What Does Holiness Mean? 1 Peter 1:13-21 Explained
Say the word holy in most rooms today and people either think of stained glass or of someone who makes them feel small. Peter is writing to people who had every reason to feel small, scattered strangers in a hostile empire, and he uses the word anyway. He does not soften it. He grounds it somewhere most of us never think to look. Photo by Denis Gvozdov on Pexels Quick answer In 1 Peter 1:13-21, holiness means a life that has stopped being shaped by its old patterns and has started being shaped by the character of God, who is himself the standard. It is not achieved by trying harder to follow rules. It flows from hope in Christ's return (v.13), from remembering whose you are (v.14), from healthy fear of a Father who judges fairly (v.17), and above all from knowing you were bought at the cost of Christ's own blood (v.18-19). Holiness, here, is gratitude worked out in ordinary conduct, not a performance for approval you already have. "but as he who called you is holy, you ...