Wholly Holey
I Peter 1:1:15: “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.’”
The pursuit of holiness has received a bad rap in modern society. Unless you are the Pope, one should not come off as trying to be “holier than thou.” To be referred to as such means you put off a moral superiority towards others. Acting in such a way would be the opposite of what God calls us to be. How could Peter write about this call to be holy in Chapter 1 of his book, and then a few chapters later tell us to “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time” (1 Peter 5:6). How do calls for holiness and humility both lead to completeness?
The word “holy” in English comes from the word for “whole.” To be whole is the idea of not lacking anything that James writes about in his first chapter:
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:2-4)
Would you want to be holy if it meant you were complete and lacking nothing? When we see our “holes,” we feel less than, insignificant, and not capable. God calls us to something else. But we cannot do it on our own. We cannot live without holes in a broken world unless we start over in Christ. Outside of Christ, we are wholly holey people.
When we seek to live in Christ, exclusively devoted to God, we live as more whole individuals. God is perfectly complete. His Son, Jesus, was the perfect sacrifice. When Jesus died on the cross for us, He not only covered our sins, but He also filled all our holes. God looks at us through the covering of His Son and sees us as complete. What we cannot do for ourselves, Christ did for us. In Christ, we find our restoration and our hope.
Not only does God see me through Christ as holy, but I can view myself as complete and not lacking anything in Christ. I no longer see myself apart from Christ but living in Him. This is why the apostle Paul says in Philippians 1:21, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Once we are born again in Christ and live for him, accepting him as our Lord and Savior, our lives no longer matter. We live in Christ, seeking to be obedient to him, choosing his way, and acting by faith. As humans, we cannot be perfect on our own. We will fail. We will show our holes. Sometimes, we will act out of our holes. But, when we obey Christ, we live complete, holy lives.
Community creates a context for holy living. When we love one another, as Christ has loved us, we encourage, equip, and engage with one another in a way that strengthens us. Our Christian community cheers us on toward wholeness. We recognize that none of us can be perfect apart from Christ. Yet, in him, we have everything we need.
Come worship with us at Connections Church where we seek to love one another and live into His holiness.
“Perfect is not what I seek to be, for then there is no room to grow in me.”
(Reynolds, August 3, 2021)
Erin M. Reynolds, Ph.D.
linkedin.com/in/drerinmreynolds
Friend of Connections Church
