“Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”” 1 Peter 1:13-16

Peter now moves from praise to exhortation. Salvation is a gift from God with many received blessings, but it is also transformation of life. God transforms us not so that he will love us, but because he loves us. We move away from sin and bondage, toward holiness and freedom. Holiness is life as it was meant to be, as God intended it. Holiness is a reflection of God’s own character and being. And we are to be like God.

The first exhortation is to ‘prepare our minds for action,’ literally ‘gird up the loins of your mind. Change begins with the mind. We are to be ready, think clearly, take our lives seriously. To do this, we do what followers of Jesus have always done – read the Bible, pray, engage in spiritual discussion with others and read good books.

Secondly, be self controlled, literally be ‘sober.’ We are not to be intoxicated by anything other than God and the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 5:18) We see the fallout from alcohol abuse all around us: violence, death, brokenness. Don’t be careless, lazy, or sloppy. The word for ‘sober’ is used also in 1 Peter 4:7 & 5:8. Self control is a fruit of the Holy Spirit and he will help us.

Thirdly, Set your hope fully on God’s coming grace. We are to always be looking ahead, remembering what God has promised and what he is going to do. When experiencing trials and difficulties hope is always more prominent; when things are good we are content with the present. Let us choose to keep hope prominent in our lives as we look toward the return of Christ. It’s not enough just for us to have it good – we want justice and peace to cover the whole earth. The return of Christ is our ultimate and only hope – not science, government or money.

Fourthly, do not conform to the evil desires of the world. We no longer are to live the way we used to; we now are the children of God. We are the radicals of the day – we say no to materialism, consumerism, relativism, and whatever other idol presents itself to us. (see also Romans 12:1-2) We say no to the world and yes to God.

Lastly, Peter tells us to be holy, which is the overall point of the exhortation. Be pure, set apart to God and for God. And the ultimate reason is that God himself is holy. God is sanctifying us, making us holy, more like Jesus. That is our true nature and destiny as God’s people. That is what we were meant for.

Are we resisting God? Or are we ready to let him transform us? God is calling us to live a new life, a life of holiness. And these exhortations show us the way.

Pastor Tim, November 25, 2007