“And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.”
How would you like to receive that instruction? It’s shocking, really. This isn’t just your pastor telling you to follow their example. This is God Almighty.
God didn’t give such a command only to Abram (or Abraham, as he is usually remembered). Leviticus 11:44 gives the injunction: “Be holy; for I am holy.” If that wasn’t enough emphasis, the same words are repeated in the very next verse. Then we find them appearing again from the pen of an apostle of the New Covenant, in 1 Peter 1:16 — “Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” If you’re a believer in Jesus Christ, that’s for you.
How is this even possible? Anyone who has an inkling of his own sinfulness will recognize this as similar to Jesus’ example of putting a camel through the eye of a needle. Unless Jesus meant something other than an actual needle, and an actual camel, you just can’t do it. One person suggested to me that maybe you could run the camel through a meat grinder, and then a juicer! But then it’s not quite a camel any more, is it?
Without divine aid, walking in the beauty, light, and perfection of holiness is just plain impossible. But with God, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26). What’s more, it’s naive foolishness to believe that we can be the salt and light of the world, as Jesus asked us to be, without living in His light and holiness.
What is involved in such a life? What is symbolized by darkness and light? And how does God bring this about in our lives? Paul Shirk addresses these questions in his latest article, “Walking in the Light”. Read the first chapter of 1 John, then consider the message of this article. Will you join me in inviting God to illuminate our lives?
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