God or the World?
I have been teaching the book of 1 Peter at the church I am attending. Peter was an apostle of Jesus who became a dedicated servant and proclaimer of God’s Word. In Acts 2, he is standing with the other apostles and preaching the first recorded gospel sermon after Jesus had risen and ascended to the Father.
One of the thoughts we read about in this book is the holiness of God. Note the passage in 1 Peter 1:15-16, “but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; 16 because it is written, "YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY".” (NASB) The word holy in the Greek language is “hagios.” This word may be defined as “set apart, different.”
Our God is holy—set apart, different. There is no other god like Him. He is the Creator of the worlds. He created all living things. Not only did He create all things, but He is the One who sustains us as well. The Psalmist said, “Behold, God is my helper; The Lord is the sustainer of my soul.” Psalm 54:4 He provides all of us with the things we need on a daily basis. He truly is awesome!
But we need to notice that because God is holy, He wants us to be as well. He desires that we be set apart, different, as well. We are to be set apart from the world. If we believe in God, are obeying God, then He tells us to be different from others. We don’t use foul language as others may be doing. We do not take part in things that others are doing that are opposed to Him. Our lives (behavior) must show that we are trying to be different.
The apostle John tells us in 1 John 2:15-17, “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.”
Are you trying to be different from the world, or are you being like the world? You can’t be both and be pleasing to God. You must make a choice. And I certainly hope that you choose God.