Be holy

“But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;” (1 Peter 1:15)

We hear a lot about being holy. There seems to be much confusion about what that really means. Depending upon the denomination to which you belong or the dogma to which you subscribe, holiness means many different things to many people. For example, I grew up Baptist (predominately). The particular churches to which I belonged in my youth weren’t so much concerned about things like smoking or cussing, but DON’T GET CAUGHT DANCING! That is a very big oversimplification; however, it isn’t too far off. Later, as I attended an Assembly of God congregation, I learned that the measure of holiness was judged by whether or not you could speak in tongues. Having friends in (and visiting) a wide variety of churches (and synagogues/temples), I have been exposed to just about every definition of holiness one can imagine. But what does the Bible say about this mysterious lifestyle?

Looking back in scripture, we find the first use of the word “holy” is found in Exodus 3:5 when God appeared to Moses in a fiery, burning bush. As Moses turned aside to see this strange sight, God stopped him and told him to remove his shoes for the ground on which he stood was holy. Holy. Dirt. It just doesn’t seem these two words should go together.

Holy. The ground had nothing to do with achieving holiness – it didn’t earn it, it didn’t ask for it, yet God declared it holy. How can dirt be declared holy? Especially this dirt. It was foreign dirt. I could see if it was located in Jerusalem or on Golgotha. This was in the back side of the desert of Midian. Heathen dirt! Moses had fled here after he murdered an Egyptian slave master. He was, at this point, away from the calling of God on his life. He was hiding from both God and man. He had written himself off as useless for the calling. In his mind, this was all he had left – tending his father-in-law’s sheep. The past was gone and the future looked pretty bleak. All he had was now. Here. Hiding. Running. How could God possibly consecrate this place and call it holy?

Holiness, as used in this verse, means to be set apart, to be separated from the rest, to be sacred. Ahhh. To be sacred. This speaks of the Presence of God. No matter the circumstances, no matter the surroundings. Paul and Silas in the jail at midnight. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abenego in the fiery furnace. Moses on the Mount receiving the Ten Commandments. Jesus in the Garden. John on the Isle of Patmos. Wherever God is becomes sacred. There are in all of our lives sacred moments, sacred places, sacred relationships. That makes a gun mount on a Navy ship holy. That separates a solitary confinement cell two floors below ground and makes it a holy place. And yes, the Presence of God can even make a church sanctuary sacred and holy. Set apart (for a special use), separated (removed from contaminated surroundings), sacred.

Peter, of all people, writes to us here about being sacred. Peter, about whom we could recall many things that – in our modern churches and denominations – would be disqualified for service. Peter, the mouthy disciple, the rowdy follower, the one called aside whom Jesus declared as the Rock (sorry, Dwayne Johnson). Peter quotes a prior scripture in reminding us that we are to be holy even as God is holy. The Greek word Peter used in this verse refers to being a saint or a most holy thing. All through the New Testament believers are referred to as saints. That is an uncomfortable word for most of us in the church today: saints. According to Mirriam-Webster and Cambridge dictionaries, the term saint refers to a holy person in the Christian faith. So…how do you stack up against that definition?

Paul wrote 2 Corinthians 4:7: “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” The treasure of which he wrote is the Presence, the knowledge of the glory of God. He wrote to his son in the gospel, Timothy, these encouraging words: “But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.” (2 Timothy 2:20-21). According to the instructions given in the Old Testament, the vessels used for service in the Tabernacle were to be systematically and thoroughly cleansed with each use and the cleansing process for each material (silver, brass, wood, and clay) was different. It is encouraging to me to know that I am worthy to be used in the service of my God and King – not by my choice, but by His. He knows what I am made of and knows how best to use me. I didn’t choose my calling and my appointment; He chose it for me and made me worthy through His Presence in my life.

The same is true of you, too, my friend. It is SO easy for me to look at how someone else is being put to use in the Kingdom and feel either envious or less than them. I think we all do this to one extent or another. Perhaps that is why we are told not to judge one another or measure ourselves against each other. God has hand-picked each one of us and uses each of us according to His pre-determined plan. He created us and is fully aware of what we are made of, what we are capable of, and what we are gifted and equipped for. Each one serves a specific purpose. And each one is important to the Kingdom.

One more thing to know about our verse today and the topic of being holy. As God is (already) holy – perfect, just, pure – so are we to be in the process of becoming. We read that there is none holy, no not one; however, we are instructed to continue the process of becoming holy. This is good news for each of us who falter from time-to-time. Our purification process begins at salvation and continues throughout our lives. That is why, when I was a new Christian, there were movies I could watch and enjoy, there were places I could go and feel at home, there were people with whom I could associate with ease, but now can no longer. Just when I think I have “arrived” God calls me out to a new level of purification, a new standard of holiness. I think of the words, again, of Paul, when he wrote, “Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12-14).

Today, my friend, I encourage you in the Lord to continue on. Don’t lose hope. Don’t lose sight of the prize of God’s high calling in your life. It may look like you have or are falling behind others around you. You may be like Moses – who found himself on the backside of the desert tending someone else’s sheep. You may be like so many others who have found themselves off-track and out of the will of God in the moment. Like Jesus did with Peter, He gives you the opportunity to repent, to allow Him to put you back on the path He has laid out for you. Like the various implements (or vessels) used for service in the Tabernacle, allow God to cleanse you, to prepare you to be used by Him. Let Him, like the father in the Prodigal Son account, to welcome you back home and restore you. That is my prayer for you today.

Be blessed.