No one else is Holy as God is Holy. If anyone claims to be a Christian, but their life does not resemble what we have discussing then we should be concerned. Notice the denomination we belong to or the church we attend has nothing to do with this. Only genuine regenerate Christians are His people and only they can be Holy as God is Holy and that has nothing to do with church affiliation. If you have felt convicted that you may not measure up to this then I say rejoice because conviction of sin is a marker of someone whose heart has been touched by the Holy Spirit.
45 For I am the LORD who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God; thus you shall be holy, for I am holy.’” Leviticus 11:45 (NASB)
The resistance in today’s version of the Church of Jesus Christ to commands such as the one above is rooted in rebellion. Yes, I know that is a blunt statement. Yes, I know that there are huge segments of the church in America that believe that the Old Testament is not for them. However, the truth does not stop being the truth simply because people refuse to believe it. I run into this quite a bit. I teach something or write something that is a clear command of God that we must obey and someone will say or write something like, “well everyone knows that that can’t mean that because God isn’t like that.” Excuse me but since when does what people believe about God change what God is like or diminishes the veracity of His commands?
Some “so-called Christian leaders” have been teaching that the Old Testament is not doctrinally important for Christians. Andy Stanley made a statement like that. He has backtracked some since then because of the level of criticism he received, but that does not change the fact that he still sees the Old Testament as irrelevant for Christians compared to the New Testament. Because of this type of thinking, that is, that people can make up their own ideas of what doctrines they will believe and which they won’t, comes the mindset that they can also frame their own concept of God that they believe that is not in any way Biblical. From this they enter that slippery slope of unbelief and they will find that they now believe that God’s commands to be Holy are irrelevant for the New Testament believer because that was Old Testament.
I am sure you know by now that I am firm believer in Covenant Theology. Those of us who believe and teach that God is a covenant God know that the moral Law in the Old Testament is very much in effect and the commands to be Holy, to not murder, to not steal, et cetera are for all believers in every generation. Peter believed this as well.
13 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. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, 15 but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; 16 because it is written, “YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.”
17 If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; 18 knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, 19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.
