Set Apart & Devoted — Meadow Called Grace

Oct 6

Oct 6 Set Apart & Devoted

“But as the one who called you is holy, you are also to be holy in all your conduct; for it is written, ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’”

— 1 Peter 1:15-16

If I were to ask you to make a list of God’s attributes, I wonder what words would make your list. I wonder which characteristics would be the first to come to mind, and which attributes would be in everyone’s first three. Of course, a list of God’s attributes would never be adequate to truly describe Him, but we do use words that describe His character to help us know Him better. I would imagine that somewhere on that list would be the word holy. “Holy, holy, holy, the Lord God Almighty, who was and is to come.” We know this wonderful line of praise to our heavenly Father and the list would not be complete without this word.

If I were to ask you to make a list of all your attributes, I wonder which words would make the list. Would you include the words God has declared over you? Would the words of Jesus defining your new nature show up on that list? Would the word “holy” appear on your list?

God tells His people that they are to “be holy.” This same commandment is repeated to the New Testament Christians, and to us. Did you know that holy is supposed to be on your list too?

As a young Christian, I always wondered “how can we be holy like God?” I mean, God is God, and we are not. How on earth are we supposed to achieve holiness? I had always assumed that this was a characteristic reserved for God alone. When I would sing the song “holy, holy, holy” I would associate the word with His divinity. But, when I read verses commanding us to “be holy” that definition wasn’t really applicable. I then assumed that holiness was a synonym for righteousness. But it took me many years of striving for righteousness to realize that holiness is not righteousness. We cannot be righteous on our own. We have been declared righteous only through the blood of Jesus. (Yes, you can add righteous to your list of attributes! Praise Him! Through Jesus, we have a wonderful list of attributes that we could never have achieved on our own).

If we are to be holy we first have to know what it means. Throughout the year, a common statement keeps coming up in the books and studies that I am reading: we need to define words—like love, justice, holiness—the way God defines them. Growing up, my wrong definition of holiness hindered my growth in my faith. But He has been so faithful to show me and teach me His way of looking at things.

One of the most common definitions of holiness is set apart. Something that is holy is set apart from something ordinary or common. To make something holy means to make it sacred. A synonym of the word sacred is consecrated. To consecrate something means to devote or dedicate to a purpose, particularly to God’s purpose. Something holy has a specific purpose, a unique purpose, a divine purpose.

If we look to understand God’s holiness in the light of this definition, we see that God is set apart. He is not like man and He is not like other gods. Indeed God is holy, set apart, because of His divine nature, but that is not the only reason He is holy. Everything about God—the way He loves, the way He lavishes grace and mercy on us—is not common or ordinary. His extraordinary love is unlike how any man loves. And his extraordinary grace is unlike any other deity. His standards are nothing like our earthly standards. Indeed, His thoughts are higher than our thoughts and His ways are Higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9). Our God is holy, set apart from the ordinary and common, and devoted to a unique purpose.

Let’s consider what God calls holy. When God is talking to Moses in the burning bush, he tells Moses “Take off your sandals, for this is holy ground.” The ground was not divine. There was nothing special about the dirt per se. But God was setting that space apart from the rest for His presence and for His purpose. God wants us to “remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.” In other words, the Sabbath should not be an ordinary, common day, like the other days. The Sabbath is day set aside for a specific purpose — to rest. We can see that He wants those things he calls holy to be set apart and to be for His purpose.

We are holy—set apart. In John 15:19, Jesus says “If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it, the world will hate you.” This is reiterated in 1 Peter 2:9 when he reminds us “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession.” God has set us apart from the world. He has made us holy—set apart—marked by the blood of Jesus. And we are a people of His own possession whose purpose is now His purpose. We have been created in Christ Jesus to do good works, His work, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10).

In addition to simply being holy, marked by the blood of Jesus, Peter reminds us “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires of your former ignorance. But as the one who called you is holy, you are also to be holy in your conduct.” The way we act should reflect that we are chosen, that we are His. When you live your life devoted to your purpose, you choose to do things in light of that purpose. This is why you choose to read your Bible instead of flipping on the television. This is why you choose to go to church every Sunday. This is why you give generously. This is why you speak words of faith in the face of uncertainty. As Christians, our conduct should be holy—different than the world’s standard. Our conduct should reflect that we are set apart for His purpose.

Holiness—Christianity—is not a list of right behaviors to keep. Our motivation for holiness is not based on obligation to a religion. If it were, we would forsake Christianity when we get burnt out. But when our motivation is based on love, gratitude, and honor toward Jesus, holiness becomes easier. Being holy is forsaking your old nature, leaving the world behind, and living a life that leads you and others closer to Jesus.

Lisa Bevere explains holiness this way: “Holiness is not another failed attempt of ours to try to be good; it is a revelation that we are His.” She continues by saying, “We are to be holy, for He is holy. We are not asked to act holy or to be appear holy; we are invited to be holy….to be something means it defines our very existence.”

So remember, you are holy—set apart by Jesus and devoted to His purpose.

Last year, I read a book by author Jen Wilkins called In His Image. She does a far better job than I ever could exploring how we as Believers are to be like Him. I highly recommend it.