1 Peter 1- "What Does It Mean To Be Holy?"

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1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

These first verses of 1 Peter tell us the author is Peter, the apostle of Jesus. Many consider Peter to be the chief apostle of the early church, along with the apostle Paul. They played different roles but had similar influence on the early church. Similar to James, this letter is written to exiles in the area we call Asia Minor (modern day Turkey). 

Peter starts but pointing out that they have been chosen by God from the beginning. The Holy Spirit had called them and set them apart from the world. As such they were called to be obedient to Jesus. You can see the 3 persons of the Trinity are all mentioned in these first verses. 

Praise to God for a Living Hope

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Peter describes the hope they have through the resurrection as a "living hope". This living hope is a gift of the Holy Spirit when we become a believer. Hope is one of the most powerful fruits of the Holy Spirit. Hope is important especially when we go through hard times, which will be the subject of Peter's letter. 

Part of the hope is the inheritance we have stored up for us in heaven. The inheritance we have received is imperishable. Our inhertiance is waiting for us in heaven. As we persevere through our trials here on earth, it is good to remember this inheritance we will receive one day. 

In fact, Peter says they can even "rejoice" in all of the different types of trials they are undergoing. As you read in the introduction, this was the beginning of the severe persecution under Nero, the Roman Emperor. Nero saw the Christians as a threat to his power. Peter tells them to rejoice in their trials, because these trials were purifying their faith. Just like the fire refines precious metals, so trials burn up the impurities in our lives. What is left is pure gold, which will be revealed in us when Jesus is revealed. 

Though they could not see Jesus, the joy they felt even in their trials were a foretaste of their inheritance and what they would experience when they met Jesus face to face. 

The key theme here is that as Christians we are going to face trials and suffer in this life, but they are not worthy to be compared with what is stored up for us in heaven. When Jesus returns to take us home all of our afflictions will be taken from us. 

10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, 11 trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

The suffering of Jesus was predicted by the prophets, in particular Isaiah. These prophets looked forward to the day when Christians would see the sufferings of Jesus followed by his resurrection from the dead. Those who preached the gospel to them were sent by this same Holy Spirit to reveal these things that even angels longed to see. 

 It was important to Peter – and to all the New Testament writers – to demonstrate that their teaching was no novelty, but that it was testified beforehand by the prophets. Understanding this made salvation so much greater in the mind of Peter’s afflicted readers. - Guzik

One may only imagine how excited Isaiah would have been to read the Gospel of John. The Old Testament prophets knew so much; yet much was hidden to them, including the character of the Church (Ephesians 3:4-6) and the very essence of life and immortality (2 Timothy 1:10). - Guzik

Be Holy

13 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. 14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

As they waited for Jesus to return, they needed to remember to not be prone to wander back to their old ways when they did not know Christ. By keeping focused on what was the come, they could leave their past behind them. Though they had previously lived in ignorance, they now knew the truth and were accountable to live a life set apart for God. 

He reminds of the Old Testament passage, "Be holy, because I am holy." Leviticus 11

There is a lot of misconceptions around this word "holy". We hear terms like "holier than thou" or "holy roller" which gives the term holiness a negative connotation. We are holy because of our calling to be sons and daughters of God. We can't make ourselves more or less holy by our own efforts. It is the Holy Spirit living inside of us that makes us holy.  

Because we still live with a sinful nature, we are constantly tempted to do "unholy" things. It is only when we live by the power of the Holy Spirit that we can lead truly holy lives. This holiness is demonstrated by the fruit of the Holy Spirit. The fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control. Often self-control is the one we focus on the most but all of the other fruits show our holiness as well. 

I think the most important thing to realize is that we are holy because of Christ in us the hope of glory. 

As Paul says in Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ and the life I now lead, I live by faith n the Son of the God who loved me and gave himself up for me." 

17 Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. 18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 20 He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. 21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.

As they thought about the life they were called to live as "foreigners", they needed to remember they were redeemed with a price, Jesus' own precious blood. As we give our lives to God, it is in response to what God has done for us. We don't do it to earn His love, but because we have His love. 

It is my opinion that it is only as we consistently and intentionally focus on what Jesus did for us on the cross that we can be freed to live the life we have been called to live. If we obey God because we are trying to impress someone else or are doing it for a leader, it will never last. 

22 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.[b] 23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. 24 For, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, 25 but the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you.

One of the ways we respond to God's love in Christ is to love others deeply. It is not until you experience the unconditional love of God, that you can truly love another person. The new obedience we have for God comes as a result of being born again through the Word of God. We know Jesus is the Word of God, but for this analogy Peter uses the word of God as a metaphor for the imperishable seed. 

Peter here quoted from Isaiah 40:6-8. The word of the LORD certainly has endured. It has survived centuries of manual transcription, of persecution, of ever changing philosophies, of all kinds of critics, of neglect both in the pulpit and in the pew, of doubt and disbelief – and still, the word of the LORD endures forever!

By being in God's Word every day, you are reminded of the truth that never changes. We get bombarded with so many messages every day that are not consistant with the bible. When we stay in God's Word the lies of the enemy are easy to spot in our own thoughts and what we see happening in the world. When you know the truth you can recognize the lie. 

Thank God for His Written Word, the Incarnate Word Jesus, and the Word that is proclaimed to you by your preachers and teachers! God's Word will endure forever!