Erlo Stegen emphasizes the call to holiness and sanctification, urging believers to be set apart for God's use, just as the vessels in the temple were consecrated. He warns against conforming to worldly standards and highlights the serious consequences of sin, reminding that God judges impartially regardless of one's self-identification as a Christian. Stegen illustrates the transformative power of God, comparing the potential of a redeemed life to that of refined metal, and stresses that without holiness, one cannot see God. He calls for a deep awareness of sin's destructive nature and the necessity of repentance to maintain a close relationship with God.

"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. 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 1:15-17). Holy means to be separated, to be set apart. It also has a root word meaning to be clean and untouched - set apart only for God's use and nothing else. In the temple all the vessels were set apart and only certain people were allowed to touch them and no one else. If someone came along who was defiled and touched any of the vessels being used in the temple, that vessel became defiled and was removed from the temple never to be used in that service again. God's people Israel were also set apart for Him alone. When you walk amongst people, it should be obvious that you are set apart for God alone. Are you being made holy day by day and set apart for God? Those who say they are not under the law and can therefore conform to the world have been bewitched by the devil. If your child dress like the world and conform to the world and enjoy the things of the world, then that child is of the world and on his or her way to hell and you need to make it clear to that child and disassociate from that child. If you don't then you will go the way of that child. Holiness is vital. The Bible says that without holiness we will not see God. You must be cleansed and washed from your sin by the precious Blood of Jesus Christ; you must be delivered from evil speaking and even impure thoughts. God judges impartially, whether you call yourself a Christian or not. The wages of sin is death even to so-called Christians. David was a great man of God but when he sinned he suffered greatly because of it and God judged him severely. He cried to God for forgiveness and God graciously forgave him his sin so that he did not die. God is impartial. If you sin you will receive the just punishment for that sin and eternal death unless you repent. An unholy person is nothing in the Kingdom of God. There are many who lived on the streets, were bound by drugs and alcohol, but were freed by the power of God. Today there is no sign of their former life, but they are holy, bright shining trophies for God. If you take a piece of scrap metal and sell it you might get R5 for it. If you put it in the fire and make needles from it, it's value might be R350, and if you work and mould it further into the specialised springs and components of a watch, then it's value could be up to R250000! Be set apart for God to make and mould you into what He wants you to be and be not conformed to the common stuff of the world. A lighthouse doesn't shout and talk, but it simply lets its bright light shine minute by minute and guide each ship safely into the harbour. Sin is such a small word with only three letters but it causes such a great devastation and damage, ever since the creation of the world. Look around you in the world today and see all the suffering, heartache and death brought about by one thing, sin. Don't take sin lightly, it is serious. There is no snake as poisonous as sin. Those who are far from God sin so easily. But those who are close to God know the seriousness and damage of sin. You easily sin against somebody and forget about it. But when David sinned we read of how he cried to God because of his sin and how he suffered. He saw the terribleness of sin in the sight of God. In the NT the word for sin is "hamartia", to miss the mark ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamartia ). It doesn't matter whether you miss by a hair breadth or a mile, you have missed. You might say something amiss, or keep quiet when you ought to speak. "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:" (Hebrews 12:14).