws, such as the one found in Deuteronomy 22:6-8, and sanitation laws, such as those found in Deuteronomy 23:12-14, which are not carried over into the New Testament. How then do we know which commandments or laws are to be kept today?

We begin to make this clear in the next chapter.