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Be Holy as I Am Holy

rather just as the one calling you is holy, also become you, come into existence in all your conduct, in as much as it is written 'be holy because I am holy' and if you call upon him as Father... (1 Peter 1:15-17)

Do you call upon God as your heavenly Father? Has called you? To those He predestined, he also called and those he calls he justifies and those he justified glorifies (Roman 8:30). The predestining Paul mentions early "those he foreknew also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son" (Romans 8:29). And those he chose he predestined for adoption as his own through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:5) And those he chose in Christ he chose "before creation of the world to be holy, blameless in his presence, in love" (Ephesians 1:4). If you are called you are chosen and you predestined by the Spirit for adoption, and you are chosen for the purpose of being holy, blameless before him, in love.

just a she chose us in him before he created the world to e holy and blameless in his presence in love (Ephesians 1:5)

How can I be blameless before him and in his presence and be loved by a holy God? Jesus provided the means, and there are three that testify and are in agreement with one another; the Spirit, blood, and water. (1 John 5:8) The Spirit is one of adoption that testifies we are children of God. The blood testifies that we have been forgiven and we have peace before God. These are usually the only two we hear about in the church. And it is true because we are His children and been justified by the blood of Jesus and received the gift of righteousness through faith we can boldly and with confidence approach our heavenly Father. But as it is written...

'be holy because I am holy' and if you call upon him as Father... (1 Peter 1:15-17)

So there are there that are in agreement with one another so we can't say we have been adopted, born of the Spirit and entered the kingdom of God, forgiven our sin by the blood of Jesus and ignore the third testimony. The third testimony is that of water. The baptism that now saves us not like the washing of dirt from the body but of a good conscious toward God (1 Peter 3:21). I can not as a child of God have a good conscious toward God and live in sin. It would be as Paul writes delighting inwardly in the laws of God but dong the things I hate, this is a wretched state. 

So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. (Romans 7:17 )

The Spirit testifies of this state, groaning for our liberty as children of God, when we will put on the incorruptible, a body that is redeemed and gloried. The issue is sin in the body. The principles exist that nothing good dwells in our flesh, but sin and evil is near. As the scriptures speak we must overcome sin in the flesh. It is a growth process of child, young person to mature adulthood were we bear fruit.  Therefore God calls us to holiness. Holiness is overcoming the power of sin in the flesh, it is reckoning sin dead in the body that has died and been crucified with Christ. Through the power of the Spirit the deeds of the flesh are put to death. This is holiness. Thus the testimony of water that is one with the testimony of Spirit and blood, is the purification of the body of sin. 

And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. (1 John 3:3)

If I call upon God as my Father then I am to be holy as He is holy. This is why he chose me and called me, to be holy before him. God did not call me to first go to seminary school, become a missionary or a pastor, to serve, give, and do good works, no, this puts the cart before the horse. He chose me and brought me into his kingdom and calls me to holiness. This is why Paul writes we have a reasonable service to present the body a living sacrifice unto holiness, this is the sacrifice that pleases God. Then will the fruit of maturity be reflected outwardly in your conduct. 

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. (Matthew 5:8)

Pure religion is helping orphans and widows and being unstained from the world so if I am stained by the world I do not have "pure" religion. God is a God of Light, not darkness, thus we must walk in the Light to have fellowship with him and be cleansed from all unrighteousness. If God has chosen me and called me I have this hope in Him, thus I purify myself as he is pure. This is not perfectionism nor legalism, this is to come into existence partakers of His divine nature, to be conformed to His image, and to be transformed. On the day of Christ will I have been steadfast in my calling. One day I will stand before my Father, will I be holy like He is? Our heavenly Father says, "be holy as I am holy." Again, "just as the one calling you is holy, also become you, come into existence in all your conduct."

 

 

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