As A Child Under Obedience

1 Peter 1:14 - As children who are under obedience, don't shape your lives by the desires you used to follow in your ignorance.

There are times I would rather not be "under obedience." In those times I would like to pitch a horrendous angry fit, scream, rant, rave and stomp my feel and throw things. But I know better.

Before I knew better, that would have been my normal reaction to problems and stuff I don't like.
Because of Christ, I am no longer ignorant and I can and must respond to all my circumstances biblically versus purely emotionally. There is nothing wrong with being angry, but when I decide to sin in my anger I have a problem. Acting as I stated above would be a sin problem.

As a child under obedience I am called to a higher standard, I am called to be holy.

"Instead, as the One Who called you is holy, you yourselves must become holy in all your behavior." 1 Peter 1:15.

Notice Peter said we are to become holy in all our behavior, that is because positionally we are holy. What Christ did for us has made us holy people, spiritually we are as holy as we are going to get because we are "in Christ." Now, as with all the other privileges we have in Christ we are told to be holy.

By God's grace we have been divinely enabled to become holy in our behavior (2 Peter 1:3,4)and since He has enabled us to do this there is no excuse to fail to practice self-control. This does not mean I am to be perfect (holy) from a performance oriented standpoint- meaning that I act holy in a hypocritical sort of way. Because like all other aspects of spiritual growth and understanding my behavior is to come out of a changed heart.

This is again that critical piece of the renewing of the mind (Rom. 12:1-2) for Christlikeness. When I come to believe in my heart that God has made me holy, and I love Him enough and have such gratitude toward Him in my heart for all He has done for me, only then will I become willing to stop worshiping myself in my heart and begin to place Him in the center of my heart and life. When this decision is made at the heart level, I will change and I will then desire holiness. This heart level desire to be holy will start to show in my actions and attitudes.

This is the key difference between true change and behaviorism! Holiness comes from the inside out rather than the "fake it till you make it" methodology I hear promoted even by some Christians! God has not called us to fake anything. Jesus says that we must worship God in spirit and in truth.

So now you know! No longer a child under ignorance but one who has been given truth begin that process of renewing your mind, and being holy unto the glory of God.

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