1 Peter 1:16 KJV
[16] “because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”
This verse is a direct quote from Leviticus 11:44. It is interesting that the Lord takes an Old Testament command and makes it a New Testament principle. The world we live in today is perversely sinful. The wicked receive praise, and the righteous suffer persecution. So these questions are sometimes asked, “Why should I strive to live a holy life?” “Does anyone care if I try to live cleanly before God and others?” “What’s wrong with me living worldly like everyone else?” Our verse gives us three reasons why Christians should be known for holiness.
The first reason is because it is in the Bible. The fact that God wrote it down in both the Old and New Testaments should convince us to live holy lives. Surprisingly, while the world may despise believers who live holy in their conduct, they never really debate that this is how Christians should live. The great debate about holiness is not in the Bible or the world but in the church. How disgraceful it is that God’s people often debate and argue about how high or low our standards of holiness should be. The Bible teaches us to live holy lives every day for His honor and glory. We are to strive for holiness “because it is written”. You see, when we have a verse we don’t have to hear a voice. Believers sometimes argue that they have never felt conviction about how they should conduct themselves in different areas of their lives. Why do we have to be convicted when we have been commanded?
That leads me to the second reason why we should live holy lives. We should be holy because there is a direct command in our verse, “Be ye Holy”. Some say, “None of us can be holy, because we are all sinners saved by grace, and all of our righteousness is filthy rags in His sight.” While all of this is true, we also have to remember that God would never ask us to be something that we could not be. We all fail the Lord daily, but we can also have daily, continual cleansing through His Word and confession of our sins.
The final reason in this verse to be holy is because our God is holy. It’s not a burden to strive for holiness when your ultimate goal is to resemble and please your Heavenly Father. We should desire to live separated from the world and dedicated to holiness because it resembles the character of God. Separation is not isolation but draws a clear line between us and the world. The world is not present in this verse, but we see the Scriptures, the saint, and the Sovereign. Dear reader, consecrate your life to God and commit to be holy like Him.