Pathway to Holiness

1 Peter 1:14–16 (KJV)

“As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”

Man cannot obtain holiness on his own. Humanity has failed in its attempt to live righteously apart from God. Scripture confirms this truth in Romans 3:23 (KJV):

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”

Without a relationship with God, all mankind remains in a state of sin and separation from Him. In our natural condition we are unholy. Yet God commands us to “be holy.” This raises an important question: How can sinful people become holy?

The answer is found at the intersection of Jesus Christ and salvation.

Holiness begins when we receive salvation through Jesus Christ. Through Him our sins are forgiven and we are justified before God. Paul explains this in Romans 5:19–21 (KJV):

“For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous… where sin abounded, grace did much more abound… that as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Through Christ we receive the grace of God. When we place our faith in Him and are united with Him in His death, burial, and resurrection, we become new creatures in Christ Jesus. We were once sinners, but through Christ we are saved, justified, and sanctified.

Because of Christ, God now declares us righteous. Through this righteousness we are set apart for Him. In other words, our holiness is not produced by our own effort, but by our relationship with Jesus Christ.

Furthermore, 1 Peter 1:14–16 teaches that because we now belong to God, our lives must reflect that relationship. We are no longer to live according to the sinful desires that once controlled us. Instead, our conduct should reflect the character of Christ.

Therefore, the believer pursues holiness not to earn salvation, but because salvation has already been given through Jesus Christ.

We can only be holy because of our relationship with Christ.

We can be holy because He is holy.