Holiness as a way of life.

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The Purpose of Salvation: A Call to a Holy Life

1 Peter 1:13-16

“But like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior.”

                  Of all the attributes of God, holiness is the one quality that encompasses the totality of the character of God. While other attributes, such as His love and mercy,  describe aspects of His character, holiness describes who he is in all his multifaceted glory.  In the throne room of heaven, the angels continually sing an anthem of praise to the holiness of God. In Isaiah 6, we find the prophet Isaiah transported into the throne room of heaven where God is sitting on the throne, and the seraphim continually encircles God, proclaiming the praise of His holiness (Isaiah 6:1-13).  In the Book of Revelation, John likewise is given a vision of the throne room in which the same message is continually proclaimed (Rev. 4:5-11).  The implication is that throughout all time, this anthem is declared in the presence of God, celebrating His holiness.  

                  The declaration of the holiness of God refers to the truth that God is set apart and distinct from all creation.  There is none like him or equal to Him.  He is unique in His character and separate from all he has created.  It refers to his moral and ethical purity. There is no shame of sin or moral weakness in God. Not only is He perfect in His being, but He cannot be associated with anything or anyone tainted by sin.  The only way we can be in His presence is to be holy.  To have any taint of sin, to have any moral failure, is to face His judgment.  When Peter states that we are to be holy in all our behavior, he is not just giving us an ethical goal to strive for but a moral necessity that is required if we stand in God's presence.  This causes us to stand in fear of God, for as much as we strive to live rightly before God and be holy in our conduct, we still sin.  No matter how good we might be, it does not change the reality that we are still sinners by birth and by choice.  

To understand that we are to be holy, we must recognize that holiness and unholiness are not a matter of degree.  It is not a matter of being good enough. It is not just being more holy than we are sinful so that the scales tip to the side of holiness. The standard is absolute perfection, and any wrongdoing, no matter how minor in our eyes, causes us to be unholy and unable to stand before God.  

                  If God calls us to the standard of His holiness and judges us by that standard, then how can sinful people stand before a holy God?  Peter gives us the answer in 1:17-19.  Christ paid the penalty for our sins so that we are no longer judged as sinners, but now we are declared righteous before God.  In other words, Christ removed the guilt of our sins so that we can now stand before God holy and blameless.  Instead of facing judgment, we now have free access to God.

                  This places us under the obligation to now live rightly before God.  The only proper response is to now walk in obedience to Him. We are not to live in a way consistent with who we are called to be.  God’s forgiveness is not a license to sin. Instead, it is to transform our lives so we might live in light of God’s holiness.  We are no longer to follow the world in its rejection of God’s moral standard. Instead, we are to live in light of God’s character.  He is now the one who defines how we are to live and act.  Holiness is now both God’s requirement and our aim as we are increasingly transformed to manifest His character.  Our ultimate purpose is to live like God and increasingly demonstrate His character in our thoughts and actions.  What areas do you need to bring under the umbrella of God’s holiness so that his character is revealed in us? Holiness is not just a word; it is a way of life.  In your prayers, start asking God to enable you to reflect His holiness and start to read the Bible to meditate on what God desires for you to become.

 

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