A small group I’m part of is studying 1 Peter. At the very beginning of the letter, Peter gives some tips for a small community of Jesus-followers trying to get along in a society that either doesn’t care or is openly hostile to them.
“Be holy,” he advises.
I asked, what is holy. Or, put it this way, if someone is described to you as holy, would you invite them to dinner?
No way!
Then obviously what we are thinking is not what Peter had in mind. For Peter was trying to build community–a group of people who enjoyed having dinner with each other.
We are thinking descriptions such as arrogant, self-righteous, sexually repressed, joyless.
Actually that is what was called a “holier-than-thou” attitude.
Peter says the key word to holy is love. Be like Jesus, act with love.
Faith Venture 
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