Holy Living

Introduction

In 1:1-12 Peter has been encouraging his readers of the great reason we have to stand steadfast in the God of our salvation. We have been reborn to a living hope, an eternal inheritance, and are being protected by the power of God. Nothing we go through in this life will ever take this away, neither anyone nor ourselves. In fact the pain and suffering brought upon us by the various trials are there to test the genuineness of our faith. So that at the end of time when the Lord Jesus Christ returns in judgement the purified faith within us will glory, honour and praise the God of our salvation.

Prepare Your Mind

Verse 13 begins by stating “therefore” and it refers back to all that has been written in verses 1-12. That true believers are called by God, Saved by God, and set apart by God, for obedience to Him. Our salvation is all God and nothing of us, and in verses 13-16 we see Peter begin to explain this obedience.

Obedience begins with the mind. Peter now tells Christians to “gird up the loins of your mind.” People of the Ancient Roman Empire never wore denim jeans. The Roman soldiers didn’t get issued with cargo pants. Instead they wore a long flowing garment, that went down past their knees. What soldiers would often do to move more freely in battle would be to hitch up the bottom of their robes above their knees and into their belts. This girding up of the loins allowed them to move their legs freely in battle without tripping on the robe. This picture is a challenge to his readers to prepare their minds for action.

What Peter is telling his readers is our outlook determines the outcome, and our attitude determines our actions. If our mind isn’t prepared for action and instead is on the society around us then we will live for the now. If our attitude is the same as the world our actions will be indistinguishable to the actions of the world.

One commentator says, “there is a way of living that becomes dull to the reality of God, that is anesthetized by the attractions of this world. When people are lulled into such drowsiness, they lose sight of Christ’s future revelation of himself and concentrate only on fulfilling their earthly desires.”

Is this you? Are you preoccupied with the world and your immediate desires? But the one who keeps their mind focused on God’s Word and Christ’s return is better equipped and ready to live in obedience to Him, fulfilling His desires and wishes.

If our outlook is toward future glory then we will be less weighed down by the temptations of the world, and better equipped to serve the Living God. The person who girds up the lions of their mind escapes those worldly temptations that take our minds away from God and hinder our spiritual progress. By centering our minds on Christ’s future return we are more mindful and motivated to live in obedience to God in the present.

Sobriety

Not only are we to have disciplined minds but also “be sober...” I don’t know how many here have family members who are addicted to alcohol or mind-numbing drugs. But I am sure that we all understand how damaging they are to the person and to those around them. Peter is telling his readers to be in control of your mind, be self-controlled. Drunkenness and mind-numbing drugs obstruct control on the mind, and taking control away, end up doing things they would never do when sober. Peter isn’t talking about alcohol or drugs but all the temptations the world offers. Peter says do not to allow yourself to be seduced by the world and its temporary happiness.

John MacArthur, in his commentary on first Peter, says being sober means “having clarity of mind and discipline of heart, being in charge of one’s priorities and balancing one’s life so as not to be subject to the controlling and corrupting influence of the flesh’s [attraction].”

Good questions to ask ourselves once a while:

Where are my priorities?

Am I living with a disciplined heart?

Or is my life being governed by the temptations of the world, the devil, and the flesh?

Bad news / Good news

The bad news is that our priorities and balance are not in check. The worse news is that it will never be at a point where we can say yes, and that is because we are still sinners. But the good news is that as we prepare minds and practice self-control, the Holy Spirit, living inside our hearts, works in our lives to change our priorities, and helps us have a clear and disciplined life.

He continues in verse 13, “and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” Rest your hope. Let’s recap what this word hope is. in its basic form hope is similar to faith. Romans 5:1-2, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” Both hope and faith refer to trusting God for His work of salvation, 1 Peter 1:21, “who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.”

Faith and Hope

We distinguish between hope and faith in that faith is trusting God in the present.

We see this in Romans 1:17, “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith,’”

and Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God.”

Hope, on the other hand, is trusting God for the future. And we see this in Hebrews 3:6, “but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.” This trust in God for the future is what Peter wants his readers confidence in. Verses 3-5: begotten again to a living hope…to an eternal inheritance, reserved for you, revealed in the last time. Verse 7: may be found to praise, honour, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Verse 9: we rejoice and are filled with glory when we are finally glorified – receiving the end of our faith.

We are to rest our hope fully upon the future when the Lord Jesus Christ returns in glory. This word fully here indicates that our devotion to the promises of God are not to be half-hearted or hesitant. Instead Peter shows that our devotion is to be with finality in the promises of God in the future. This hope we are commanded to have is not on the supernatural event of Christ’s second coming, nor is it to be on those gifts stated earlier in verses 3-4.

But Christians are to be fully devoted to God for it is by Him alone who gave us new life, who continues making us holy and Him alone who will glorify us. Everything is by God’s grace. The beginning of salvation, the end of salvation, and every bit of salvation in between.

Obedience

Verse 13 suggests we are to be obedient, while verse 14 comes right out and says it. Verse 14, “as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.””

If our hope is resting fully upon the grace that is to come to us, thinking clearly with disciplined minds, then we will be motivated to live our lives in accordance to God’s Word, in holiness. 1 John 3:3 says it this way, “everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” Genuine faith, and hope, result in pure living –in holiness.

This verse begins with “as obedient children.” James chapter 2 teaches that those who are of the Faith are known by their obedience. We also see this in:

John 8:31, “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.”

Ephesians 2:10, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

1 John 5:2-3, “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.”

All those whom Christ saves are to be obedient to Him, and is a way of showing our love for all that He did for us.

As obedient children we are not to conform our lives to the world. We are called to be nonconformists in relation to the former lusts. These include sinful desires, evil thoughts, uncontrolled urges, adultery, drunkenness, and anything else that may shape our lives in accord with the world. There are plenty of passages in the New Testament if you want to get a clear picture of some of the things included in ‘former lusts.’

It is possible to be confused with what the world considers normal behaviour and what the Bible declares is the correct behaviour. We see an ever-growing percentage of young Christians having sex before marriage. We see an ever-growing proportion of married Christians go through divorce, struggle with addictions, and so on.

Holy Living

But God calls His people to be obedient to Him, to be like Him, verse 16 says, “be holy, for I am holy.” How is this possible? How can God call me to be faithful and obedient to Him when I know I don’t conform to His Word. That I do conform to the lusts of the flesh, I give in to the temptations of the world? Should we give up and just allow ourselves the false happiness of sin? Paul says in Romans, NO NO, God forbid. the obedience God calls us to comes through the work of the Word and the Spirit in our hearts and minds. Ephesians 5:15-18, “See then that you walk circumspectly (carefully), not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is… be filled with the Spirit.”

In Colossians we have a great passage on how we are to “be holy in all our conduct.”

In Col. 3:16,

“Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

Our holiness to God, our obedience to God is the fruit of righteousness, Philippians 1:11. You see the holiness we are to display comes from the inner workings of the Holy Spirit in our sanctification (1:2). We show that we are God’s people by how we separate ourselves from the former life and live for the new life. The new life given by God’s grace and for His glory. We are able to live for God ONLY because He first loved us and sent His Son to pay for our sins.

Conclusion

How are you living your life?

Are you living according to the World? or the Word?

God saves us, God sanctifies us, and God protects us for future glory. And because of that we live in thankful obedience to Him for our salvation. Paul agrees with Peter, in Romans 12:1-2, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” And this, according to Peter, is the correct response for so great a salvation.

LET US PRAY