Holy

“Be holy, because I am holy.” In 1 Peter 1:16, the apostle Peter uses these words to sum up the salvation that Jesus offers to all mankind. It is a call that stretches back through history. The Book of Leviticus gives us the call. The pages of Deuteronomy teach us that God’s people are made holy because of their relationship with the Lord. Fifty-four of the Bible’s sixty-six books say something about holiness. It is central to faith. Peter writes that you and I are people who have received salvation, the restoration of our relationship with God. It is something so amazing that the angels long to look into how that relationship works. It is a gift that changes us and makes us new. In order to encourage his readers, Peter calls them to be holy because God is holy. He calls all those that will listen to surrender their lives to the nature and character of God. To live each day in the way that God would live it. To treat others the way that Jesus would treat them. To look like Jesus. As we embed the Bible this year, we are learning to look like Jesus. In the process, our holy God continues to make us holy.