Today we are going to study 1 Pet 1:13-22. The context of this passage is found in 1 Pet 1:9. It is “the salvation of your souls.” Peter gives those of us who have gotten saved, some general instructions on how to live our lives now that we are saved.
After we are saved, we are to:
Gird up the loins of our mind – 1 Pet 1:13 – to gird oneself means to prepare and strengthen oneself for what is to come. You would gird up your loins to prepare for battle or for work or for a journey, for instance. So when you gird up the loins of your mind, you mentally strengthen and prepare yourself for the manifold temptations and trials of your faith [1 Pet 1:6-7]. The battle must be won in your mind, first [Heb 12:3; 2 Cor 10:4-5].
Be sober – 1 Pet 1:13 – to be sober is to be of a sedate, thoughtful character. You carefully consider each decision you make before you act. We are to all be sober [Titus 2:2, 4, 6, 12].
Hope to the end – 1 Pet 1:13 – we are to hope for the grace that is to be brought unto us at revelation of Jesus Christ. We have received an abundance of his grace in salvation, but there is still more to come [Eph 2:6-7]. One of the cleverest temptations of the devil is to present you with something NOW that God will give you LATER. This is what he did to Eve in the garden [Gen 3:5] and to Jesus in the wilderness [Lk 4:5-8]. When you hope to the end you don’t fall for this trick. You don’t trade something valuable that you’ll receive later for something cheap that you can have today.
Be obedient – 1 Pet 1:14 – we are not to fashion ourselves according to our former lusts [1 Pet 4:2-3]. We are to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ [Rom 8:29], not to the image of our lusts [1 Cor 6:9-11]. When you give in to the lust of drinking alcohol, for instance, you become a drunkard. When you give into the lust for sex, you become a fornicator. When you give in to covetousness, you become an idolater [Eph 5:5]. When you yield to the Holy Spirit, on the other hand, you take on the image of a child of God.
Be holy – 1 Pet 1:15-16 – we are to be holy in all manner of conversation. Conversation is our behavior [Eph 2:2-3; Gal 1:13; 2 Cor 1:12]. Our conversations should have changed much since we have been saved. Because he is holy, we can be holy [2 Cor 7:1].
Pass the time in fear – 1 Pet 1:17 – because God judges every work [2 Cor 5:10, Col 3:23-25, Ecc 12:13-14]. So we must walk in the fear of God.
Love one another fervently – 1 Pet 1:22 – we are to love one another with a pure heart. This is the new commandment that Jesus gave us [Jn 13:34]. If you will truly love God, you will also love your brothers and sisters in Christ [1 Jn 4:19-5-2].
Conclusion: these are principal instructions for our daily lives by which we should live till Jesus comes.