Is it possible to be holy? Yes! Here’s how …

I can’t think of a time when people in most any church haven’t felt uneasy hearing about God’s command that we be holy. Unfortunately, even church leaders for many years now have also felt uneasy about this command, so much so, you rarely hear pastors today teach this exhortation.

Peter did.

“So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, ‘You must be holy because I am holy,'” 1 Peter 1:13-16.

I think the primary reason for the unease about the command to be holy among both Christians and their spiritual leaders is the immediate thought and emotion is, “That’s impossible, I can’t do that. I’m not holy.”

And that’s correct … at least you can’t be holy by your own power, and you’re not holy on your own.

But it is possible to be obedient to this command!

John Kilough, pastor at Angle Lake Neighborhood Church, give great insight about how we be obedient to God’s command to be holy:

“Be holy, for I am holy.” For most people this can be a very intimidating statement. The Lord God says, “Be holy, for I am holy.” The issue with that is, well God is God and I am not. It is easy for Him to say be holy, but I just have way too many faults. However, we love the Lord and we are committed to His word and so we go about trying our very best to be holy, because He is holy.

We enter into this overwhelming challenge under our own willpower and determination, vowing to be holy even if it kills us; unfortunately trying to achieve holiness through our own power will kill us! This is the reason why so much emphasis is placed on how one dresses and where they go. These things can be measured and judged. However, is this what God meant by “be holy, for I am holy?” I could spend a great deal of time explaining what I believe is the correct answer, but simply for me it is about the Treasure in this jar of clay that helps me toward that great goal of holiness; the Holy Spirit.

We put the emphasis on the wrong part of God’s command, we focus on the “Be holy” part, but the real power is in the “For I Am Holy” part. I can’t be holy without God’s holiness.

When I was in the Army I worked as a mechanic. One of the things I loved to do was teach others. (I still believe that my greatest talent is teaching.) If I took a new recruit and told them, “I am the world’s greatest mechanic and because of that you better learn everything I teach you or else,” that guy is going to be a nervous wreck by the end of the training cycle because I have placed the entire burden on him.

Now let’s look at it another way. A new recruit comes into my shop ready to learn and I say to him, “Listen, I am the world’s greatest mechanic. Since I am the world’s greatest mechanic all you need to do is pay attention, let me guide you and prepare you, I will give you everything you need to be successful and productive, and if you forget something or make a mistake I will be right there to help you every step of the way.” After listening to that, the recruit now knows that he, too, can be a great mechanic because the burden is not on him; but on the teacher.
Please do not get me wrong, we do have a part in being holy. Our part is to be obedient to the voice of the Holy Spirit as He gives us direction. Our biggest failure, when it comes to holiness, is our disobedience to God’s Word and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Although holiness may seem out of reach, when we allow the Holy Spirit complete control of our lives we will see God’s holiness. “Be Holy, For I Am Holy.” Yes Lord!

Steven Dow concisely clarifies Pastor Kilough’s powerful insight with this:

“You know when you buy toys for your kids or grandkids, often times on the package in fine print are these words: ‘Batteries not included.’ Do you know what that means? It means that you get the toy, but the power to make it work is not included. That is not the kind of gift that God gives. God’s gift of holiness includes the power of the fullness of the Holy Spirit — the power to make it work.”

It is possible to be obedient to God’s command to be holy; and the Holy Spirit is desirous to provide you with all the power you need to live your life as a holy disciple of Jesus.

Scotty