Holy Living in a Hostile World Text: 1 Peter 1:13-16
Introduction: The Logic of Salvation
The Apostle Peter has spent the first twelve verses of this letter unpacking the sheer, unadulterated, mind-bending reality of our salvation. He has told us that we have been born again to a living hope, that we have an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for us. He has told us that our faith, tested by fire, will result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. This is the great indicant of our faith. This is what God has done. It is a statement of fact, a declaration of reality.
And now, beginning in verse thirteen, Peter pivots. He moves from the indicant to the imperative. He moves from "this is what is" to "therefore, this is what you must do." This is the standard pattern of the New Testament epistles, and it is the very logic of the Christian life. Doctrine is never given to us as an abstract set of truths to be filed away in our heads. Doctrine is the foundation upon which the house of our obedience is built. Because God has saved you, because He has made you a new creation, because He has given you a living hope, therefore live this way. The command to be holy is not a ladder we climb to get to God; it is the logical and necessary response to the fact that God, in His grace, has come all the way down to us.
We live in an age that has inverted this. Our culture is drowning in imperatives without any indicants. "Be a good person." On what basis? "Follow your heart." Which one, the deceitful one? "Be true to yourself." Which self, the old man or the new? The world gives commands from a vacuum, which is why its morality is arbitrary, shifting, and ultimately tyrannical. But the Christian life is different. Our obedience is not a grim duty performed to earn favor, but a joyful, logical response to grace already received. Peter is about to tell us how to walk, but only after he has spent twelve verses telling us where we stand.
The Text
Therefore, having girded your minds for action, being sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, not being conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your conduct; because it is written, “YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.”
(1 Peter 1:13-16 LSB)
Get Your Head in the Game (v. 13)
The first imperative flows directly from the glorious reality of our salvation.
"Therefore, having girded your minds for action, being sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 1:13)
The word "therefore" is the hinge. Because of everything I just said, here is what you do. The first command is a call to mental preparation. "Gird up the loins of your mind." This is a wonderfully earthy metaphor. In the ancient world, men wore long, flowing robes. If you needed to run, or fight, or work strenuously, you would gather up the loose ends of your robe and tuck them into your belt, so you wouldn't trip over them. It was an act of preparation for strenuous action.
Peter applies this to our minds. He is telling us to get rid of mental clutter. He is commanding us to gather up all the loose, flapping, distracting thoughts that trip us up, all the worldly anxieties, the foolish daydreams, the sinful imaginations, and tuck them away. The Christian life is a battle, and you cannot go into battle with a floppy, undisciplined mind. You must be mentally tough, focused, and ready for action. This is the opposite of the lazy, passive consumption of information that our digital age encourages.
Hand in hand with this is the command to be "sober in spirit." This means more than just avoiding drunkenness, though it certainly includes that. It means to be clear-headed, serious-minded, and free from spiritual intoxication. The world is constantly trying to get us drunk on its own foolishness, its own priorities, its own fleeting pleasures. A sober Christian is one who sees the world for what it is, who is not swept away by fads or panics, and who can make sound judgments based on the Word of God.
And what is the object of this girded, sober mind? "Fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." Your hope is not to be a partial hope. It is not to be a divided hope. It is not hope fixed 20% on your 401k, 30% on your health, and 50% on Jesus. It is to be fixed completely on the grace that is coming. Notice the tense. This grace is future. It is the final, glorious consummation of our salvation when Christ returns. Peter is telling us to live now in light of that future reality. The Christian life is a forward-looking life. We are pilgrims, and our gaze is fixed on the Celestial City. This future hope is what gives us the strength and stability to be mentally tough and sober in the present.
Obedience Defines the Family (v. 14)
Peter now moves from our mental posture to our moral conduct, grounding it in our new identity.
"As obedient children, not being conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance," (1 Peter 1:14 LSB)
Our new identity is that of "obedient children." We have been born again (1:3), so we are children of God. And the family resemblance in God's family is obedience. This is a direct contrast to the "sons of disobedience" that Paul talks about in Ephesians (Eph. 2:2). You are either a child of obedience or a child of disobedience. There is no third category.
This new identity requires a radical break with the past. We are not to be "conformed to the former lusts." The word "conformed" means to be pressed into a mold, to take on the shape of something else. Before we were Christians, our lives were shaped by our lusts. Our desires were the mold. We were ignorant of God's law and God's grace, and so we simply did what we felt like doing. Our passions, our appetites, our cravings, these things dictated the shape of our lives.
But now, as children of God, we have a new pattern. We are no longer to let the world, the flesh, and the devil press us into their mold. This is a constant battle. The world is always trying to squeeze you back into its way of thinking and living. It wants you to share its anxieties, laugh at its dirty jokes, and pursue its empty ambitions. Peter says no. You are a new person now. You have a new Father, and you must reflect His character, not the character of your ignorant past.
The Non-Negotiable Standard (v. 15-16)
If we are not to be conformed to our old lusts, what is the new pattern? Peter gives it to us plainly.
"but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your conduct; because it is written, “YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.”" (1 Peter 1:15-16 LSB)
The pattern is God Himself. Our standard is not a set of abstract rules, but a person: "the Holy One who called you." God's character is the blueprint for our character. The word "holy" means to be set apart, to be distinct, to be other. God is utterly distinct from His creation. He is transcendent, pure, and morally perfect. And because He has called us out of the world and into fellowship with Himself, we are also to be distinct from the world.
This holiness is not a partial requirement. It is to be in "all your conduct." It is not something you put on for church on Sunday and take off on Monday morning. It is to permeate every area of your life, your thoughts, your words, your business dealings, your entertainment, your family life. Every square inch of your life is to be consecrated to God, set apart for His purposes.
And Peter does not leave this hanging on his own authority. He anchors it in the Old Testament, quoting from Leviticus. "Because it is written, 'YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.'" This is not a new idea. This has always been God's requirement for His covenant people. God's nature does not change, and therefore the moral demand on His people does not change. He is holy, and He will only dwell with a holy people. The reason Israel was given the ceremonial law, the dietary laws, the laws about clothing, was to constantly teach them this lesson: you are a people set apart. You are different because your God is different.
Of course, we know that no one can achieve this holiness perfectly. We are not saved by our holiness. But we are saved unto holiness. The grace of God in Jesus Christ not only forgives our unholiness, but it also empowers us, through the Holy Spirit, to grow in holiness. The command is not "be holy to get saved," but rather "because you are saved, be holy." It is the family business. It is what we were made for. God's holiness is the reason for our holiness. He is the standard, the source, and the goal.
Conclusion: Grace and Gumption
So what do we do with this? Peter has laid out a clear, logical progression. Because you have a living hope secured in heaven, you must prepare your mind for action. You must think clearly and soberly. You must fix your hope on the end of the story, on the grace that is coming when Jesus returns.
This hope is not a passive, lazy thing. It is the fuel for a life of active obedience. As children of God, you must refuse to be squeezed back into the mold of your old life, a life that was shaped by ignorant desires. Instead, you are to be shaped by the very character of the God who called you. You are to be holy in everything you do, because He is holy.
This is a high calling. It is an impossible calling, in our own strength. But remember where Peter started. He started with the God who caused us to be born again. He started with the power that is guarding us for our salvation. The same grace that saved you is the grace that sanctifies you. The command to be holy is not a burden to crush us, but an invitation into the very life of God. It is a call to become who we truly are in Christ. So gird up your minds. Be sober. Set your hope. And by the grace of God, be holy.