1 Peter 1:14-16 NASB
“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful (Colossians 3:12-15 ESV).”
As a condition of being a child of God, we are called to be holy. To write these words sounds both unattainable and irreverent. How could we ever be holy as God is holy? And why would Almighty God suggest the possibility of attaining a condition of holiness for such a lowly people? Yet we see in these verses the command to put on holiness as an aspect of our faith.
To discover what we are to put on in this context, it is necessary to examine the word holiness. The Apostle Peter gives us this exhortation in his letter, “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy (1 Peter 1:14-16 NASB95).’” By surveying the text we can begin to understand the imperative put forth toward holiness. Peter reminds us that we are children of God. As children of God, we are to strive toward willing obedience to the One who has saved us. Why? Because Jesus has provided a means for us to be reconciled. In this reconciliation, we have the promise of eternal life in covenant with Almighty God. Therefore we have the authority in our submission to Jesus to step out of the conformity of our former lusts. Holiness then is to repent and turn away from the fallen manner in which we lived. This made possible only in humility and submission to our Messiah. In this call toward holiness, the impossibility to achieve such a stature in the frail human condition is only accomplished through the provision of our Lord. He calls us to be holy as He is holy, but He makes a way for us to do so. To His glory, He has given us the Name above every name to call upon to equip us to walk in a manner that if worthy of the calling. God calls us to be holy and He gives us the indwelling presence of His Spirit to equip us.
Likeness in holiness toward God is then in the ability to be set apart and distinct from the mundane. As our Lord and Savior is utterly distinct in the sense that there are no other gods who are like Him (Isa. 43:10). We too must be distinct in our true personhood as we strive to submit in humility to His authority in our lives. No longer do we conform to the lusts of this mundane world as one who is ignorant. We have the authority, knowledge and discernment of our Savior who dwells in us through His Holy Spirit to equip, sustain and preserve us in faith. Holiness then is found in willingness. It is found in our willingness to recognize the authority of God in our lives. To submit to this authority as the Name above all names, putting aside temporal pursuits in exchange for the eternal. Holiness is in the seeking. Seek the Lord as He directs our paths. Seek His council in those things which cause you to stumble. Seek His power to help you overcome both sin and temptation. Holiness is in trusting. Trusting that our Savior will continually work in our lives to help us walk toward the person He has designed us to be. This is our true identity. A child of God, made in His image being utterly distinct from the image of the fallen world which we have by grace been delivered from to His glory! AMEN!
Corby Shuey 