God gives this command in 1 Peter 1:16: “Be holy, for I am holy.”

God has called all those who are have accepted His Son Jesus Christ to imitate Him and live a holy life, to be His ambassadors on the earth and to bring Him glory.  Holiness was God’s original blueprint for the human race.  It enabled God and His people to have relationship.

Do you have a personal relationship with God?  Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?  If so, you have been “born again”, forgiven of your sins, and adopted into God’s family.  God is your heavenly Father and He is saying to you, “Imitate Me.  Be holy, for I am holy.”

The word “holy” means separated, set apart, and cut off.  A “holy” person is someone who has been set apart by God, for God’s glory. It is someone who has been made righteous by the shedding of Jesus’ blood and His resurrection.

Holiness is outward and inward.  It includes attitudes and motives, not just actions.  God sees our hearts.  He knows our motives and our thoughts.

1 Samuel 16:7

“But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Hebrews 4:12,13

“12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.”

We tend to think of our outward actions as being most important, but God is very interested in the condition of our heart and mind.  Our actions are a reflection of what is in our heart.

Matthew 15:18,19

“18 But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders.”

Jesus underscored the importance of our heart condition in His “Sermon on the Mount”.  If you are angry and hate your brother, it is the same as if you murdered him (Matthew 5:21-22; 1 John 3:15).  If you look at another person with lust, you have already committed adultery with him or her in your heart (Matthew 5:27-22).

Ouch.

What Do You Think?

So what do you think?

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