The passage we are thinking about today is 1 Peter 1:14–16: “As obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’”

Here are just a couple of thoughts:

1. Obedient non-conformance is assumed. The opening phrases assume that the readers are children of God, and therefore obedient and non-conforming. To conform means to be shaped by a mold. Everything that goes through the mold comes out looking the same. God does not want us to be shaped by the ways of the natural, unsaved man. Peter mentions the “former lusts.” These believers had once lived as unsaved people before coming to know Christ. We should no longer be shaped by those natural desires that bring so much damage. Later, in chapter 2, Peter urges believers to abstain from fleshly lusts that “war against the soul.” We should not let those desires shape us. This also reminds me of what Paul says in Romans 12:2, that we are not to be conformed to this world. This matters greatly to God.
2. In contrast, God has called us to be holy as He is holy. Instead of being conformed to the world through worldly desires, we are to be conformed to God. That is what it means to be godly. Sometimes we think of the word “holy” as meaning perfect or righteous. But at its root, the word means separate, distinct, and unique. God is holy because He is unlike anyone or anything else. He is completely different. There are many ways a person can be unique, but from a Christian perspective we are to be different because we are set apart for God and for His glory. We are not to live like those who are serving themselves, seeking recognition, or trying to be the center of attention. Instead, we are to follow the example of Jesus, who came to serve rather than to be served. That kind of life is radically different from what the world values.

So, these three verses present two directions our lives can take. Either we will allow ourselves to be shaped by the world and its desires, or we will seek to be shaped by the character of God. When we are conformed to God’s character, we become distinct in a godless world.