An Exposition Of 1 Peter, Part 5: Be Ye Holy For I Am Holy

Be Ye Holy for I Am Holy

Introduction

In the last lesson, we saw that our hope is grounded in the Scripture of the Old Testament, in particular, the prophecies contained concerning Christ. In addition to this is the content of the Gospel which had been preached to the believers Peter is addressing. Today, we have the sufficient content of these teachings in the New Testament, which with the Old Testament is the rule of faith for the church. The third element is the work of the Holy Spirit in interpreting and applying the Scripture to the believer’s heart. All this is so that the believer is able to stand firm in times of persecution.

Exposition of the Text

Wherefore, gird up the loins of your mind and be sober minded — Christian teaching in the Bible is a mixture of doctrine and praxis (putting doctrine into practice). The truth of God’s word has implications. This passage tells the believer to gird up the loins of his mind. A more modern understanding of this is “Let the truth that was just learned undergird the way one lives the Christian life.” In Peter’s day. especially in the Near East where Peter was from, men wore long flowing robes. But these robes could get in the way when hard work or running was necessary. So the man would tuck the robe up into his belt so that he could move more easily. It was preparation for work. So what Peter is saying is for the believer to prepare his mind for work. The Christian is not to leave his mind at the door. Christianity is not just an emotional experience. It involves thinking. It involves sober thinking. there is a seriousness to the Christian life. The brain is the biggest muscle in the body and needs to be exercised just like any other muscle. This is hard work. The believer is to put his mind to the study and hearing of God’s word.

Completely set your hope in the grace which has been brought to you by the revelation of Jesus Christ — This is open to several interpretations. The first revolves around the word “completely.” The Greek word is an adverbial form of the word “telos” which can be translated “perfectly”, “completely”, or “to the end.” If placed with the previous phrase, it gives the idea of being completely or perfectly sober-minded. Some translations say “unto the end” with the idea that the believer is to continue in hope to the end when Christ is revealed (come again). The third and I think the best option is to modify the verb “hope” which comes immediately afterwards in the Greek text. This gives the rendering “completely hope.” The reason this is the best is that “hope” is the main verb in the sentence. This makes “gird”, which is a participle subordinate to hope, even though it is translated by the imperative in English. The same thing happens in the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19-20. The “go” is often emphasized in the English text, but it is a participle, just as baptizing and teaching are. The main verb is “make disciples.” the “go” just tells one where the commission is to be carried out. “Baptizing” and “teaching” tell us how making disciples is to be done. The important thing is to make disciples. Here, the important thing is to “completely set your hope.”

Grace is the object of our hope that we are to seriously consider. Grace is a “comfort” word. It warms our emotions. However, “grace” is by itself an abstract noun. It must be defined in concrete terms. “Love” is another emotional word. In the Christian context, love is not a state of being. It is demonstrated by one’s actions. Grace is defined by its object. Here, Peter says that grace is demonstrated by God in His revelation of Jesus Christ. John 3:16 is the demonstration of God’s grace as much as it is of God’s love for humanity. Although this revelation can refer to Jesus’ return, it seems that we should take the broader context of Jesus’ incarnation, life among us, His sacrificial death for our sins, His resurrection, His ascension, His heavenly intercession, in addition to His return. All of this is the demonstration of God’s grace in Jesus Christ which has been revealed to us. In this we set our hope.

As obedient children, not conforming to your former ignorant lusts — Peter has already introduced us to the fact that God has ordained the sanctification of the believers. This is the work of the Holy Spirit, and the fruit of sanctification is obedience (1 Peter 1:2). The believer is then set apart from their previous life which was characterized by living a sinful life. They were acting in ignorance, often willful ignorance, of the truth. Romans 1:19 and other Scripture informs us that God has implanted the knowledge of Him into the hearts of every believer. Incorporated in this is the knowledge of right and wrong. They also know they stand condemned before God. This they know and suppress. The Law gives even clearer knowledge of the sinner’s predicament. What they are ignorant of is the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They need to know there is hope for them. They need to know that this hope goes far beyond simply wiping the slate of offenses against God clean. What lies ahead for the believer is everlasting life and joy. But now the believers have been enlightened to God’s grace in Jesus Christ. The believer is to stop living a life of ignorance. As Paul puts it “Do not be conformed to this world, but be ye transformed” (Romans 12:1-2). We are transformed to do God’s will. Peter uses the same Greek word for “conformity” here that Paul uses.