Bible Study 1 Peter 1:13-22

[NewCreation435]

Chapter 1:13-12 Emphasis on Walking in holiness
Warren Wiersbe says that Peter gives his readers 5 incentives to encourage them to live a holy lifestyle
1. The glory of God verse 13
2. The holiness of God verses 14-15
3. The word of God verse 16
4. The judgment of God verse 17
5. The love of God verse 18-21
Peter will admonish them several times that they must “gird up” their minds for action. The same picture occurs in Exodus 12:11 when the people of God ate the Passover. They were to eat it girded up for action and movement and in haste. When they finally did leave slavery in Egypt they had to move quickly.
- Sober means “to be calm, steady, controlled, to weigh

Verses 14-15 Peter tells them not to conform to their former way of life. Also found in Ephesians 2:1-3. They were dead before in sin, but now have become a new creation in Christ. Peter uses the idea of being “called”. We are called out of darkness 2:9 called to suffer and follow Christ’s example of meekness 2:21; called to inherit a blessing 3:9; called to His eternal glory 5:10. Peter sees us as living with a purpose and meaning and being called to serve Him as long as we have breath.
2:16- God is holy. Peter is quoting from passages such as Lev 11:44-45, 19:2; 20:7,26 also 1 John 1:5. God’s word is a sword and a light to guide us 2 Peter 1:19; food to strengthen us Matthew 4:4, 1 Peter 2:2, water to wash us Ephesians 5:25-27.
2:18-19 You were not redeemed with perishable things, but with the blood of the Lamb of God. IN verse 17 Peter mentions a fear. This fear is a reverence for God which leads to holy living 2 Cor 7:1

Some questions for discussion or to ponder
1. What does it mean to gird you minds for action? verse 13
2. How do we avoid the pitfalls of conforming to former lusts verse 14?
3. What does it mean to you that you are called to be holy verse 15?
4. Verse 22 tells us to fervently love one another? Does the church do a good job of doing that? How could we do that better?

 

[Josiah]

Some of my thoughts....


First Peter 1:13-25


Verse 13-14. “Therefore” is a word easily ignored – but in Greek, it’s often pivotal. The Gospel was preached to you… preparing your minds FOR ACTION. The Law makes us lowly and humble (not full of self) and the Gospel fills us with grace and directs us to Christ, our Savior. Of course, this has the result of salvation – here and hereafter, but there is ANOTHER fruit of this that Peter now directs us: a changed life. We have left behind our “former ignorance” our now our “newness,” our new Master, our new life is to shine forth.

This section addresses “sanctification” – the process of becoming Christ-like, the process of growing up (including in our thoughts and words and deeds), the process of discipleship. Peter stresses that this FOLLOWS justification; our life is not the cause of our salvation (rendering Jesus a waste of time… and blood) but rather our life is a result of our salvation. Now that we are His own, we are called to LIVE as His own. We are “born again” for heaven but also for here; born to live a new life. Not so that God will love us but because God loves us.

Verse 16. See Matthew 5:48. The quote is one of the most quoted passages in all Scripture by the Jews, Leviticus 19:2. This, of course, is pure Law. It condemns us when we realize we have FAILED (and truth is, we always will). Yet, for the “born again” one, for the Christian, we have forgiveness, we have no condemnation, so there is another issue here – THIS is what God calls us to be, this is our new identity, our new purpose and mission. See Philippians 3:12-14.

Verse 17. Is this a contradiction of the Gospel (I ask as an idiot!)? Of course not, but the issue here is not justification (being saved) but sanctification (living as He desires; being Christ-like). “Exile” See 1:1. But not only were the original readers “exiles” in the sense that a lot of them had been pushed by persecution away from their homes, but in the sense that Heaven is our real home; we are “pilgrims” in a foreign land (even if we live our whole lives on earth in one place); our “home” is heaven, with God our Father.

Verses 18-19. Why should we live differently, as exiles? BECAUSE we HAVE BEEN (note the verb tense) ransomed by the precious blood of Jesus! Sanctification follows justification, Peter stresses. Our changed life doesn’t CAUSE our changed relationship with God, our changed relationship with God changes our life (or should!).

“Without spot or blemish” See John 8:29 and 46, John 17:19, John 18:38, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Matthew 27:4 and 19).

“Precious blood of Christ.” Peter, a cradle Jew, always had in mind the BLOODY, messy, Old Testament sacrifices. For a “city boy” like me, I don’t like that bloody stuff. I eat meat, but only prepackaged and presented in a manner that is not recognizable as having ever been alive. I can’t fish because I’d cheer for the fish. It’s a common, modern (and probably urban) attitude. But it’s a VERY unjewish one – and pretty unchristian, at least when it comes to the Cross. We prefer the Cross be a pretty piece of jewelry, with no bloody Jesus on it. Nice. Sanitized. Pretty. But that’s NOT the Cross! The Cross was ugly, horrible, painful, injust, bloody mess! Jesus was tortured, in unbelievable pain, a BLOODY MESS! In the past 200 years or so of Christianity, we’ve taken Christ off the Cross (at least in most of Protestantism) – with a CHRISTLESS, bloodless Cross, all pretty now (Catholics, Orthodox, some Anglicans and some Lutherans retain the Crucifix – but a Christless, bloodless cross dominates in the rest of Christianity); old hymns about the “blood of Jesus” are either rarely sung these days or those stanzas have been changed to get rid of that “blood” stuff. We want Christianity to be pretty, neat, clean, sweet. It’s not. At its core is a bleeding Jesus – and it’s blood given for US! It’s blood that gives us life. Life – real life – is in the Blood. The Blood of Jesus. Shed. For you and me.

Verse 20-21. Peter now turns to Easter. And reminds us that our faith and hope are because of and focused on this Christ – made manifest, raised, gloried! Our faith, our hope is NOT in ourselves (our works, decisions, surrenderings, etc) but rather “IN GOD.”

Verse 22. On this foundation, BECAUSE of what Christ did, BECAUSE of who we are by the mercy of God in Christ, BECAUSE of that bloody Cross and empty Tomb – we are to love. How can we receive ALL that…. How can we know ALL that… and be unchanged, unchanging? See John 13:34. To be “Christlike” (the point in this section) is to be moral, but even more (and inseparable from that), to be LOVING, to love as He loved – and that is best defined by that Cross….

Verses 23-25. ‘Abiding word….good news preached to you.” All over Scripture, we see this profound emphasis on Scripture (and here – especially the Gospel). We are not the Savior, and thus we cannot save (ourselves or anyone else). JESUS earned it, the HOLY SPIRIT brings it to us – and empowers us to believe, to rely, and thus to apprehend and receive it. The Spirit does that via the “Means of Grace.” The MEANS or tools or ways that God gets this salvation to us. In the very broadest sense, this can be anything. We all have our own “stories” of how faith dawned and grew in us. But in the more narrow sense, Lutherans speak of two things as these “means” – the Gospel (what Peter speaks of here) and the Sacraments (Luther actually speaks of these as one thing). In our stories, we usually speak of the Word and how it CHANGED us – but the Word conveyed variously: Sunday School lessons, Bible songs, Arch Books, pastor’s kid sermons, hymns sung in church, someone who somehow “put it together” for you…. It may not have been from READING the Bible, verse by verse – but it’s still the written Word presented…. Differently. Technically (as Peter points out), it’s the GOSPEL as revealed in the written Word, the Good News. While God uses the Law to prepare our hearts, it’s only the Gospel that brings faith to our hearts.

1. What does it mean to gird you minds for action? verse 13

Christianity is not about emotions, it's about doing... Peter is calling us move out, to love as we've been loved, to DO.

2. How do we avoid the pitfalls of conforming to former lusts verse 14?

I'm not sure "WE" do very well at this! Maybe avoiding "those" websites? Much of mass media?

3. What does it mean to you that you are called to be holy verse 15?

Matthew 5:48 The Law is that we are to be perfect and holy - exactly as and to the same extent as God is. There's no such verse as "Try really hard." Or "Be better than the worse person you can find to compare yourself to." The bar is high! And we need to aim high.... not because we can "hit" it but because if we aim for less we'll hit that! But remember: "falling short of the mark" is the DEFINITION of sin. There's motivation AND humility here.

4. Verse 22 tells us to fervently love one another? Does the church do a good job of doing that?

Ask the world.... ask just about any non-church person.... sadly, they'll answer this with a loud and bold "NO!". The early Christians were known for their love (which must have made Jesus smile ... it IS exactly what He said would be the mark of the church!). I think today we're known for being anything and everything BUT. We need to work on that....

How could we do that better?

... let it begin with me.




Thank you.


- Josiah

 

[NewCreation435]

3 Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming


Peter mentions Knowledge or the mind often in his writings. He saw a direct association with knowledge and with transformation. Alert and sober tells me that the mind is a place that is actively involved in our living holy lives. We are to transform our thinking as it says in Romans 12:2. We are to be careful about the way in which we live knowing that we are going to have to give an account of our lives, thoughts, actions and words.