Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

Christian Morality

1 Peter 1v16 “Be holy because I am holy.”  (NIV)

Christian morality is not rooted in a book. Nor is it rooted in a set of laws or a moral code. It is rooted in a person – God himself.

God’s call to “Be holy because I am holy” occurs frequently in the Bible.

The Old Testament law for Israel was rooted in the repeated phrases, “I am the Lord your God,” and “… because I, the Lord your God, am a holy God”.

In the New Testament, Jesus said “Love one another as I have loved you,” and again, Jesus said, “I am the Truth” … and we could go on …

Our morality is not about following a law, but a person. It is a morality based on a relationship with someone – one who is perfectly moral and perfectly holy. God has had to deal with many situations over history and he always does so in a moral and holy way. This is why the accounts in the Bible are reveal as much of God as the commands. Holiness is an essential part of God’s character, of Christ’s character.

God has chosen to reveal himself to us through the Bible and through Jesus Christ. It is because of that fact that we take what the Bible says so seriously. The Bible only has value in the fact that it is God revealing himself to us. It is a holy God who makes the Bible holy. And God is revealed in all of the Bible (even including the book of Esther where he is never mentioned).

The Spirit of God is also holy – indeed, so much so that he is usually named the “Holy Spirit”. God declared through the OT prophets, “I will write my laws on your hearts” and again “I will put my Spirit in you”. While our whole understanding of morality is rooted in God, he has now given us the ability to be holy by the gift of the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit does not conflict with God’s Word.

May we be so connected to our God that his holiness flows out through us in every situation.

With love and blessing,

Roland