The Distinctive Marks of a Christian - (I Peter 1:13-25) - Conclusion

When we claim the name of Christ we are identifying whose family we belong to.  God is a holy God and, as we represent Him to our world, we must also bear the family image of holiness.  In a world that is extremely materialistic and self-obsessed and deceitful, there is a cry for someone to be distinctively different, someone who will stand for truth and purity and integrity.  


It must grieve God's heart to look on His children and see how much they mimic the world's lifestyle.  He has called us to live a higher calling, a life that is set apart for His service.  After all He has done for us, and knowing He is our ultimate Judge, dare we live below our calling?  Through yielding to His Spirit's leading in our moment by moment decisions, we can walk as Christ walked and re-echo God's call to all of humanity to be holy and pure.

"Oh, to be like Thee, Blessed Redeemer,

This is my constant longing and prayer.

Gladly I'll forfeit all of earth's treasures,

Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Oh, to be like Thee!  Oh, to be like Thee,

Blessed Redeemer, pure as Thou art!

Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart!

The Distinctive Mark of Holiness - I Peter 1:13-16 - Part B

As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.  (I Peter 1:14)


Peter goes on to stress that just as the Hebrews had to abandon their Egyptian habits of life after the Exodus, baptized Christians must also abandon their pagan past.  There must be a complete break with the old way of living.  Passions and desires that lead one to self-indulgence of natural appetites keep one separated from God.  If one is controlled by having his drives satisfied, he will easily slip back into his old way of living, following after worldly and evil impulses.  Once they are delivered from their ignorance of God, Christians should no longer be conformed to the mindset of this day, which is characterized by lust, but they should be controlled by the Spirit of God...not the spirit of self.  They should forsake anything that displeases Christ.


But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do, for it is written:  "Be holy, because I am holy."  (I Peter 1:15-16)


God is holy in that He is "set apart" from sin.  His nature of holiness emphasizes His moral perfection and perfect goodness.  Basically holiness is a separation from anything that is evil.  When believers are consecrated to a holy God, they take on His character, living in obedience to His will by practicing moral integrity and shunning evil.  As members of God's family, we are to reproduce the family likeness and pattern our behavior after God's holy standards.  His priorities now become ours.


Only through the Holy Spirit are we able to overcome sin and live obediently before God.  God has called us to holiness and as we yield to the Spirit's leading moment by moment, He works His holiness out in us.  It is our love for Christ that compels us to live holy lives.  The more we love Him, the more we desire to please Him.  The inward holiness produced by the indwelling of the Spirit expresses itself outwardly in honorable actions that are pleasing to God.


God's call to holiness is an imperative and cannot be ignored.  It involves our total life-style, and calls for a separation from this world's values.  It is more than just refraining from evil, it is also living a life of service for God.  We have fellowship with God when we are obedient.  We live victoriously when we forsake sin.  But it is only as we live holy lives that others are convinced of the reality of a holy God.  If we want to attract others to Christ, we cannot live a carnal and worldly life-style.  People want to see what kind of difference God can make in their lives.  What kind of statement does our life-style make?


Again, I state that the only way one can live this life of holiness, separated from sin and evil, is by being filled with the Holy Spirit who enables us to conform to the character and likeness of Christ.  It is the Holy Spirit who produces the holy fruit in our lives.