In 1 Peter chapter 1 and verses 13 to 16, we read: “Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts but be like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in your behaviour, because it is written, “you shall be holy, for I am holy”. It is clear Peter is quoting Leviticus 11:44 and Leviticus 19:2, and as a Jewish believer in Christ, we should not be surprised that Peter cites the Old Testament.

Let’s make no bones about it! The God we are following is an awesome being, the Supreme and Ultimate One for all time and forever, and the Eternal God who created reality as we understand it in our limited human mind. That reality is lived out in our daily pursuits and everything we encounter within it, Where 8 billion human beings exist, not forgetting every other created form of life be it animal or plant. Beyond that, we marvel at the wonders of the universe with its multitude of stars, planets, etc.

God is the personification of purity and holiness. If you are a Christian, you will know that there is no one else that comes even near to Jesus’ perfection. God knows that we are flawed beings yet through his son, we are forgiven when we turn to Him in repentance and faith! Therefore, we can never forget that when God was in human form as Jesus Christ he paid the ultimate sacrifice for our sins, upon the cross. Therefore, out of love and gratitude to Him, God expects us to be holy and live our lives, not as the world does, in selfishness and unbelief, but as something apart from fallen humanity, a new creation in Christ! As it has been said: “we are to be in the world but not of it”.

To be a Christian means that we will often go against the tide of the world; especially, in this world of other faiths, atheism, humanism, etc. However, God has the power in all areas of our life to see us through as pilgrims in this dark world, until we see Him, face to face. Both the Old and New Testaments are full of folk who struggled in the material world as we do today, yet, God’s purposes were fulfilled and his plans became manifest for the good of all.

Why does God want us to be holy and set apart from the world? Well, you cannot live two lives, as it were. If you say you believe in God, and accept his Son as your Saviour, and yet there is no change in your life, then you are living a lie. Yes, God will forgive our sins as we trust in His mercy, but he also expects us to be faithful and truthful. That truth as stated earlier is to live your life for Him and in the example of God in human form – Jesus Christ. You cannot say one thing and do another as many of us have done at some time with God. It’s a case of either/or, in other words, you are either for God or against him. And there is no way around that, God could force us to follow him but he is not that kind of God. The Lord desires that each one of us reaches out to him for mercy, forgiveness, and eternal life.

The Bible tells us that we should bring everything to God. No matter what it is, God as our Heavenly Father wants to hear what we have to say and nothing is too big for him. I mentioned the universe before and so if God can bring into being something so massively awesome from nothing, then he is willing and able to handle our affairs. As the ultimate and powerful being that God is, He will know what we are going to say or ask for, even before we offer something up to him.

Nevertheless, he loves truly as a Father would and therefore He does not want us to perish in this life of the next, as He longs for us to commit to him. Through his incarnation on Earth as Jesus, God offers us an olive branch where we will find love, security, and true peace. That is not only in this existence but into the next also.

Humans and other created beings have been given emotions. We are familiar with both positive and negative emotions. God too is an emotional being but his emotions are righteous and correct. If we study the Bible we can see God’s reactions and responses are both for his purposes and ours too. With Jesus not being physically in our midst now, we must be his hands and feet. God uses us to bring about goodness and to alleviate the suffering of this world, whatever that suffering may be.

So let us exalt the Lord and rmemeber that God is a lofty being with phenominal power and authority. However, we know that God loved and loves us so much that he shared our humanity to set things right between us and him.

God in Judaism exists and they acknowledge him every day, however, they are still living under Old Testament law. Judaism lacks the figure of Jesus – hence they are still looking for their expected Saviour. Islam too still lives under the old law and God in Islam seems to be a distant being where Muslims do not enjoy a personal relationship with him as followers of Christ do. Some rightly question if Allah (as they call God) is even the same god we serve.

Only in Christ and in Him alone can be found salvation. I will close with scripture speaking about the God of the Bible, holiness, etc:

Acts 17:24-28: “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands as if he needed anything because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else”.

God bless you!

Nick X