1 Peter 1:13-16 –
“Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace
that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as
obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but
as He who called you is holy,
you also be holy in all your conduct, because
it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
A
very interesting study in the Word of God is the holiness of God. In Isaiah 6:3 the Seraphim cried out, “Holy, holy,
holy is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory.” The God of the Bible is a holy God. There are many scriptures that reveal the
holiness of God:
- 1 Samuel 2:2 – “No one is holy like the Lord, For there is none besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God.”
- Exodus 15:11 - “Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, Fearful in praises, doing wonders?”
- Psalms 97:12 - “Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.”
The Apostle Peter
writes in 1 Peter 1:15, “but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in
all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’” To be holy
means to be “set apart.” To live a holy
life is to be empowered by the Holy Spirit to live in total victory.
The good news of
the Gospel is that God not only forgives us our sins, but makes provision
through a work of grace called, “sanctification” whereby we might live free
from the dominion of sin. To be
sanctified means to be separated from sin and to be separated unto God.
God is calling us
to be separated unto Him because He has a greater assignment for us. Joshua 3:5 instructs, “And Joshua said to the
people, “Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders
among you.” A life that is separated
unto the Lord will be a powerful witness to a world in bondage to sin.
Jesus came to
bring us into freedom. John 8:36 reads,
“Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” How do we respond to this call to live holy? In
Acts 26:18 we learn God’s children achieve sanctification by faith!
In John 15:4-10
Jesus taught that God’s children experience sanctification by union with Christ
in His death and resurrection. Jesus revealed we are sanctified by the Word of
God (John17:17). Sanctification is a work of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of
God’s children. He empowers the believer
to live in freedom from the bondage and dominion of sin. The Apostle Paul wrote
in Romans 6:14, “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not
under law but under grace.”
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