1 Peter 1:13-21

Christ within is our only hope! His birth, His death and His glorious resurrection given as the greatest gift that mankind can receive!

Faith pleases God!

1 Peter 1:13–21

13 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 14 as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; 15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

17 And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; 18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. 20 He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you 21 who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

Just as people in biblical times would gather up their long robes and tie them around their waists so that they could move quickly and freely, we need to do whatever it takes to focus our thoughts on those things that allow us to serve God successfully, all the while eliminating any thoughts that would trip us up. Peter’s concern here is primarily using mentally or spiritually sound judgment. We need to exhibit confidence that God will accomplish all that He promised He would do.

Believers should not pattern their lives after the desires that controlled them when they were not Christians, when they did not know God’s ways. Holy refers to being set apart or separate. We are to live so as to be dedicated totally to God and separated totally from the sin of this world. Our heavenly Father is also our earthly Judge. Moreover, our relationship to Him as His children does not imply that we will escape judgment. God does not show favoritism in judgment but invokes His judgment on all people according to their works. For Christians, this phrase should be understood as something between terror and reverential awe. We need to remember that God is both our merciful Savior and our holy Judge.

Redeemed suggests the idea of offering something, usually money, in exchange for the freedom of a slave or a prisoner of war. God bought our freedom, paying for us with His Son’s life. Peter’s focus is not on any specific action, but on the way of life that his readers inherited from their ancestors. Those old ways were futile, empty of power and incapable of securing salvation. Peter’s readers needed to be snatched from their hopeless condition. God’s way of salvation is contrasted to human attempts at gaining salvation through the use of earthly means. Peter describes Christ as the ultimate sacrificial Lamb, who is offered in our place to pay the price for our sins. The analogy here may be a reference either to the Passover lamb or to the many lambs without blemish that were offered as part of the OT sacrificial system.

God has known the One who would bring salvation, even as He has known those to whom that salvation is offered and secured. This phrase contrasts with the first half of the verse. What was known only to God before the creation of the world is now made known to us. NKJ Bible.

Christians are called to anticipate and live in anticipation of their salvation. Christ’s resurrection is the basis for Christian hope; His final revelation will complete God’s deliverance of His people. Due to its emphasis on separation from previous behavior, the phrase may indicate that Peter wrote the letter to churches composed primarily of Gentile believers who did not abide by the Jewish law. Holiness can refer to being blameless and without sin, but it also describes a person set apart for service to God. Here Peter cites the Septuagint version of Leviticus 19:2 to exhort Christians to lead holy lives. However, for Peter true holiness does not consist of keeping the law, but instead obeying the Father. God calls His people to holiness—to reflect His character.

Peter commands Christians to fear God, not those who persecute them. First Peter often highlights the costly nature of Christ’s sacrifice and the salvation it made possible. This may refer to a lamb qualified for sacrifice. Here Peter likens Christ’s sacrifice to that of a lamb offered according to the ot sacrificial system or, more likely, the Passover lamb in the exodus narrative. In the nt, Christ is depicted as the perfect Passover lamb whose sacrifice redeems believers from the slavery of sin. God’s redemption of sinners through the precious blood of His Son was always part of the divine plan of salvation. Earlier in the letter Peter reminds his audience that the ot prophets anticipated salvation here he seeks to comfort them with the knowledge that Christ’s sacrifice unfolded as part of God’s eternal plan. Faithlife Bible.

Exodus 12:5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats.

Leviticus 11:45 For I am the LORD who brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.

Leviticus 19:2 “Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.

Leviticus 20:7 Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am the LORD your God.