1 PETER PART THREE

By Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

© God’s Breath Publications

 

In this series so far we have learned that Peter wrote this letter to followers of Christ who were scattered in the area of Asia Minor, what is now modern-day Turkey. His main emphasis in this letter was to remind Christians of the hope they have in God because of the gracious salvation provided for them in Jesus Christ as well as how the gift of the Holy Spirit within them works to lead them in sanctification. We continue now to learn even more about this wonderful salvation that God blesses His children with and how we are to live as Christ and love one another.

 

1 Peter 1:10-12

“Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

 

Peter tells us here that the prophets of the Old Testament spoke of God’s wonderful grace that was yet to come in the Messiah. While they knew of this grace and the salvation it would bring, they did not know the exact time when it would come and be manifested through the Messiah. Their curiosity and anticipation must have been overwhelming as they searched the scriptures trying to find a clue about the details of when it would be made available to mankind. None of us like information withheld from us, especially details to dramatic and critical events that affect us. The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, which anointed the prophets to write the Old Testament, pointed them to a time that would come when the Messiah would be revealed and would suffer and die for the sins of men and women (Psalms 22 and Isaiah 52:13-53:12). These prophecies of the future predicted that Jesus would come, but they did not give a precise date as to when. God wanted to make the prophets of old aware that this would take place one day so they could prepare people, but He did not want to reveal the exact date. We face this same situation today as we anticipate the return of Christ. We know that He will return, but we don’t know the hour, day or even the season (Matthew 24:36, 25:13, Mark 13:32-33, Acts 1:6-7).

 

It is explained in this passage that this marvelous hope that was yet to come was revealed to those who would never experience first hand, the actual event. The prophets knew that they were not serving themselves or those that lived in their time, but a future generation of people who would witness this magnificent salvation provided by God through the Messiah. Peter tells these people in Asia Minor that what was secret in the Old Testament was now revealed in the days Christ walked the earth, on the day of His death and also on the day of His resurrection. As the gospel of salvation was preached in the first century, people responded to the salvation offered by God. This has continued down through the centuries and this ancient secret that was once hidden and then revealed, continues to draw multitudes to God through His Son. But the revelation of this great hope of salvation would not have been possible without the Holy Spirit. One of the ministries of the Holy Spirit is to inspire men to write of God’s mysteries, but also to reveal God’s will and purposes at the appropriate time. It is a wonderful thing to know God has perfect plans for us and that He provides for how they are to take place, in this instance, in the death and resurrection of His Son. But it is also very precious to know that God will keep His promises and one day His Son will return to claim those who have accepted Him as Lord and Savior. This mystery of this great salvation, the revealing of it and the future fulfillment of all of what it means, is so intriguing that angels are anxious to know all about it. Angels to us are powerful servants of God. They experience our Heavenly Father’s presence and live in Heaven, yet they can’t experience or comprehend what it is like to be saved from sins through the death and resurrection of the Son of God, Jesus Christ. They will never know the hope we have in Christ. They will never experience the grace of God we have by trusting in Jesus as Savior and Lord. We are truly blessed!

 

Now that Peter has set the stage for the great salvation that we possess because of God’s will, Jesus’ sacrifice and the Holy Spirit’s power, he now continues with some commands for holy living.

 

1 Peter 1:13-16

“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.”

 

Peter first shares that our minds must be prepared or girded up for action. In the east, soldiers often wore long flowing robes and when called to action they girded up these robes around their waist and under their belt so they could move freely in battle. The same is true for us as we face spiritual battles as well as trials and hardships. If we don’t prepare our minds for battle and endurance by focusing on God’s truth we may be wounded spiritually or hindered in our witness. In Ephesians 6:10-17 there is listed the armor of the Christian that must be put on each day to live as Christ would live. Romans 12:2 tells us, “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.”  And Titus 3:5 tells us that we are “renewed” by the ministry of the Holy Spirit who lives within us as a follower of Christ. Colossians 3:2 also tells us to, “Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.”

 

Peter next commands that they are to be self-controlled. Self control is established and expressed when we are grounded in the truth and dependent on the Spirit. When we let the Word of Christ dwell richly within us (Colossians 3:16) we can be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). When this takes place we will then manifest the fruit of the Spirit. One part of this fruit is “self-control.” In a future series I will write on 2 Peter and we will cover what you might call a ‘spiritual necklace” of godly traits which includes “self-control” as a characteristic of a godly person. 2 Peter 1:5-8 states, “Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

 

Peter also instructs them to set their hope in God completely on His grace, not just the grace they have already received in their salvation, but in the grace that is still yet to be revealed when Jesus returns and their salvation is fully experienced. While as a follower of Christ we are saved, we have not yet fully experienced or realized the hope of our complete salvation. This comes when we are reunited with Christ and go to our heavenly home to receive our reward and our transformed glorified bodies. The Greek words here for “the grace to be given you” implies that it is already on its way, it’s just around the corner. That is our established and assured hope!

 

Peter next warns them not to “conform to the evil desires” that they once had as non-believers. In their past life before they accepted Christ as Lord and Savior they were pagans living in a culture rebellious to God. We as Christians live in a similar culture today. America is continuing to drift away from the godly foundation upon which it was established. As this worldly cultural movement takes place, morals degrade, ethics become relative and there is an erosion of people’s commitment to truth and honor. Peter is telling us here that when we “conform” to the evil desires of the culture we live in, we are patterning and copying the ways of the world. We are attempting to return to the person we were before we accepted Christ. We should be cultivating our new life in Christ, becoming conformed to His image through the influence and power of the Holy Spirit. This is according to God’s will for our lives. Romans 8:29 states, “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;” God’s plan for our lives is to conform to His image. This is in our best interest as well as for our own well-being and it also brings God great glory.

 

Then Peter references various passages in the Old Testament regarding the calling we have “to be holy as God is holy.” This is commanded by God in Leviticus 11:44, 19:2 and 20:7. This applied to His Chosen People the Jews and it applies to us His Chosen People in Christ. This is our holy calling and we will seek to fulfill it if we truly love God with all our heart, mind and soul (1 John 2:3-4, 1 John5:3).

 

1 Peter 1:17-19

“Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear. For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”

 

While we are blessed to know the love of the Lord in our lives there is another aspect of our relationship with Him. It is one of reverent fear. We have experienced His compassionate love demonstrated by his mercy and grace, but this does not negate that we are also to fear Him in a respectful worshipful manner. Because God is perfectly fair, honest and true, He will judge all people in this manner. When we go to Heaven Romans 14:12 tells us we will have to give account for how we lived on the Earth. We all will appear before the judgment seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10). Even In this life we know that God will discipline us as a father would his son (Hebrews 12:7-11). So while we obey God’s commands because we love Him, we are also to be respectful of Him because of His rule over our lives. We live our lives as strangers to the world around us for this is not our home, our true place of residence. We are, in a sense, aliens in a foreign land, travelers that reside here only for a short time.

 

Peter also shares here that the foundation for our motivation for living like Christ is to fully comprehend what has made our relationship with God possible. Our new life in Christ was not bought with tangible valuables such as silver or gold. It was bought with the precious-beyond-measure blood of God’s only Son. Jesus was pure and holy, completely without sin, yet He paid the price of death for each one of our sins for each of our lives.

 

In the next segment of this series we will continue to hear spiritual gems of truth from Peter on how to honor our Heavenly Father, live like Christ and keep in step with the Holy Spirit who lives within us.