I looked at the meaning of “Be Holy” (Leviticus 19:2) that God commanded in the Old Sacred Scripture and “Be Perfect” (Matthew 5:48) that Christ commanded in the New Testament. Saint Peter restated God's call for Christ's disciples to “Be Holy” (1Peter 1:15, 16). The call to “Be Holy” is so radical on our humanistic level; yet, it is inescapable, especially to the Disciples of Christ. Christ said that He is the way and the teacher of that way; thus it is through Christ that we can Be Holy. Therefore, Be Holy is the ultimate Christian goal. In fact, Be Holy is not only the goal of Christians. It is the goal of every human being, because it is a call to imitate the Creator or what others may call an ideal or perfection.
In this discussion the deeper understanding of sacrificial marriage will become evident. In my book I relied on logical discussion and Sacred Scripture and both led to the same conclusion. The book discussion led me to define Be Holy or Be Perfect as Life and to define Unholy or imperfect as death. The Be Holy discussion is especially for Christians seeking truthful discussion to deepen their encounter with God. Non-Christians also search for the why and how to Be Holy and the answers to the questions of life and death; they may also find the discussion valuable. The question throughout the book is, “Why should I Be Holy? And if I am convinced of the why I should Be Holy, then how can I Be Holy?
Most people realize that the only way to escape eminent death is to follow the Creator; for Christians, the Creator is Christ in human form. The issue is how to follow the one Creator, Christ who is God. I find the answer in what God demanded, “Be holy, for I, the LORD your God, am Holy,” (Leviticus 19:2) and Christ repeated, “Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is Perfect.”(Matthew 5:48). I am attempting in this discussion to deepen our understanding of the meaning of “Be Holy” or “Be Perfect” which I will conclude to be the most logical road-map to escape permanent death. I will be using mainly the words “Be Holy,” which is the same as “Be Perfect.”
I wrote the book mainly as a personal reflection from me to me. It is my personal reflection on the issues to try to grasp the Creator’s wisdom. I came to accept all events in my life which led me to realize my weaknesses and to do something about them while my life has not ceased. Therefore, I am not writing to condemn anyone’s choices, as the one who is to be condemned first is myself. But, I am seeking to reflect on the Creator’s laws and to try to abide by them at all cost. That does not exclude me of any wrong doing, but rather exposes my sinfulness and my daily struggle to abide by the Creator’s design. I continue to struggle and make mistakes, but I am at peace and resting in Christ’s mercy.
Please note that all my Biblical evidence will be taken from the American Standard Bible. I leave it up to the reader to search their favorite Bible version, but all should be compatible.
Keeping all that in mind, then let us begin.