Misinterpretation of 1 Peter 1:15-16
1 Peter 1:15-16 (KJV) states: "But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, be ye holy, for I am holy."
Many Christians misread this as a command to try to become holy through effort, but it is not. Instead, it is a reminder from the Holy Spirit to remember and live with the consciousness that believers are already holy because God the Father is holy. This shifts the focus from striving to awareness of positional reality in Christ.
So, we are to leave the whole of our lives with this understanding or consciousness. Also, a lot of people think holiness is a goal. No, it's not, instead it is part of the quality of our new nature in Christ and It is that quality that makes our nature undefiled, Complete, lacking nothing.
Holiness as the New Nature in Christ, not a Goal
Have you ever wondered why God never asked us to be holy under this new covenant age? Well, he never did. He never asked us to be holy. Rather, he made us holy in Christ, by himself. That's a big difference from what religion teaches. And understanding this difference changes everything, every rule you’ve followed, every sin you've avoided or confessed, every fast you have done trying to become holy. None of it moved God.
Not even a bit. We are not becoming holy. Because we are already holy. Let me say that again. We are not becoming holy. We are already holy. And the Bible said so.
Under the new covenant, God does not demand believers become holy—He made them holy in Christ.
Holiness is not a future goal or achievement but an inherent quality of the believer's new nature, making it undefiled, complete, without blemish, and free from accusation.
Colossians 1:22 (NIV) - "He has reconciled you... to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation."
Holiness is a present, unchangeable state inherited at new birth, not earned.
1 Corinthians 6:11 (NIV) - "You were washed, sanctified, justified..." (Greek hagiazo = made holy).
"Washed" means regenerated (new birth); sanctification/holiness occurs simultaneously with justification.
Hebrews 10:10 (NIV) - "By that will we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."
"Once for all" means irreversible—holiness cannot be lost or repeated.
This nature is incorruptible and existed in God before sin, proving holiness is not defined by avoiding sin.
Therefore, our nature in Christ is without stain, without blemish. Hallelujah! Free from accusation. Praise the Lord Jesus!
So, you see, it's not a goal.
Why God Does Not Demand Holiness from Believers
God cannot demand what He already provided and knows believers cannot self-produce:
He makes us holy: Through Christ's work, not human effort. We were made holy. We were justified. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the spirit of our God. Take also the word washed. This word washed. Actually, is from a Greek word which also means to be recreated, Regeneration. Praise God! So what Paul is saying to us here is that, we were regenerated.
We cannot self-sanctify: No amount of prayer, fasting, or routines achieves it.
Holiness ≠ morality: Pharisees exemplified perfect outward morality yet were hypocrites—"whitewashed tombs" beautiful outside but dead inside (Matthew 23:27-28). Holiness does not come by works or by our efforts of trying to make ourselves good, nice, or religious enough. Hallelujah! How can God demand holiness from us when he knows holiness isn't morality? And he knows also that holiness doesn't come by our moral performance or moral achievements. Because if moral performance was the standard, then the Pharisees would have already made it.
Not a ladder to climb: Unlike Jacob's ladder (angels ascending/descending), believers are already positionally with God at the top (Genesis 28 implied contrast).. Again, how can God demand holiness from us when he knows that holiness isn't a ladder. Note, the angels were going up and coming down, not believers and at the top of the ladder he saw the Lord and you know in the new covenant that's where we are with the Lord at the top of the ladder not going up and coming down holiness.
Legalistic "holiness brands" (e.g., dress codes, food rules) are human commands and teachings’ lacking value (Colossians 2:20-23). They appear wise but promote self-worship. Avoiding sin also does not make holiness—it confuses old covenant legalism with grace. Let me reiterate, sinning or avoiding sin isn't what makes us holy either. Some people think avoiding sin is what it means to live a holy life. You're wrong. That's not what the gospel teaches. You are just peddling old covenant legalism. That's what you're peddling.
Living a Holy Life Means Living in Christ
To "live a holy life" is not behavioral perfection but living in Christ, where every believer already resides. Galatians 2:20: "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me." The old self is gone; Christ replaces it, and "the life I now live... by the faith of the Son of God."
1 Corinthians 1:30 (KJV): Christ is made unto us "wisdom, righteousness, sanctification [holiness], and redemption."
Colossians 3:4: "Christ... is our life." Thus, the Christ-life is the holy life—positional, not performance-based.
Every believer lives in Christ, so every believer is already living a holy life, independent of sinning or avoiding sin. Understand this, to live a holy life simply means living in Christ. As every believer lives in Christ therefore every believer is already living a holy life.
So you see, Christ is our holiness. Paul said, Christ lives in me and I live in Christ. So holiness now lives inside of you and you live in holiness. Spiritually speaking, that's the environment in which we live, the Christ environment. So we are already living a holy life because the life we are living is Christ. The life we are living is the Christ life and this Christ life is a holy life. So we are living a holy life by default already.
2 Corinthians 5:21 confirms believers "become the righteousness of God" in Him—another default reality.
Telling believers to "live holy" is absurd legalism, as Jesus rebuked religious hypocrites (Matthew 23).
Distinguishing Holiness from Transformation
Holiness (spiritual, inherited via new birth) ≠ transformation of habits (mental, via renewed mind)
Holiness: Positional gift from Christ's finished work—unchanging, unearned (Ephesians 1:4: chosen "to be holy and blameless").
Transformation: Romans 12:2 (NIV): "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." This tests God's will but does not create holiness. Knowing and understanding your identity in Christ, your nature in Christ and being governed by this understanding is what brings about a transformed life.
But that's not what makes you holy, for transformation and holiness are two different things.
Holiness is a spiritual thing, transformation is a mental thing.
Holiness in Christ is not earned. It can never be earned. Not achieved. Not unlocked after 21 days of fasting. It is Inherited by grace through faith in Christ. So you see it has nothing to do with what you do or what you don't do. Do you understand this? It's inherited.
It's not about wearing a big scarf over your head or a big hat. It's not about not wearing earrings. It's not about what to avoid or what you are trying to avoid. Praise God! Holiness is not even about not sinning. Because you see, The Bible said God is holy. And God existed before sin. He existed before anything else. So if holiness means avoiding sin or not sinning, then you must be ready to tell us what sin God was avoiding when there was yet no sin in the world. You must tell us. So you see why that definition is totally skewed, completely nonsense. Do you understand what I'm saying? Holiness is part of your nature. It's the quality of your nature in Christ. It's the quality of your nature in Christ that makes this nature, incorruptible.
Hallelujah! Very, very incorruptible. And you know, it's inherited. Our holiness is inherited. We never worked for it.
Dead works (e.g., religious efforts to appear holy) are "filthy rags" blocking conscience-cleansing by Christ's blood (Hebrews 9:14).
So,1 Peter 1:15-16 reminds believers of their holy identity in Christ, not a command to strive. Understanding this liberates from religious delusion, affirming holiness as eternal inheritance.
1 PETER 1 VS 15_ 16 - IS NOT A CALL TO BE HOLY
(A Prize Chukwuka Teaching)
.png)
