1 Peter 1:16 (KJV)

Passage

Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

Nearby Context

1 Peter 1:14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:

1 Peter 1:15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;

1 Peter 1:16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

1 Peter 1:17 And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:

1 Peter 1:18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "written" and "holy". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "written" and "holy", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "But as he which hath called you..." into verse 17's "And if ye call on the Father...", so "written" and "holy" belong inside that flow. In 1 Peter context, the local focus is hope in suffering, holy conduct, submission, and grace.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "written" and "holy" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.