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1 Peter 1:15<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n but as He who called you<\/span><\/strong> is<\/span><\/em><\/strong> holy, you also be holy in all<\/span><\/strong> your<\/span><\/em><\/strong> conduct<\/span><\/strong>,<\/strong><\/p>\n Truth to Learn<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n We are commanded to become set-apart from sin and the world system.<\/p>\n Behind the Words<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n The word \u201choly<\/span>\u201d is translated from hagios<\/span><\/em>. The root of this word refers to that which is pure and without blemish. This word also carries the notion of being set-apart. God is set-apart in that He is without sin, and He is the creator while all others are created beings. People and things which are set-apart for God\u2019s use or in worshipping Him are also considered holy.<\/p>\n \u201cconduct<\/span>\u201d is translated from anastroph\u0113<\/span><\/em>, which literally means \u201cto turn up.\u201d By implication, however, it means \u201cto move around.\u201d It\u2019s a reference to the way we behave as we move back and forth through this life on earth.<\/p>\n Meaning Explained<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n In the last verse Peter told us to be obedient children of our Heavenly Father and not to be conformed to our former manner of life which we lived in ignorance. Now that we are no longer ignorant of spiritual things, we need to have a change of life. When I was a very new Christian, my pastor said to me that I needed to shed the grave clothes of my old way of life. I didn\u2019t have a clue what he was talking about, so he explained it.<\/p>\n When Jesus raised up Lazarus from the dead, he was bound with grave clothes, and as Lazarus came out of the tomb, Jesus commanded that he be unbound and set free (see John 11:43,44<\/span><\/strong>). In the same way we, as we are born again spiritually, come forth wearing the same habits and lifestyles that we had before we were saved. And just like Lazarus, we are bound by them and cannot know the fullness of the freedom that is ours until we rid ourselves of our past behavior.<\/p>\n God realizes that as we take off one type of covering we need to put on another. When commanding us to change something about our lives, He frequently tells us to stop doing something. And, if you look carefully, you will find that either specifically, or contextually, we will also be given a command of what we are to do instead.<\/p>\n In today\u2019s verse, we are told what to do instead of being conformed to our former lusts; we are to be holy in our behavior. So what does it mean to be holy? We just learned that it means to be pure and set-apart from our former way of life. But we can\u2019t do this ourselves while we still have our sin nature controlling us. But as we let our powerful, Holy God control us, He is able to produce purity and moral blamelessness in us, and legally we are already set-apart.<\/p>\n It takes a lot of effort on our part (effort to submit and commit), but as we do so, He performs in us what He desires. As the Apostle Paul said in Philippians 2:13<\/span><\/strong>:<\/p>\n For it is God who works in you both to will and to do his<\/span> good pleasure.<\/span><\/p>\n Application<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Instead of patterning our lives after our former lustful ways, obeying our own desires, we need to become progressively more like God, separated from the world and its sinfulness. Take your eyes off yourself and others and focus them exclusively on God.<\/p>\n In God\u2019s service, for His glory,<\/strong><\/p>\n Copyright \u00a9 2008 Will Krause. All rights reserved.<\/span><\/p>\n – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –<\/p>\n <\/span>If this message or this link was forwarded to you by a friend and you wish to receive future verses directly to your inbox, you can call the church phone (618) 614-3070 and leave a message telling us your name and e-mail address or you can send an e-mail to:![\"signature\"](\"..\/..\/signature.gif\")
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