The Bible’s Top 40

The Discipline of the Soul

I Peter 1:13-16

I Peter 1:13-23

13 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 14 as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; 15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy."

A couple of weeks ago, I discovered a really cool place on the internet that is called “The Video Concordance.” It has hundreds of video clip suggestions, listed by topic, so that if I want to get some ideas for a video clip in a message on “grace,” for example, I can type in the word, and it will give me 20 or 25 suggestions. It is very helpful, and I plan to use it a lot.

This week, I went there and looked for the topic, “holiness.” Nothing. So I typed in “sanctification,” which is the process of being made holy. Not one idea. I think that is revealing. Holiness is a term that isn’t used much anymore. Some people are afraid of it because it sounds too...well, too, holy!

It is used so infrequently that I think a lot of people in the church don’t really know what it means any more. We have a “Holy” Bible, we speak of the “Holy” Spirit, and we sing, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty!” But what does it mean, really?

At it’s base, “holy” means, “separate.” When we say something is “holy,” we mean that it is different from everything else. The Scriptures are “holy” because they are considered to be different, separate from every other body of literature.

This week we took possession of a new car. There is nothing like that, is there? In showing it to the kids for the first time, I pointed out the cup holders, and I said, “this is where the cup holders are, but we will never use them, because we are not going to eat or drink in this car!” I want to keep food and beverages separate from my car. I want to keep my car pure and clean. That is the idea behind holiness.

It is the assumption that we make when we turn on the faucet in our homes and drink the water. We expect that it is had been separated from contamination.

This was the principle in view when, in the 1860’s, Russian scientists recommended moving the water supply pipes of St. Petersburg. Untreated sewage flowed into the Neva River a few hundred yards upstream from the intake pipes for the city’s drinking water.

130 years later in 1992, environmentalists visiting the city of 5 million people were shocked to find that the situation had not changed. Residents routinely continued to boil the brownish-yellow water that came from their taps. Many strained their water through cheesecloth before drinking it. Unboiled, the water contained toxic bacteria that caused diarrhea, stomach cramps, and nausea.

Holiness is like clean water that has been set aside for our use.

At its most basic level, “holy” refers to the condition of being set apart, separated from others, different. It is a word whose highest meaning is found in referring to God, and to objects and people that God has set apart for His use and service.

The term “saint” sounds different, but it comes from the same root as “holy.” In biblical terms, a saint is a person whom God has set apart for Himself. Saints are not just honored people of the past. They include real-life, down-to-earth, common people like you and me who have been set apart as the Lord’s own special possession, and as receivers of His special favor. All who know Christ as Savior are called saints because God has called them His people, His spiritual children—distinct from nonbelievers – separated from the world.

Holiness is what God wants and expects from us. Holiness is a reflection of God’s

character, and He wants His children to look like Him.

So what do we need to do to be made holy?

STEP ONE: Turn away from the sins of your past (1:13-14).

A. “Gird up the loins of your mind”

The phrase “gird up” is a metaphor referring to the ancient Oriental custom of tying one’s loose flowing robes into his belt in the process of getting ready for hard work.

Today we would say, “let’s roll up our sleeves and get right to work on the business of holiness.”

Peter was saying, “prepare your minds for action.”

Hebrews 12:1—“. . . let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, [so easily hinders our progress] and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.”

Is there anything hanging around the edges of your life that could trip you up today?

B. “Be sober”

This means to exercise self control. The stuff we have talked about over the last few weeks. To not LET corrupt words from our mouth, to not LET sin reign in our mortal bodies. Be sober does not necessarily refer to not getting drunk, it refers to being “vigilant against all your spiritual dangers and enemies, and be temperate and modest in eating, drinking, apparel, recreation, business, and in the whole of your behaviour.”

C. “Rest your hope fully on grace”

We need to keep a perspective of life that looks forward to the day we are made complete in Jesus. To hear “Well done, good and faithful servant.” We need to turn away from the sins of the past.


STEP TWO: Look to God (1:15-17).

We look to God because it shows us how sinful we really are.

In Isaiah 6:1-5, when confronted with an infinitely holy God, Isaiah pronounced his own condemnation. He literally said, “I am speechless . . . I am dead!” He also recognized that he was unclean. After seeing how holy God really is, Isaiah was struck with his own sinfulness.

Peter had a similar experience with Jesus. When Peter recognized in Jesus the Creator of the fish of the sea, he fell at His feet and cried, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”

If today we had a softball game against some of the Horicon and Mayville girls, they would look like great players compared to us. But if they were to play with major league baseball players, they would different wouldn’t they? Sometimes we think we are pretty good, but if we could catch a glimpse of God’s holiness, our attitude would change.

Secondly, we look to God because God shows us what we should be like.

During the recent mission of the space shuttle Endeavour, the crew collected radar images of the earth that will be transformed into the most accurate maps ever made of our planet. The shuttle’s two large radar antennas had to be held perfectly still while the readings were taken—an amazing feat. The result will be precise, three-dimensional maps of the earth. God’s Word operates in much the same way in our lives. The Scripture provides us a precise, completely reliable “image” of what life is truly like from God’s perspective. The Word gives us the knowledge and guidance we need to map out our lives according to God’s will.

God is our standard. Of course, we all fall short of His standard (Romans 3:23). When we look to God, we get a right view of holiness. And a right view of holiness leads to a right view of sin.

Thirdly, God evaluates how well we are doing (read v. 17).

The fear we should have isn’t a frightened kind of fear, but a fear of offending a loving, but ever-watchful Father. It is a fear that keeps us pure out of respect and a desire to not disappoint our Father.

We need to turn from our sins, we need to keep our eyes on God, and

STEP THREE: Consider the cost of your redemption (1:18-21).

A. The cost was not silver and gold.

Money can only purchase things which are as corruptible as it is. Money cannot compensate for broken vows; or unsay cruel words; or bring back color to the cheeks of a dead loved one; or atone for the lack of love. Silver and Gold do not purchase salvation. The cost of our salvation was much higher.

B. The cost was the precious blood of Christ.

The precious, priceless, perfect blood of Christ – a perfect, spotless sacrifice. Determined from the beginning of time to be the way of salvation.

STEP FOUR: Recognize the importance of God’s Word (1:22-2:3).

We have this wonderful salvation – which is our the focus of our hope and faith, due to the effect of the word of God in our lives. Paul says in Romans 10:17, that “salvation comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Peter restates this by saying, “Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you. (25). He points out that we need the Word of God like a newborn baby needs milk! Without this word, we will die a slow, starving, spiritual death.

STEP FIVE: Realize who you are (2:4-12).
These were the verses we had as our theme verses during the Spiritual Adventure. Peter tells us that we are:

A chosen generation
A royal priesthood (Romans 12:1-2; Hebrews 13:15-16)
A holy nation
A peculiar people—people who belong to God.
Strangers and pilgrims

Do we recognize our identity in this light? Do we realize who we are? Do we live like chosen people, separated to God for his purposes, a royal priesthood, a holy nation? We are called to be holy, and we are holy because God has separated us from the world. We simply need to live in the light of our true identity.

We should “Show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.” Our holy lives will spring forth from a heart of praise and gratitude – a desire to walk and live a life that is separate from the world around us, kept pure from contamination, a life that is holy, for He is holy.

God has set us apart so that we might live for Him. May His word take root in our souls, and draw us to Himself in purity and holiness.