This is the text of a sermon preached to a Guild meeting on 13th February 2007
It’s funny how we can fail to realise things about ourselves because we don’t perceive it to be the case. There’s probably no subject in our Christian lives that demonstrates this better than our holiness. Ask almost any Christian "Are you a holy person?" and they’ll say "No, I’m just an ordinary Christian." They know that they still sin every day, and imagine that holy people never sin, or only sin once in a blue moon. The same thing is true with the word "saint." I’ve heard loads of people use the expression, "I’m no saint – I’m just an ordinary Christian."
Well, just because we don’t feel we match up to our stained glass image of what a "saint" is or what a "holy person" is, doesn’t mean we aren’t saints or holy people.
I want to cover quite a lot of ground tonight, so we won’t be going into a lot of detail on some of the areas we’re going to touch on. And although I’ll be referring to this passage we’ve read in 1 Peter chapter 1, I’ll also be jumping about to quite a few passages in Scripture that have a bearing on our theme tonight. Basically, there are four things I want to look at.
First, we are saints, God’s holy people, because the Bible tells us we are.
Second, our holiness does not depend on our works, but on our status before God because of what Christ has done for us.
Third, it is because we are God’s holy people that we should live as God’s holy people. It is not by living holy lives that we become God’s holy people.
And fourth, the Bible gives us plenty of practical guidance on what it means to live a holy life.
So let’s look at each of these four truths in turn.
First, we are saints, we are God’s holy people, because the Bible tells us we are.
If you look at the page opposite the page where our reading is, see what 1 Peter 2:9-10 says, addressing ordinary folks in the churches of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia?
"But you are the chosen race, the King’s priests, the holy nation, God’s own people, chosen to proclaim the wonderful acts of God, who called you out of darkness into his own marvellous light. At one time you were not God’s people, but now you are his people; at one time you did not know God’s mercy, but now you have received his mercy."
You see? We are the holy nation, God’s own people. Then look at how almost every New Testament letter begins. They are addressed to different churches. But how are the people in those churches referred to? Let’s just look at three examples – there are plenty of others.
Romans 1:7 "To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."
1 Corinthians 1:2 "To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours."
Ephesians 1:1 "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God. To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus."
We are God’s holy people. We are God’s saints. In the Bible "saint" is the word used to describe every Christian believer – not a title like a knighthood bestowed by the Pope on some kind of breed of "superhero believers." Unless we get away from the Catholic idea of "being a saint" we will never come to true understanding of holiness according to the New Testament.
The true meaning of "saint" is a "holy one" and its primary reference is NOT to the character of the person, but to the relationship of being set apart for and dedicated to God. In other words, being a saint, in the biblical sense, is not really about how much good we do, how devout we are, how much time we spend serving God, it is about how good God is choosing us to be his. It is because of our relationship with God – as his chosen ones, as the ones he has set apart – that our worship and service flows. Holiness is about setting apart our minds to see things God’s way and not how the world sees things; holiness is setting apart our hearts to love God and our neighbour and not loving only ourselves selfishly; holiness is setting apart our actions on loving God and our neighbours, and setting apart our actions to do good and refrain from doing evil. But – and this is the important bit – we can only think holy thoughts, feel holy love and do holy works if we are first holy people. In other words, if we are set apart by God as his saved ones – people saved by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. There’s no other way to be holy than to be a Christian believer.
If we don’t begin at the correct starting place, our understanding of being God’s holy people, will always be compromised. This leads us on to our second point.
Second, our holiness does not depend on our works, but on our status before God because of what Christ has done for us.
It is Christ who makes us holy. We cannot make ourselves holy. If we ever forget this truth, and start to think that there is something in us that makes us better than other people – or that our being holy is something we can be proud of, there is no end to the problems we will have. The biggest problem will be that we start to think we contribute in some way to our salvation.
Instead of acknowledging that we are saved by grace and not because of our own efforts, we’ll start to think that our holiness is somehow increased by the more good works we do. This is totally wrong. We will also become puffed up with pride. We will start to look down on other people who don’t appear to be "as holy" as us. We will turn into Pharisees.
How do we avoid this? By remembering that we are holy because of what Christ does and not because of we do and by remembering that our good works don’t make us any more holy, they only mean that we are living out our holiness better, that we are being true to our holy status. Let me give you an analogy to help explain what I’m saying here. Take this candle that’s burning on the table here. It has the status of being a candle whether it’s not lit at all, or whether it’s wick is glowing and there’s smoke, or whether it’s burning brightly with a flame like it is now. It’s not by the size of the flame or even the existence of the flame at all that it becomes a candle. It already is a candle. But it’s doing what it was created for when it’s burning brightly. It’s fulfilling it’s potential, it’s at it’s most pleasing to us, when it’s burning brightly. Well, we as God’s holy people – as individuals and as a group – are a bit like a candle. Our good works as God’s holy people are like the flame on a candle. It’s not by our good works that we become God’s holy people. But when our holiness is expressed in good works, we are fulfilling our potential, we are at our most pleasing to God. But we don’t stop being God’s holy people, even when we go through dark periods in our lives, when we commit sins, when we fail to love God as we should, when our hearts are cold towards others. We don’t stop being saints on our dark days any more than this stops being a candle if I snuff out its flame.
The reason for this is because our being holy is a result of what Christ has done for us, not what we do for ourselves. It is a status that God gives us, rather than a title we win for ourselves. It is God who makes us holy, and not we ourselves. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit does it, not us. The Bible is very clear on this point.
Consider the verses we read as our call to worship (Ephesians 1:4):
"Even before the world was made, God had already chosen us to be his through our union with Christ, so that we would be holy and without fault before him."
Hebrews 10:10
"Because Jesus Christ did what God wanted him to do, we are all purified from sin by the offering that he made of his own body once and for all."
Hebrews 13:12:
"Jesus...died outside the city, in order to purify the people [in other words "make the people holy"] from sin with his own blood."
It’s part of the meaning of the passage we read in 1 Peter 1 in verses 18 to 19:
"For you know what was paid to set you free from the worthless manner of life handed down by your ancestors. It was not something that can be destroyed, such as silver or gold; it was the costly sacrifice of Christ, who was like a lamb without defect or flaw."
So, to sum up so far, we’ve seen that we are God’s holy people because the Bible tells us that’s what we are. And we’ve seen that the reason we are holy even though far from perfect, is because we have the status of "holy ones" or "saints" before God because of what Christ has done for us, and not because of anything we have done or can do to win God’s favour.
Third, it is because we are God’s holy people that we should live as God’s holy people. It is not by living holy lives that we become God’s holy people.
If I can deal with negative point first: it is not by living holy lives that we become God’s holy people. I’m sure we’ve all heard it enough times that we know this already in our hearts. We cannot save ourselves. The whole New Testament teaches us that it is impossible for sinful human beings to earn their salvation by their works. It is futile to even try.
Look at Ephesians 2:8-9:
"For it is by God’s grace that you have been saved through faith. It is not the result of your own efforts, but God’s gift, so that no one can boast about it."
This key doctrine of salvation by grace through faith is probably best laid out in a passage from Romans 3 that I want to read to you. I’m reading Romans 3:21-28 from the New Living Translation:
"But now God has shown us a different way of being right in his sight, not by obeying the law but by the way promised in the Scriptures long ago. We are made right in God's sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done. For all have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious standard. Yet now God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins. For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God's anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us. God was being entirely fair and just when he did not punish those who sinned in former times. And he is entirely fair and just in this present time when he declares sinners to be right in his sight because they believe in Jesus. Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on our good deeds. It is based on our faith. So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law."
So, we are saved by grace, through faith alone – not through our works. But does this then mean we can live any way we like? As the question Paul had to deal with in Romans 6 puts it: Shall we sin that grace may abound?
Well the answer of the New Testament is an emphatic "No." We are saved by Christ alone, by grace alone and through faith alone, but our salvation is not to be without good works. Good works are the fruit that begin to be produced in a life united to Christ, the vine. We must remember that at the same time as we are given a new status before God – a status forgiven for our sins, with Christ’s righteousness reckoned to our account so that we are holy saints – we are also given a new nature, a new heart, and a new Spirit within us. Our attitude to sin changes, so that where before it didn’t bother us, now it does bother us. And rather than live lives contended to be sinners, the sinful things we do – and we do sin after we are Christians – annoy us, make us feel guilty and ashamed, make us feel sad. Paul calls this being "dead to sin". John describes the process of getting this new nature from God as being "born again". One of the clearest explanation of what happens when we get this new nature is described by the prophet Ezekiel in Ezekiel 36:25-27:
"I will sprinkle clean water on you and make you clean from all your idols and everything else that has defiled you. I will give you a new heart and a new mind. I will take away your stubborn heart of stone and give you an obedient heart. I will put my spirit in you and I will see to it that you follow my laws and keep all the commands I have given you."
So hopefully we’ve cleared up one thing: we are what we are because of what God has done for us in Christ Jesus, and not what we have done, are doing, or will do in the future, for ourselves. But at the same time, the Bible teaches that because God has set us apart as his holy ones, we should live out our lives as his holy ones.
Look at verses 14 and 15 in our passage in 1 Peter:
"Be obedient to God, and do not allow your lives to be shaped by those desires you had when you were still ignorant. Instead, be holy in all you do, just as God who called you is holy. The scripture says, ‘Be holy because I am holy’."
Here Peter is quoting from a command that God issues to his Old Testament people Israel several times in the first five books of the Bible, the Pentateuch. Back in Leviticus 11:44-45, we find these words:
"I am the LORD your God, and you must keep yourselves holy, because I am holy. I am the LORD who brought you out of Egypt so that I could be your God. You must be holy, because I am holy."
Notice, in passing, that even here in the Old Testament the same principle stands – God first saves his people – in this case by delivering them from captivity in Egypt – and then he calls those who are already his chosen ones to live out their lives in a way that matches their new status and calling as the covenant people of the LORD. They are not to be holy in order to become his people – they are his people delivered from slavery in Egypt and now they are to live holy lives as a result of their deliverance, not to achieve it.
The message of our passage is essentially this: live out your lives in the way that matches what you are. You are saints: live as saints. You are God’s people: live as God’s people. God is holy – you should be holy too, to show you are his.
At its most general, living a holy life means living every part of your life with reference to God. It means there are no sacred parts of life – like going to church, praying, reading the Bible – which are in contrast to secular parts of life – like going to work, socialising with friends and family, or watching the telly. Every part of our lives is to be holy. And please note this doesn’t mean all of our lives need to be spent in church or in church-related activities. That’s not what I mean. No, all of our lives are to be holy – and that means that the way we do our job is to be holy – set apart for God’s glory and in accordance with his will. It means the way we socialise is to be holy – we’re to socialise with our friends to the glory of God. What we watch on telly is to be sanctified – so we watch programmes we enjoy while giving thanks to God for them. God is to be such an integral part of life that he’s almost like a friend or family member who goes through all of life with you like a constant companion. Someone you share things with, who you talk about your problems with, who you have a laugh with, who you ask for advice about things, whose opinion you value and act upon. And yes who you spend special time with, but also someone who you are conscious of being with you in everything you do. That is a holy life.
And that leads us nicely on to our fourth point.
Fourth, the Bible gives us plenty of practical guidance on what it means to live a holy life.
With everything we’ve already looked at, its been the theory of holy living. Now we come to the nitty gritty. The practice of holy living. And here our passage in 1 Peter gives us some very useful principles to follow in our lives.
Verse 13 tells us that if we are to live holy lives – lives that keep God at the centre of things – we need to concentrate and focus to make sure it happens. If we live carelessly, thoughtlessly, it’s hard to live a holy life. It says:
"So then, have your minds ready for action. Keep alert and set your hope completely on the blessing which will be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed."
It’s like we’re in an army at war. Carelessness has no place in the Christian life. We have to keep on the ball, with our minds ready for action. We need to stay alert – to be aware of what’s happening around us – to take opportunities to do good as God leads us, and to see danger coming before we get caught up in it.
Verses 14 and 15 we’ve already looked at. We are to make a conscious effort not to be let our lives be shaped by those desires we had before we were Christians. We need to be aware when we are being tempted by pride, or greed for riches, or jealousy, or revenge, or whatever desires play a part in our particular character – and refuse to let them dominate us or shape our thinking. With God’s help, we need to say to ourselves "no" at times. "No" I won’t do that, even though I want to, because it’s not right. Now that’s not easy. No one is pretending it’s easy. But it is what we are called to do. And let’s be honest, how many of us fall into things simply because we hadn’t been keeping our minds ready and alert. How many of us sin thoughtlessly more often than deliberately having considered it’s wrong and still chose to do it. I think most of us sin before we’ve thought much about it. That’s why this advice from Peter is so practical. Think about it and you’re less likely to do it if it’s wrong.
Then in verse 17 we see that the holy life cannot be lived without what we usually think of as the "holy bits". They are not the only bits that are to be holy, but they are to be things we include in our lives as well as all the ordinary bits. Verse 17 mentions prayer, and having reverence for God. Our lives are to be lives of prayer. How can we keep God close and part of everything we do, unless we talk to him about things? Paul says somewhere we are to "pray without ceasing". And by that he didn’t mean we are to spend all our time praying as such, but that in all we do, we are to have communication channels open to God. Throughout the day we are to have little chats with God. It might only be a few words at a time. The mini prayers might be for help, for guidance, for forgiveness, for strength, for others we meet or think about – all sorts of things. Just take a second. A silent word of prayer to God is sent, and on we go with whatever we’re doing. It makes God much closer to us, and makes us really feel he is part of our everyday lives. Why don’t you try it tomorrow and see how it goes?
The reverence for God should express itself in our desire to worship him. Again that might be something we take some time to do every day, and especially on Sundays when we come to church to worship together as God’s people.
And that leads us to another piece of guidance – a holy life is one with "sincere love for your fellow-believers" as verse 22 says. We care for each other, help each other, show concern for each other. We are sad when our fellow-believers grieve or go through hard times. We rejoice with them when good things happen to them or they celebrate an achievement or milestone in their lives.
And lastly, one of the keys to living a holy life is to make it a life shaped and guided by Scripture. The Scripture is the Christian’s food – it is our spiritual milk as Peter says in chapter 2, verse 2. It is the living and eternal word of God – it is what the God who we are to keep as our close companion through life wants to say to us. How can we be holy as he is holy and not be interested in what he has to say to us? It is the only thing that endures – men and women fade and die – they cannot accompany us through our whole life. The things this earth afford wither and wear out. But the word of the Lord remains for ever. It never changes. It never leaves us. It never goes out of date, because it is God’s truth, God’s holy Word.
And as we try to live our lives in ways that match up with the holy status God has given us, it is the supreme rule of faith and life for us. By it we know true doctrine from false. By it we know good from evil. By it we know God’s promises to encourage us forward, and God’s warnings to save us from harming ourselves in sin.
During the Coronation service for a British monarch, the Moderator of the General Assembly hands the monarch a bible and says these words: "This book is the most valuable thing that this world affords. Here is Wisdom; this is the royal Law; these are the lively Oracles of God."
And so let us grasp the truths that the Bible has taught us tonight. We are God’s holy people because he says we are, not because of how we feel about it. And we are God’s holy people because of what Christ has done for us, not because of what we can do for ourselves. But as Christ has made us God’s holy people, so we are to live as God’s holy people should live. And the way we find out how we should live, is through the Bible.
May we truly see this book – the holy Word of the living God – as the most valuable thing this world affords, believing its teachings and following its commandments throughout our lives.
