Be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. – Ephesians 5:1-2
As obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” – 1 Peter 1:14-16
How is it that God has instructed us, those who proclaim in faith to be Christian, to walk as He walked and to be holy as He is holy? I find it most confusing to imagine that the God who knows my innermost thoughts, feelings, and my own sinful actions would consider making such a request. Certainly He, above all others, knows that this instruction is impossible. I know the evil man that I am, and so does God.
In Ephesians, God is instructing us to be imitators of Him, to walk as He walked when He walked here on the earth in physical form. I understand, at least partially, what is meant when He says to imitate Him because how to do this is described in the verses before and after these. But is God really asking me to walk as He walked and do what He did? While I might want to try, I am more willing to just give up and start believing in something realistic.
Then in 1 Peter God is instructing us to be holy as He is holy even unto this day. Really? God wants me to be completely set apart from this world and all that is in it and be completely Godly. Yeah, okay God. You know what? Good luck with that. I’m going to move on and just try to enjoy the days I have left rather than pursue an obvious impossible request and just end up being a pious unrealistic person just like the Pharisees were.
With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. – Matthew 19:26
1 Thessalonians 3:12-13 says “and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness”. There in this verse is the “how” of living the as. “The Lord make you … abound in love” ….[why?] … “so that He may establish your heart blameless in holiness.” The Lord enables us, through Christ, to love correctly and in the practice of that perfect love that is only available through Jesus, we can be holy.
In other words, we can be holy because He is holy who lives in us and then, through us. He lives into our actions, so we can walk as He walked and imitate Himself. Even more, one day we will give up these physical bodies and living on this planet and we will live in our spiritual selves and be where He is.
God doesn’t always name us for as we are now, but for as we will be. When the angel Gabriel called upon Gideon as a brave leader of an army, he was certainly not one … yet. Gabriel called him one because that is who he would become for God and the nation of Israel.
Perhaps, like me, you know all the things you aren’t as you compare yourself in your walk with how Jesus walked. And you know all the ways you aren’t holy as you compare yourself to His holiness. Yet, God called us to walk as He walked and to be holy as He is holy. You aren’t an impossible person that can’t be healed. God would not instruct us to do something or be a part of something that couldn’t be done. He instructed us to do so as a Father wants the best for his beloved children and He sees you for what you will become. He is what is best for us; He living in us draws us closer to Him; and He walking as He walked and being holy as He is holy is the only way the impossible can become possible.
As obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” – 1 Peter 1:14-16
How is it that God has instructed us, those who proclaim in faith to be Christian, to walk as He walked and to be holy as He is holy? I find it most confusing to imagine that the God who knows my innermost thoughts, feelings, and my own sinful actions would consider making such a request. Certainly He, above all others, knows that this instruction is impossible. I know the evil man that I am, and so does God.
In Ephesians, God is instructing us to be imitators of Him, to walk as He walked when He walked here on the earth in physical form. I understand, at least partially, what is meant when He says to imitate Him because how to do this is described in the verses before and after these. But is God really asking me to walk as He walked and do what He did? While I might want to try, I am more willing to just give up and start believing in something realistic.
Then in 1 Peter God is instructing us to be holy as He is holy even unto this day. Really? God wants me to be completely set apart from this world and all that is in it and be completely Godly. Yeah, okay God. You know what? Good luck with that. I’m going to move on and just try to enjoy the days I have left rather than pursue an obvious impossible request and just end up being a pious unrealistic person just like the Pharisees were.
With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. – Matthew 19:26
1 Thessalonians 3:12-13 says “and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness”. There in this verse is the “how” of living the as. “The Lord make you … abound in love” ….[why?] … “so that He may establish your heart blameless in holiness.” The Lord enables us, through Christ, to love correctly and in the practice of that perfect love that is only available through Jesus, we can be holy.
In other words, we can be holy because He is holy who lives in us and then, through us. He lives into our actions, so we can walk as He walked and imitate Himself. Even more, one day we will give up these physical bodies and living on this planet and we will live in our spiritual selves and be where He is.
God doesn’t always name us for as we are now, but for as we will be. When the angel Gabriel called upon Gideon as a brave leader of an army, he was certainly not one … yet. Gabriel called him one because that is who he would become for God and the nation of Israel.
Perhaps, like me, you know all the things you aren’t as you compare yourself in your walk with how Jesus walked. And you know all the ways you aren’t holy as you compare yourself to His holiness. Yet, God called us to walk as He walked and to be holy as He is holy. You aren’t an impossible person that can’t be healed. God would not instruct us to do something or be a part of something that couldn’t be done. He instructed us to do so as a Father wants the best for his beloved children and He sees you for what you will become. He is what is best for us; He living in us draws us closer to Him; and He walking as He walked and being holy as He is holy is the only way the impossible can become possible.
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