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1 Peter 1:15-16
15 But [alla] as [kata] he which hath called [kaleo] you [humas] is holy [hagios], so [kai] be [ginomai] ye [autos] holy [hagios] in [en] all [pas] manner of conversation [anastrophe];
16 Because [dioti] it is written [grapho], Be ye [ginomai] holy [hagios]; for [hoti] I [ego] am [eimi] holy [hagios]. KJV-Interlinear
15 but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; 16 because it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’ NASB
Likewise, as you are not to conform to this world, which means to not conform to the whims of your sin nature, then you are to conform to the example which God gives us all. Namely being holy.
Holiness is righteousness plus justice. These two combine to make you holy, or sacred, or sanctified, or perfect as it were.
We cannot be any of these apart from Gods plan and design.
Righteousness means to be clear of blemish, free of sin, without fault. Righteousness is the state of perfection.
Justice is the process of cleansing. It is a washing, a wiping away of filth and dirt, of blemishes, of faults, of taints of every type. Justice is the process of discovery of a blemish (evil), and then the washing of it away.
God has given us both the process of justice, and the resultant state of righteousness, by means of the confession procedure. 1, 2, and 3rd John teach this principle.
Christ has already gone to the Cross and has paid the penalty for sin. Sin is a crime and when one goes to court for ones crimes, there is a penalty. Christ went to court via the Cross and took upon Himself, the penalties for our sins. They are now paid in full and have no control over our lives with respect to our eternal life.
Christ did this and God has offered us the benefit of His work, which is salvation (freedom from the second death and the Lake of Fire). All that He requires is that we believe in what He accomplished (faith in Christ).
Once you believe in Christ, then you are immediately cleansed, with respect to your spiritual life. But as we all know, we do not live very long (perhaps minutes) before we commit a sin.
Now that salvation is no longer an issue (once you have been saved), confession becomes the mechanism for forgiveness and restoration into fellowship. Confession is the process of justice, or washing, and fellowship is the state of perfection or righteousness.
Now that righteousness and justice are functional in you, you are now holy, as God is holy – free from sin, etc. And it is on this level, and only on this level, that you possess an audience with God.
In fellowship, your spiritual life functions. In fellowship, you are standing before God. In fellowship, you are resident in Gods fortress and protected by it. In fellowship, you are resident in Gods temple. In fellowship, you are surrounded by a supernatural wall of divine fire. In fellowship, your spiritual growth can function. In fellowship, your prayers are received by God the Father, and answered. Every prayer is answered, although many times the answer is, no.
Out of fellowship, none of these things are functional. God does not deal with the unholy. God does not receive the unholy.
If you want a relationship with God, and that is the very best possible relationship that anyone can have, then you have to approach Him by means of His rules, not yours.
Lev. 11:44
44 'For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate [set apart by means of confession] yourselves therefore, and be holy; for I am holy. And you shall not make yourselves unclean [out of fellowship] with any of the swarming things [sin or human good] that swarm on the earth. NASB
