Holy and anointed — these two important elements of Jesus’ life are meant to be part of our lives too. We are called to be holy and anointed but some Christians may be intimidated by this. “I live a moral life and I do my best to be godly — but holy? And anointed? How can that happen, considering all my failures?”
Straight from Peter’s pen comes this instruction: “It is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy’” (1 Peter 1:16). The only way this could ever be accomplished is if Jesus gave us his own holiness and anointing. And that is exactly what he did through his perfect sacrifice for us!
For thirty-three years, Christ lived on earth, perfectly reflecting spotless motives, speech, and actions. If he had been guilty of just one sin, he could not have paid for all our sins. But through his perfect life on earth, his payment for the sins of the whole world is thorough and endless.
Christ’s work for us — his crucifixion, death, and resurrection — did more than cleanse us of sin. He also imparted to us his righteousness. Think about what an amazing thing this is: While all our sin is on him, all his righteousness is on us. One of the sins we must be cleansed of is the deep belief that our behavior makes us righteous. We can never earn our way to a higher level of righteousness; we are made righteous by him alone.
Paul testifies, “I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith” (Philippians 3:9, NLT).
Perhaps you feel holy on days when you are doing well; you’re worshipful and conscious of God in every way. But do not mistake that for a state of holiness because you can never be holier than Jesus’ blood makes you, even on your worst day. By his power, you are his worthy witness not just in good times but in bad times. His sacrifice frees you from sin and makes you righteous.