Can believers be holy?

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English: An image of Psalm 23 (King James' Ver...
English: An image of Psalm 23 (King James' Version), frontispiece to the 1880 omnibus printing of The Sunday at Home. Scanned at 800 dpi. Français : Illustration du Psaume 23 (version autorisée par le roi Jacques), en frontispice de l'édition omnibus du Sunday at home. Version numérisée à 800 dpi. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
God is called holy not only because of what He does, but also because of who He is. Originally the term referred more to God's being than His action or behavior.

For us to be called saints ("holy ones"), we must have a catharsis. We must be made clean. No unclean thing can stand before the presence of a holy God. That which is unclean is profane in His eyes. For us to be holy to God, our unclean, unholy moral imperfection must be purged and our sin removed from us. That is why the absolutely necessary condition for redemption is atonement. Without atonement we would remain always and forever unclean and unholy before His penetrating gaze.

No human is holy in himself. Holiness is foreign to us. It is alien. That is why we require the righteousness of another to cover our moral nakedness. The Holy One has given us the holiness we need in the cloak of Christ's righteousness. Therefore we pray: "God is great, God is good. And we thank Him for the food . . . that has come down from heaven for us."
"Cleanse me Lord. Purge my sin and remove it from me. Cover my moral nakedness."
Psalm 145:17: "The Lord is righteous in all His ways, gracious in all His works."

Romans 12:1: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service."

Psalm 22:3: (NASB) "Yet Thou art holy, O Thou who art enthroned upon the praises of Israel.

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