In 1 Peter 1:16, the Bible tells us, “for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.'” In that verse, Peter is quoting from Leviticus 20:26, where the Bible says “You are to be holy to me because I, the LORD, am holy”.
In today’s world, many people have a “passion” for the Gospel, yet they have NO passion for “Godliness”. And yet, part of Jesus commandment in what is often called the Great Commission is to teach people to OBEY God’s Word. In Matthew 28:19-20 Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” The word “observe” there means “to attend to carefully”. In other words – teach them to OBEY GOD! TO BE HOLY!
In his book on Holiness, J C Ryle lists the following:
Why then is holiness so important? Why does the apostle say, “Without holiness, no man shall see the Lord”? Let me set out in order a few reasons.
1. For one thing, we must be holy, because the voice of God in Scripture plainly commands it. The Lord Jesus says to His people, “Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall never enter into the kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 5:20). “Be perfect, even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). Paul tells the Thessalonians, “This is the will of God, even your sanctification” (1 Thessalonians 4:3). And Peter says, “As He who has called you is holy, so be holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written: Be holy — for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:15, 16). “In this,” says Leighton, “law and gospel agree.”
2. We must be holy, because this is one grand end and purpose for which Christ came into the world. Paul writes to the Corinthians, “He died for all, that those who live should not henceforth live unto themselves — but unto Him who died for them and rose again” (2 Corinthians 5:15); and to the Ephesians, “Christ . . . loved the church, and gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify and cleanse it” (Ephesians 5:25, 26); and to Titus, “He gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous for good works” (Titus 2:14). In short, to talk of men being saved from the guilt of sin, without being at the same time saved from its dominion in their hearts — is to contradict the witness of all Scripture.
Jesus is a complete Savior. He does not merely take away the guilt of a believer’s sin. He does more — He breaks its power (1 Peter 1:2; Romans 8:29; Ephesians 1:4; Hebrews 12:10).
3. We must be holy, because this is the only sound evidence that we have a saving faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. The twelfth Article of our church says truly, that “Although good works cannot take away our sins, and endure the severity of God’s judgement — yet are they pleasing and acceptable to God in Christ, and necessarily spring out of a true and living faith; insomuch that by them a living faith may be as evidently known, as a tree discerned by its fruits.”
James warns us there is such a thing as a dead faith — a faith which goes no further than the profession of the lips, and has no influence on a man’s character (James 2:17). True saving faith is a very different kind of thing. True faith will always show itself by its fruits:
it will sanctify,
it will work by love,
it will overcome the world,
it will purify the heart.
I know that people are fond of talking about deathbed evidences. They will rest on words spoken in the hours of fear and pain and weakness — as if they might take comfort in them, about the friends they lose. But I am afraid in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred, such evidences are not to be depended on. I suspect that, with rare exceptions — men die just as they have lived.
The only safe evidence that we are one with Christ, and Christ in us — is holy life. Those who live unto the Lord — are generally the only people who die in the Lord. If we would die the death of the righteous, let us not rest in slothful desires only; let us seek to live His life. It is a true saying of Traill’s: “That faith is unsound — whose hopes of glory do not purify his heart and life.”
Peter adds to His quote from the Old Testament by admonishing us, “like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior;” (1 Peter 1:15). That should be our desire EVERYDAY, to be HOLY in ALL OUR BEHAVIOR!
Easy? NO! But possible THROUGH the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us!