ἅγιον

ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὸν καλέσαντα ὑμᾶς ἅγιον καὶ αὐτοὶ ἅγιοι ἐν πάσῃ ἀναστροφῇ γενήθητε,

But as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct..." 1 Peter 1:15

While studying the book of 1 Peter for a ladies Bible study yesterday, I was struck by the word "holy" which Peter uses six times throughout the letter. He earnestly exhorts Christians to live a holy life, continually die to sin and this world, and to be obedient to the truth. I decided to look into the word holy a bit more. The word holy in the book of 1 Peter comes from the Greek word "hagios" (pronouced hag'-ee-os, and in greek letters ἅγιον). It is an adjective meaning sanctified one for a special purpose, supernaturally seperate, and that which is anti-secular. I loved these definitions because what better way to describe a true believer? I especially liked "sanctified one for a special purpose." Obviously as Christians, that purpose is to worship, serve, and obey Christ. I realize that this is nothing too profound, but actually quite simple. But for some reason it has really made an impact on my heart. It has given me a greater longing to live as one who is set apart for Him. A.W. Tozer has a quote on holiness that I found. It has stuck with me and I wanted to share:

“The whole purpose of God in redemption is to make us holy and to restore us to the image of God. To accomplish this He disengages us from earthly ambitions and draws us away from the cheap and unworthy prizes that worldly men set their hearts upon. The true Christian ideal is not to be happy but to be holy. When your holiness becomes tarnished, let your joy become dim. Ask Him to make you holy whether you are happy or not. Be assured that in the end you will be as happy as you are holy; but for the time being let your whole ambition be to serve God and be Christlike.” -A.W. Tozer