First Peter 1:15-17

Becoming a Christian didn’t stop the moment you accepted Christ into your life. There are always new discoveries. The amazing thing about growing in the Christian walk, is just how simple the revelations God gives become. We desperately seek God and His will to be done in our lives. We cry out to hear His voice. But when He speaks He speaks in simple terms. The paradoxical thing about these simple revelations, is their profoundity. There is a major revelation that God has revealed to us in His Word: be like Me. Sounds simple. Is paradox.

What God Is

If asked to describe God, we might use words like- big, powerful, old, loving, forgiving, clever and so on. But how many people would include the descriptive word: holy? To be holy is to be special. But not just ordinary-special, but extra-ordinary-special. It means that it is not for common everyday use, but for special occasions. It was not to treated as something familiar, but as something pure, reserved, and dedicated. Often God described the utensils in the Old Testament Tabernacle as holy. He also described Israel as holy. But most of all He describes Himself as holy.

1. What was the first thing that God dedicated as holy? (Gen. 2:3)

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2. What happens to any area where God is? (Exodus 3:5)

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Becoming Like Swiss Cheese

It appears that when God created Adam, He created him to be a holy being. Adam was set apart from other beings. He was special. He was dedicated to God. Sin destroyed these three aspects of Adam’s holiness. But through Christ we have a way back to holiness.

3. Note what Christ has done for us-

a) 1Cor. 1:2

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b) 1Cor. 1:30

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c) 2Tim. 1:9

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God has called us to holiness. But this call is not just an empty divine wish. God has given us His Spirit to lead us into holiness. That is why He is known as the Holy Spirit. The more spiritual we become the more holy we become.

4. What does holy do to the Christian? (Ps. 96:9; 29:2)

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Holiness is not legalism. It is not a matter of keeping external rules. It starts in the heart. It is the believer’s voluntary pursuit of lifestyle that pleases God. Rather than asking God how much sin we can get away with, and still enjoy His grace, the believer seeking to live a godly life develops a hatred for sin. The issue is no longer can I get away with this sin?, but- don’t even let me be tempted to sin! Thus the focus is not primarily against sin, as much as it is seeking to please God.

5. What does the Bible ask in Romans 6:1-3, and why?

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God Will Judge

The Christians response to God will be judged. In Second Corinthians 5, the Bible says that because we understand that we will be judged, and that causes us to live soberly, we are even more concerned about the lost who do not know God, because they will be judged severely. A good safeguard to ensuring a more pleasant Judgment Day for the believer is to make sure our hearts are clean before God now.

6. What prayer did the Psalmist utter in relation to his heart before God? (Ps. 26:2)

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7. What aspect of our lives will come under scrutiny on the Day of our Judgment? (Mtt. 12:36)

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8. What else will be judged about our lives, and what seems to be its purpose according to First Corinthians 3:12-15?

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Live as strangers

Living a holy life will automatically set us apart. We will be different. The constant challenge we face in living a holy life, is that we don’t confuse it with living a withdrawn life. We must live among unholy people. Our lives must remain faithful to God while under the scrutiny of unholy people.

9. What simple pursuit does the Bible present us with? (Eph. 5:10)

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10. In our pursuit, we are told to relate to those in darkness in a certain way. What is this way, and how do we do it? (Eph. 5:11)

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11. Read Romans 13. This chapter contains instructions for living like a holy stranger on this earth. Note some of the practical ways it mentions that we should relate to the unholy-

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Part of our motivation for living like strangers here on earth, is that we are constantly aware that for everything we do, we must give an account. We live as if we were ready to meet the Lord at any time. May God grant us that we become more like Him: holy. Not just on the inside, but openly displayed to the world without yielding to the trap of legalism.