Be holy, for I, the LORD your God, am holy.
-Leviticus 19:2
Do you ever feel different, that you are not like everyone else? Being different is not always a bad thing. In fact, God commands us to be different. This is called holiness.
Holiness is not about wearing different clothes, liking different music, or having a different personality than those around us. Instead, holiness is about being different in our faith and actions. Holiness isn’t something we can earn, however. God is the source of holiness, so only God can make us holy.
In one sense, God has already made you holy if you believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God who died and rose again so that you can live forever with him (1 Corinthians 6:11). This is what it means to be holy in your faith. Have you considered what an honor it is to be made holy by the God of the universe? It is a good thing, indeed, if God considers you to be different!
In another sense, you can also strive for holiness by keeping God’s commands. The Bible teaches that we can’t earn God’s love by doing good things, but that we are supposed to do good things because of God’s love (Ephesians 2:8-10). This is what it means to be holy in our actions.
So how can you be holy as God is holy? Holiness comes first and foremost through faith in God’s promise of forgiveness through Jesus Christ. Then you can strive for even greater holiness by keeping God’s commands, not because you want to earn God’s love, but because you have experienced it already. In short, be different in your faith and actions!