The Way: Salvation From Sin

“You shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” (Exodus 19:6)

After Israel was freed from bondage in Egypt God gave them laws that listed which animals were clean to eat, and which were unclean (Leviticus 11). Some were considered detestable, and others abhorrent. Anyone coming into contact with the carcasses of the unclean things became unclean until evening, and they were instructed to wash their clothing (Leviticus 11:24–25). God gave the reason for separation from the unclean things, “you shall be holy,^[1] for I am holy” (Leviticus 11:45). Concerning the camp God said, “your camp must be holy; and He must not see anything indecent among you or He will turn away from you” (Deuteronomy 23:14).

Even though this list does not apply to us today (Acts 10:9–16), God still wants us to be holy. The apostle Peter wrote “you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy^[2] nation, a people for god’s own possession” (1 Peter 2:9–10). Peter was writing to the “aliens and strangers,” those whose citizenship is in heaven (1 Peter 2:11; Philippians 3:20). The apostle Paul agrees with Peter and said our bodies should be living and holy sacrifices, and that we should not conform to the ways of this world (Romans 12:1–2).

Peter went on to say in 1 Peter to abstain from fleshly lusts; keep our behavior excellent among unbelievers; submit to “every human institution;” honor everyone; slaves were to be submissive and respect their masters; we should endure harsh treatment with patience; wives are to be submissive to their husbands; husbands are to live with their wives in an understanding way, “and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life” (1 Peter 3:7; Ecclesiastes 9:9). These are just some of the ways Peter states on how believers are to live in this evil world.

Someone might say, “these things are too difficult to accomplish.” Peter says that we should follow the example of Christ, “so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God” (1 Peter 4:1–6). God’s will is that we be holy because He is holy (Ephesians 1:4; 5:27; 1 Peter 1:13–19). That is the Way we have been called to live (Acts 24:14–16).

FOOTNOTES

1. From the Hebrew word, qadosh (H6918) which means, sacred (ceremonially or morally); (as noun) God (by eminence), an angel, a saint, a sanctuary: – holy (One), saint. (Dictionaries of Hebrew and Greek Words taken from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance by James Strong, S.T.D., LL.D. Published in 1890; public domain.) ↑

2. From the Greek word, hagios (G53) which means, sacred (physically pure, morally blameless or religious, ceremonially consecrated): – (most) holy (one, thing), saint. (ibid.) ↑