Yes, I certainly agree that we should, as Christians , be striving to be more and more as Jesus would have as be, "holy", in other words. You ask whose definition of holy. I would say without hesitation, God's, as stated in various places in Scripture. For example:
(1Pe 1:13) Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
(1Pe 1:14) as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance;
(1Pe 1:15) but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,
(1Pe 1:16) because it is written, "BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY."
Yes, Peter is Quoting God's Word. Here, lets go there to see the context of God's Word that Peter was teaching.
Lev. 11:
1 And the LORD spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth.
Then God goes on to define for HIS Children,
in great detail, what is food and what is not food. The same way every "father" on the planet defines for his little girl or little boy, what is food and what is not food. In Fact, Every decent father
fights for and demands the RIGHT to define for their own Children, what is food and what is not food. This is an undeniable fact. My daughter would run around the yard before she knew better, and would eat anything. I caught her with a dog turd once and she ran away from me to keep me from taking it from her. Of course, as she grew she became "learned of her father", concerning what was food, what was drink etc.
Now there are many very important things for a father to teach their children, so life is more than food and drink. Nevertheless, we are created to eat and drink to survive, therefore it is incumbent for the father to teach their children HIS truth concerning what is and what is not food. Just as God is doing for HIS Children here.
44 For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and "ye shall be holy; for I am holy": neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
45 For I am the LORD (The FATHER) that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt (SIN), to be your God (Father): ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.
46 This is the law of the beasts, and of the fowl, and of every living creature that moveth in the waters, and of every creature that creepeth upon the earth: 47 To "make a difference" between the unclean and the clean, and between the beast that may be eaten and the beast that "may not" be eaten.
This is just ONE of "many" judgments, statutes and commandments of God that are despised and full well rejected by this world's religious system. Oh, they search the Bible and find a verse talking about eating food with hands that were not washed according to some man-made religious tradition of the Jews, then they separate this one verse from the rest of the Bible, then create the religious philosophy that makes Void God's Entire Judgment concerning what is food and what is not food. The hypocrisy is astonishing. They demand the right to teach there own children these things, but deny the God and Father of all the same Right, just so they can justify fulfilling the lusts of their flesh to do whatever they want. It makes for a very seductive religion, and certainly a great marketing strategy for the religious sects and businesses of this world as they compete with each other for contributing members to fill the seats of their shrines of worship made of wood and stone.
What does it say for my Love of the Father, as a son, if I refuse to even submit myself to Him, in something as easy to understand, easy to obey and something as basic as the Father's teaching His children concerning what is food?
Jesus said for me not to worry about these things, for my Father knows I have need of food and drink. HE said:
Matt. 6:
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and "his righteousness"; and all these things shall be added unto you.
And sure enough, my Father details for me perfectly all these things, just as Jesus Promised.
But what good is the instruction, if a man refuses to "yield themselves" to it.
These are relevant questions. And there are many more. Like the worldly tradition of creating images in the likeness of a handsome man. How many times did Christ, the Holy One of Israel, the "Word of God" who became flesh, Command, warn against and punish Israel for creating images in the likeness of anything on earth or in heaven? They are too many to count. And yet, this world's religious system that call Jesus Lord, Lord, have clearly done this very thing.
Jesus would never, and did never condone such a willful sin against Gods Commandment.
And the Feasts of the Lord, why did God give them to His Children if they are not important? And yet this world's religions despise the Feasts of the Lord, judging them as "worthless Jewish Traditions", and create instead their own high days in worship of the image of God they created.
God's Sabbath that HE made Holy and Sanctified, rejected by most, polluted by others, replaced with a sabbath accepted by the entire world.
How can a man Love God with all his heart, and honor His Instruction, "
therefore be holy, for I am holy.", when they have such little regard in their hearts for HIS definition of Holy? Jesus says HE doesn't even know these people, "who call Him Lord, Lord". Shall we not "Hearken to His Voice, and believe HIM? And "Come out of" these religions, like Noah, Abraham, Caleb, David, Shadrach, John the Baptist Peter, James, Paul and EVERY EXAMPLE of Faithful men in the Bible did?
You and I David, we were placed by God into a world where these religions exist, "who profess to know God". Just as Adam and Eve, Noah and Abraham, Caleb and David, Zacharias and John the Baptist, and the Lord's Christ Himself, Christ Jesus.
Shall we not talk about these things? Jesus and Paul and Peter and James sure did talk about the religious system of the world God placed them in.
In closing, please understand that this is not a judgment against you, rather, it is an unbiased, Truthful representation of the religions we are surrounded by. This was a tough pill to swallow for Lot's wife and "many" other examples throughout the entire bible? It was a tough pill to swallow for me, and the cost to deny my old self and follow Christ was not small.
John 7:
45 Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees; and they said unto them, Why have ye not brought him? 46 The officers answered, Never man spake like this man. 47 Then answered them the Pharisees, Are ye also deceived? 48 Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him? 49 But this people who knoweth not the law (Of the Pharisees, not God) are cursed.
I post this in Love of the Brethren, but if you would prefer not to talk about these things, I understand and will not continue.
You say that my judgments are not God's, but I have not put forward my own judgments about sin and holiness, but quoted God's word. I do apologise if it came over as me being judgemental - I certainly didn't intend that.
Thank you very much for all the effort you put into replying.
I'm sorry, I may not have explained myself adequately here. I was speaking about the popular judgment against God, that HE pleads with people to turn to Him and submit themselves to His Statutes, Judgments and Commandments for their own good, but then places on their necks Laws impossible for them to obey, implying that God lied to them when HE told them they could obey, but then killed them anyway, when the didn't obey. This judgement of God is widespread and popular with the promoters of this world's religious system, but is not supported by the Scriptures, if all of them are considered.
I don't believe there is any malice in your heart in furthering this philosophy, any more than Eve had malice in her heart when she gave Adam to eat, what God had already judged as not food.
And it is good, in my view, to have honest discussions about sometimes uncomfortable topics. Thanks for your input as well.
