Being Holy (1 Peter 1:13-25).

" Therefore, with your minds ready for action, be serious and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires of your former ignorance. 15 But as the One who called you is holy, you also are to be holy in all your conduct; 16 for it is written, Be holy, because I am holy." (1 Peter 1:13-16, HCSB). 

After describing in the past several verses the hope we have in our salvation and how great it is, Peter then transitions to the practical. "Therefore" signals the change in thought. Now that he has effectively reminded us of how blessed we are, that we have a living hope in Christ, and that this great plan of God long awaited has been now entrusted to us; we ought to live with that in mind. 

Peter describes this as having our "minds ready for action". In the Greek, this phrase is "anazōnnymi ho osphys", which is a military term that he is using figuratively. "anazōnnymi" has the meaning of preparing, girding up, being ready. In this specific usage, it also conveys the idea that this is done figuratively. "ho" is the article, "for". "osphys"refers to the body, specifically of it being dressed, ready for service, or for action. Put together, it gives us a picture of being ready for action, and conveys the idea of preparing for battle. Since it is speculated that Peter wrote this while in Rome, it could be very likely he, like Paul in Ephesians 6, was drawing on the imagery of a Roman soldier preparing for battle. Therefore, in view of God's great salvation given to us, we need to be ready mentally for action.

In addition to being mentally prepared for action, we are also exhorted to set our hope, our confidence on the grace to be given us through Christ.  Specifically, the focus seems to be on the coming grace that has not yet been given. The passage seems clear on this: "the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." The way this is worded indicates that this grace is the culmination of God's redemptive plan through Christ, when He comes again and sets all things under His feet. At that time, His grace will fully redeem us, and we will be washed clean. Not only are we to be prepared for action, but we must also keep the end in mind - Christ will return, and and His grace will be given.

So far, both of the applications from the realization of the great salvation given to us are primarily mental: be mentally prepared, and set your hope on Christ's return and giving of grace. Now, Peter transitions to action. In essence he gives a call to be set apart, to be holy.

As obedient children, we are not to be conformed to our old self, the old desires and old habits. In the Greek, this gives the imagery of our former desires and lusts. Those things which so captivated us before we were redeemed should no longer captivate us or draw us in. We are a new creature, with new desires, and it is counter our nature to go back to the lusts of our old life. Instead, as God - the One who called us, and drew us out of our old, desperately wicked lives - is holy, so also we should be holy.

To be holy is to be set apart, pure.  In the same way that God is holy, completely apart from sin and corruption, so we too ought to be holy in our conduct. Unfortunately, we don't often focus on this anymore in our Western Christianity. There was a recent article on the website, Mere Orthodoxy that discussed this problem and the need to be holy. While I believe he could have more strongly described what it looks like to be holy, I did appreciate his accurate portrayal of how far we as Western Christians have gotten away from this need to be holy.

The author, Brett McCracken, writes at the beginning of his article, "How are Christians set apart or distinct from the unbelieving world? When push comes to shove, would any observer be able to pick today’s edgy/authentic/real/raw/not-your-grandmother’s Christian out of the proverbial crowd? In what ways are we embodying the call to be salt and light, a city on a hill (Matt. 5:13–16), and a “royal priesthood” called out of darkness and into light (1 Peter 2:9)?" These are good questions to ask and consider as we look at what it means to be holy. How are we are we the salt and light of the world if we are indistinguishable from the world with the same vices, the same love for pop culture, the same habits, etc.? This is not what we are called to be.

The author concludes the article by noting this, "Friends: let’s stop deluding ourselves in thinking that by shirking holiness we’re advancing the cause of Christ by “breaking stereotypes” people might have of Christians. All we’re actually doing is demeaning the name of Christ by cheapening the cost of discipleship. We can do better than that." Holiness is far more important than being culturally relevant; in fact, you won't find a command to be culturally relevant in scripture but you will find numerous places where we are called to be holy.

So what does this look like, to be holy? To be holy means to be different, set apart. It means setting our minds on things above (Colossians 3:2), to keep oneself unstained from the world and to look after the poor and widowed. (James 1:27). It also means to not love the world or the things of the world. (1 John 2:15), and to not be conformed to the patterns and thoughts of this world (Romans 12:2). This also means that while we are in the world, we are not of the world (John 17:11-16). To be holy, "hagios", is to be pure, unstained. The word "holy" is frequently used in scripture, implying that this is an important concept. Peter makes this clear by referring to the Old Testament command in Leviticus 11:44-45, 19:2, 20:7 where God called His people then and His people now to holiness.

"And if you address as Father the One who judges impartially based on each one’s work, you are to conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your temporary residence. 18 For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from the fathers, not with perishable things like silver or gold,19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish. " (1 Peter 1:17-19, HCSB)

Peter continues this thought of being holy and applies it to how we ought to live in light of God's coming judgement. We address God as our Father, and rightfully so. However, Peter points out that we must not forget that He is also our Lord and Judge. While our salvation is certainly not based on our works, or our holiness, we will be called to give an account for our lives on earth. Every man's work will be tested by the impartial Judge. 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 also gives us a similar picture of our work being tried by fire to show the value of our works. Again, this is not connected to our salvation, which the passage in 1 Corinthians makes clear. But what is also clear is that God will call us to give an account on how we lived our lives. With this in mind, we need to live holy lives that please Him. We are here on earth only a temporary time and every moment counts.

Peter does make it clear that while we are accountable to God for how we live, we also know that what we do will not save us. It is only through the blood sacrifice of Christ that we are redeemed. No earthly power or currency could redeem us from our broken, sinful condition. Such things are only temporary and will pass away. There was no hope for anything better for us. But now, through Christ's blood there is hope; and a new life of holiness to which we are called.

" 20 He was chosen before the foundation of the world but was revealed at the end of the times for you 21 who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God." (1 Peter 1:20-21, HCSB)

Christ was plan "A". When man sinned, God was not scrambling around, trying to find a new solution, a new way to win man back to Himself. Peter makes it clear- Christ was chosen before the foundations of the earth was made. Before the first man, Adam, took his first breath, God had already determined that Christ would come as a man, the last Adam. While I struggle to fully wrap my mind around this, even before Adam and Eve were made, God knew that they would fall away, and He had already established a plan to bring them back. And now, it is revealed to us. We, who believe, have the privilege of receiving this salvation.

Through God, we can believe. This too, is hard for me to understand, but this passage seems to make clear that believing is a two-way street in that it is something we do, but we are enabled to do it by God's power. God, who is the Author of Christ's resurrection, enables us to believe in Christ. The end result is that He is glorified.

"By obedience to the truth, having purified yourselves for sincere love of the brothers, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23 since you have been born again—not of perishable seed but of imperishable—through the living and enduring word of God. 24 For all flesh is like grass, and all its glory like a flower of the grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, 25 but the word of the Lord endures forever. And this is the word that was preached as the gospel to you." (1 Peter 1:22-25, HCSB).

Peter continues on the theme of being holy, living a set-apart life. In obedience to the truth, the gospel, God's commands to us, we are to love one another. This can only truly happen when we are living a holy life. Peter makes it clear - we need to be purified in order to be able to earnestly love from a pure heart. When we set ourselves apart unto God, we can better love one another. We are commanded to love in this pure way. I believe this makes clear the kind of community we ought to be for each other.

This holiness can not come from ourselves but from God. In the same way, our love comes from God because God is love. Since we have been born again into eternal life, of an imperishable seed, we are his children. We are, in a sense, offspring of Love, and therefore it is Him working through us - through His living and enduring Word - that we can love each other in this pure and holy manner toward which Peter exhorts us.

Everything else will fade. All flesh is as grass. This idea appears many times throughout the Old Testament. But, in contrast, God's word remains forever. Peter quotes here from Isaiah 40:6-8, and it illustrates marvelously that God's word never fades or perishes. And, this word has been preached to us, calling us to be Holy.

Therefore, in light of this great salvation, and God's enduring Word, we ought to be Holy, to honor Him with our lives, for He has saved us by His might and will one day call us to account for how we lived this new life. He has made it clear what He desires of us; we must choose to obey.

Please feel free to contribute! If you have anything to add, or an additional point to make from this passage, please make your voice heard in the comments. May we encourage each other into deeper study and awe of Christ and His works in us!