Holiness Proves Salvation

1 Peter 1:13-16
P. G. Mathew | Sunday, November 13, 2016
Copyright © 2016, P. G. Mathew

First Peter 1:13–16 tells us that the proof of salvation is holiness. In other words, our obedience to Jesus Christ proves that we are saved.

Antinomianism, which is lawlessness, prevails in today’s evangelical churches. Antinomianism says, “Believe in Jesus for your salvation but continue to live your old life of sin.” Instead of Paul’s exhortation in Ephesians 4:28 to stop stealing, antinomianism says, “He who steals, let him continue to steal, for the believer in Jesus is not under God’s law.”

Peter contradicts this popular philosophy of antinomianism and gives us five imperatives in 1 Peter 1:13–16 that we as God’s people must put into practice. The indicatives of God’s salvation must be followed by imperatives of the obedience of faith. Orthodoxy must be accompanied by orthopraxy. Christian theology must be followed by Christian ethics. Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15, 23). God condemns a dead orthodoxy.

The five imperatives in this text are: 1. Prepare your minds for serving God (v. 13); 2. Be sober, that is, self-controlled (v. 13); 3. Hope fully upon the grace of God (v. 13); 4. Stop conforming to your former evil lusts (v. 14); and, 5. Be holy in all of your behavior (vv. 15–16).

I. Prepare Your Mind to Serve God

Peter begins, “Therefore, prepare your minds for action” (v. 13). In this world, true believers in Jesus are to use their minds. Christianity is not irrational. Many churches cater to emotionalism, but we believe in the primacy of the mind. True believers will use their minds as God intended, thinking God’s thoughts after him as revealed in the Holy Bible.

First, we must realize that the mind of every unbeliever is at enmity toward God. Paul says, “Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds” (Col. 1:21). The minds of all unbelievers are also depraved. Paul says, “Furthermore, since [unbelievers] did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind to do what ought not to be done” (Rom. 1:28).

The minds of unbelievers are darkened, not enlightened. Paul writes, “They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts” (Eph. 4:18). This speaks about the total depravity of every sinner.

But the mind of every believer is a born-again mind. Paul writes, “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6). The greatest thing that can happen to a person is to have God regenerate him and give him a new mind, a new will, and new emotions with which he can worship and serve God. As believers, we are new creations that, in one sense, are greater than the first creation of the universe. The first creation came into existence by a mere command. We came into existence as born-again people because Christ paid the highest price for our salvation by his incarnation, obedience, and death on the cross. Christ’s active and passive obedience brought about our regeneration.

Additionally, every believer has the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16); thus, Paul says, we can make correct judgments on all things: “The spiritual man makes judgments about all things” (1 Cor. 2:15). We can speak correctly about politics and everything else. And we will not obey anyone who tells us to close our mouths about Jesus Christ. We are to preach the gospel as it relates to all aspects of life in this world.

As believers, we can understand the Scriptures by the Holy Spirit with our renewed minds. Paul writes, “We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us” (1 Cor. 2:12). We are enlightened by the Spirit so that we can understand what the Scriptures say. The whole of Scripture speaks about Jesus Christ and his work of salvation of his people.

With our new minds, we love God. Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matt. 22:37). That is why we do not indulge in pornography of any kind, including the pornography of false philosophies and false preaching. We must make sure we are going to a church that preaches the Bible, with pious and learned ministers of the gospel.

God himself writes his laws in the minds of his people: “This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord.  I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts” (Heb. 8:10). That is why we love the Bible; it is written within us by the Holy Spirit. And the same Spirit guides us to love and obey the Scriptures, because we are born of God.

The purpose of the coming of the Son of God was to give us understanding so that we may know and trust him. John writes, “We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true” (1 John 5:20). If you do not know him and believe in him, then you are not God’s elect. You are responsible for your sins, and God will hold you accountable for not believing in Christ. If you are outside of Christ, I pray that you will believe in him and be saved.

It is our duty to focus our minds on our Lord Jesus so that we may know his will and do it. The chief end of man, according to the Westminster Shorter Catechism, is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. Such Christianity results in a truly happy life. The kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. And this is not just one way of many that will give salvation; faith in Christ is the only way of salvation. All other ways are false. Only Jesus Christ saves us.

An unfocused, loose mind cannot know God’s will to do it, even as Elijah could not run without tucking his flowing cloak under his belt: “The power of the Lord came upon Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel” (1 Kings 18:46). We find the same idea in Exodus 12:11: “This is how you are to eat [the Passover meal]: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand.”

Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind! Do not look for a church that will entertain you, and flee any church that does not preach the gospel as the only way of salvation. Instead, go to a church where the gospel is preached seriously. We must have focused minds that understand the gospel so that we may do what the gospel demands and be blessed. Work for God by doing what God says.

A double-minded person with an unfocused mind is unstable in all his ways. We cannot serve both God and the devil. A double-minded person is one who, in reality, is single-mindedly serving the god of this age, the devil. The mind of such a person is only on earthly things. Of such people Paul writes, “Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things” (Phil. 3:19). They are always thinking of how to fulfill their lusts, not on how to please God.

Jesus warned, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15). How many people work excessively hard to make money, only then to die. My father would tell me, “Do not go after money. It is like drinking salt water; it only makes you thirsty again.” For those who chase their lusts, there is no limit.

Jesus also spoke about the rich fool. The fool said to himself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy. Eat, drink and be merry.” Then God said to him, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?” And Jesus concluded, “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:19–21). Jesus was rich. But he became poor through his incarnation so that we might become rich toward God (2 Cor. 8:9). As believers in Jesus Christ, we are rich.

Through Peter, God is commanding us, his people, to fix our minds on Jesus with focused single-mindedness. The Hebrews writer also speaks of this: “Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess” (Heb. 3:1). He is not speaking about fixing our emotions; we are to focus our minds, our thoughts, on Jesus all the time. The Hebrews writer also says, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:2).

Paul writes, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:1–3). Fixing our minds on Christ does not mean we do not go to work. No, God says we must work six days a week. But it means to fix our minds on heavenly things, not on the things of this world.

The devil blinds the minds of unbelievers so that they will not believe in Christ to be saved. But Jesus opens our minds so that we may hear the gospel and believe in him as our Lord and Savior. Paul writes, “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Cor. 4:4). Such unbelievers boast of being educated, but God calls them fools. The truth is, the devil has blinded their eyes that they will not believe in Jesus Christ.

We do not believe the way the world wants us to believe, for the world is pitch darkness. But Jesus is the light of the world, and he said that we also are the light of the world. So we believe the exact opposite of what is popular in the world.

In Luke 24:45 we read that Jesus opened the minds of his disciples so they could understand the Scriptures. No one can truly understand the Scriptures unless God opens his mind. The devil wants to close our minds and gouge out our eyes. But thank God for Jesus Christ, our God and Savior! He opens our minds that we may see who Jesus Christ is, just as the Lord opened the heart of Lydia to respond to the gospel Paul preached (Acts 16:14).

II. Be Sober-Minded, Self-Controlled

Then Peter gives another imperative: “Be self-controlled” (v. 13). The Greek word is nêphontes, which means to be sober, to be self-controlled. The fruit of the Spirit is self-control, which is Spirit-control. It is not positive thinking; that will not work. The Holy Spirit must give us sober-mindedness, self-control.

Those who are not sober are drunk. Drunkenness means unreality. A drunkard cannot see reality to make correct decisions in life. So an unbeliever suppresses the truth of God as the Lord of the universe, and the reality of the devil. Thus, unbelievers understand all reality wrongly. They are fools who say in their hearts that there is no God. So they live self-indulgent, meaningless, and purposeless lives. They are hopeless, godless, and anxious. They believe in a chance universe with no God, no devil, and no moral law. They live only to eat and drink and kill their consciences. They can even be drug addicts, trusting in opioids to keep themselves happy. They say that the Bible is full of lies, while the word of man alone is truth. They say every man is a god. To such people, freedom is freedom from the true and living God and his holy book.

Sober people are born again and Spirit-filled. They delight in the law of the Lord. They have the mind of Christ, so they see reality and make judgments about all things correctly through the lens of the Scriptures. But those who lack self-control and sobriety are like the legion-demon man—naked, restless, anti-social—whose mind was taken over by two thousand demons. After Jesus sought him, found him, and saved him, he sat down, clothed and with a sober mind, and listened to Jesus so that he might obey him. This is the picture of a true Christian, who is filled with the Spirit, having a sober, self-controlled mind. So Paul says, “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline [sound mind]” (2 Tim. 1:7). We are to think God’s thoughts after him. When we hear the word of God, we will say, “Amen,” and run to do it.

Sober people are born of the Spirit and focused on the Lord Jesus. They are Spirit-controlled and Scripture-centered. They want to please God, not themselves. So they watch and pray. They heed the words of Jesus: “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:34–36). They are the ones to whom Peter writes, “Be self-controlled [sober] and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings” (1 Pet. 5:8–9).

The devil controls all unbelievers, and he attempts to tempt and trap believers. But the Spirit helps us to be sober and resist the devil so that he will flee from us. Sober saints believe the gospel that Jesus defeated the devil by his death and resurrection, and has given us eternal life. So we can resist the devil in the name of Christ, and he will flee from us.

III. Hope Fully upon God’s Grace That Is Coming to Us

Then Peter commands, “Set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed” (v. 13). Elpisate (hope) is the main verb in the Greek text of this passage. Our hope is faith directed toward the future, when Jesus Christ will return to earth in great glory and power.

Biblical hope is not a wish or a dream. The Hebrews writer speaks about biblical hope. It rests upon the foundation of God’s oath and his promises. He writes, “Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure” (Heb. 6:17-19a).

The Bible says all unbelievers are without hope and without God in the world.  But our hope is sure and certain, for our God cannot lie and he cannot die. All his promises are sure and certain. Paul writes, “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ. And so through him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God” (2 Cor. 1:20). Our hope of the full and final salvation is eternal and is undying (1 Pet. 1:3). Paul also says that “faith, hope, and love abide” (1 Cor. 13:13). Peter tells us that our hope is in God: “Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God” (1 Pet. 1:21). Unbelievers are without hope, because they are without God.

A happy man is one who believes in Jesus, obeys Jesus, and hopes in Jesus, who declared himself the resurrection and the life. Hopeless people are those who trust in their own money, health, youth, beauty, brilliance, and power. They never trust in Christ. They mock Jesus and Christians. They see them as losers. Yet they themselves dread to die. They trust in this world and in this very short life, even though the purpose of this life is that we may come to trust in Jesus and be saved forever.

The apostle John warns, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever” (1 John 1:15–17).

Our hope must be in the Lord. Paul says, “We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God” (Rom. 5:2c). He also says, “And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit whom he has given us” (Rom. 5:5). He later declares, “For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has?  But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently” (Rom. 8:24–25).

The object of our hope is Jesus Christ, who is coming again to bring us grace and glory, our inheritance kept in heaven, our full salvation based on the grace of God alone. Christ is coming again to glorify us. Paul says, “Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body” (Phil. 3:20–21).

Jesus promised to come again to glorify us. He said, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:3). No one knows when he is coming except the Father (Matt. 24:36).

When Jesus comes again, he will reveal to all that he alone has all authority in God’s universe to save and to judge. Peter writes, “But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. . . . To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ’s sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed. . . . And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ” (1 Pet. 4:13; 5:1, 10a).

Jesus is coming to glorify us. Consider Paul’s words:

Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. (1 Cor. 15:51–58)

Jesus is coming for every obedient holy believer who is waiting and longing for his glorious appearing. So the Hebrews writer says, “Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him” (Heb. 9:28). What are you waiting for—to die? That is what unbelievers hope for.

Have you confessed Jesus Christ as your Lord? Or are you still a person without hope and without faith in Christ, governed by the god of this evil age, the devil, the tempter, the liar, and the father of all lies and lusts? I pray that you will repent and believe in Jesus even this day.

IV. Stop Conforming to Your Evil Lusts

Next, Peter says, “As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance” (v. 14). It can also be translated “stop conforming to the devil.”  The saints of God are “children of obedience,” which is a more correct translation than “obedient children.” The saints of God are children of obedience, that is, children characterized by obedience—obedience to God and obedience, therefore, to all God’s delegated authorities.

The basis of our salvation is always the grace of God, that is, the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ, who alone obeyed God perfectly. (PGM) Yet the proof of our salvation is not antinomianism, which is disobedience; rather, it is our obedience to Christ, whom we freely and voluntarily confessed as Lord. And when we live out that confession, we will be blessed. When we violate it, we will be cursed. It is that simple, because God heard our confession and will hold us to it.

So the proof of our salvation is our obedience to Jesus Christ by grace—Jesus Christ, whom God highly exalted and gave him a name that is above every name. Jesus has all authority in heaven and in earth, and, therefore, every knee will bow before him and every tongue will confess Jesus Christ is Lord, whether we like it or not. The time is coming when every person, believer or not, will be forced to make that confession.

Jesus rules in this life as Lord, in blessing and in curse. Therefore, because Christ is Lord, Paul writes, “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose” (Phil. 2:12–13). Notice the phrase “always obeyed.” Obedience is not an unusual, occasional activity. It is the nature of every believer who confessed Jesus Christ as Lord. Yet even our obedience is the work of God. God works in us and causes us to obey him. Therefore, no one can boast in his obedience.

Paul also says, “First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles also, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds” (Acts 26:20). We prove our salvation through obedience. He also says, “Let him who stole steal no longer, but let him work with his hands, that he may have something to give to those in need” (Eph. 4:28). Notice the drastic change. The unregenerate thief took what belonged to others; now, as a believer, he will work and give to those in need.

There are only two groups of people in the world: children of obedience and children of disobedience. Ephesians 2:2 speaks of “children of disobedience,” while 1 Peter 1:14 speaks of “children of obedience.” And we can further say “children of the devil” or “children of God.” All people are characterized either by obedience or disobedience.

So we are either children of obedience or children of disobedience, children of God or children of the devil. We are either children born again of the Holy Spirit or those who are not born again, but are the same old pagans, though they may be in the church. We are either children who are dead in trespasses and sins, who can only sin, or those who have been made alive to obey God because of God’s great love and rich mercy. Of the latter Peter wrote, “[You] have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 1:2). If we are not obeying Jesus Christ, whom we confessed as Lord, the Father has not chosen us and the Spirit has not sanctified us. Of such people, Peter says, “They stumble because they disobey the message [the gospel]—which is also what they were destined for” (1 Pet. 2:8). There is election and reprobation; it took place in eternity before the creation of the world. It is true that it is a mystery, yet we are all morally responsible. Thus, if you love God, consider yourself blessed.

A believer’s life is divided into two segments: the former and the present, the old life and the new life. Our old life consisted in conforming to the pattern of this world. We were characterized by worldliness, moral relativism, paganism, secularism, atheism, ignorance of the true and living God, lawlessness, and having a depraved mind, a twisted and perverse mind, that judges good as evil and evil as good (Isa. 5:20).

In our former life, our every thought was evil, which resulted in evil actions. Paul wrote about the old life: “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived” (Col. 3:5–7).

In our former life, we obeyed the devil and his antinomian ideas, which resulted in our practicing wickedness. But now, in our present life, that is, in our life in Christ, we have been born again. Now we have a new heart and new spirit. We are filled with the Holy Spirit, so we delight in God’s law. Now we are in the kingdom of God, which is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Now we hate sin and love doing God’s will. Now our chief goal in life is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. The Christian life is a happy life.

Having described the futile lives of unbelievers, Paul exhorted the Ephesians, “You, however, did not come to know Christ that way.” Then he says, “Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4:20–24).

In Genesis 4 we read about Cain and Abel. Cain represents our former sinful life, while Abel represents our new life in Christ. Now we follow Jesus Christ, who obeyed his Father in heaven perfectly. Paul teaches us this same truth, saying, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Rom. 12:2). Our pattern and model is Jesus Christ. We must think God’s thoughts as revealed in the Bible, obey God’s will, and live holy lives (Gal. 4:8–9; 1 Pet. 2:11; 1Thess. 4:3–5; Eph. 5:8–12).

The proof of our salvation is that we live holy lives as children of our holy God. Now we do the exact opposite of what sinners are doing. Notice the contrast between our old, former life of sin, and our new, present life in Christ.

1. Before, we were dead in sins; now we are alive in Christ.
2. Before, we were disobedient; now we live obedient lives.
3. Before, we practiced lawlessness; now we live according to God’s law.
4. Before, we practiced idolatry, which means worship of creation; now we worship the true and living God.
5. Before, we lived in moral darkness; now we are light in the Lord (Eph. 5:8–10).
6. Before, we had depraved minds; now we have renewed minds in Christ.
7. Before, we were old creations; now we are new creations in Christ. “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone; the new has come!” (2 Cor. 5:17).
8. Before, we were children of the devil; now we are children of God.
9. Before, we lied and stole; now we speak truth and we give freely.
10. Before, we were going to hell; now we are going to heaven.
11. Before, we were against authority; now we are under authority. If you are true children of God, you will obey your parents gladly.

V. Be Holy as God Is Holy

Finally, Peter gives the fifth command and the reason we must obey it: “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy’” (vv. 15–16).

God is holy, and it is he who effectually called us. Even before the creation of the world, he took the initiative to save us. He loved us from all eternity, he chose us, and he predestinated us to glory, to salvation, and to a rich inheritance, all on the basis of grace. Do you know what grace is? It is God giving eternal life to those who merited eternal damnation. And if we understand that, we will not worry about anything. If God is for us, who can be against us? God is around us, God is in us, and we are in God.

The God who called us is holy, and he calls us to be holy like him. As the saying goes, “Like father, like son.” In the Old Testament, we read about holy vessels, which were set apart for God’s use in the worship. So also God’s children are set apart to worship their heavenly Father. So we must be like God in our attitude and in our actions. We are God’s people. We are the bride of Christ, and Christ is holy, so his bride will be holy. John writes, “I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband” (Rev. 21:2). Jesus will have a holy bride, without spot or wrinkle, but all beautiful. God himself is making us beautiful in attitude and actions. We are already clothed with the righteousness of Christ.

We are to be holy in all our behavior; there is no exception. The Scripture says, “Wives, be submissive to your own husbands.” Peter says, “Be holy in all you do,” meaning “in all your conduct,” “in all your behavior.” This is an emphasis in Peter’s epistles. Sixty-two percent of the occurrences of the word “behavior” (anastrophê) in the New Testament are in Peter’s two epistles.

We are to be holy in all our behavior, in every aspect of our conduct. The world is darkness and we are the light, reflecting Christ’s glory in the world. We are God’s holy people and Christ’s holy bride. We are set apart from all moral filth (1 Pet. 1:18). In contrast, unbelievers are happy to live in the sewer of this world. In fact, of such people the Lord says, “My people love it so” (Jer. 5:31).

We are set apart to worship and serve God. We render to our Lord Jesus, who redeemed us sinners with his precious blood, joyful, exact, and immediate obedience in thanksgiving for our great salvation. We do so enabled by the Holy Spirit.

Obedience is not a burden to God’s people; rather, it is delightful experience. The proof of salvation is living a holy life in the Holy Spirit. Peter says, “Make your calling and election sure” (2 Pet. 1:10). That is our one responsibility in this life. It is serious because we are all going to die.

The proof of salvation is living a holy life in the Holy Spirit. Peter gives us the reason why we should be holy in verse 16: “For it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’” He was citing what God had already stated in the Old Testament.

Jesus cited the written Scriptures often, especially when he was tempted by Satan. He did so for the same reason: God said so. In other words, there is no higher authority than the word of God. God said so, and if we are God’s people, we will submit to the authority of his word. God’s word was written down by the Holy Spirit’s inspiration, and it is unchangeable because God himself does not change. So what is written in the Old Testament is true for all times. So in verse 16 Peter says, “It stands written” (gegraptai), using the same word Jesus did.

In the Old Testament it is written, “Be holy, because I am holy.” No sinner can have fellowship with the holy God, and God cannot change to become a sinner like us. So sinners must change and become holy. What is impossible with a sinner is possible with God.

God’s Son’s name is Jesus, for “he will save his people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). God chose us in eternity to be holy and blameless in Jesus, that we may enjoy everlasting fellowship with God. So we read in Hebrews 12:14, “Without holiness no one will see God.” And Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God” (Matt. 5:8). Without holiness, no one can see God. Without holiness, all will go to hell. If a person does not believe in Jesus Christ, he is going to hell.

So Peter cites written Scripture from Leviticus 11:44: “Be ye holy because I am holy.” In other words, God was saying, “If you are my children, you must be holy.” Those who are disobedient are proving that they are children of the devil, unless they repent and move on with God. God’s children are like their heavenly Father and our older brother Jesus; they are holy. The devil’s children are like their father the devil; they are wicked.

The command to be holy is not just found in the Old Testament. In both testaments, imitation of God’s moral character is the ultimate basis for our behavior, our code of ethics. So we read,

• Ephesians 5:1: “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children.”
• 1 John 1:6–7: “If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness (in sin), we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”
• 1 Thessalonians 4:7: “For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a [new] holy life.”
• 1 Corinthians 10:31: “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
• 2 Peter 3:11–12a: “Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.”
• 1 John 3:2–3: “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.”

C. H. Spurgeon said, “A sober mind will meditate much upon the love of God to you,—the eternal love, the boundless love, the love that chose you, the love that bought you, the love that sought you, the love that fought for you, the love that has [worked] in you all the good things there are in you.”[1] I would add, we will meditate on the love that gave us the Holy Spirit and the love that gave us the holy Scriptures, and the love that sent Jesus Christ, who spilled his blood for our salvation. As we focus and think about these things, all of a sudden, we will love God. And Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” May God help us to ponder these wonderful truths and put them into practice in our lives, even this day.

[1] C. H. Spurgeon, Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Vol. 45 (Pasadena, TX: Pilgrim, 1998), 562.