Be Holy as He is Holy: Understanding God's Call
“But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, ‘You must be holy because I am holy.’”
— 1 Peter 1:15-16 (NLT)
Understanding Holiness
Let’s be clear—without God, none of us can claim holiness in any sense. You might ask: What does it mean to be holy unto the Lord? What does it look like in everyday life? Holiness is an ongoing journey, but it begins with salvation. By living a Christlike life and relying on the power of the Holy Spirit, we can walk in holiness. God equips us for this calling.
If you have given your life to Jesus Christ—congratulations! You are now part of God’s family. More than just securing eternal life, salvation grants you daily fellowship with Him. Since God is holy, if our ultimate desire is to be with Him and to reach Heaven, we must pursue holiness. For without holiness, no one will see the Lord.
Holiness can seem intimidating. Maybe you wonder if you’ll ever measure up. But holiness is for all who choose Christ over self. So, have you? And if you have, do you truly grasp what it means to follow Jesus?
God’s Call to Holiness
God commands us to be holy as He is holy. But is this an impossible task? Absolutely not! Our loving Father, through Jesus’ sacrifice, has brought us out of darkness into His marvelous light. He didn’t redeem and forgive us so that we would continue wondering whether we’re “good enough.” On our own, we never could be. But if we fix our eyes on Jesus rather than our past, we can live the life He has called us to—a lifetime of service in God’s Kingdom.
Jesus said, “I must be about my Father’s business” . Likewise, we must dedicate ourselves to Kingdom work. Scriptures puts it so succinctly:
¬ “….You are a special group of people that God has chosen. You serve God like priests who serve a King. You are his own holy people who belong to him. He has taken you out of the dark place of sin, and he has brought you into his great light. God has done all this so that you can tell people how great he is.”
(1 Peter 2:9 EASY)
Let that truth sink in! Understand what you have been born again into.
What Happens When We Are Saved?
We become new creations—Old things pass away; everything becomes new. Stop looking back. There’s nothing to emulate in your past.
We are made alive in Christ—Once dead in sin, we are now citizens of God’s Kingdom.
We are forgiven—We belong to God and can call Him Father.
We are freed from sin’s power—Our sinful nature was crucified with Christ; sin is no longer our master.
Christ lives in us—If Christ dwells in us, then we are His holy temple, set apart for Him.
We are continually cleansed—When we confess our sins, God forgives and purifies us.
Our lives are hidden in Christ—We are secure in Him.
And so much more!
What Is Holiness?
Everything about God is holy. The seraphim who minister before Him cry out:
¬ “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of His glory.”
(Isaiah 6:3 NIV)
When Isaiah encountered God’s holiness, he was overwhelmed and immediately recognized his own unworthiness. Yet, he was purified to remain in God’s presence. Likewise, we are cleansed by Jesus’ blood. But, purity alone does not fully describe the holiness. We have become the righteousness of God by the sacrifice Jesus rendered for us at Calvary. For sure, to be holy also means to be set apart and that we are.
God’s holiness is absolute. The seraphim declared it three times because it defines who He is - awesome and unquantifiable in holiness. The very foundations of the temple shook at their cry. The seraphs described Him as LORD Almighty in reference to the heavenly armies over which He rules and then they also declared the vastness of His glory which fills the entire earth. To be clear, nothing and no one becomes holy by themselves until God who is absolutely holy makes them so.
Living a Holy Life
So, how do we practically walk in holiness?
Because of the love that has been shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, our pursuit of Holiness is a pursuit of God and not mere pursuit of rules and regulations. The crux of our devotion is our love for Him who first loved us. It is what makes us to respond positively to Jesus calling us to deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow Him.
As people committed to the pursuit of holiness we put on Christ and not make provision for the flesh to gratify its desires. We make the effort to know Him by studying His word. We learn to go wait on Him and pray even as Jesus so often did.
We understand that when temptations come it is not God tempting us because God cannot be tempted, nor does He tempt anyone. Instead, He provides a way of escape. We can be sure that all of heaven wants you to succeed.
Following Christ daily calls for submission to God and to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The Holy Spirit helps us and teaches us and brings to remembrance all the things in which we have been instructed. The Holy Spirit will guide us truthfully. The Holy Spirit is the one who convicts us of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgement. We must submit to His leading. The Holy Spirit will not strive with man forever; we must not grieve the Holy Spirit because He is God’s seal on our lives.
There will be opposition to our pursuit of holiness and temptations. Yet, in our trials, we experience God’s presence and power in ways we never imagined. The Lord of Hosts is with us; He is our refuge. With humility as we submit to God, and by resisting the devil he will flee.
The Radiance of Holiness
Holiness increases our intimacy and fellowship with God. We get refreshing encouragement, comfort and power from the Holy Spirit.
When we walk in holiness, we reflect God’s glory. Our lives become testimonies of His goodness. As we remain holy unto the Lord, we allow others to get a glimpse of His awesome presence, power, and wisdom.
May our pursuit of holiness bring us to say, “ And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are progressively being transformed into His image from [one degree of] glory to [even more] glory, which comes from the Lord, [who is] the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18 AMP)
Amen.
A few verses to reflect on:
2 Corinthians 5:17, Colossians 1:13; Hebrews 12:14, 1 Peter 2:9; Romans 8:3, Galatians 2:20, 1 John 5:18; 1 Corinthians 6:12, 15, 19; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; James 4:7, Matthew 16:24, Philippians 2:12; Hebrews 4:15, James 1:13-15, 1 Corinthians 10:13; John 14:26, John 16:8, Romans 5:5
