But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy." 1 Peter1:15-16
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The word “holy,” “holiness,” comes from a Greek root meaning, “to set apart to God.” It has the same root as the words “saint and sanctify”. The “saint” is a person sets apart for God, enjoying a holy standing before God in Christ Jesus, with the “OBLIGATION” of living a holy life.
How can we be holy when we are all sinners? “If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.” (1 John 1:10). I have come to realize that people misunderstand the call to “holiness”. A holy life is not a life that is perfect nor is it a sin and temptation free life. It is rather a life that continuously tries to deny/resist those temptations and take on personal righteousness.
To be holy is to no longer let sin become a way of life, a stronghold. A saved person strives for perfection through his/her walk with God. A saved person repents as he/she sins. To be holy is to go against human nature; therefore, holiness is not easy but it can be perfected because “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). The blood of Christ makes holiness attainable/possible. Our purpose as believers is to progressively (little by little) resemble/become more like God. A person who continues to sin does not know God. He may go to church, pays his tithes but he is not saved. “No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.”(1 John 3:9) A believer cannot obliviously go on sinning, because he has been born of God.
How do we break the habits of sin? How can we fight such powerful force? By making a commitment to please God; by making a commitment to honor your Heavenly Father in every thing you do. Renew your heart and mind daily and fill them with God’s living word. You don’t have to make a big announcement to your family and friends. They will notice the change, besides you are not changing for them. You are doing it for the One who sees what is done in secret. (Matthew 6:4).
To sin is to satisfy the flesh, and to respond positively to the sinful needs of the flesh cause death. “For if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” (Romans 8:13). Stop living your old ways, break down the habit of sins and repent. Choose life, eternal life. Be holy, be blessed.
Praise the Lord!
