In my previous post we uncovered some popular myths about the concept of holiness and discovered that it is not something we do, but rather, who we are. We can not make ourselves Holy. It is something that only God can do in us. This frees us from a life of works and opens us up to his way of grace. But this is only a starting point. Although he makes us holy, we now must learn to walk in holiness.
Now we come to where the rubber meets the road. We do not just magically act holy. We have to work at it. It requires that we take deliberate steps to walk according to who we are in Christ. Go back to my analogy about marriage. Though I do not sleep with other women because of my identity as a husband, my sexual purity does not come automatically. I have to take steps to ensure my success as a faithful husband. Some practical ways I do this is by avoiding situations that might put me in places of temptation. I do not spend time alone with other women. I do not hang out at singles bars. I do not hang out in online chat rooms. Though I cannot make myself holy, I certainly can sabotage my character if I am careless with my behavior. We have to be intentional in the way we live so that our actions live up to our identity. This is not an easy task and Satan is at work 24/7 doing everything he can think of to destroy our character. However, there is good news. Peter gives us three practical ways that will help ensure a successful daily walk of holiness.
The first step is live in the reality of eternity now. In verse 1 Peter 1:17 Peter says, "Live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear." We fail simply because we live for the moment rather than the future. Every one of us would live differently if we knew we only had 24 hours to live. That is what Peter is telling us to do. We must live every moment as if it is our last. There is no better motivator than imminent death. This is what enabled Peter to live for Jesus to the bitter end of martyrdom. He lived every moment as though it was his last, so when he faced his own death, he did not run and hide like he did when Jesus faced death. He faced it with joy and boldness because he knew it would mean accomplishing the very goal he had been living for—eternity with Jesus.
The second step is live in the reality of your eternal value. In verse 1:18 Peter says, "For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect." You are so valuable to the Father that he paid for you with the most expensive and precious commodity in the universe—the blood of his Son, Jesus. We fail because we forget how valuable we are and how important and precious we are to our Father in heaven.When temptation comes your way look the devil in the eye and say, "I'm too valuable to do that! I'm not that kind of man!" I believe that this one principle had the most impact on Peter. As he came face-to-face with Jesus one last time, he had lost all sense of value. Face it; he had failed miserably, but Jesus turns his perceived lack of value that was based on the horrible things he had done back to the reality of the wonderful things Jesus had done for him. This enabled Peter finally to be free from his past failure.
The third step is live in the reality of your identity. 1 Peter 2:9 is one of my favorite verses. It says, "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." We fail because we forget who we are. You are royalty and you belong to God. Now live up to the reality of who you are! In his last moment with Jesus, Peter had reverted back to his old identity—Simon the Flake. He had gone back to his old life of fishing. Jesus simply brings him back to his real identity—Peter the Rock! He had to be reminded of who he was.
I do not know where you are in life. Perhaps you are like Peter and feel like a miserable failure in God's eyes. I want to give you hope that you too, like Peter, can experience the radical transforming power of Jesus. Stop living in the now and start living for eternity. Do not let your past determine your sense of value. Let that be determined solely by the sacrifice Christ made for you on the cross. Finally, find your identity in who God has made you. If you can incorporate these three principles into the very fabric of your daily life it will change everything. It will ensure that you live out a life of character not only before God, but also before men. Peter's transformation began the moment he stopped trying to become something for God and simply allowed him to do what he could not. Remember, character is not something you do. It's who you are!
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