Peculiar!

Peculiar, that's what we need to be, because that's what we are (or should be) [Titus 2:14]. This does not mean that we should all wear a neon orange hat or crawl around on all fours. It does, however, mean that we ought to act from a totally different mindset [Romans 12:2]: we ought to be patient where others would lose patience, longsuffering where others would blow up, not lusting after the things that worldly minded people do, etc. [Galatians 5:22-24].

But conducting ourselves in such a way is extremely difficult – like a camel passing through the eye of a needle – practically impossible [Matthew 19:24]! So how then are we to manage to do these things, and why should we even bother trying, since we know it to be virtually impossible anyways?

I shall answer the "why" first. Why should we do what is humanly impossible? Because we are commanded to! "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God." [Romans 6:12-13] In other words, "don't sin, but rather do righteousness."

Thus, we know why we ought to do righteous things (and not do iniquity) but how shall we accomplish this, since we know it to be impossible for us? Should we, as some do, simply resign ourselves to sinning daily, since it is impossible to avoid anyway? God forbid! Those who have taken this route end up ceasing to be peculiar – looking and acting just like anyone else! Think about it... good or bad?

Not good, right? That's what I thought – like salt that has lost its flavour [Matthew 5:13]. So how then shall we conduct ourselves righteously, since we can't? Through the power of God. For although salvation and righteousness are utterly impossible for us to obtain for ourselves through our own power, there IS Someone with enough power to give both to us: "With men this [salvation] is impossible; but with God ALL things are possible." [Matthew 19:26, emphasis mine] With our own strength, we cannot serve the Lord all our days in righteousness [Luke 1:73-75], but because God has promised it to us and commanded us to do it...He will supply to us EVERYTHING we need for life (spiritual life) and godliness. [II Peter 1:3]

One last thing... "Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in ignorance: but as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, 'Be ye holy; for I am holy'" [I Peter 1:13-16].