June 11 - 1 Peter 1:13-16
1. Faith is an essential aspect for Christians. It is because our salvation is not based on our actions or efforts, but solely on faith in Jesus Christ. However, when understanding faith, it has been misconstrued in some aspects, where faith is seen as the spiritual aspect and actions are perceived as the fleshly aspect, resulting in a negation of human actions to emphasize God's grace. Therefore, in order to comprehend our saved lives, it has become crucial to understand the relationship between faith and actions, in other words, the relationship between faith and obedience. To grasp the connection between faith and obedience, between faith and our actions, we must first humbly surrender our own perspectives to God. Often, we carry preconceived notions shaped by our past knowledge and experiences. Therefore, it is crucial that we allow the transformative work of the Holy Spirit to shape our perspective, enabling us to comprehend the message God conveys through the Bible.
2. Starting today, I'm gonna be diving into 1 Peter for the whole summer. The big idea in 1 Peter is all about living a holy life. Now, the first question that's been on my mind is: what do we really mean when we talk about holiness? Whenever I bring up this question with people, the first thing they usually say is that being holy means living like a saint, and being a good and blameless person. And sure, that's part of it, because being holy does involve living a moral life like a saint. But the biblical understanding of holiness goes even deeper than that. Therefore, in today's sermon, I am going to talk about the holy life us believers are called to live. Let's take a look at 1 Peter 1:13-16.
1 Peter 1:13–16 NKJV
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; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
3. One phrase that I frequently use to talk about holiness is "holiness is about being completely connected to another person." Let me give you an example that happened recently. Last week, a buddy of mine dropped by our church and joined us in worship. And when he caught a glimpse of my daughter, he goes, "You look exactly like your mom and dad." It struck me because he has seen my face and my wife's face through her while looking at my daughter's face., That moment really made me think about the true meaning of holiness and what the Bible has to say about it. It's just common sense that my daughter would have our features and resemble us since she came from both me and my wife. Nobody finds that odd. That's exactly what the Bible refers to as holiness. It's because we've been saved through faith in Jesus, because we're children of God, because we're connected to God, because we carry the attributes of God within us, and because the image of God is displayed through us. That's the true definition of holiness.
Colossians 1:15 NKJV
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
John 15:5 NLT
“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.
4. So it's been a while, a few weeks actually, since I last talked about "Gird up your mind." Today, I want to dig into the next part of that verse, verse 14: "As obedient children." The relationship between faith and obedience is like the two sides of a coin. Just like a coin has two sides, our faith life has faith on one side and obedience on the other. Now, some people claim that our faith is made perfect through obedience, but that's not entirely in line with the Bible. Because if faith is perfected through obedience, then our salvation would also depend on our obedience. But here's the thing: we all know that faith is a gift from God and the work of Jesus Christ alone. Obedience, well, it starts with that faith. So, faith is everything when it comes to our justification, and those who are justified are the ones who live by faith. That's what verse 14 means when it talks about being "obedient children."
1 Peter 1:14 NKJV
as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance;
5. So, when Peter talks about being "obedient children," he's actually referring to a profound transformation that has taken place within us. He's not saying that we become children of God through our obedience. No, what he's emphasizing is how we should live as obedient children because we already are. Before they became obedient children, the law of Moses, the Torah, used to be their everything, the core of their lives. But now, as obedient children, they no longer live according to the Law of Moses and the worldly desires, driven by their own cravings. Instead, their lives are aligned with the Word of God and guided by the Holy Spirit. It's a whole new way of living. This is exactly same meaning that Paul says in Colossians.
Colossians 3:1–4 (M:BCL)
So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective. Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life—even though invisible to spectators—is with Christ in God. He is your life. When Christ (your real life, remember) shows up again on this earth, you’ll show up, too—the real you, the glorious you. Meanwhile, be content with obscurity, like Christ.
6. Hence, the Christian life isn't just a consequence of obedience. It's the life of those who've experienced a radical transformation through faith and the Holy Spirit. We live as people who have been completely changed at the very core of our being because of Jesus. This transformed way of life is what we call obedience. It all starts with acknowledging that we have indeed been transformed. Holiness isn't an afterthought; it's bestowed upon us the moment we believe in Jesus. And the moment we grasp this truth, we begin to live as holy people. That's why God's words hold such significance for us when He says, "Be holy, for I am holy." Once we realize the holiness of God, recognize that His holiness resides within us, and understand that a holy God is by our side, that's when the journey of living as obedient and holy children truly begins.
Philippians 3:7–9 NKJV
But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;
7. The writers of the Bible, particularly those in the New Testament, understood, to different extents, that they weren't in the process of being transformed, but that they had already experienced a transformation through faith. So, the question is, why don't we see ourselves in the same light as those biblical writers, even though the Bible clearly states that we have been transformed by faith? A big part of it has to do with how we've been taught and influenced by the culture around us. The way we've been taught and learned things has been shaped by an evolutionary mindset ever since the spread of evolutionary theory. If we believe that acquiring knowledge or skills will make us better individuals, and if we've been taught that way, then our learning and teaching methods have been influenced by an evolutionary perspective. It's all about becoming a better person, finding a better way, and so on. According to evolutionary theory, everything in this world is constantly progressing, so we don't just remain stagnant. We understand that by seeking out better resources or information, we can improve ourselves, advance as individuals. That's the essence of the evolutionary idea. If our faith is influenced by our circumstances and environment, and we believe that the faith of someone in a better environment is better than mine and will grow even more, then that is evidence of being influenced by a kind of evolutionary thinking.
8. The Bible presents a worldview that is completely contrary to this. When we say that God created us, we're not talking about some external factors or acquiring superior knowledge that shaped our existence. No, it's solely through God's will, through His purpose, that we were brought into being. It's a perspective rooted in creationist thinking. According to this belief, God didn't fashion us by constantly altering and adapting us based on the environment. Instead, He intentionally crafted us according to His plan, making us beings in His own image.
Genesis 1:26–28 NKJV
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
9. The biblical writers used the present perfect tense to describe our transformed existence because they looked at our existence from a creationist standpoint. They understood that our very being was given and altered by God Himself. That's why it's expressed in the present perfect tense, not the progressive tense. It emphasizes the completed nature of our transformation, highlighting the fact that it has already taken place and continues to have an impact in the present.
2 Corinthians 5:16–17 NKJV
Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
10. I remember there was a time when I approached understanding God's will with an evolutionary mindset. I had this expectation that if I dedicated myself more to God, He would be pleased with my devotion and bring reconciliation to my family. So, I pushed myself to give more, to allocate my time for church-related work. However, my expectations were never met, and the harder I tried to conform to God's will, the heavier my heart became with unresolved guilt. The problem stemmed from how I perceived myself, not through God's eyes, but through external measures. And that led to this lingering sense of guilt that I couldn't resolve.
Romans 7:21–25 NLT
I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.
11. Like Paul says, I was caught up in trying to follow God through my own efforts, attempting to adhere to the law, but the more I strived, the deeper I sank into guilt. However, once I truly got to know God, once I realized that it's through faith that He brings about a complete and immediate change within me, not through a gradual process, and that I live my life based on that transformation, the heavy burden of guilt that weighed me down like a deceit began to feel lighter and lighter. The guilt is still there, but now it's more like a weight I can confront, a weight I can bear. And it's not because I've become a better person, but because God has already made me a child of obedience. He's helped me recognize that I am a transformed child, and through that recognition, I've started walking in freedom, guided by the Holy Spirit.
Romans 8:1–2 M:BCL
With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ’s being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death.
12. Recognize that you have truly been transformed in Jesus and have become a child of obedience. Embrace this reality and let it shape your everyday life. God has set us free and transformed us with His infinite love. Now, as transformed individuals, we are obedient children who extend God's kingdom in this world. Obedience is at the core of how we live out our transformed lives. Therefore, let us raise our voices in worship and praise, wholeheartedly worshiping God, and daily acknowledging the work He has done within us. Let us live each day with a renewed sense of purpose and embrace the new life we have been given.