Endeavor To Be Holy

“As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.  But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:14-16)

In reading these verses, I was drawn into what the Apostle Peter is saying about following Jesus Christ and being holy.  Peter is strongly encouraging us to remember that we have been made alive with Christ and that our life is now in Him, not the past we used to have.  We all have a past and we all struggle not to slide back into the way we used to live.  It is done and over with.  We are a new creature in Jesus Christ.  We are called to be holy and to live in a way that brings glory to Him. 

What does this mean?  In Scripture, holiness is a rich concept.  It is centered in the notion of being set apart from common things for a special, divine purpose.  In the Bible, priests were considered holy because they had been singled out by God for service in the tabernacle.  They were to live differently from those around them so that they could be fully devoted to their holy calling.

Now, living holy is not easy because being holy isn’t natural, and it isn’t something we can do under our own strength.  No matter how hard we try, we simply fail.   Walking in holiness requires the Holy Spirit. When we accept the Lord Jesus Christ into our hearts, we become new “creatures.” (See 2 Corinthians 5:17) Holiness is only possible when we put on the new self and live life as the new creatures God ordained us to be.  Although holiness isn’t natural to us, we are instructed in Scripture to pursue holiness.

We are human and we fall short.  If we are to be obedient children of God, we must make the decision to live a holy life.  It requires much action on our part.  A Christian needs only to turn on the television to see programs encouraging adultery, fornication, abortion, lying, cheating, stealing, foul language, and drug and alcohol abuse. Add our unrestricted access to the internet to the equation, and our eyes and ears are bombarded on every side by unholy activity.

I look back on my own life and I’m reminded of so many bad choices I made.  Some of those choices I still continue to drift back and do again and again.  But little by little, I feel myself learning and trying to be holy and maintain my focus on God so I won’t keep going back to my old ways.  I must fully concentrate on God so that I can be strong and continue my walk with Him.  I want to be holy in all I do, and I pray every day that God would give me the strength to be holy and to follow the example of Jesus Christ.  Yet, I find myself failing again each day.  But I get back up on my feet and ask for forgiveness and strength to try again. 

This is not to say that perfect holiness is attainable while we live in this world.  Although God does call us to cooperate with Him in sanctification, we note that even before we begin to put sin to death, God has first set us apart for Himself. (See 1 Corinthians 6:11)  Therefore true Christians can and will live holy lives, albeit imperfectly.  John Calvin wrote, “As even the most perfect are always very far from coming up to the mark, we ought daily to strive more and more. And we ought to remember that we are not only told what our duty is, but that God also adds, ‘I am He who sanctifies you.’”

It is God that first marks us as holy, and we demonstrate that He is actively and continually sanctifying us only as we reject the evil of this world and endeavor to live in holiness before Him.  Yes, God gives us strength and the ability, but we must first make the decision to move forward in walking with God to be holy.  He calls us to be obedient.  He does not want to see us going back and forth on our decision.  However, we are human.  We make bad choices and we end up going back to the old ways and old habits that we do not mean to revisit. 

Remember, being holy and living a holy life is a choice we must all make each day.  It requires great effort and sacrifice.  We must all make choices to do away with whatever holds us back from walking more Christ-like and becoming stronger in our faith.  It is a daily battle we cannot take on by ourselves.  We must rely on the power of the Holy Spirit.  Alone, we will fail.  Together with Him, we can and will succeed if we strive to live a holy life and focus on Him.

Consider this: Is my thought life and self-discipline reflecting the high calling I have in Christ?

Can God change your life?

God has made it possible for you to know Him, and experience an amazing
change in your own life.

Discover how you can find peace with God.