| Biblical Commentary |
321BibleStudy.net
| First Peter Chapter 1 verses 13-21 |
Verses 13-16
Because Christians have been blessed with a living hope which the
prophets foretold of, but did not understand; and a salvation which the
angels desired to look into, they need to prepare themselves to act a certain
way. As they would tie up the hem of their garment to keep it out of the way
to work, or as we would say, “hitch up their britches,” they needed to
prepare their minds to do the work of God. They needed to be sober, or
serious, about the work at hand. This was not something frivolous or
temporary. They needed hope to bring them through the difficulties and
trials of persecution that faced them. They had the grace of God through
Jesus Christ revealed by the Spirit which He had delivered.
This frame of mind, the seriousness demanded by the situation, the hope
and grace from Jesus providing strength call for the Christian to be
obedient to all that Jesus has taught. No longer are they to obey the lusts of
the flesh which had led them in their former life when they were ignorant of
the ways of God.
Paul spoke of this to the Romans repeatedly.
“Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the
lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of
unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are
alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness
unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the
law, but under grace. What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under
the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield
yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether
of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked,
that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that
form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being made free from sin, ye
became the servants of righteousness. I speak after the manner of men
because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members
servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity: even so now yield
your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. For when ye were
the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then
in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? For the end of those things is
death. Now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have
your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is
death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”
(Romans 6:12-23).
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present
your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your
reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye
transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that
good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:1-3).
God is holy. By every definition, and by ever conception, God is hol
y. And, if Christians are to serve a holy God, Christians too must be holy.
Christians are saints. Every Christian is a saint. A saint is a holy one. As the
people of old were holy – so Christians are holy. They are set apart from the
world to serve God and Jesus. They are in the world, but are not of the
world. Their mind, heart and soul are conformed to the gospel, not to the
desires of the flesh. Their attitudes, their actions, their thoughts are
directed by the teachings of Jesus and the apostles. The doctrine of Christ
permeates the mind, heart and soul, driving out the more beastial lusts of
the flesh making the Christian holy in all that he does.
Verses 17 through 21
If Christians call upon the Father in heaven who is no respecter of persons,
if they call upon a God who judges every man according to his works, if they
call upon a Deity who does not concern Himself with the position of people
among men either because of prosperity nor popularity, then Christians
need to proceed with fear and respect knowing they they shall answer for
their every action and be punished for their every transgression.
The purchase price for Christian’s redemption, hope and salvation was more
precious than gold, or silver, or rubies – the price was the blood of Jesus
Christ, the Lamb of God, who took away the sins of the world. The blood that
was shed separated saints from their sin – the way of life they had known
when walking in the world as their fathers had done. No longer were they
the servants of sin, but now they have become the servants of
righteousness. Since Jesus was without spot or blemish – without sin – His
blood could redeem or remit their sins.
This was the plan of God since before the foundation of the world. Jesus’
rejection by the Jews and crucifixion by the Romans was God’s plan since
before the foundation of the earth. His transferred righteousness to the
church – its establishment and efficacy – was all determined by the will and
wisdom of God before the world was ever formed.
But the execution of the plan waited until (the coming of) Jesus. It is in the
Christian Dispensation – the last days – that the reality and blessings of God’
s plan have come to fruition. That is the time in which Christians live. They
have that blessing, they have that hope, they have that redemption, they
have that salvation, that God planned from the beginning, that prophets
spoke of but could not fully comprehend, that angels desired to see and
could not, that was purchased with the blood of Christ.
Christians have this blessing through Jesus because of their faith. They
have faith in the God who raised Him up from the grave. They have faith in
the God who saw Him ascent to glory. Isaiah had prophecied, as did David, of
both.
Christians’ faith and dope is in God, the Father of Jesus Christ. It is in His
plan. It is in His work. It is in His wisdom. It is in His grace. It does not rest in
themselves and what they have done or are able to do. It rest solely in God.
“And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world,
according the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that worketh in the
children of disobedience: among whom also we all had our conversation in
times past in the lusts of our flesh; fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of
the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But
God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even
when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by
grace we are saved) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit
together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come he
might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us
through Christ Jesus… (Ephesians 2:1-7 read through verse 23).
Because Christians have been blessed with a living hope which the
prophets foretold of, but did not understand; and a salvation which the
angels desired to look into, they need to prepare themselves to act a certain
way. As they would tie up the hem of their garment to keep it out of the way
to work, or as we would say, “hitch up their britches,” they needed to
prepare their minds to do the work of God. They needed to be sober, or
serious, about the work at hand. This was not something frivolous or
temporary. They needed hope to bring them through the difficulties and
trials of persecution that faced them. They had the grace of God through
Jesus Christ revealed by the Spirit which He had delivered.
This frame of mind, the seriousness demanded by the situation, the hope
and grace from Jesus providing strength call for the Christian to be
obedient to all that Jesus has taught. No longer are they to obey the lusts of
the flesh which had led them in their former life when they were ignorant of
the ways of God.
Paul spoke of this to the Romans repeatedly.
“Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the
lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of
unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are
alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness
unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the
law, but under grace. What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under
the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield
yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether
of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked,
that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that
form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being made free from sin, ye
became the servants of righteousness. I speak after the manner of men
because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members
servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity: even so now yield
your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. For when ye were
the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then
in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? For the end of those things is
death. Now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have
your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is
death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”
(Romans 6:12-23).
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present
your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your
reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye
transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that
good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:1-3).
God is holy. By every definition, and by ever conception, God is hol
y. And, if Christians are to serve a holy God, Christians too must be holy.
Christians are saints. Every Christian is a saint. A saint is a holy one. As the
people of old were holy – so Christians are holy. They are set apart from the
world to serve God and Jesus. They are in the world, but are not of the
world. Their mind, heart and soul are conformed to the gospel, not to the
desires of the flesh. Their attitudes, their actions, their thoughts are
directed by the teachings of Jesus and the apostles. The doctrine of Christ
permeates the mind, heart and soul, driving out the more beastial lusts of
the flesh making the Christian holy in all that he does.
Verses 17 through 21
If Christians call upon the Father in heaven who is no respecter of persons,
if they call upon a God who judges every man according to his works, if they
call upon a Deity who does not concern Himself with the position of people
among men either because of prosperity nor popularity, then Christians
need to proceed with fear and respect knowing they they shall answer for
their every action and be punished for their every transgression.
The purchase price for Christian’s redemption, hope and salvation was more
precious than gold, or silver, or rubies – the price was the blood of Jesus
Christ, the Lamb of God, who took away the sins of the world. The blood that
was shed separated saints from their sin – the way of life they had known
when walking in the world as their fathers had done. No longer were they
the servants of sin, but now they have become the servants of
righteousness. Since Jesus was without spot or blemish – without sin – His
blood could redeem or remit their sins.
This was the plan of God since before the foundation of the world. Jesus’
rejection by the Jews and crucifixion by the Romans was God’s plan since
before the foundation of the earth. His transferred righteousness to the
church – its establishment and efficacy – was all determined by the will and
wisdom of God before the world was ever formed.
But the execution of the plan waited until (the coming of) Jesus. It is in the
Christian Dispensation – the last days – that the reality and blessings of God’
s plan have come to fruition. That is the time in which Christians live. They
have that blessing, they have that hope, they have that redemption, they
have that salvation, that God planned from the beginning, that prophets
spoke of but could not fully comprehend, that angels desired to see and
could not, that was purchased with the blood of Christ.
Christians have this blessing through Jesus because of their faith. They
have faith in the God who raised Him up from the grave. They have faith in
the God who saw Him ascent to glory. Isaiah had prophecied, as did David, of
both.
Christians’ faith and dope is in God, the Father of Jesus Christ. It is in His
plan. It is in His work. It is in His wisdom. It is in His grace. It does not rest in
themselves and what they have done or are able to do. It rest solely in God.
“And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world,
according the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that worketh in the
children of disobedience: among whom also we all had our conversation in
times past in the lusts of our flesh; fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of
the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But
God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even
when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by
grace we are saved) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit
together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come he
might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us
through Christ Jesus… (Ephesians 2:1-7 read through verse 23).