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1 Peter 1:15-16 ¨But as he which hath called you is holy,
so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is
written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.¨
As God has revealed in His precious Word, He is Holy. Today,
we often hear it being proclaimed, ¨God is Love.¨ But many
definitions of love abound, and sometimes man puts his own
definition of love into the interpretation of the phrase,
¨God is Love¨.
But what does it mean for us to be holy? Holiness means to
be set apart for God and for God’s glory. It also means
separating oneself from worldly corruptions, and to avoid
what is ungodly and unclean.
God’s glory is in Himself. In Exodus, God separated Moses
from Egypt which represents the worldly pleasures and
worldly goods. In the desert, God taught him to be a simple
shepherd, relying solely on Him for bread and meat. At the
burning bush, God instructed Moses: ¨Put off thy shoes
from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is
holy ground¨ (Exodus 3:5). The burning bush was one of
the earliest recorded times when God’s holiness was revealed
to man. The sandals Moses wore carried all the dust he had
picked up from the world. He had to take them off, along
with his worldly cares, before he could approach a holy
God.
In Moses’ time, as a sign that they were sanctified and set
apart, the Israelites abstained from eating unclean things.
On the Sabbath, they avoided doing work and engaging in
activities which were ungodly. Today, Jesus sanctifies us by
His death on the cross, and with His Word daily. When we
trust in Jesus, we are regenerated and have the holiness of
God in us, by Jesus.
Why must we be holy? 1 Peter 1:15-16 reveals that it is a
commandment from God. But it is not a ‘hard’ commandment,
like one that is given in the military! Rather, God wants us
to understand and know it in our hearts. Obeying His
commandment is proof that we love Jesus with sincerity (John
14:15, 21). In Romans 8:14, the ¨sons of God¨ are led
by His Spirit. 1 John 3:10 says, ¨In this the children of
God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever
doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that
loveth not his brother.¨ A righteous and holy life
powerfully proclaims that we are God’s children. It draws
the attention of unbelievers to how different we are from
the ¨children of the devil.¨ It is our strongest
witness to win over souls for Christ. Lastly, we should be
holy because, without practising holiness on earth, one
would never be prepared and meet for heaven (Rev 21:27; Heb
12:14).
How can one be holy? It is by putting to death the ¨self¨,
and humbly seeking God, submitting all areas of one’s life
to the Lord: mind, body, spirit. Being holy also entails
separation from worldly and fleshly pursuits (Col 3:1), and
consecration of self to the Lord (Rom 12:1). Holiness and
discipline in the way of the cross (Luke 9:62) are to be the
greatest pursuits of our lives. A holy life is the greatest
testimony we can deliver for our Lord Jesus Christ, who
Himself exercised discipline, temperance and holiness when
tempted in the desert.
God is holy. May we examine our lives, hearts, souls and
bodies today, if we are fully consecrated to Him for
holiness. In the abundance of His Holiness is great joy and
peace. Amen. |
