Incentives To Live a Godly Lifestyle

In his first epistle, the apostle Peter speaks much about the necessity of a godly lifestyle. Unlike paganism, which promotes a lifestyle of idolatry, which is worship of creation and is, in reality, devil worship, biblical Christianity instructs us to worship only the triune God.

Jesus taught that devil worship is real: “Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.  ‘All this I will give you,’ he said, ‘if you will bow down and worship me.’  Jesus said to him, ‘Away from me, Satan! For it is written: “Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only”’” (Matt. 4:8–11). Either we will worship the true and living God, or we will worship the devil. Those who worship the devil do so by worshiping creation.

Peter already spoke about the necessity of a godly lifestyle, saying, “It is written, ‘Be holy, because I am holy’” (1 Pet. 1:16). The true and living God of Christianity is holy; therefore, his people must be holy. In verses 17–21, Peter gives us several more incentives for us to practice holy worship and holy living.

I. God Is Holy

The first incentive is that God himself is holy. Because our God is holy, we who are true Christians are to be like our heavenly Father in our being and our actions. We are to be holy in our lifestyle and our conduct, in every thought, word, and deed. Why? Because we are no longer pagans, dead in trespasses and sins. We have been made alive by the Holy Spirit. We are God’s new creations, created in Christ Jesus to be like God, to do good works, which God prepared for us in advance that we should do them.

As God’s people, we will work out our salvation with fear and trembling because God himself is working in us to will and to do according to his good purpose. We who are God’s people are to be like our Father in heaven. Therefore, our lifestyle must be holy and we will hear and do what God tells us to do. Now we are to do all things for the glory of God and, therefore, for our own eternal happiness. As the catechism says, “The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.” God has rescued us from the dominion of the devil and brought us into the kingdom of his beloved Son so that we may confess and serve the Lord Jesus Christ every day.

II. God Is Our Father

The second incentive is that God is our Father (v. 17). The father of every unbeliever is the devil. Therefore, all unbelievers are like the devil in their being and actions. Jesus told a crowd of listeners, “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). Unbelievers cannot be godly nor can they become good. The Lord Jesus will send them all to hell unless they repent, believe, and obey him (Matt. 25:41; Rom. 9:22).

As God’s people, we call upon God our Father for help, as Jesus taught us: “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:9–10). We are his adopted children.

Having God as our Father is the highest privilege we can enjoy. In Jewish culture, the father in the home ranked higher in respect than a judge. It was his job to command and to teach. Others were to hear and fear and do. And because our Father loves his children, he does not fail to discipline them with the rod.  The Hebrews writer speaks about this, “Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness” (Heb. 12:10). God disciplines us that we may do his will and share in his holiness, for without holiness, no one can see God. Because our heavenly Father loves us, he will discipline us to make us holy.

III. God Is Our Judge

The third incentive is that God is our Judge. Abraham spoke to God and said, “Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Gen. 18:25). God is our Judge, and he does not show favoritism. As Judge, he judges our works impartially. We cannot bribe him, as people tried to do with the unrighteous judge of Luke 18. God judges everything, even our post-conversion good works. And God judges everyone, both the wicked and the righteous. He does so now, in history, that is, in our lifetimes, and he will do so also on the last day. Paul refers to this, “You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. . . . So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God” (Rom. 14:10, 12).

In the visible church on earth, there are both godly and ungodly people. There are children of God and children of the devil, like Judas, Ananias, Sapphira, and Demas. In due time, the children of the devil will walk away from God’s holy church. In other words, in due time, their foot will slip. Double-minded people are unstable in all their ways.

John wrote about such church people: “They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us” (1 John 2:19). Three times he uses the word “belong.” Those who belong to the Lord Jesus Christ will belong to the true church. They will go where the gospel is preached and holiness is practiced. But those who do not belong to Christ will eventually go out, demonstrating that they, in reality, belong to the devil. Such people will usually go from church to church. Whenever a pastor preaches about holiness, they will not like it. They will leave, showing that they are not true children of God.

Because God is our Judge, we must fear him as we live our brief time as resident aliens in this world. We must live as Abraham lived, in faith and in fear. We must live in holy fear, working out our salvation with fear and trembling. The psalmist tells us, “Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him” (Ps. 2:11–12). He also says, “But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared” (Ps. 130:4).

We must never take our heavenly Father for granted. And we must realize that he will never spoil his children. Instead, he will be careful to discipline us. So Paul writes about a sinning man, “Hand this man over to Satan, so that [his flesh] may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord” (1 Cor. 5:5). He also says, “That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep” (1 Cor. 11:30).

So God is our Father, but he is also our Judge. Look at the New Testament church. In Acts 5:5 we read, “When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened.” Later, in Acts 9 we read, “Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord” (Acts 9:31).

Why is it good to fear the Lord? In Exodus 20:20 we read, “Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.’”

Do you have fear of God? Is the fear of God with you in all areas of your life to keep you from sinning? The Holy Spirit is called “the Spirit of the fear of the Lord” (Isa. 11:2–3). If the Holy Spirit is resting on us, we will have fear of the Lord. Jesus delighted in the fear of the Lord, and he never sinned.

Those whom God has effectually called, justified, and adopted will be glorified. But they must live holy lives. Such people will enjoy eternal security in Jesus Christ. He said, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand” (John 10:28–29). God’s people are holy people and they are secure in Christ.

John Newton’s hymn “Amazing Grace” says, “’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved.” When we fear God, we will not fear anyone else. And we will live in this world in holy fear of our God, which means that we will live according to God’s standard, the Bible.

How, then, should we live? Paul says, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? . . . ‘Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.’ ‘I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty’” (2 Cor. 6:14, 17–18).

Soon we must exit from this world, and we are already seeing the effects of death in our bodies. We will not live 969 years, as Methuselah did. Perhaps we will live seventy, or, by reason of strength, eighty years. But we are like shadows. We are like falling blossoms. We are like grass that withers. David said, “We are aliens and strangers in your sight, as were all our forefathers. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope” (1 Chron. 29:15). Soon we must die. Then what? If we are Christians, when we die, we will go to our real eternal home in heaven to be with God our Father forever. For a Christian, to die is a blessed condition. It is precious, it is gain, and it is far better, says Paul.

IV. God Is Our Redeemer

The fourth incentive is that God is our Redeemer. He sent his Son Jesus to redeem us who were slaves, in Adam, to sin and to the devil. Jesus himself said, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:28).

Jesus Christ is our go-ēl, our kinsman/redeemer, our Boaz. In the eternal council, God planned our salvation, the Son agreed to accomplish our redemption by his incarnation, and the Holy Spirit agreed to apply redemption to every elect in Christ.

God is our Redeemer, as Isaiah declares: “‘Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob, O little Israel, for I myself will help you,’ declares the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel” (Isa. 41:14). We have been redeemed from our life of idolatry, the sinful lifestyle we inherited from our forefathers, going back to Adam. We were conceived in sin and born sinners, to practice only sin. By nature, we were morally incapable of pleasing God. We were like those of whom we read, “The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time” (Gen. 6:5).

Jesus himself said, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are the things that make a man unclean” (Matt. 15:19). We needed nothing less than a new heart, a new mind, a new will, and new affections. We needed the miracle of regeneration. But we could not perform it ourselves. God is the only one who can perform this miracle of re-creation.

Thank God, he redeemed us from the curse of the law and from all our wickedness. Now, as our Redeemer, God owns us—all that we are and all that we have.

Paul writes, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree’” (Gal. 3:13). He also says, “[Christ] gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good” (Titus 2:14). How do you know you are born again? You will be zealous to do the will of God as it comes to you from your mother and father and teachers and pastors. You will hear the word of God and gladly run to do it.

So because God redeemed us, he owns us. Paul says, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body” (1 Cor. 6:19–20). Our bodies are not our own. They are entrustments to us, that we may serve God with them.

V. The High Cost of Redemption

The fifth incentive to holy living is the high cost of our redemption. Verse 18 begins in the Greek text with the word eidotes, “knowing.” What should we know? The high cost of our redemption.

True believers are those who use their minds to understand theology and put it into practice in their lives. Jesus said we are to love our God with all our mind (Luke 10:27). We have the mind of Christ and we make judgments on all things (1 Cor. 2:14–16). If you want to know the nature of things, speak to a pious and learned pastor and fellow Christians who speak from the Bible. Let God be true and all men liars.

We are to know the high cost of our redemption. Our ransom price was not silver or gold. Nothing belonging to this world has any value to redeem a sinner. What can we give in exchange for our souls? The answer is, nothing (Matt. 16:26). No gold or silver or anything in all creation can purchase our redemption.

In fact, the things of this age are destined to perish. Peter tells us, “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives” (2 Pet. 3:10–11).

Creation cannot save a sinner, and we do not believe in pantheism. Only God can save a sinner justly. But, thank God, God loves us as he loves his own Son (John 17:23), and he saved us. (PGM) That is all we need to know. John wrote, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Paul says, “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Rom. 8:32).

The price of our redemption is the precious blood of Christ. Paul writes, “In [Christ] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace” (Eph. 1:7). Those worshiping the Lamb in heaven sang of this:  “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation” (Rev. 5:9). And the Hebrews writer tells us that there is no forgiveness without the shedding of blood (Heb. 9:22).

Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, is the perfect Passover lamb, a lamb without any spot or defect (Exod. 12:5). John the Baptist identified him as such: “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).

Jesus alone is perfect. The Hebrews writer says, “Such a high priest meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens” (Heb. 7:26). And Jesus himself asked this question: “Can any of you prove me guilty of sin?” (John 8:46). The answer is, no one can prove him guilty because he is sinless.

Christ died as our substitute, as our atoning sacrifice. He gave his life for our ransom, for the forgiveness of our sins, for our justification, and for our glorification. Paul writes, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” But then he adds, “and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Rom. 3:23–24). God could justify us justly because Christ died our death on the cross. He shed his blood so that our consciences may be cleansed (Heb. 9:14), so that we could have access to God (Heb. 10:19), so that we could experience cleansing from sins (1 John 1:7), so that we can resist the devil (Rev. 12:11), and so that we could be rescued from the sinful lifestyle inherited from our forebears (1 Pet. 1:19).

Knowing this high cost of our redemption ought to motivate us to seek to please God by living a holy, obedient life. This highest price proves God’s great love for us in his Son before the creation of the world. By his word, God created the world. But it required his own blood to save us.

VI. God Planned Our Salvation through Christ

The sixth incentive to holy living is the truth that God planned our salvation in Christ in eternity. The Son was chosen and predestined to accomplish our redemption by the Father in eternity before the creation of the world. And we were chosen in the Son to be saved in time by hearing and believing the gospel as it is preached by his appointed ministers. Paul writes, “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight” (Eph. 1:4). God chose us in Christ before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless, and we will be holy and blameless.

Paul also writes, “[God] has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Tim. 1:9–10). Notice, this grace was given to us in Christ “before the beginning of time.” In other words, holy living is not an addendum to God’s plan for us. It is the central teaching of the Scripture. Jesus said, “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away” (John 6:37). The eternally elect of God will hear the gospel, believe the gospel, and live holy lives. When we see disobedient, wicked people pretending to be Christians, we should realize that they are false. Such people masquerade in the church as people of God when, in truth, they do not belong to him (2 Cor. 11:13–15; 1 John 2:19).

The Son was chosen in eternity to accomplish redemption for us as God/man, but he was revealed to the world in the last times. The period called “the last times” began with Christ’s first coming and will end when he comes again to glorify his people and judge his enemies. Jesus does these things by the appointment of his heavenly Father. Peter said, “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people” (Acts 2:17). So the “last days” began with Christ’s first coming; we are now living in the last times. The purpose of our lives in this world is to be saved by faith in God, that is, by faith in his Son, who was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised for our justification.

When we believe in Jesus Christ, we will believe in God the Father also. Jesus said, “He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me” (Matt. 10:40). He also said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). There is no salvation outside of Christ and outside of a true church where the gospel is preached. There are true churches, and there are also synagogues of Satan. A true church will preach the true gospel of salvation through Christ alone. In Acts 4:12 we read, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

In Matthew 17, we read what God the Father said about his Son: “While [Peter] was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!’” (Matt. 17:5). Peter tells us the Father raised Christ from the dead. So we read, “But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him” (Acts 2:24). Why could death not hold him? Because he never sinned. The wages of sin is death; Jesus never sinned. The resurrection of Christ is the proof of his moral perfection.

Additionally, the Father gave him all glory. Speaking prophetically about Christ, Daniel said, “He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed” (Dan. 7:14). And Jesus himself said that the Father gave him all authority in heaven and on earth (Matt. 28:20). It is he who is commanding us to repent and believe. Jesus also said, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory” (Matt. 25:31). Paul says, “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:9–11). Jesus Christ commands all people to confess him and bow their knees to him.

We are not doing a favor to Jesus Christ when we put our trust in him. He is doing us a favor by redeeming us from hell itself. Jesus said, “Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him” (John 5:22–23). We do not beg you to believe in Jesus Christ; we command you to believe in Christ for your own eternal salvation. Soon we all must die. Ours is only a brief stay as resident aliens in this world.

VII. God’s Eternal Purpose

The seventh incentive is God’s eternal purpose that all men honor the Son by confessing him as Lord and living for him in obedience. He who honors the Son honors the Father. In Ephesians 2:2 we read about children of disobedience, but in 1 Peter 1:14 we read about children of obedience. When we are born again, we will experience radical, fundamental change so that we who were children of disobedience will become children of obedience.

Have you done the one thing needful in this short life? Have you committed your life to the Lord Jesus Christ and therefore to God the Father? I pray that you will fear God, trust in God, hope in God, rejoice in God, and glorify God and enjoy him forever, knowing this truth, that God the Father loves us as he loves his own Son.

When should you trust in Christ? Today is the day of salvation. We cannot presume on the future. Paul writes, “As God’s fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. For he says, ‘In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation’” (2 Cor. 6:1–2). Therefore, I exhort you: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ today, and you will be saved, and your entire family.