Because it is written: You shall be holy, for I am holy.
διοτι γεγραπται αγιοι γινεσθε οτι εγω αγιος ειμι
11 Church Fathers comment on this verse
But since it is frivolous to surrender oneself to the will of circumstances, the apostle commands that, whether knowingly or unknowingly they had followed this until now, from this time onward they should conform themselves to Him Who called them. He is truly Holy, and they themselves must become holy.
The chief Apostle Peter writes in his epistle to Christians: "Beloved, as obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts of your ignorance. But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct. For it is written: Be holy, for I am holy" (1 Pet 1:14-16).
God requires holiness of life from us. This holiness consists first of all in chastity, and then in fulfilling the other commandments of God. When they are transgressed, it consists in sincere and humble repentance.
Chastity is twofold: virginal and marital. Susanna of old was called chaste even in marriage, because she resolved to die rather than fulfill the evil desire of the lawless judges.
From the Gospel parable of the ten virgins, it is clear that not all virgins were wise. Five of them were foolish.
The latter were called foolish or unreasonable because, while preserving bodily virginity, they did not care to preserve purity of soul. They defiled mind and heart with unclean thoughts and desires.
Or they were troubled by thoughts of anger and remembrance of wrongs, or envy and hatred. Or they were blinded by love of money, and through stinginess were without compassion for their neighbors.
Even if some of them seemed to restrain themselves from these passions, yet, overcome by self-conceit and pride, by judging and despising their neighbors, they thereby lost purity of soul. As it is said: "Everyone proud in heart is unclean before God" (Prov 16:5).
What is said about the passions in relation to virgins also applies to widows and to the married. The Lord Himself said to the Apostles: "What I say to you, I say to all" (Mk 13:37).
What is the chief means for leading a holy life? The Lord Himself, through the same Apostle Peter, points to this means, saying: "If you call upon Me as Father, who without partiality judges each according to his work, conduct the time of your life in fear" (1 Pet 1:17).
These words show that the chief means for living piously and holily consists in the fear of God, and in fear of the future judgment and eternal torments.
Only with the aid of this fear, and with God's help, does the keeping of the commandments take place. As it is said in the Psalms: "Blessed is the man who fears the Lord. He will greatly delight in His commandments."
Without fear, even if a man lived in heaven, according to St. Peter of Damascus, he would gain no benefit if he had pride. By it Satan, Adam, and many others fell.
If the word of God commands even all the saints to have the fear of God, saying, "Fear the Lord, all His saints, for there is no want to those who fear Him" (Ps 33:10), how much more must we, sinful and unreformed, have the fear of God.
We must also have the fear of death, of the dread Judgment of God, and of eternal torments in Hades. Yet we must temper this fear with hope of inheriting the Kingdom of Heaven, if we compel ourselves as much as possible to repentance and amendment.
The fear of God and remembrance of the four last things restrain us from falls into sin. As it is said: "Remember your last things, and you will never sin" (Sir 7:39).
May we all obtain this through the ineffable mercy and almighty help of Him who was born of the Holy Virgin, our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us earnestly pray to Him for this. Amen.
The holy Apostle Peter writes: "As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were in your ignorance. But according to the Holy One who called you, you also be holy in all your conduct. For it is written: Be holy, because I am holy" (1 Pet 1:14-16).
This commandment means that a person must preserve chastity and bodily and spiritual purity, not only with respect to the passion of fornication, but also with respect to other passions. Envy, hatred, and remembrance of wrongs also constitute impurity of soul.
He requires communion with Himself, for this is precisely what saves. Therefore now we are truly holy through Christ in actual life.
Similar to these words are those spoken in the Gospel: "Therefore be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect" (Mt 5:48).
Children are born of a father according to the flesh; Christians are born of God according to the Spirit. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit" (Jn 3:6). In children one observes the father's qualities and likeness to him. So in Christians there must be the qualities of the Heavenly Father and likeness to Him. They also must be holy, good, merciful, meek, patient, and so forth. Therefore it is said to them: "According to the Holy One Who called you, be holy yourselves in all your conduct. For it is written: Be holy, for I am holy" (1 Pet 1:15-16). "Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful" (Lk 6:36).
The model of purity to which we must attain is perfect. It is our Lord Jesus Christ. "As He Who called you is holy," says the Apostle, "so you also be holy in all your conduct. For it is written: You shall be holy, for I am holy." Because of the infinite perfection of the model of purity, the arena of repentance and purification is infinite. If someone were to pass through this arena with every possible zeal and diligence, even he could not attain perfection in purification. Even if his life in constant repentance lasted thousands of years, even then he would not attain complete purification. The greatest among the holy monks, at their death, acknowledged that they had not only failed to complete repentance, but had not even begun it.
To strengthen this truth, the apostle cites the words of God repeated several times to Moses (Lev 11:44; 19:2; 20:7, 26): "Be holy, for I am holy." These words were spoken to the Hebrews as the people chosen by God. The holiness of God obliges the chosen people also to be holy, or to strive for holiness. In the New Testament Christians became the chosen people of God in place of the Old Testament Hebrews. Therefore they must strive for holiness even more, if one may so speak. For this is the new and higher covenant of God with men, sealed not by the blood of calves and rams, but by the blood of the Only-begotten Son of God, incarnate for this purpose (Heb 7:22; 9:13-15).
In the apostle's further instructions toward a holy and God-pleasing life, the following dogmatic truths are heard, on which he wishes to establish his exhortations. First is the adoption of Christians by God (1 Pet 1:13-17). "As obedient children, do not be conformed," the apostle says to Christians, "to the former desires that were in your conduct. For if you call Him Father Who judges each one impartially according to his works, then conduct the time of your sojourning in fear," in this corruptible and fleeting life.
Cf. Lev 19:2. Stirring Christians to devotion to the will of God, the Apostle gives a new series of motives for Christians to estrange themselves from sinful, fleshly life and to act in holiness in everything. The first of these motives was indicated already in the Old Testament. It consists in the holiness of God, Who called Christians into His portion and made them His children. Above all, they must be strengthened by complete following of Him and full obedience to His holy will (cf. Lev 19:2). The second motive is that God is not only our heavenly Father, but also the impartial and true Judge. He will not spare us because of our election or our adoption, as happens in this world. He will judge according to works, since works express a person's inner disposition (cf. Jas 2:26).
Further, we must firmly remember why the Blood of Christ, the spotless Lamb, was poured out for us (cf. Jn 1:29-36; 19:34-36). It was so that we might not live according to the flesh, according to sinful customs inherited from our fathers and infectious evil examples, but blamelessly and in holiness. Christ was foreordained for this from the beginning (see Jn 17:24; Eph 1:4). He appeared after ages of preparing mankind to meet Him worthily. He lived with men, suffered, and rose again. Thereby He made it possible for our faith and hope to be firm, undoubted, constant, and altogether perfect. Before the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Apostles were weak. After the Resurrection they were strengthened in hope in the Risen One, so that they undertook great labors and endured death. The Apostle stirs all Christians to the same thing. He especially encourages them by hope that our Redeemer has ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father (cf. Acts 2:32). Therefore He can give eternal glory to us also (cf. Rom 8:11; 1 Cor 6:14).
See verse 15.
Continuing his discourse on the conditions necessary so that hope in future blessedness may not be vain, the Apostle exhorts Christians to conduct their life in holiness. A life opposed to holiness is characteristic of the Gentiles. Christians also lived such a life before their conversion to faith in Christ. They surrendered themselves to passions, that is, they were carried away by sinful sensual desires. These were desires for fleshly sensual pleasures, opposed to continence, sobriety, and chastity. They placed the good of life in the satisfaction of these desires. They lived such a life in ignorance, because they had not been enlightened by the light of truth. In their very gods they found an example of gross sensuality.
For those converted to Christ from paganism, the time of this ignorance has passed. Formerly slaves of sin and servants of the devil, they became children of the heavenly Father by the grace of regeneration. Since it is proper for children to obey their father, they became children of obedience. They bound themselves to fulfill the will of the heavenly Father in everything. What then does His will require of them? It requires that they "not be conformed to the former passions in ignorance," and not return to their former way of life. Rather, "according to the example of the Holy One Who called them, they themselves must be holy." The Lord is near to the world and fills it with His omnipresence. Yet He is not defiled by anything impure in the world, just as the rays of the sun are not defiled when passing through unclean places. The Lord is not only Himself alien to moral impurity and sin. He also hates sin in others, and even "an unrighteous thought is an abomination to Him" (Prov 15:26). In like manner, those who believe in Christ must be holy not only in outward conduct, but also in their inward spiritual disposition. The Church of Christ is a kingdom not of this world. Therefore those who belong to her, though they live in the world, must keep themselves pure from every worldly defilement. They must conduct themselves so that it is evident they have nothing in common with darkness, Belial, or lawlessness. "You shall be holy, for I am holy." The Lord repeated this commandment more than once through Moses to the chosen people (Lev 11:44; Lev 19:2; Lev 20:7, 26). If the Apostle recognizes the same commandment as binding upon Christians, this means that Christians are the same chosen people as all the Old Testament faithful. As the chosen people, they too were honored by the Lord with the name of a holy people, that is, a sacred people (Ex 19:6; Deut 7:6), consecrated to His service. According to the Apostle's word, this same dignity belongs to New Testament believers (1 Pet 2:9). Therefore the Church of Christ is called holy, that is, a society of people sanctified by grace for the service of the Lord. The life of those who belong to Christ's Church must correspond to this dignity. To live according to the Church means to live in holiness, without being carried away by worldly customs opposed to holiness.
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 7 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS