What Does It Mean to Live a Holy Life?
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Yet as a preface, a person’s motive to live a holy life is love for and gratitude to our holy God for the life he has given us in His Son — our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. Here then are 6 steps to living a holy life.
The Apostle Peter tells us to prepare our minds for action (being holy is a daily and active undertaking). Preparing our minds to be holy involves:
Focus
Sit still before the Lord with your Bible in hand. Whether you act out the process or simply envision it, put on the whole armor of God as found in Ephesians 6:10-18 (it’d be great to memorize this passage).
Prayer
Pray for the Lord to calm and prepare you for what He has for you each day. Pray for wisdom and understanding as you read His Word, and to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus and to love Him more.
Study of God’s Word
Learning how to live a holy life involves more than a cursory perusal of Scripture. You’ve heard it and/or read it before; if you have to get out of bed an hour earlier than usual, do it. The rewards of knowing God through His Word and living in the light of Christ are eternal. Not only are you affected, but you affect all others with whom you interact. God’s glory fills the earth. Isn’t it wonderful to know He is using us as His ambassadors! But we don’t make great ambassadors unless we know all about our homeland — the kingdom of God. Peter addressed exiled Christians in his letters (1 Peter 1:1; 2:11). We too are sojourners and exiles here on earth.
Peter warns us to be sober-minded. How can we strive to be holy if our minds are not ruled by self-control, a fruit of God’s Spirit within us? In this passage, sober-minded is not related to alcohol (although that could be a factor); it instead addresses the state of our minds. Are we fuzzy to the truths of the Word, or are we crystal clear in our thinking and in our beliefs as Scripture so clearly states? Preparing our minds for action will keep us sober-minded.
Peter then tells us to, “set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” Peter set this bar in verse 3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
That’s the hope kept in heaven for us, never to be lost. The recipients of Peter’s letters were enduring persecution just for being true Christians (much like many believers are today). Our hope is secure in Christ and in His return (the revelation of which Peter speaks). Ligonier Ministries adds, “…our present possession of this hope necessitates that we act in certain ways as we wait to be glorified. We have been saved from the penalty of sin, and so we must take steps to make sure that we are free from anything that would not make us soberly and diligently wait for the grace that is yet to come.”
Peter then calls believers “obedient children.” Because we are Spirit-filled from the moment of conversion, we have everything we need to live a life of godliness (2 Peter 1:3), namely God’s Word and the Holy Spirit. We can and are expected to be obedient because of everything God has done for and given to us. What a wondrous inheritance.
Peter’s progression toward the call to holiness continues as he tells us, “do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance.” With all He has given us to do as inspired by the Holy Spirit, we are prepared to live a holy life. Now we know what we are to know; we no longer claim ignorance of the Gospel and the life we are to live as believers. Our past is now past and, “as far as the east is from the west, so far does He [God] remove our transgressions from us (Psalm 103:12). We are now to be conformed to Christ. Once we know Jesus, we have no excuse but to long and strive to be like Him. And remember, this is the formerly impetuous Peter speaking these words of wisdom.
Lest we miss it, in this passage and all throughout Peter’s letters, he is admonishing and teaching. Both are necessary for our growth as Christians and in our ability to live a holy life. As we read through the Bible, it’s good for us and glorifying to God to listen to His voice speaking through Scripture as He sanctifies us.
Living a holy life is hard work. We seek maturity in Christ through holy living, as did the Apostle Paul, who said, “For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that He powerfully works within me” (Colossians 1:29). A holy life is patterned after God’s own nature. All humans are created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27); therefore, we should act in a manner that reflects Him. And He has not left us alone in this endeavor.
Praise God!
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Viacheslav Peretiatko
