INTRODUCTION:
A. “Be holy, for I am holy.”
B. “A true love to God must begin with a delight in his holiness, and not with a delight in any other attribute: for no other attribute is truly lovely without this” (Jonathan Edwards).
I. THE HOLINESS OF GOD
A. God is holy (Isa. 6:3, 5; Rev. 4:8).
B. What do we mean by His holiness?
1. Moral perfection (1 Jn. 1:5; Hab. 1:13)
2. Separateness, distinction (1 Sam. 2:2)
C. How do we use the word, “holy”? (Mt. 6:9; Ex. 20:7).
II. OUR CALL TO HOLINESS
A. “Be holy, for I am holy” (1 Pet. 1:14; Lev. 11:44-45; 19:2; 20:7, 26).
B. How can we “be holy”? (1 Pet. 1:14-16).
C. Two philosophies among members of the body of Christ:
1. As much of the world as possible and still go to heaven
2. As close to Christ as possible in word, thought, and deed
3. 1 Pet. 1:15; Rom. 12:1-2; 2 Cor. 7:1; Heb. 12:10; Eph. 1:3-4; 5:25-27
D. “No one can resist the argument of holiness, brought in a personified form before him, in its gentleness, in its sweetness, in its aspiration, in its love, in all its blossoms and fruits of peace and joy” (Henry Ward Beecher).