That verse is a bit weighty don't you think? I mean we are to be holy as our Father in heaven is holy? How is that even possible? What does that even mean?
Praise the Lord, I have only been in an operating room once in my life, and that was to deliver my beautiful daughter, Dottie. But an operating room is always what comes to mind when I try to define holiness.
Rick Sizemore, one of my college pastors, explained being holy is like being in an operating room. The operating room is set apart from the rest of the hospital. The OR is clean. Everything that goes into the operating room has to be sterilized and cleaned, including the doctors. Finally, the operating room is uncommon. Not every wing of the hospital has an operating room and not every person in the hospital is allowed to go in it. It's not for every day...at least we hope not.
That's what being holy is: set apart, clean, and uncommon.
As Christians, we are already those things because we have been made holy through the blood of Christ.
"We have been made holy by God's will through the offering of Jesus Christ's body once for all." Hebrews 10:10
Being holy is not something we have to try to be, and it is certainly not something we should hold over other brothers and sisters as a way to glorify ourselves. The only way that we are holy is because we have been washed with the blood of Christ.
Sometimes in life, and in our online lives, we can try to seem holier than we are and holier than other people. We are afraid people will try to make us feel common, dirty, or less than because of our past or current situations. God says that's just not true. No matter what, if you have accepted Christ, then you are holy and everything that comes along with that. He made you clean, set apart, and uncommon, so there is no need to put on airs about who we really are.
We can't work to make ourselves holy; that must be done through the acceptance of Jesus Christ as our savior. But, we can strive to be more Christlike, and there is no one holier than He. I believe that's what Peter meant when He said "be holy as your Father in heaven is holy." This idea was also found in the Old Testament. You can find the same wording in Leviticus (11:44. 11:45, 19:2, 20:26). God told his people to consecrate themselves and be holy because God was holy. He wanted them to be able to live lives that were pleasing to him. So in this particular place, he was telling the people how to be holy. Leviticus lays down the laws on being set apart for God. But, that was before Jesus. Jesus makes all of us Holy through his blood.
The aim is for holiness through Christlike living. Living that's pleasing to God. We set ourselves apart by avoiding some of those pitfalls, on and offline, like fishing for compliments and arguments for no reason. We should keep ourselves clean by following God's commands for our lives. When we post something we shouldn't be ashamed if our pastor or grandmother should read it. Finally, we must be uncommon in our daily lives. We should do those things that the world has thrown away like being humble, loving those who hate us, and showing self-control. Be uncommon by giving unsolicited compliments and being real about what your life is really like. We are uncommon when we give God the glory for all that goes right instead of boasting in ourselves. That is how we will show the world that we have been made holy and that we don't have to work to earn it.
Daughter of the Most High King. You are HOLY. You are your father's daughter after all.
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