In 1 Peter 1:16, the Word of God says, “Be holy, for I am holy.” True reconciliation can only take place if believers possess holiness like God’s holiness. This means that believers must partake in God’s holiness (Hebrews 12:9–10). Therefore, if we do not live holy and pure lives in accordance with God’s nature, we cannot experience true reconciliation.
The problem is that God seems to be silent. We live carelessly, acting however we please in what we say and do, as though God is not disturbed by it. The church often fails to remind the congregation that this is the wrong way of living. As a result, everything becomes mere pretense. In Hebrews 12:5–8 and 12:10, we are told that we must partake of God’s holiness. The Word of God shows that true believers receive discipline from the Father, so that from being illegitimate or careless children, they may become legitimate sons (Greek: huios), able to partake in God’s holiness. This is absolute.
That is why, in 2 Corinthians 6:17–18, the Word of God says:
“Therefore, come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you. And I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”
We must have God’s standard of holiness. That is why 1 Thessalonians 4:7–8 says, “For God did not call us to uncleanness, but to holiness. Therefore, whoever rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has given His Holy Spirit to you.”
These verses clearly show that we must live by God’s standard of holiness. This standard applies only to those who receive the Holy Spirit. So, those considered righteous must have holiness like God’s. Jesus died for all, but not all are justified. Only those brought to the Father are justified. Though not yet truly righteous, they are regarded as righteous. The Father gives the Holy Spirit and says, “Be holy, for I am holy. Come out from among them, touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” If someone still touches what is unclean, He cannot receive them.
The Bible also says that only the pure in heart will see God, meaning those who are reconciled to God. Therefore, how evil is the teaching that suggests that, without effort, without a true process of maturity, and without genuine discipleship, a person can achieve ideal reconciliation with God. Jesus indeed died for all people, but not all people have the opportunity to be reconciled to God in the harmonious, exclusive relationship between God as Father and us, believers, as children, according to God’s original design.
This is what is meant in the prayer spoken by the Lord Jesus in John 17:20–21: “”I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word, that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me” We can be in fellowship with the Father. In this reconciliation, believers can abide in the Father and share a unique, exclusive relationship with Him, set apart from any other connection, which is truly extraordinary. Indeed, this is what the Lord Jesus meant when He said, “No one comes to the Father except through Me” The expression ” comes to the Fath” in the original language is erchomai (Greek: ἔρχομαι), which mean” to come in” or “unto” i.e., to enter. Many Christians understand this statement only to the extent that outside of Jesus, there is no salvation. That is true. However, this verse not only states that outside of Christ there is no salvation; it also emphasizes that only through Christ can believers access this exclusive and intimate relationship with the Father, reserved forGod’ss children, who are reconciled to Him.