Written to be Holy 1 Peter 1:16

As Peter the apostle continued his letter to the Christians who were “scattered”, he instructed them to “be holy in all manner of conversation” which means in every area of their lives. In chapter one and verse sixteen, Peter gave the reason they should “be holy” where we read:

Because it is written, Be holy; for I am holy.

The verse begins, “Because it is written,...” Peter began with the word, “Because” which means “on account of, that, inasmuch as, for and therefore” “it is written” or “to delineate or form letters on a tablet, parchment, paper or other material” which refers to the scriptures. Peter's reference is to the “written” word of God, the Bible.

The verse continues, “...Be holy; for I am holy.” Peter goes on to say, “Be holy” which means “become, come into existence, begin to be, happen and appear in history as sacred in physical pureness, moral blameless and ceremonial consecration” “for” or “that, because and since” “I am holy” which refers to “God the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit” and means “Who is sacred both in physical pureness, moral blameless and ceremonial consecration”. Peter referred to the book of Leviticus in chapter eleven and verse forty four, chapter nineteen verse two, and chapter twenty and verse seven where the Lord instructed the people of Israel to “by holy” as He “is holy”.

When we consider Peter's words, his standard may seem higher than is possible for us to obtain, and yet, it is the standard. The Lord's desire for us is to be like Him, and He “is holy”. Let us understand that the only way this is possible is for Him to put holiness within us. We should aspire to be “like God” in all our ways, and when we fail to meet that standard, let us rejoice in the “grace” or “unmerited favor” of our Lord Jesus Christ which is always available.

Next time Peter tells the Christians to “to pass” their “time” here “in fear”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.