Be Holy, Because I Am Holy

1 Peter 1:15-16 - But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."

Isaiah 35:8 - And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it.

1 Thessalonians 4:7 - For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.

Leviticus 11:44 - I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves about on the ground.

Habakkuk 1:13 - Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong. Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves?

Conclusions:

• A highway is a road built up to make travel easier
• The Way of Holiness is the way set apart for those who are holy; only the redeemed could use it
• In ancient times, certain roads between temples were open only to those who were ceremonially pure
• Another reason for chastity is God’s call to holiness
• To be holy is to be set apart—set apart from sin and impurity, and set apart to God
• The complete moral perfection of God whose eyes are too pure to look on evil with favor, should move His people to strive for moral purity
• 1 Peter is a letter of practical earnestness, filled with exhortations and encouragements
• Holiness is the key theme of Leviticus, ringing like a refrain in various forms throughout the book
• The word holy appears more often in Leviticus than in any other book of the Bible
• Israel was to be totally consecrated to God
• Israel’s holiness was to be expressed in every aspect of her life, to the extent that all of life had a certain ceremonial quality
• Because of who God is and what He has done, His people must dedicate themselves fully to Him
• Habakkuk 1:13 is a classic statement of the problem of evil within the context of Israel’s faith: Why does evil appear to flourish unchecked by a just and holy God?
• The treacherous and the wicked are the Babylonians in Habakkuk 1:13
• Those more righteous is Judah in Habakkuk 1:13

Application:

• Are you redeemed?
• Are you chaste?
• Are you set apart from sin and impurity?
• Are you dedicated fully to God?
• Are you wicked or righteous?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible