Holy and Humble - (1 Pt 1:14-21)

Intro/Recap

5th grade flag bearer story

when i was in 5th grade, at the end of each week our teacher would assign us roles for the upcoming week. Some of them were simple, like ‘lineleader’ or ‘desk cleaner’. But there was one role that EVERYONE wanted. Flag bearer. Each week 2 people would be selected to be the flag bearers. And their job was to at the beginning of the week, take out the American and christian flag and hang them up on the flag pole, and to take them down at the end of the week. And everyone loved this job, because it carried a nobility, to get to do something that helped the school AND you got the privellege to leave class twice in the weak. So it was everyones dream to be chosen as flag bearer - because that identity changed the rythm of your week. It altered your normal course of life, and you got to step into a higher calling with new privelleges and responsibilities.

the identity that we were given shaped our entire week - identity determined our activity

This is true of the christian walk

1 Peter 1:13–21 ESV

Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

Our section opens with a ‘therefore’ - one of the most basic rules of hermenutics (how to study the bible) is when we see a ‘therefore’ we must ask, ‘what is it there for?’ This ‘therefore’ references back to our passage from last week. In light of our new life, and our inheritance and salvation in Christ - now this verse - therefore

So what is peter calling us to do, in light of verses 3-12? What is he telling us to do?

Last week we talked about the first imperative in the book - ‘to hope’ and we talked about how weare called to fully engage our minds on Christ so that we can fully set our hope on him, so that we can live for him effectively in the world.

We will look at two more imperatives this week .

The second imperative in the book of 1 Peter is the command ‘to be holy’ v15 -

and the third is ‘to conduct yourselves with fear’ v17 -

and for both of these - Peter is going to give us the ‘why’ of each of these commands, before he gives us the ‘what’ or the ‘how’ in the coming weeks

Walking as Children

What is the second command Peter gives to his readers? you might be tempted to say - “do not be conformed” - but, despite a lot of the english translations rending this as an imperative - its actually another participle (we talked about those last week - they help explain the main verb)

so perhaps a better rendition of the greek is - “as children of obedience, not conforming yourselves to the former desires in your ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, be holy in all your living”

but actually, the second imperative in first Peter is the call to be holy.

what does that idea mean to yall? what is holiness, and what does it mean to be holy?

How does Peter connect the command to be holy with God’s own character? What does Peter emphasize about holiness?

peter calls us to be holy - because God is holy. We arent just called to be holy for funzies. We are called to reflect Gods character.

He doesnt go in to every detail, as he will later - but what is one way Peter tells us ‘how’ to be holy?

1 Peter 1:14–16 ESV

As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

“not being conformed to the passions of your former ignorance” - what does that mean to yall?

what does it mean to ‘be conformed’?

Compare the command of ‘not conforming’ in 1 Pet 1:14 with Romans 12:1-2

Romans 12:1–2 ESV

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Paul focuses on the world - Peter talks about not conforming to our old desires and ways of living.

Which is harder? Which one is harder for YOU ?

He also links our obedience to God to our sonship - ‘as obedient children’ - kids dont look like their parents by trying really hard. You become like your parents by just being in their presence.

A Fearful Sojourning

the last commad is to conduct our selves in fear - during the time of our sojourning

what does that mean?

terror or reverence? i am not sure i have a good answer to this

A confident driver also possesses a healthy fear of an accident that prevents him from doing anything foolish.

Thomas R. Schreiner, 1, 2 Peter, Jude, vol. 37, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2003), 81.

and why does he say we need to do this? why should we be fearful if we are children?

God is an impartial judge

There is this tempation that because we have been freed by the grace of God, that we can then do whatever we want.

Yet we cant just do whatever we want because we are his kids - he still judges rightly according to our actions. And a good dad wouldnt let us.

We were ransomed out of a bad situation

(explain how slave redemption worked in the NT setting - in the NT, as a slave, you could save up money and buy yourself out of slavery. It is this imagery that Peter is using - God saved up money and bought you out of slavery, into a new life. )

we were taken out of a bad home, and placed in a new one. It wouldnt make sense to go back to our original state -

family friend was adopted from Haiti. It would be really foolish for John Luke to, having been adopted into a new family - to abandon that new family and go back to his old state. That wouldnt make any sense.

It would hurt him, and it would dishonor the one who adopted him.

— so if you think that we can be ransomed by God but live in a way that still resembles our old family - that dishonors the one that adopted you, and harms the one who was suppoused to have been freed.

We were randsomed with a very expensive price

you are a very valuable thing in the eyes of God - and we were randsomed with a

Whats the most expensive thing you’ve ever bought? how careful with it were you when you first bought that thing?

- you were really careful and causious with it, out of a healthy fear, beacuse you valued it and it was a great price

if we arent careful with our own life and living, it reflects that we dont understand the value God paid for us.

Wraping it up

We are called to refelct our fathers character, and our father is Holy

Two points are clear in 1 Peter: Christians are expected to live holy lives (1 Pet 1:15), and the result will be a lifestyle that is noticeably different from that of nonbelievers (1 Pet 4:3–4). The fear of “legalism” must not cause Christians to neglect “holiness” and the living out of a unique lifestyle (1 Pet 4:3–4). If Christians’ speech, attitudes, entertainment choices, type of parties, use of money, [and various ways of living] are not noticeably different from their neighbors, then they are neglecting holiness. As Edwards (2017, 68) notes, Christians should be making such choices with “thoughtful deliberation.” A new birth [should result] in a new life.

Paul A. Himes, 1 Peter, ed. Douglas Mangum, Elizabeth Vince, and Abigail Salinger, Lexham Research Commentaries (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2017), 1 Pe 1:13.

how are you not being holy? in what areas of your life are you living more like the world and less like your heavenly father?

How can we better reflect the charater of God? Spend more time with him. A child conforms to their parents not be trying really hard - they look more and more like their parents be simply being in their presence and doing life with them

Conduct ourselves with fear

what might it look like for you to operate with a healthy fear as you conduct your life?

how does knowing your Father is a judge call you to live in a proper manner?

How does knowing you were ransomed by the blood of Jesus motivate you to conduct yourselves well during our exile?

Application Questions

In what areas of your life are you living more like the world and less like your heavenly father?

How can you take a step towards holiness this week?

What might it look like for you to live in fear of God in your own life?