 There's a passage in the Bible that seems to tell us to become something that we know it's impossible to become, or is it? When we're told to be holy, what does that mean? Does that mean to be perfect or does it mean something else? Because to be perfect seems to be something that really is out of our reach, at least here. Let's look at a couple of passages before we deal with what does it mean to be holy. And so let's go to a saying that Jesus says in Matthew 5.48 Some of your versions, especially if it's King James's version would say be perfect. Well, other verses also, as a matter of fact, the NASB says the same thing. In chapter 5 verse 48 says, Therefore you are to be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect. But when we look at this word for perfect, in the Greek the word is telaioi, which is to be perfect or to be complete. It doesn't mean to be without spot, no problems, no sin, none of these things. That's not what it's saying. It's saying to be complete. Now, this just means just being finished with the process to be perfected, to be completed. That's what he's asking for. And that's kind of the understanding that you should look at it as. Because for us to be perfect here, well, first of all, in order to be perfect, it would mean that we would have to already have been perfect. That had been no sense. So you can't take something that's already spotted and blemished and messed up, mangled, dying. Look at our bodies. Our bodies are not perfect, but is he asking for us to be perfect? Is he asking for all of our thoughts to be perfect to the degree that we can be? No, that's not his point. He's not saying to be something that we cannot be. Now, at some point in time, we will be, that's going to happen. That's going to be a work of him and we'll realize that in eternity. But the point that we get to, and this is where we deal with this word, holy, what does it mean to be holy? Because he does say be holy for I have a Lord and holy. So let's go to that passage in 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 15. He says the same thing, similar to what he says in Matthew 5. He says, be like, but like the holy one that is God who called you be holy yourselves also in all your behavior, because it is written, you shall be holy for I am holy. Now, the word holy just simply means to be set aside, to be separate. If I could give you just a kind of a dumb down way of looking at it. See if this makes sense. Be different. Now, I don't mean different in a rebellious sense. Be different in a, in a synthesis. I mean different compared to the world. How is the world look? You should look different than them. Again, as close to God as possible, be different in that direction. Be different in a guided direction. When they look at you, when people see you, they should see something that's not like everything else. You know, the old game we used to play, one of these things is not like the other. But when they look at you and compared to the world, look at your surroundings, you should stick out. Be holy. When you see something that's set apart, now they may not be able to see it spiritually. Others may not be able to see it spiritually in you, but they'll see something and then they'll probably inquire. Hopefully they'll inquire and you'll be at the ready to answer and respond about what it is that's different about you. Again, your light is so shining in a dark place. Light is different than dark. This is how we're supposed to be. Salt is different from unseasoned. This is how we're supposed to be different in terms of God reflecting him. So he says, be holy, be set apart as the Lord ultimately is. Now, I want to look at this other passage right here. Paul makes a statement and this kind of brings both of these points together about being perfect and being holy. Paul makes a statement in Philippians 3. He says, Not that I have already obtained it as perfection, where he's going to, where he's pushing forward to. He says, Not that I've already obtained it or have already become perfect. He has not. And it's the same word, tell hells, which is to be perfect, to be complete. Not that I've already become complete, but I press on so that I may may lay hold of that for which I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet. His completion is perfection, but one thing I do for getting what lies behind, reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on towards the goal of the prize of the upper call of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, meaning being complete, have this attitude. And if anything of you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also. So now the point is this, I'm not there yet, but I'm pushing there. Matter of fact, I want to live like I am. I want to walk like I am. I want to think like I am. I may stumble, but I'm going to forget what it when I do stumble for getting it and keep pushing forward. I want to be more like him and being more like him. I'm going to be more holy, more separate or different than the world and become more noticeable. And so when he says to be holy, this is what he's getting at. This is the point. So I hope this helps. Again, he's not called us to this standard that we can't reach. However, he's called us to reach for that standard. Amen.