"Be Holy As I am Holy." How is that Even Possible?
Everyone agrees that a believer must live a "holy life'. But what does that even mean? Practically, and realistically, a person who is living in holiness is a person who is doing what? I know a certain so-called preacher who used to teach his followers that they were not allowed to wear makeup, earrings, eat pork and even short-sleeve shirts were not allowed. Any Christian who does these things, he said, would not enter heaven because God demands 100% holiness.
Because of such wrong teachings, many of us now shy away from the "holiness talk" because that is what we imagine Christian holiness to be. That, my friends, is not holiness —far from it. In fact, it is the purest definition of legalism. A belief that by outward observance, one can please God. "Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?", asked the Apostle (Gal 3:3). Believe it or not, that is the kind of "holiness" that Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for. There were the kind of people who looked at their external behaviour, i.e., washing hands, wearing long robes, long prayers and concluded that was what made them acceptable before God.
I would like to submit to you that true Christian holiness is not that complicated to understand. Perhaps I should explain this with an open Bible, so that you get the idea.
Hebrews 10:10 - And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Take note of the word, sanctified there. It is a common word in the new Testament. It means to 'set apart' for God. To cleanse, to consecrate, to make holy! The process of salvation is called " justification" That is when God declares you right with Him, in terms of your sins, based on what Christ has done. At that moment, something else happens: the Spirit of God makes you holy; sets you apart for himself. In the Old Testament , a priest was consecrated before He could serve in the Holy Temple. In the same way, believers have been made Royal Priests (1 Pet 2:5); the Spirit of God has made them holy, so that they can make spiritual sacrifices.
Christian holiness, therefore, is not something that you do; it's something that you are. It's your position in Christ. You are already made holy; you have been sanctified through Christ. That is where we get the word "saints" . It is the inherent nature of new creatures. I guess we can call this "positional holiness". It's not based on your outward performance but on where you are — in Christ! And no believer is holier than the other; they have all been sanctified by the same Holy Spirit, the same way. That is that.
Now, after we have been made holy through our standing in Christ, we have to answer: how then shall we live? Remember, we died in the old nature, together with its old desires. We have been changed from the inside out. Hence our lives have to reflect that. That is where the idea of practical holiness comes into play. Let's look at this verse again...
1 Peter 1:13-15 - As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
Notice that the command to be holy is for those who are called; those are already in Christ. It is not for unbelievers, nor is it for those who are trying to attain salvation by trying to be holy. Instead, it means since you are already sanctified (made holy) in Christ, now live your life manifesting that sanctification (holiness) through your practical conduct. I repeat: true Christian holiness is not about "entering heaven" by not wearing a short sleeve, instead, now that I am already seated with Christ in heaven, my Lord expects me to live differently.
Now the big question: what does that holiness look like, practically speaking? Answer: It is someone who, because of their holy standing in Christ, makes the effort to please their Lord in everything they do. In simple terms, it is to discern, through the Word and the Christian conscience, what pleases the Lord and what grieves Him. You run from that which displeases Him and pursue that which pleases Him. So it's not so much about rules of do's and don'ts, but it's a matter of asking the question: what does the Word say about this and is my believing conscience clean when I do this or not?
If I were to give you anything close to rules, I would refer you to Philippians 4:8, "Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. You see that it's more about the inner condition of the heart than it is about outward performance. That is what makes the Christian Faith distinct from other religions. They all look for an external show of religiosity, while the Christian Gospel says, "Clean the inside of the cup and the outside will be clean."
One last point: because Christian holiness is not about attaining salvation by our performance, we have no fear when we struggle and fall into sin. Because we understand that it's not about perfection but direction. "If anyone does sin," says the preacher, "we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous (1 Joh 2:1)." That is what is called progressive sanctification
Summary: Christian holiness is possible because it is already the reality of a believer in Christ. Therefore, dear brother, take heart. Christ is for you, not against you. "There is no condemnation to them in Christ (Rom 8:1)." Use that as the motivation to please Him in every area of your life. "Be holy as He is holy", says the Lord. Good luck.
Sinothi Ncube
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