“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 1:15-16

 Christians are God’s chosen people. The Chosen are not limited to a specific number. John 3:16 says, “that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” The Gospel is for all, and God has called all to repentance (Acts 17:30). Christians are those who have answered the call. However, it is apparent that some Christians either do not understand, or do not have a proper respect for the calling in which they were called.

“For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness” (1 Thessalonians 4:7). God called us, and we are to be holy for He is holy! For us to understand exactly how we must answer the call to holiness we have to understand what holiness is.

Holiness is more than the mere absence of uncleanness. Holiness certainly includes cleanliness (2 Corinthians 7:1), but the concept has a lot more to it than what most perceive. There are some, who have not put on obedience through the waters of baptism, that by a cultural standard are moral people. Said people may not be promiscuous, drunkards, slanderers, murderers, etc., but are they holy? To answer the question there must be an investigation on what the Bible defines holiness to be.

In our beginning text of 1 Peter, God is described as holy. Holy is translated from the Greek word hagios, meaning sacred, physically pure, morally blameless or religious, and ceremonially consecrated. God, by nature, is holy. Holiness is something we must attain. However, God has not had to arrive at holiness, nor has He had to work toward it, because He is holy by nature. “Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, glorious in holiness, Fearful in praises, doing wonders” (Exodus 15:11). God is like no other. Since God has called us to be holy as He is, we are to be like no other people on this earth.

Of what does our holiness consist? In Paul’s first letter to the church at Corinth he calls them sanctified. “To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours” (1 Corinthians 1:2). Despite the reason Paul was writing to them, addressing their sin, they were still recognized as “sanctified in Christ Jesus.” When the call to obey the Gospel was demanded them, they put on Christ in baptism. When this occurred they were “sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints.” To be sanctified means to be set apart, to be consecrated, to make holy. A saint is one who is sanctified, or set apart. When we are obedient to the Gospel we answer the call to be set apart. From what are we to be sanctified?

Paul writes in Romans 12:1-2, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,  acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” We are sanctified, or set apart, to be a living sacrifice to God. We have many things we must give up to follow Christ. In order to be “a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God” we must not conform to the world, but we must devote our lives fully to His service. This results in us being set apart from the world for our “reasonable service” of living a sacrificial life that is acceptable to God. In order to be holy there needs to be a distinction between us, and those in the world. This is done by being “transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

The transformation that Paul writes about is not one that happens spontaneously; rather it is one that takes diligence. It is the responsibility of the Christian to make this transformation. “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16). The only way the “inward man” is renewed is by an immersion in God’s word. This act is going to bring about a transformation. If we are renewing our mind day by day in the act of diligently following God’s word, then we will not be conformed to this world, and there will be an obvious distinction between us and those in the world. We then are holy!

God is holy. There isn’t anyone like Him. There was never any before Him, nor will there ever be any after Him (Isaiah 43:10). He is morally perfect (James 1:13), and therefore has no uncleanness about Him. We are fortunate that He would call such people like ourselves to salvation! “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). Our lack of holiness is sufficient reason for punishment! However, God calls us to holiness, and we can receive the promised eternal life by being holy. Do not forget who called you. Do not forget what you were called to, HOLINESS!