“but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct.”
you also be holy
“Holy” means set apart. God wants us to be set apart from sin to God’s righteousness. God does not want us to be ordinary. He wants us to fashion our lives after Himself.
When they sew, women use patterns to fashion clothing. If we are going to be in style spiritually, we must fashion our lives after God. He is our pattern. Christians are not to cover up their characteristics as Christians by assuming an outward masquerade, patterned after the costume of this world.
The root idea of “holy” is to be separate or different. The believer is to be different from other people. This is the fashion after which we are to pattern our lives. Holy is the way God is.
“Be” means to enter a new state. It means “to become” — “become holy.” This is imperative. We affect our holiness by participating in God’s holiness.
“Holy” here is experiential holiness. Creed and conduct are inseparable. We cannot have practical conduct without doctrine. Knowledge and action are inseparable. Without the knowledge of God, humans would have no standard or norm for living.
God gives the title “holy” to His children,
“Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus.” (Hebrews 3:1)
PRINCIPLE:
The Christian is exclusively God’s.
APPLICATION:
The basic underlying meaning of “holy” is set apart. This means we are exclusively His. When we came to Christ, God set us apart from the rank and file of humanity. We are now the sons of God.
We are His exclusive property by both the right of creation and the right of redemption. He has the right to curtail our years or lengthen them. He has the right to do with us whatever He pleases. He has the right to subtract from us or add to us. We belong to Him body, soul, and spirit.
If we recognize this, then things will go well for us. If not, then He may have to break us like a wild horse. If we rebel against the Lordship of Christ and resent His authority, then He may break our back.
God wants His children to be malleable, given over to His will. He wills nothing but the best for us. He charts a course for our lives. He knows where the booby traps are and leads us around them. That is why His path is not always a straight line between two points. At times He leads us on a zigzag course. Sometimes He leads up and at other times down. Although His leading may appear erratic to us, He guides us past the traps of life (Romans 8:14).
