Be Holy in All Your Conduct
by Hugh DeLong
“But as the one who called you is holy, you also are to be holy in all your conduct;…” (I Peter 1:15).
Holy is from the same word in I Peter 1:2 that is translated ‘sanctifying’, which means ‘consecrated’, ‘purified’, ‘set apart’. When we become Christians, we are set apart unto God, set apart to live our lives according to His instructions. Being set apart indicates we are not like the world; we, in fact, are not to like what we were. We are now to be God’s people.
God is holy in that He is separate from all that is termed ‘ungodly’, ‘unrighteous’, ‘evil’, ‘sinful’, etc. The Psalmist said of God: “For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil cannot dwell with you” (Psalms 5:4). God is separated from all such. Thus, Peter says that “as the one who called you is holy, you also are to be holy in all your conduct; 16 for it is written, Be holy, because I am holy" (I Peter 1:15-16).
Our being holy is the culmination of the actions demanded in I Peter 1:13-14.
- Prepare your mind for action
- Be sober-minded
- Set your hope completely on the grace to come
- As obedient children, we are no longer to be conformed to our previous desires.
The same word that is translated ‘holy’ and ‘sanctified’ is used to describe God’s people – they are saints. They are set apart unto God in relationship, and they develop a set-apart life by transforming their character and life.
When someone tries to justify some wrongful behavior by saying, “Well, I’m no saint”, my response is simply, “You ought to be.” We grow in such sanctification. We change. We are transformed.
Does this describe your life?
