Hope for Holiness

1 Peter 1:13–25 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. Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

What is the mindset we need to live holy lives?

1 Peter 1:

1 Peter 1:13 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.

What does it mean to “set our hope fully?” Simply, for many of us, it is to believe. BELIEVE and repent! this is the simplicity of the gospel. If we have the desire to live a holy life, a life of obedience and honor, it must come from the mindset of a hope that is fully dependent on the grace of God.

How quickly do we skip over this idea? But perhaps we ought to take more honest stock of the condition of our hearts before the Lord. How has your relationship with God as of late formed your philosophy of work, parenting, marriage, friendships, or being a student?

Have your philosophies, intentions, and actions all been driven by a desire for success/achievement, or are you driven by your purpose, which is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever?

As we’ve defined hope and talked about how hope can get us through painful and the painfully boring, let’s remind ourselves of what that hope means. It means a trust that God is in control and is good. It means we don’t allow ourselves to be over-anxious about anything, especially in regards to our eternal destiny and the direction of your soul.

If there is discontentment in your heart as to the direction of your soul, don’t neglect that yearning to be in relationship with God. Perhaps your spiritual life is extremely dry and you feel guilty often; maybe your spiritual life has been a struggle, and you can’t seem to get past that one temptation; whatever it is, hope in Christ and BELIEF that He is king is of the utmost importance in living hopeful, holy lives.

The command is very simple.

1 Peter 1:16 ESV

since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

1 Peter 1:16

This command is obviously an expectation of our behavior, but we often don’t know where to go or what to do. You may be thinking, Justin, you’re making this to be more than it really is; holiness is behavior that is either good or bad. But really, holiness is a heart condition. It’s an attitude and a way of life. We can sin by doing the right things without believing the right things.

How do we apply holiness to our hope?

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.”

1 Peter 1:14-1

This is the opportunity we have to identify certain aspects of our lives and begin to either foster or eliminate characteristics/habits. This could also be the opportunity where we take stock of the relationships we have built and get an honest observation of its benefits or negative impacts.

There are 2 types of things that affect us in our ability to to have hope and hold on to it.

Hope Dealers

These are the things that bring us life. When it comes to our obedience to the Lord and our holiness, these are the things that point us back to Jesus and give us an appropriate sense of humility. These are the things that point us to righteousness and the people that keep our hearts in the ways of the Lord.

-examples of hope dealers

no greater hope dealers than Scripture and prayer.

no greater hope dealers than Scripture and prayer.

but this doesn’t mean that we have to over-spiritualize everything and become a monk to live hopeful, joyful lives. God has given so much to enjoy life, including things that are just normal, worldly things.

“If we do not abide in prayer, we will abide in temptation.” - John Owen

Hope Stealers

Hope stealers can be both more overt and more covert. These are the things that drain away our tolerance/endurance/stamina, and we cave into our passions and sinful desires as a result. People can be hope stealers, as can just about anything.

-examples of hope stealers (food, tiredness, busyness, the internet, social media, neighbors, family members, substances, etc.)

just as anything, our hope dealers can become hope stealers by turning into idols or crutches. Without a doubt, we have amazing resources in our lives to enjoy just about anything, which opens the door to enjoying these things too much.

It takes intention and planning to keep the hope stealers at bay in our hearts. We are so prone to sin and selfishness, so we have to take great care

“Be killing sin or sin will be killing you.” - John Owen

What comes first, the cart or the horse?

1 Peter 1:22–23 ESV

Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;

So often we see our salvation as the working out of faith in our life. Now it is true that faith without works is dead, but we don’t have faith and we don’t have salvation as a a result of our works. Don’t forget about the importance of SOLA GRATIA - by the grace of God alone do we have salvation. Our works are the evidence, the action that naturally flows out of the heart that is changed, renewed, and motivated by the power of the Holy Spirit to do what is right and honoring to God.

Holiness is the action that results from the intention (of our faith). The cart cannot come before the horse. We won’t be holy or live holy until we’re made holy; we can’t be made holy until we have bought into the hope of salvation through Jesus. Not just once, but daily taking up our cross and following Him with our whole lives, with everything we’ve got.