Why?
I heard someone suggest that this simple question is one of the most important. I’d like to ask it in relation to Peter’s record of God’s command, “Be holy because I am holy.” Of course, we must also ask what it means to “be holy,” However, I would also suggest that understanding why we would follow these words is as important as what we do; if we don’t have a clear reason to be holy, we will undoubtedly fail,…as many Christians do.
As Peter indicates, to be holy is to be like God, in some sense. Holiness is not piety or religiosity. True holiness contradicts the popular conceptions. Who would be more holy, Mother Theresa or Johann Sebastian Bach? Which is more likely to be holy, a wealthy businessman, a janitor, or a pastor? Is holiness a religious matter, a thing of church services and prayer? Or is it something else that perhaps includes those things?
Why does God desire for us to be holy? Is he egotistical, demanding us to admire him enough to copy him? Perhaps he knows that his holiness is a quality that will benefit us. Is holiness the same as Christ-likeness? Is being Christ-like any easier to understand than holiness? Surely, we imagine being like Christ as a matter of honor and respect more easily than the less personal word “holy.” Yet, our image of Christ is often distorted by ignorance and presumption. He defies our simple imaginings. It is ironic that we fashion our image of Christ with a distorted idea of holiness; instead we must find a truer understanding of holiness from an accurate knowledge of Christ.
Still, none of that really answers the question of why. Many would say obedience is the reason. We must be holy, or God will be angry with us. If disobedience has eternal consequences, then we must be holy for fear of hell. Does such a belief serve to encourage holiness? Is this what God wants? The answer to both questions is no. God does not want fear-driven behavior; he desires holiness that comes out of love. Indeed, “perfect love drives out fear,” and true holiness comes from love-inspired emulation of Christ.
So often well-meaning Christians attempt to produce holiness with rules: Do all these good things, avoid all these bad things, and you will be holy. Hard work, by this process, might produce holiness, except that this is legalism; it, in fact, honors the efforts of those who work hard, not God. Such works neither save nor maintain salvation; forgiveness through grace is what rescues us, and works produced by grace are the truly holy works. Here the motive is gratitude, a response closely related to love.
Jesus was an attractive person. He had the “words of life,” but more his “holiness” compelled people to believe when he spoke them. Many believers mishandle the same words, and so needy sinners don’t listen or accept them. Religious piety doesn’t attract people except for the few who find that manner appealing. Many men perceive Christianity as almost feminine, yet Jesus was most assuredly a man’s man…and a woman’s man as well. “Holier than thou” is not an attractive quality; it is usually an insult. The purpose of holiness is not to make some appear to be better than others, for “sinners saved by grace” have not basis on which to feel superior.
I will write again on this, but for now, I’d like to leave the question for you to ponder. Why should we be holy? Is there a value, purpose, or benefit to being holy? In the light of you answers, what should holiness look like? What will people see when they see Christ in us?