As we began our study of 1 Peter a couple of weeks ago we first looked at the surety of our salvation in vs1-5, as Peter tells us we are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven, and protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. What a tremendous salvation has been granted to us by faith in Christ, that is promised by the Father, sealed by the Holy Spirit, and signed with the blood of Jesus Christ. The surety of our salvation.
Then in vs 6-9 we looked at the sanctification of our salvation, brought about by the proving of our faith, even through sufferings, as we are tested by fire, that our faith might come forth like gold. Now today, we look at the sanctity of our salvation, in which the Spirit of Christ working in us, and through the scriptures, we become holy even as He is Holy.
So Peter continues to by expounding the sanctity of our salvation in vs 10 saying, “As to this salvation…” And though it may seem superfluous when preaching to the choir, I should make sure that everyone understands what salvation is. The word salvation in both natural and spiritual applications means very simply deliverance from peril. In human terms, if you were at the beach, and wading in the water and suddenly a great wave came and knocked you off your feet, and then the outflow from that wave caused a rip current to pull you out to sea, and you could not swim, you would be in very grave danger of drowning unless someone came to save you. Someone who was capable of not only out swimming the current, and contending with the waves, but someone who was able to also carry you back to safety.
I’m sure you have heard of people who had some sort of similar escape from death, perhaps they even went so far as to have a near death experience, and afterwards they believed that they had a new purpose in life. They certainly had a new perspective and from that day on they lived differently.
I suppose in many respects you could say spiritual salvation is like that. But in the spiritual realm, the Bible teaches that all men are lost, swept up in the current of the world and held captive by sin, and in real danger of eternal death. Our salvation comes about by calling upon the name of Jesus, who is able to save, who has overcome the world and sin and death, and so He is able to save us as well. But His purpose in saving us is not to just deliver us from death, but to give us new life. And like the person who had the near death experience, our experience of salvation gives us a new perspective on life, which causes us to live differently from that day forward.
Theologians tell us that salvation has a three fold purpose; to deliver us from the penalty of sin, to deliver us from the power of sin, and to deliver us from the presence of sin. And make no mistake, sin is the antithesis of life. Sin causes death. Sin destroys life. So salvation delivers us from the penalty, the power and the presence of sin so that we might have life and have it more abundantly.
Now those three phases are often spoken of in theological terms as justification, sanctification, and glorification. In justification, when we by faith believe in Jesus Christ and trust Him as our Savior and Lord, we are delivered from the penalty of sin, and given new life. In sanctification, we are delivered from the power of sin. Sin no longer has dominion over us, but the Lord is our new master. Paul speaking of this in Romans 6:18-19 says, “and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in [further] lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification.”
And then the final phase is glorification, when we are delivered at either the resurrection or at Christ’s second coming from the presence of sin. We will be given a new, glorified body without a sin nature, to live in a new world without sin. That aspect of our salvation is still to come, as Peter mentions in vs 13 saying, “fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” As you can see, there is a past, present and future tense to grace as well. Grace is God’s gift of salvation in all it’s effects. As the scripture says, He gives us “grace upon grace.”
Now this grace was made manifest by proclamation. Peter says, it was proclaimed to you by the prophets of old. “As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow.” He is speaking of the Old Testament prophets. And he is saying that their proclamation came by inspiration of the Spirit of Christ. What’s interesting is that Peter says that the Spirit of Christ prophesied of His own sufferings and the glories to follow. And another point he makes is that they did not fully comprehend all that the Spirit was saying through them, but they came to understand that they were speaking to us in the future who would know.
It’s almost as if they were adding pieces to a puzzle that they could not see finished. But generation after generation, the prophets were given inspiration in a continuous progression of truth, so that the picture began to be filled in more and more. I think he’s indicating that they looked and studied previously written scriptures in order to try to understand what the Spirit was saying. Hebrews says something similar in Hebrews 11:39-40 “And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.”
Peter speaks to the same idea in vs 12 saying, “It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven--things into which angels long to look.”
That last phrase indicates that the angels also are seeking to understand the intricacies of the gospel. Salvation is not a grace that is given to angels. And so it speaks of our better position than that of the angels. Hebrews chapter 2 says we were made lower than the angels for a little while, but at the consummation of all things, Jesus said we will one day judge angels. And so it would seem that our salvation is of great interest to the angels and they are observing the prophecies come to fulfillment even as we are.
You know, the Apostle Peter said something to Jesus one day in response to His question if they were going to leave Him too, and Peter said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life.” And that understanding is fundamental to our salvation, and to this life we have been given. That’s why it’s so important to recognize what Peter says about the inspiration of the scriptures, it comes by the Spirit of Christ. I think he uses that title intentionally to signify the unity of scripture. That the same Spirit spoke in the Old Testament that spoke in Christ in His ministry, and still speaks to us today through the epistles of the apostles.
The gospel of salvation was foreordained before creation. The gospel of salvation was manifested by typology and allegory and metaphor from Adam to Noah, to Abraham to Moses and so on through the prophets. It’s the same gospel. And it’s a gospel of salvation from death to life. The word of Christ is life. Jesus quoting from Deuteronomy said, “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” Folks, you want to have the abundant life that Jesus spoke of, then you need to live by the word, you need to obey the word. That’s the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit which Peter referred to in vs2, when he said, according to the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit that you may obey Jesus Christ.
This is the Word of Life. Eat it and live. Some of us are starving ourselves to death for a lack of spiritual food. And aren’t you glad that the prophets of old wrote it down? Aren’t you glad we don’t depend upon oral tradition? Every word, every syllable has been meted out by the Holy Spirit and tried and tested and is true. Psalm 12:6, “The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.” Peter is going to say in the beginning of the next chapter, 1Peter 2:2 that we should, “like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation.” Because the new life of salvation is intended to grow from infancy to maturity, as a continuing process of sanctification.
Now this necessity of our sanctification is what Peter really wants to drive home here. He has laid down the foundations of our faith, the calling of God, the sanctifying work of the Spirit, that we might obey Jesus Christ who has sprinkled us with His blood. He has established the authority of scripture as the guiding light of our life. And now he wants to tell us what our responsibility is as we live this life which has been given to us.
And he indicates that first of all it starts in our minds. He says “Gird your minds for action.” The word “gird” references an old phrase which was to gird up your loins. What that is speaking of is the robes that were worn in those days were very long and somewhat cumbersome. And so if you were going to work, or going to run, then you would tuck the robe under your belt to free up your legs so you wouldn’t trip or be hampered from moving.
Now he uses that analogy in regards to our minds. Our spirit has been born again, but in this new life our minds have to now become subject to the Spirit instead of the flesh. And that’s why the scripture is so important to us. It is the means of renewing our minds. It changes the way we think. By meditating on the word of Christ, we gain the mind of Christ.
Paul speaks of this need for renewing our minds in Romans 12:1,2, “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, [which is] your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”
What this indicates is that what we put in our minds has a spiritual impact on our life. It’s actually harmful to feed your mind on a steady diet of the culture of the world. The movies, the songs, the television shows, the pop stars we follow on social media, all of that leads to a mind fettered by the world. Peter says we need to clear that out of the way so we won’t be hindered, so we don’t fall, so we don’t get tripped up. Prov. 23:7 says, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” If you are constantly putting the world’s perspective and morals and mannerisms in your mind, then it shouldn’t be surprising when your spiritual life is practically nonexistent. It’s not surprising that you have no appetite for spiritual things.
I would also point out the obvious, that the Christian life requires action. Faith requires action. The Christian life is not just some sort of intellectual exercise that we do once a week. But we apply the word of God to our lives. Peter says in chapter 2 vs 2, “We work out our salvation with fear and trembling.”
Then Peter says, we are to keep sober in spirit. To be sober is not talking about alcohol or drugs necessarily, though it certainly includes that. But it’s referring to an attitude, a perspective of watchfulness, of seriousness, of carefulness. Peter refers to this again later on in his epistle in chapter 5 vs 8, “Be of sober [spirit,] be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
Ah, now we understand perhaps better what he is getting at. The devil takes opportunity through your mind, especially a mind that is undisciplined. A mind that is not focused on the task ahead, but is at ease, or more interested in entertainment or amusement. There is nothing wrong with having fun or being entertained. But we need to gird up our minds, be disciplined, what Paul calls “taking every thought captive to obedience of Christ.” (2Cor. 10:5) The battleground of our souls is in our mind.
Peter refers to this need for mental focus in the next phrase, “fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” The past grace was when we first believed and our sins were forgiven. The present grace is by which we now stand. But the grace to come is the grace that will be given to us at the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is coming soon. Or I will be going to Him soon. But one way or another, there is soon coming a day when we will be face to face with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We should live our lives in anticipation of that day, looking forward to it, and making each day count for Him until that grace appears.
Next, Peter likens the church to obedient children. I don’t know if he is being deliberately sarcastic there or not. I’m not sure I would characterize most Christians today as obedient children. I think he’s using reverse psychology there. Kind of the way the Lord named him the Rock. He wasn’t really a rock, but God wanted him to become one. Maybe that’s what Peter is trying to do here. Calling us what he hopes we will be.
But the point is that if we are saved then we are children of God. And if you are indeed a child of God, then it is expedient that you are an obedient child of God. If we as imperfect parents discipline our children, then how much more will the perfect Father in Heaven discipline His children so that they may share in His holiness? Hebrews 12:9-11 says, “Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He [disciplines us] for [our] good, so that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”
That’s why suffering and trials are such an essential part of sanctification. It’s the way God instructs us and teaches us and produces in us the fruit of holiness. So Peter says, in obedience to God do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in ignorance. In other words, you should know better than that now. Don’t go back to the former things. Remember Romans 12:2 which we quoted a few minutes ago, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
We recently got a new puppy as many of you know. We all should have our heads examined. One of the many duties we have is to keep the puppy clean. He’s a house dog, and so he needs to smell decent and not bring mud and dirt and who knows what into the house. So my son has given him a couple of baths. But he’s a puppy. He’s a dog. And it’s a dogs nature to get into every smelly, stinky, dirty thing that they can. It’s their nature.
And we have an old nature as well. When we were saved we got a new nature, but the old nature is still there. We just aren’t supposed to listen to it anymore. We are supposed to obey our new nature. And the starvation of the old nature and the obedience to the new nature should cause the old to pass quietly away. But how sad it is to see a Christian still living in the old nature.
Peter speaks of this old nature in chapter 4 vs 3, “For the time already past is sufficient [for you] to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties and abominable idolatries.” He said, be sober, remember? Don’t go back to that stuff anymore, it only leads to destruction. It’s not the new way of life which we’ve been given. In fact, he says in the previous verse, “so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.”
So now we know how not to live, how then the logical question is how are we supposed to live? The answer is in vs15 “but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all [your] behavior; because it is written, "YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.”
What does holy mean? I think that’s a reasonable question. The word holy is overused today in contemporary Christian music so much that I think all the meaning is lost. But holy means consecrated, set apart, righteous, pure, undefiled, perfect. God is all those things. The hymn we sang earlier, “Holy, Holy, Holy” says the eye of sinful man cannot see God because of His holiness.
Isaiah saw a vision of the Holy God in Isaiah 6 and it says this: In the year of King Uzziah's death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called out to another and said, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory." And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. Then I said, "Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts." Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. He touched my mouth [with it] and said, "Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.”
Listen, a proper view of God’s holiness results in a holy life. We must be holy because God is holy. We are in our new creation made holy, set apart, and so we should be holy and live not conformed to this world, but be conformed rather to Jesus Christ. I’m going to deal with these next verses more next week but in the context of the holiness of God and our responsibility to Him I would read them now: vs17 “If you address as Father (that is if you are a child of God) the One who impartially judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay [on earth;] knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, [the blood] of Christ.”
Jesus was holy, blameless, the spotless Lamb of God who died to make you holy and blameless. Our standard of holiness then is to walk like He walked, talk like He talked, act like He acted. He was obedient to the Father in all that He did. And by the Spirit of Christ that lives in us, we can live like Christ. We are to be like Christ. Paul said it well in Phil. 2:5, 12-13 “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, ... 12 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for [His] good pleasure.”
May God grant you His grace to live by the Spirit and do not conform to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Amen.
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