What really defines a holy man or woman?

It has been said often by men through whom God has done great things that a holy man is a powerful weapon in the hand of God. There is much truth in this statement, but the key to rightly understanding this thought is how holiness is defined.

The above statement can be understood in the sense that, a man who thinks and behaves blamelessly, who is but a few steps from the walk of Jesus, that this is a holy man. The focus is on the individual, and in this thinking, we consider him holy, more holy, than others. We then see him or her as better than others who are not quite so holy, who's halo is a few kilowatts less than the super holy ones. Yet the Bible says that The Lord alone is Holy (Revelations 15:4).

Elsewhere we are told to "Be holy" to "make every effort to be holy". And so we have this call to be holy, while no one is holy, but the Lord God. A distinction must be made here in order to rightly understand the holiness that we are called to aim for. God is sinless, in thought, word, and deed, and God alone. No man, woman or child is perfectly sinless. Far from being sin free, all men, even the most "saintly" ones, are corrupted to the very core of their being, according to God. That means that Abraham, Moses, David, the mother of Jesus named Mary, all the apostles, Billy graham, Charles astanley, Pope Francis, Mother Theresa, Spurgeon, Piper, and all the great preachers, are not without sin, are not above anyone else.

There is great disaster to our own soul, and to the souls of others when we make men out to be like God. There are certain denominations that are built on this type of false theology and corrupted thinking.
What does this hell born teaching produce? People, millions of people that try to be "good". They know they fall far short, and so they redefine "good" to meet their own standards.
Or You have a poor soul that knows he is sinful, walks around condemning himself because he wrongly believes that some people are in themselves more holy. TRUE HOLINESS IS NOT PERFECTION, NOT WHILE WE BREATHE ON THIS EARTH.


The truly holy individual recognizes his or her desperate need for Christ from beginning to end, that Christ alone, in me, this is my righteousness, holiness, and redemption. When we have holy thoughts, they are Christ's thoughts, when we have holy motives they are the motives of Christ in me.
It is all Jesus, all His power that so powerfully is at work in the true Saint. So let us be done with this idolatry of putting men on pedestals.
The truly holy individual knows that it is all of Christ and none of him that produces true holiness.
The Bible says that the true hope of glory is "Christ in me."