set apart (1 Peter 1:13-25)

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Psalms 5, 6; 1 Peter 1:13-25

"As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passion of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written,
"You shall be holy, for I am holy."
(1 Peter 1:14-16)

This section has a couple of principle points, but many of the truths we noted yesterday Peter repeats in these verses as well. He begins this section by calling us to gird up our minds and to be sober-minded. Because this old prophetic message of the gospel, into which angels long to look, has come to you; and because you have been born again to a living hope through Christ's resurrection, get your minds ready for action and "set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ."

No matter what your present circumstances, grace is coming - when Jesus is revealed he will bring grace. The previous section spoke a couple of times of salvation, but each time it was in the future. This echoes that thought.

So, because of this gospel of new life through Christ's resurrection, because you are elect exiles by the foreknowledge of God in the sanctification (or holiness, or by being set apart) of the Spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling with his blood (vs. 1-2), be holy. He who calls you is holy, and said long ago "You shall be holy, for I am holy" (Levitcus 11:44).

Peter is speaking to "elect exiles" (v. 1) who "now for a little while... have been grieved through various trials" (v. 6). In the midst of difficult trials, in particular, of suffering persecution, they are to focus on their hope and on holiness. Because of the grace that will come to them they are to set themselves apart for God and for God's purposes; in their thinking and in their conduct, they are to live for the God who chose them, redeemed them, and who sets them apart for himself. This present system is not their final home, nor ours – we are sojourners and strangers (eg. in a colonizing outpost of the Empire but whose citizenship is in Rome; cf. N.T. Wright’s discussion of Philippians 3:20-21, in Surprised by Hope, pp. 100-101)

Not only is grace coming, but so is judgment (v.17) from a Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds - so during your "exile" conduct yourselves accordingly, because you were ransomed from futile ways of thinking and living by the precious blood of Christ (and in full knowledge that those who cause your suffering will also be judged). You may be going through bad things presently, even unto the shedding of your blood, but remember that Christ was foreknown before time to be the one to shed his blood to redeem you. God raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in him.

The ultimate holiness, or setting apart, as revealed in our thinking and our conduct, he seems to imply, is that we "love one another earnestly from a pure heart" (v. 22). He ties this in with our being born again through the living and abiding word of God - living in that it brings new birth and new life, and abiding in that it remains forever (unlike the grass and flowers), the good news preached to us. It's as though the heart of this imperishable seed is love. This word from God, this gospel we've received, which gives us new life, which will abide through any temporal pain, which sets us apart for obedience to the God who chose us, and which gives us living hope - is all about the love of God, God's love for us, our love for God, God's love for those around us and his love in us for those around us.

This is not a soft and mushy thing, but strong and courageous; it doesn't deny or discount pain and suffering, but embraces it and overcomes it, in faith, hope, and love. It sees way beyond present circumstances, from the lamb who from before time was to shed his blood for us to the never, ever ending word of God... For the life implanted in us is none other than the life of Jesus the Messiah, who purchased and purified us with his life blood, whom God vindicated by his resurrection, and who will bring us grace when he is revealed and when we who trust and obey him will also be vindicated.