“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.” 1 Peter 1:13-16 (NKJV)
The Greek word here translated “holy” can also mean sacred, pure, morally blameless. How can I be pure and morally blameless? The Bible says that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). On my own, I can’t! So what is Peter asking us to do? Going back to the first part of this sentence – it is the grace through the revelation of Jesus Christ that I can become an obedient child of God.
Do I have some part in this? Oh, yes! I need to not conform myself to former lusts or sins. I need to not behave according to my past strong desires that were not following God’s universal laws. I still need God’s help to overcome those strong desires, but the more I spend time with the Bible and in prayer the world loses its’ hold on me and my desires are to become more like Jesus Christ – to be holy as He is.
Listen as Rosemary Siemens sings “Take Time to Be Holy.”
Published on MyBibleRoom.com 12/22/24, 5:00 pm