Called To Live A Holy Life

                The Church, as we know, was started by the Lord Jesus Christ during His earthly ministry, which lasted 3 years. From the very beginning, the church has undergone persecution. The Devil, the world system, and the flesh (natural condition of people) all hate Jesus Christ and His church.

                Some churches have undergone intense persecution. Some have seen very little. But, as a whole, true Christians have suffered at the hands of the world.

                The Apostle Peter, in a letter to Jewish Christians, sought to edify (build up; encourage) them as they had been dispersed from Israel as a result of intense persecution. From his letter, we too gain encouragement.

                We know that 1 Peter is God-breathed; written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and is profitable to us today. It is the very word of God.

                In the first 14 verses, Peter shows us that those who have been saved were elected unto salvation by God in His foreknowledge, long before the foundation of the world. They also have been sanctified (set apart, consecrated) by the Holy Spirit.

                Peter knew and believed this truth because it had been revealed to him by the Lord Jesus Christ, Himself, during His earthly ministry, of which Peter was a part (John 6:37-40; 44-47; 63-65) (John 15:16) (John 17:1-9).

                Not only were we, who are saved, elected (chosen) unto salvation by the Father, but we have been born again to an active, powerful and efficacious hope…a joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation because Jesus Christ arose from the dead.  The confidence we have of eternal salvation is not based on our own merits or some decision we made. Our confidence is in the Lord Jesus Christ alone, and what He accomplished on our behalf at Calvary, and when He arose.

A result of our salvation is an inheritance reserved for us in heaven. One that will never fade or be spent up or ruined. Peter continues his encouragement by telling us that our salvation is secure…that we are kept by the power of God through faith. Is He not the Author (beginner) and Finisher (completer) of our faith (Hebrews 12:2)? Of course He is! He which began the good work of faith in us will complete that work (Philippians 1:6).

              It was Christ, Himself, who said… “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one.” (John 10:27-30)

                We are kept by the power of God and there is no power greater…Our God is omnipotent (All Powerful)! He will keep us all the way until our salvation is completed and our old sinful bodies are made new at the time of the resurrection/rapture…and beyond.

                Does that not cause you to greatly rejoice, O Christian? Of course it does! Furthermore, we can rejoice in that truth even during the hard times of trials, tribulations and persecutions.

                Peter then reminds us that the trying or testing of our faith through these many hard times is more precious, more important to us than gold, especially when we are tested, as it were by fire. Why are these difficult trials so precious? Because, our Heavenly Father uses them to perfect us which will bring Him praise, honor and glory when Christ returns the second time. Even though we have never seen Him with our own eyes, yet we love Him and believe in Him, and we rejoice with unspeakable joy.

                Peter also tells us that when the Lord finishes or completes our faith, we will receive the salvation of our souls. Our souls that have been born again will be freed from this sin cursed flesh and when He makes our bodies new, without sin, our souls will be rejoined to them. Forever we will be with Jesus Christ, in sinless perfection, worshipping Him as we ought.

                Peter informs us that the prophets of God, who had been given prophecies of Jesus Christ, diligently searched and inquired about His coming. They wrote of the suffering He would experience long before He ever came, and of the glory that would follow as a result.  He went on to tell us that God revealed to them that they would not see the coming of Christ in their lifetime, but the things they wrote of Christ were for those who walked with Christ when He came the first time.

                From that day until now, the Gospel has been preached and those who are effectually called unto salvation will hear it and believe. An interesting point is made by Peter that the angels desire to look into salvation and the gospel. By that he meant that they are curious about what it is like to be saved… I believe there are angels here this morning, listening to this message, looking on in awe at Jesus Christ and what He did for certain of the human race who deserve nothing but His Holy wrath for eternity. 

Because of these truths, Peter admonishes us to be sober or serious minded…thinking on those things that pure, honest, just, things that bring glory and honor to Christ. Not only are we to think on those things, but we are to have our hope…that joyfully confident expectation set on His second coming. Do you look forward with great anticipation to His coming again? I hope so!  I sure do!

                Until that time we, as children of God, are to be obedient to God’s commands, not living like we did before He saved us, when we lived according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our lifestyle in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others (Ephesians 2).

                One of the most important commands of God that we are to obey as His children is given to us in 1 Peter verses 15 and 16.

1 Peter 1:15-16

15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

                We were called to salvation by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Not only were we called to salvation, but also we were called to be holy. Holiness in the life of the believer is not a suggestion; it is not one option among many; it’s not just a good idea; it is a command. We are to be holy.

Some people believe, based on Romans 5:20, sin should abound in their lives so God’s grace could much more abound. They have misapplied the truth of that verse. Others are of the persuasion that since they are “once saved, always saved” they can live any way they want including a wanton, sinful, lascivious lifestyle. In those cases, the questioning of their salvation would be appropriate.  

I have known some who think God loves them even though they blatantly live a sinful, gay or lesbian lifestyle. They deceive themselves into believing that God made them that way. Yet, God tells His true believers to be holy. You cannot blatantly live in sin, without repentance, and be holy.

“I cannot see how any man deserves to be called "holy," who willfully allows himself in sins, and is not humbled and ashamed because of them.”

~J.C. Ryle ~

                What does it mean to be “holy?” The phrase, “be ye holy,” comes from the Greek word ἅγιος hágios, (hag'-ee-os) which means set apart to be sacred; physically pure, morally blameless, ceremonially consecrated for God’s use.

                We, as believers have a responsibility to strive for the development of a physically pure, morally blameless life set apart for God. That is what it means to “be ye holy.” That is what we are to do!

“Holiness is the habit of being of one mind with God, according as we find His mind described in Scripture. It is the habit of agreeing in God's judgment, hating what He hates, loving what He loves, and measuring everything in this world by the standard of His Word. We must be holy, because this is the only sound evidence that we have a saving faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.”

~ J.C. Ryle ~

We cannot be holy, as we are commanded to be, if we neglect the Word of God; if we neglect prayer; if we neglect the assembling of the saints on the Lord’s Day.

“I should as soon expect a farmer to prosper in business who contented himself with sowing his fields and never looking at them till harvest, as expect a believer to attain much holiness who was not diligent about his Bible reading, his prayers, and the use of his Sundays.”

~ J.C. Ryle ~

                God, who called us to salvation, is Holy. He is transcendent above (set apart from) all that He created. He is most excellent in purity. The Bible tells us…

Job 15:15  Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints; yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight.

                Take all the saints of God and all the holy angels combined, and we still cannot hold a candle to the holiness of God. He is holy, holy, holy! Because He is holy, we (who were redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ) are to be holy in our lives with respect to God and to men.

                We are to imitate God, to follow after Him, though He is far from being equaled by us sinful creatures, or even the holiest of angels. We are to walk worthy of that calling and follow God as His dear children, obeying His will.

                We are to be “holy” because it was so written in the Scriptures…

Leviticus 11:44-45

44 For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
45 For I am the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.

Leviticus 20:7-8

7 Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God.
8 And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: I am the LORD which sanctify you.
 

                Peter, in his letter, is strongly encouraging believers to live a life of holiness. Though we can never attain holiness equal to that of God, yet it is desirable for us to strive to be as holy as we possibly can. That is agrees with both the nature and will of God. If you are His child…If you love His name…If you adore His perfections, then hold His goodness in awe, obey His will and…

Psalm 30:4 Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.

Psalm 97:12 Rejoice in the LORD, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.

Be holy because He who set you apart for Himself is holy.