Holy? Us? by Bryan Craig

As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”  1 Peter 1:14-16 ESV

How can we humans, who are stained by sin nature, be holy, as Peter is commanding us in 1 Peter 1 and as God commanded in the Leviticus 19:2 passage Peter is quoting?  We know and believe that Jesus was holy and lived the perfect, sinless life. But us?  Even when we are not willfully sinning, sinful thoughts can bombard our minds.  But every once in awhile, I do feel holy. 

I remember years ago, I came home late from a Promise Keepers rally which was a mountaintop experience for me.  I felt so much love along with the rest of the fruits of the Spirit.  I was excited to come home and tell my wife about it.  As I walked in the quiet house, things seemed a bit awry.  See, I had left my precious wife home with our 3 young daughters at the time, and I could tell by the look of the house that it had not been an easy couple of days.  I made my way to our bedroom and Missy was already asleep.  I quietly got ready for bed and as I was about to slip into the covers, she spoke up that my youngest daughter had been in bed with her, on my side, and had wet the bed.  I could tell by her voice that she was quite exasperated.  I remember thinking in that moment, “Satan, you are not going to steal my joy!”  I didn’t make a fuss (which was unusual for me), as I found a sleeping bag and slept on the floor that night in complete and utter peace. 

I had similar experiences and feelings at other PK events or Men’s Retreats, and I remember thinking, “I wish I could bottle this feeling so I could have it all the time.”  As I was at those mountaintop experiences, I felt holy.  I was at peace in my heart and with the world and with God.  I was full of love.  But after a few weeks, the glow seemed to fade.  It always reminded me of how Moses’ face shone after he had been speaking with God, and he didn’t even realize it.  (See Exodus 34:29-35)

At that time, I grew to understand that people referred to big events as “mountaintop experiences.”  There is also the amazing account of Jesus taking Peter, James and John to the mountaintop, where the spirits of Moses and Elijah made a guest appearance, and where Jesus was transfigured in front of them and He shone brightly, much like Moses had when he had come down from the mountain from meeting God.  (See Matthew 17) Peter, in typical brash Peter fashion, spoke up, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.”   Quickly, God interrupted, speaking from a cloud and said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”

And Jesus didn’t let them stay on the mountaintop, no more than God kept Moses on the mountaintop.  There is ministry to be done in the Valley. This walk with the Lord is never about what we can get from Him, but rather, it’s about Him living life through us.  And this is why He needs us to be holy.  It is a holy calling, and we represent Him. 

But we can’t be holy, for we are sinful mortals, right?  Partially correct.  It is not our Holiness.  It is His Holiness through us.  And how does that happen?  Well, it was years later, when I went through The Journey that I discovered the answer.  It is through Abiding in Christ. 

If we abide in Christ, we will bear fruit, as John 15 teaches us and The Journey emphasizes.  And we learn that this fruit is the Fruit of the Spirit, or another way of saying, “the character of Christ” or another way to say it is, “Holiness.”    When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, He cleanses us white as snow, and He adopts us into the holy, royal family.  We are made holy.  Abiding is a constant reminder of our holiness and our identity in Him and He in us.  It changes everything.  It makes us stand out in a crowd.  To some who see us, we even have somewhat of a glow about us.  Fellow Christians see it and recognize us as image-bearers of God and non-Christians who are around us feel the conviction of the Lord. 

So, we don’t have to go to a major spiritual event to become holy.  It’s available to us every day through the power of the Holy Spirit, Who lives in us.  Peter, the one who witnessed the Lord’s holiness right before his eyes.  Peter, the one who denied Christ 3 times and felt the weight of his sin, only to be restored by Jesus 3 times.  And Peter, who, on the day of Pentecost witnessed the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and became bolder than ever before.  Yes, this Peter understood that holiness is possible, but it’s only possible through the Holy Spirit.  And he knew that holiness was not just possible, but it’s our destiny.