Therefore, since we have these [great and wonderful] promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, completing holiness [living a consecrated life—a life set apart for God’s purpose] in the fear of God.
Having been saved through the blood of Jesus Christ, we still have an obligation to work with God's Holy Spirit to become a holy people, as God commands us to, for holiness or the lack thereof is not an option.
1 Peter 1:15, 16 is quoting Leviticus 11:44 when he says, 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.” While becoming holy is not something we can do on our own, we still have daily decisions to make concerning becoming holy. Give in to temptation or Just Say No. Every time we say no, and rebuke the devil for trying to lure us away from our goal of becoming holy, we are that much nearer to accomplishing a set apart lifestyle.
Proverbs 20:9 asks us, 'Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?' The answer? No one. Jesus makes our heart clean. The Holy Spirit makes us pure. Leviticus 20:7 'Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God.' We choose to be set apart, sanctified for God's purpose in our lives.
Psalm 51:10 'Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.' A prayer each of us should be making every day of our lives. A request to be made clean and a request to be made right.
Isaiah 55:7 'Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.' This is revival. A revitalization of the soul, turning one's back on sin and turning one's face to the LORD. And God will have mercy on the one who does this.
Proverbs 8:13 'The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward (twisting words, perverse, fraudulent) mouth, do I hate.' Isaiah 35:8 'And there will be a highway called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not travel it--only those who walk in the Way--and fools will not stray onto it.' This highway is designated to be built when King Jesus sets up His millennial reign, but the shadow of this Highway is the Way (John 14:6) in which the Christian to walk every day until we are called home or Christ returns to get His Bride, the Church who has faithfully followed The Word.
Some folks have grown up singing an easy to remember song in Sunday School, O Be Careful Little Eyes, which was an action song by The Cedarmont Kids in 1995 that helped us to remember it, especially when we were the teachers. Oh the trouble we could have saved ourselves if we had only remembered it before we chose to sin against God!
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