I Peter
1:15-25
(A
Bible Study Led by Dr. Larry Reynolds)
June 27,
2013
1.
Saw
last week that in I Peter 1:14-25 Peter draws a comparison between how life is
apart from Christ and how life is in Christ...
--v.14
deals with life before Christ...from that verse we saw that life apart from
Christ is characterized by over-desire (“lusts”) and lack of
knowledge of God (“ignorance”)...
--vv.15-25
described life in Christ ...only one verse to describe to describe what we were
before Christ and 11 verses to describe what we are now that Christ is in our lives...there’s
a significant truth to learn from that...the Christian life not essentially a
life of regret and guilt over past mistakes...it’s a life which focuses on what
God desires for us today...
2.
Notice
I Peter 1:15 begins with the word "but"...that’s
a conjunction of contrast...as opposed
to being weighed down by “lusts” and “ignorance” as
we were apart from Christ, here is what God desires for us now...look at I
Peter 1:15-25...(text)...
T.S.‑
There are many great truths in that passage and they certainly can’t be fully
explored in a single session...however, the main thoughts of this passage are
centered around three imperative verbs scattered through verses...in v.15 there
is the command to "be holy"...v.17 there is the command
to "conduct yourselves in fear"...and in v.22 there is
the command "to fervently love one
another"...and from those three imperative verbs want you
to see some things which should characterize life in Christ...
I. Life
in Christ is characterized by holiness
1.
Realize
holiness is not a positive concept every person...
‑‑to
many holy nothing more slang word as in the phrases holy cow or holy smoke...
‑‑to
some the word connotes "holier than thou" attitude...say "Don't call me holy, I'm no
saint!"
‑‑to
others the word brings to mind religious fanaticism or emotional excesses...
2.
However,
command “be holy" expresses very heart biblical religion...from Exodus where High
Priest instructed wear the phrase "holiness is the Lord"
on his headband to Revelation where living creatures cry "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty"
the concept of holiness is referred to hundreds of times in the Bible...it’s
really not a misnomer to refer to the God’s written word as the Holy
Bible...indeed the concepts of holy and holiness are at the very heart of its
message...and because of that, it is important for us to understand what is
meant by the command to “be holy” in I Peter 1:15...
3.
Word
is most often translated holy in the NT is hagios...basic meaning
not morally pure as we tend use word,
even though that concept is there...basically means to be separate or to be set
apart...one writer points out:
‑‑temple
considered holy because set apart from other buildings...
‑‑sabbath
considered holy because set apart from other days...
‑‑God's
people are holy in that set apart, different from other people..
1.
To
be holy basically means to live in such a way that it is obvious that we belong
to God...the world should not have to peek in the windows of the church on
Sunday morning to find out who the Christians are...that we belong to God, that
we are God’s holy ones, set apart ones, should be abundantly clear by our
life-styles, our personal relationships, and our value systems...
2.
Don’t
recall where first read or heard it, but remember a story about a faithful
missionary who once worked among the people in the Ozark mountains...at first,
he was viewed as an outsider and was not welcome there...but the missionary was
persistent and for years, day in and day
out, he faithfully proclaimed and lived
God's word before them...all the mountain people became very familiar
with his presence among them...and eventually the time came that whenever saw
him walking past their cabins, would say as he passed, "There goes
the man of God!"...
2.
And
being holy means that when people look at our lives are able say, "They
are God's people"...life in Christ is characterized by
holiness...also this passage tells us that...
II. Life in
Christ is characterized by reverence for God
1. The
command in v.17 of I Peter 1, “...conduct yourselves in fear” can
be easily misunderstood...over and over Bible tells us that we are to "fear
God"...
Psalm
111:10 ‑ "The
fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."
Psalm
112:1 ‑ "How
blessed is the man who fears the Lord."
Psalm
16:6 ‑ "By
the fear of the Lord one keeps away from evil."
Eccl.12:13 ‑ "The end of the
matter is this: fear God and keep His commandments."
2.
It
is important to understand that in biblical language fearing God doesn't mean being
afraid...the word translated “fear” in v.17 is phobos from
which our word phobia comes...itis used three other times in I
Peter...in 2:18 where translated respect...3:2 ‑ respectful...3:15
‑ reverence...to fear God means stand in reverent awe of Him...never
forgetting He is God...not being presumptuous toward him...this reverence for
God is the foundation of discipleship...
3.
If
look at vv.17,18,&19 see Peter gives three specific motivations for
reverencing or respecting God—
--Because he is our Father
(17a) ‑ Jewish
law very harsh on those failed show respect to earthly fathers...penalty could
be as harsh as death...if respect should
be given earthly father, how much more
should be given heavenly Father...
--Because he is our judge
(17b) ‑ He is
the "One who impartially judges according to each person's
work"...we are accountable to Him, and ultimately only to Him, for
how we live our lives...
--Because he is our redeemer
(18-19) ‑ At a
great price, with what Peter describes in v.19 as “...precious blood, as
of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ” God dealt with
our sin and brought us back into relationship with Him...when you stand before
the cross and when really see it‑‑see what God did for you—you cannot help but
stand before Him in reverent awe...
4.
Life
in Christ is characterized by reverence for God...
III. Life in Christ is characterized by love
for others
1.
In
verse 22 is the third command in this passage...we are to “fervently
love one another from the heart"...amazing how many times
that idea appears on pages of NT...can't read the Bible without seeing being
a Christian and loving each other go
hand in hand... simply cannot separate the
two...
·
Jesus
talked about it: John 13:34‑35
‑ "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love
one another. By this all men will know that you are my
disciple, if you have love for one another."
·
Paul
talked about it: I Cor.13:1,13
‑ "If I speak in the tongues
of men and of angels, but do not have
love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging symbol...but now abide faith, hope, and
love, these three, but the greatest of
these is love."
·
John
talked about it: I John 4:20
‑ "If someone says, 'I love God' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his
brother whom he has seen, cannot love
God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him, that
the one who loves God should love his brother also."
And
on and on could go...Bible filled with references to Christians being characterized by love...
2.
This
passage tells how should love...basically says
love others in same way God loves us...we are to love "sincerely" which
means without hypocrisy or pretense...and we are to love “fervently” which
means constantly, steadfastly, persistently...
1.
This
past Sunday a person I did not know stopped me in the church I attend…he wanted
to tell me about his wife and how she was struggling with depression…in our
conversation he indicated that he felt no-one really cared about what they were
experiencing…that is not the way it should be in a Christian fellowship!...
2.
If Christians are anything, we should be
loving toward each other and toward those outside the fellowship...and if we
don’t love each other, those outside the fellowship will never really believe
that we will love them...
CONCLUSION
1.
Like
way passage ends...gives glimpse into preaching of NT church...look last part v.25..."And
this is the word which was preached to
you..."...what would you hear if
sat in on worship service of church in 1st century?...according to I
Peter 1:14-25 would hear that life in Christ is a life of—
--holiness...of
being set apart for God...
--reverence
for God...
--genuine
love for people...
2.
That’s
the message God’s people needed in the 1st century...and that’s the
message we has God’s people need in the 21st century, as well...
