Because the prophets had foretold the great privileges of the gospel and, with even the angels, long to understand them better, believers should show the same kind of earnest and alert concern regarding the way they live.To lead holy lives in an evil world, the believers would need a new mind-set. They also needed to monitor and restrain their sexual and material desires, anger, and words. Exercise self-control is also translated “discipline yourselves.” Peter wanted the believers to remember that as they lived in the world, they needed to keep full possession of their minds and bodies so as not to be enticed away from God.
All believers are God’s children. As such, we are to obey God. Believers ought not live in the same manner that they lived before they were saved. At that time, they didn’t know any better, but now they should not slip back into their old ways of doing evil. The evil desires still exist, but believers have a new goal for their lives. They must break with the past and depend on the power of the Holy Spirit to help them overcome evil desires and obey God.
God’s holiness means that he is completely separated from sin and evil. Holiness pervades his character—he is holy. He is the opposite of anything profane. Believers must be holy in everything they do—that is, totally devoted or dedicated to God, set aside for his special use and set apart from sin and its influence. Our holy God expects us to imitate him by following his high moral standards.
Believers should be set apart and different because of God’s qualities in their lives. Our focus and priorities must be his. We have already been declared holy because of our faith in Christ, but we must work out that divine family likeness in our day-by-day walk, behavior, and conduct. We cannot become holy on our own, but God gives us his Holy Spirit to help us.
In Old Testament times, a person’s debts could result in that person’s being sold as a slave. The next of kin could ransom the slave (buy his or her freedom), a transaction involving money or valuables of some kind. However, silver and gold can do nothing to change anyone’s spiritual condition. No amount of money can buy our salvation. It has to be done God’s way, not with money, but with the precious lifeblood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. That God paid a ransom to save us means that he paid the price to set sinners free from slavery to sin. Christ paid the debt we owed for violating the righteous demands of the law.
Christ purchased our freedom, and it cost him his own life. Only the sacrificial death of Christ on the cross was effective atonement for our sins. The Old Testament saints sacrificed lambs in order to atone for their sins, but New Testament believers have had their sins covered by the blood of the sinless Savior.
Peter expected that growth in purity and holiness would result in deeper love among Christians—not merely outward appearance or profession, but sincere love for Christian brothers and sisters. Despite our differences and disagreements, we can have sincere love for one another, and as we grow in holiness, we can learn to love each other intensely because of the Holy Spirit within us.
Such love is not possible in the world at large, for it doesn’t understand the love that results when people are cleansed from their sins and have accepted the truth of the Good News. This experience brings together even very different believers on the common ground of forgiveness in Christ and requires them to love one another as Christ loved them (John 13:34-35).
Peter gave another reason to love others: Believers have a common ground in Christ. We have all been born again; we are sinners saved by grace. Our new life did not come from our earthly parents; that life will one day end in death. Our new life will last forever because it was given to us by the eternal, living word of God. God’s word lives and endures forever, because God who gave it lives and endures from eternity past to eternity future.
SO WHAT? (what will I do with what I have read today?)
AM I READY? I have to ask myself that question almost daily.
Am I ready to live the life that God has for me TODAY? Am I ready to be used by God? Am I ready to be mis-understood and wrongly accused? Am I ready to be treated like a servant? Am I ready to be a peacemaker? Am I ready to humble myself? Am I ready for conflict in some unforeseen way? Am I ready for spiritual warfare and attack? Am I ready for the temptation that is surely coming my way? Am I ready to pray and get on my knees and ask God to work? Am I ready for a miracle? Am I ready to see God's blessing? Am I ready to share my faith? Am I ready to meet all the needs that I will see in people's lives today?
That's why Peter exhorts us, encourages us, urges us to prepare our minds for action. Be self-controlled. Be alert. On your toes.
Lord, give me a supernatural energy today. Give me Your strength and Your power to love and serve and humble myself today. Lord, make me less so You can be more.
Now, let me ask you today - ARE YOU READY?
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