God gives this command in 1 Peter 1:16: “Be holy, for I am holy.”
Who is God speaking to?  Without His divine help, no one can live a holy life.

God is speaking to those who are His children. They have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior and have a personal relationship with God.  They have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them.  God’s power is the key to living a holy life.

God has called His children to be His ambassadors on the earth and to bring Him glory.  He gives every one of His children the power to live a pure and holy life.

2 Peter 1:3
“…His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.”

If you are God’s child, He is saying to you, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

Do you have a relationship with God through Christ?  God has done a miraculous work in you to help you live righteously.  He has forgiven you and adopted you as His child.  He has changed your heart to desire to live a holy life.

God has put His Holy Spirit in you to teach you and give you power to live a pure and holy life.  If you surrender to His guidance, He will give you the strength to resist temptation and obey God’s Word.

God has provided you with His written Word, the Bible.  His Word will renew your mind and make it possible for the Holy Spirit to transform your character to be like Christ’s.

Your part is to seek to know God and His ways through prayer and study of His Word.  This requires humility.  You must recognize that you need God.  You need God’s guidance to keep you on the right path.  You need God’s wisdom and discernment to recognize sin, and God’s strength to overcome temptation.

To live a holy life, follow the example of the psalmist.  He sought to develop his relationship with God.  He pursued holiness.

Psalm 119:9-11
“How can a young man keep his way pure?  By keeping it according to Your word.
With all my heart I have sought You; do not let me wander from Your commandments.
Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You.”

But what if you sin?  What should you do then?

If you sin, humble yourself.  Turn away from your sin.  Read the passage below and follow the instructions God gives.

1 John 1:6 – 2:2
“If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.”

God is a God of mercy and grace.  If you are in relationship with Him through Jesus Christ, the promises in this passage are for you.  When you sin, remember 1 John 1:9.  Confess your sin and expect God to do what He has promised.

1 John 1:9
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

What Do You Think?

Do you sin?  What does sin look like in your life?

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