Be Holy, For He is Holy

1 Peter 1:13-2:3

“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.’

And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, because

'All flesh is as grass,
And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass.
The grass withers,
And its flower falls away,
But the word of the LORD endures forever.’

Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.

Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.”

I have written about this before, I know, but I am looking at 1 Peter over the next few weeks, and as I have been reading it the last several days, I find some thoughts that are inescapable to me.

I mentioned in an earlier post that it is devastating to come to the realization that I do not desire God nearly as much as He should be desired. Reading this passage in 1 Peter again, I am also devastated to think that I also do not pursue holiness nearly as strongly as I ought. Those fears of seeming too heavenly minded are a lie. Those of us who have tasted that the Lord is gracious know that there is so much more to life than what most of the world thinks about having our best life now. We know that there is so much more to the Christian walk than seeking only after our own comfort. In fact, we are called to lives of sacrifice. We are called to take up our cross daily and follow Christ. We are to be sober people. The Christian life, though joyful, is not a game we play at. It is a serious thing, a holy thing. We are told here to rest our hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to us at the revelation of Jesus Christ. If we are truly resting our hope fully upon this grace, I do not think we can think too often about this. In fact, I know I fix my thoughts too often on many things that are not beneficial to walking in the light of His grace. There is far too much “self” in my thinking most of the time. Come to think of it, most of my outbursts of frustrated anger are rooted in selfish thinking. If I am painfully honest, the temptations to be snide, sarcastic, angry, too quick to speak and too slow to hear are based in being frustrated because I am not getting what I want in any given situation. Rather than seeing things through the eyes of someone else, I only see me. Too often, I care more about my own comfort than I do about stepping out and ministering to others or getting to know my neighbors. This means that I am not loving others, including my own family, fervently and with a pure heart. Too many times my love has strings attached. If Mamma ain’t happy, nobody’s happy. Ouch, ouch, ouch. Why do I so often find myself saying and acting in ways I really do not want to? No matter what the other sinners around me do or don’t do (and we are all sinners), I want to reflect the love of Christ, not the frustrations and selfishness of Rebekah. More love to Thee, O Christ, more love to Thee!

I want to be holy. Because the One who has called me is holy, I long desperately to be holy as He is holy. I have been redeemed by the precious blood of the spotless Lamb of God. The last time we took Communion, I was impressed again by the words, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.” (Luke 22:20) His blood shed for us. To think too little about this is the shame, not to think too much. I long desperately to continue to desire the pure milk of the word, undiluted by “I think theology” that is too often not backed up with biblical theology. Because, to be holy is to love God. To love God is to obey God and know His word. “Your word have I hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” (Psalm 119:11)

In the comments of my last post, Julie Stiles Mills asked if I would answer the question she has posed on her blog. She was discussing summarizing our resolutions in one word. So, I think my one word is “holiness,” though it is less a ‘resolution’ and more a fervent prayer, for holiness is something the Holy Spirit develops in me as I spend time in His word, obey what I know, and grow in my knowledge of Christ Jesus. This is what I am praying God would develop in my life, to grant me the faith that perseveres and matures. This is what I long for – to be holy as He is holy. To desire Him more and to give vent to my selfishness less. And not just for this year alone, but I want “Holiness to the LORD” to be stamped across my life. I want less of me and more of Him. And I want that to be more than just a good Sunday school answer. I want it to be more than just words I say. I pray for His mercy and grace to grow in my desire for God. I want to have a growing passion for Him and His righteousness that manifests in right action because I love Him and seek His glory. I want to be in His word, knowing Him, loving Him, obeying Him, pursuing holiness. And the only reason I even have that desire in the first place is His grace. He has put this hunger and thirst for righteousness in my soul. Fill me, Lord, and I shall be full indeed.

Psalm 27:4
“One thing I have desired of the LORD,
That will I seek;
That I may dwell in the house of the LORD
All the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the LORD,
And to inquire in His temple.”