1 Peter 1:13-17 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile (ESV)
Opening Prayer: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” Loving Father, we come to you this morning and we are amazed because you are a holy God. The whole earth is full of your glory. Father, we thank you for that wonderful holiness, that wonderful creation, the wonderful glory that fills it. Yet, you are our Father, and we can come to you as children. Lord, it boggles our minds that even before you created that world you had planned the Lamb spotless, so we thank you that not only are you holy but you are our Father and we can know you because of the Lamb, because of Jesus, because you have revealed yourself to us through him. We thank you that this morning we may come to a holy God only because he has made it possible for us. We thank you for the love that brought him to us. Lord, as we come now to your Word this morning, we ask that your Word may live to us and as we live, we may live lives that respond daily to you through your Word. … We ask this to your glory in Jesus’ name, amen. (Carson, D. A. (2016). Holiness without Stuffiness. In D. A. Carson Sermon Library (1 Pe 1:13–2:3). Bellingham, WA: Faithlife.)
In any crisis, there are those who hide and those who step up. We naturally admire those who stay at their post as a threat emerges. Over the course of this pandemic, the description of hero has been used a lot. Doctors and nurses stayed at their post working long hours in particularly difficult conditions. Paramedics continued to save lives dealing with new threats. Companies modified their production to manufacture protective equipment and sanitizers. Even supermarket checkout workers stayed at their post to allow people to buy essentials. For those who remained faithful they saw their responsibilities as an obligation to continue to provide an essential service.
In His parable of the faithful steward in Luke 12:48, Jesus told His hearers: Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.” For Christians, there is no greater gift than salvation. Nothing can demand a greater response.
Although the natural human tendency is to focus on what we perceive that we lack, as believers, the inverse should be true. For most of us we enjoy homes, families, and varying degrees of health, safety and opportunity. There is a duty of care based on what has been entrusted to us. We have been given these things to help those who do not have these things. In Christ, our spiritual inheritance has a corresponding spiritual duty. Every promise and benefit given by God is an opportunity for service and praise.
In verses 1–12 of 1 Peter, the apostle Peter described salvation’s supreme place in God’s foreordained plan, explained its marvelous promise of eternal inheritance, and proclaimed its intrinsic greatness. Then in verse 13 Peter shifts to the imperative mode. He moves from the indicative describing and explaining the nature of salvation to commanding those who have received it concerning the obligations and responsibilities divine salvation places on all who have received it. These obligations can be summarized in three words: 1) Hope (1 Peter. 1:13), 2) Holiness (1 Peter 1:14-16), and 3) Honor (1 Peter 1:17).
Because of what He has given and promises, God expects: “Faith in action” that:
1) Believers Must Respond with Hope (1 Peter. 1:13)
1 Peter 1:13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (ESV)
Beginning verse 13 with “therefore” (a transitional conjunction) moves the reader from statement to application, from fact to inference. Verse 13 forms a transition between the opening of the body of the letter, with its majestic description of what God has done in Christ, and the exhortations of the letter, which are the necessary implications if Peter’s readers are to live consistently with who they are in Christ. “The imperatives of Christian living always begin with ‘therefore.’ Peter does not begin to exhort Christian pilgrims until he has celebrated the wonders of God’s salvation in Jesus Christ.” (Jobes, K. H. (2005). 1 Peter (p. 109). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.)
Because we are humanly speaking prone to discouragement, we need to be active to fight this. That activity starts in the mind. Just as an athlete would visualize their activity, as a victorious Christian we must be “preparing (our) minds for action”. Prepare literally means “gird up” and can refer to tightening a belt, cinching up a cord or rope, or tying something down in preparation for a certain action. Paul used the same word and metaphor in his passage on the armor of God: Eph. 6:14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness”. The first thing a Roman soldier did prior to heading into battle was put on his belt and “prepare” or tie up his robe so that its loose ends would not hinder his combat effectiveness. When he girded up his robe, it indicated the soldier was serious about preparing for the life and death of hand-to-hand combat. Soldiers spend most of their time in preparation. They train, clean weapons and do drills to be ready for combat. The reason why believers on earth have lost many battles is that they fail to see that they are at war. As the Israelites ate the Passover meal with their “loins girded” (“your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand” Exodus 12:11 NIV), to be ready when God called, so believers must also be prepared for action—ready to obey, follow, speak, and go with Christ when he returns Peter urges believers to pull in all the loose ends of their lives, meaning to discipline their thoughts (cf. Rom. 12:2), live according to biblical priorities (cf. Matt. 6:33), disentangle themselves from the world’s sinful hindrances (cf. 2 Tim. 2:3–5; Heb. 12:1), and conduct life righteously and godly, in view of the future grace that accompanies Christ’s return (cf. Luke 12:35; Col. 3:2–4). (Barton, B. B. (1995). 1 Peter, 2 Peter, Jude (p. 38). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Pub.).
• The enemy wants to clutter of our minds, the physical opponents that want to silence us and spiritual forces that try to confuse us, We so easily fall into discouragement, temptation or distraction because we are not prepared. When we study the word, assess our situations, pray continually, keep in close fellowship and faithfully serve, we are then prepared to take action based on the needs we encounter.
Please turn to 1 Thessalonians 5
Not only do we need to prepared but we need to be ready. “Being sober-minded” means that we both understand the situation but are ready for action. The mind is not to be understood narrowly as denoting only the intellectual life but as that which determines conduct. The avoidance of intoxication is certainly included, especially in any society where those who have no hope often take refuge in drunkenness. Peter wishes his readers to avoid any form of mental or spiritual intoxication that would confuse the reality that Christ has revealed and deflect them from a life steadfastly fixed on the grace of Christ. Self-control of the mind facilitates prayer (1 Pet. 4:7) and an awareness of the devil’s ways (5:8). (Jobes, K. H. (2005). 1 Peter (p. 111). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.)
• If we are controlled by fear, we are not sober-minded.
The Armor of God is given for His saints to be ready for battle:
1 Thessalonians 5:1–11. 1 Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. 2 For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4 But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. 5 For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. 6 So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. (ESV)
• People spend so much time concerned about the times and seasons. When will a lockdown resume, when will vaccines be distributed, when will we face greater difficulties, when will Christ return? People worry about these things, but worry is like a rocking chair, it can keep you busy, but you will never get anywhere. We are called to be ready. When we worry, we are not ready for we are consumed by something instead of being ready for anything. When we put our faith in Christ, walking in love, assured of our salvation we actively encourage one another in the truth of Christ to be faithful.
The purposeful action called for is to “set your hope fully”. To “set your hope fully” (Elpisate) is an aorist active imperative by which Peter exhorts believers in military fashion to a decisive kind of action, to a hope. We are commanded to “set (our) hope fully”. “Fully” means unreservedly, and could also be rendered “perfectly” or “completely” Christians are not to hope half-heartedly or indecisively, but with finality, without any equivocation or doubt concerning the promises of God (Rom. 8:25; 15:13; Col. 1:23;1 Thes. 1:9-10) Heb. 6:19–20). Hope is an obligatory act of the will, not merely an emotional feeling. Believers are commanded to live expectantly, anticipating with “a living hope” their “inheritance … reserved in heaven … to be revealed in the last time” (1 Pt. 1:3, 4, 5). Basically defined, hope is the Christian’s attitude toward the future (Acts 24:15; Titus 1:2; 2:13; 3:7). In its essence, hope is equivalent to faith (Rom. 5:1–2; Gal. 5:5; Heb. 11:1); it is trusting God (1 Peter 1:21). The major difference between the two attitudes is that faith involves trusting God in the present (Rom. 1:17; 3:28; 2 Cor. 5:7; Gal. 2:20; 1 Tim. 6:12; James 1:6), whereas hope is future faith, trusting God for what is to come (Heb. 3:6). Faith appropriates what God has already said and done in His revealed Word, and hope anticipates what He will yet do, as promised in Scripture. John Calin said that “the word hope I take for faith; and indeed hope is nothing else but the constancy of faith. (1509–1564). Hope (elpizo,) as used in the NT involves the idea of assurance that what is hoped for will certainly come to pass. This is because future hope in the NT is based on something that has already happened in the past, the resurrection of Jesus Christ.( Jobes, K. H. (2005). 1 Peter (p. 109). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.)
• There is a positive outlook to this commitment: Hope looks for the good in people instead of harping on the worst in them. Hope opens doors where despair closes them. Hope discovers what can be done instead of grumbling about what cannot be done. Hope draws its power from a deep trust in God. Hope “lights a candle” instead of “cursing the darkness.” Hope regards problems, small or large, as opportunities. Hope cherishes no illusions, nor does it yield to cynicism.
The ultimate feature of the believer’s hope is ”the grace that will be brought”. Peter used the present participle pheromenen, but the translators express it as future: “will be”, recognizing the Greek grammatical construction that indicates the absolute assurance of a future event by referring to it as if it were already happening. The context clearly calls for such a use of the present, because the event that will be brought is the future revelation (apokalupsei, “unveiling”) of Jesus Christ—His Second Coming. Peter therefore orients his readers to a future eschatology of a grace that is fully present but not fully realized in their lives, a grace that is fully guaranteed by the past event of the redeeming death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Although saving grace is a present reality, the gracious gift of final deliverance awaits a future realization. (Jobes, K. H. (2005). 1 Peter (p. 110). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.)
Illustration: Pearl Harbor
The morning of December 7, 1941, found 353 Japanese airplanes swarming all around the Perl Harbor in Hawaii. Within a couple of hours, America lost 8 big battleships, 6 major airfields, almost all planes, and 2,400 men. That happened at 7:50 AM in what was supposedly a surprised attack. But these are the startling facts: That morning at 7 AM, while the Japanese warplanes were 137 miles (50 minutes) away, two US soldiers on a small radar station in the Pacific scanned the screen and saw dots and dots appearing, until the whole screen was filled. These soldiers notified their youthful supervisor, a lieutenant. No other officer was around, that being a Sunday. The lieutenant thought these must be planes from California, and without another thought, told them not to be concerned about it. There would have been time to scramble the planes at Pearl Harbor, prepare the battleships and shelter the men, but this lieutenant, at the most responsible moment of his career, failed the nation.
• Whether we realize it or not, we are at war. It is a war against the world, the flesh and the devil. That we don’t know we are at war, shows the world and its propaganda is winning. That we don’t care, shows that the sinful flesh is winning, that we fear to fight, shows that the Devil is winning.
• But if we are preparing our minds for action, and being sober-minded, and setting our hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ, then we ready, active, and faithful knowing that He is returning soon.
Because of what He has given and promises, God expects: “Faith in action” that:
2) Believers Must Respond in Holiness (1 Peter 1:14-16)
1 Peter 1:14-16 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” (ESV)
Peter describes Christians with the significant expression as obedient children. The word (hupakoes), translated as the adjective obedient distinguishes Christians from non-Christians, called the “sons of disobedience” (Eph. 2:2). The apostle urges believers to live consistent with the longings of the new heart by pursuing holiness (cf. Rom. 6:12–14; 12:1; 2 Cor. 7:1; Eph. 5:1–3, 8; Col. 3:12–13; Heb. 12:14; 2 Peter 3:11). In Luke 6:46, Jesus challenged those who claimed to be Christians but lived lives that did not obey Him: "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you?”. Lest we think obedience is the elimination of fun, Tryon Edwards described it: “A holy life is not an ascetic, or gloomy, or solitary life, but a life regulated by divine truth and faithful in Christian duty. It is living above the world while we are still in it”. TRYON EDWARDS (1809–1894). Parents train their children to be obedient, so that obedience is second nature to children. Obedience is expected from children but not from strangers.( Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001). Exposition of the Epistles of Peter and the Epistle of Jude (Vol. 16, p. 60). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.)
True holiness has things to which it moves towards and thing to which it moves away from. It is experienced when believers are not being conformed to the passions of your former ignorance. Conformed means “to be shaped by” or “fashioned after” (cf. Rom. 12:2; Eph. 4:20–24). The passions that characterized that former life include sinful desires and thoughts, evil longings, uncontrolled appetites, sensual impulses, and all other unrighteous motivations and urges that compel the unregenerate (cf. 1 Cor. 6:9–11; Gal. 5:19–24; Eph. 5:3–5; 1 Thess. 4:4–5). Dealing with the reality of temptation, G. Campbell Morgan said: “Holiness is not freedom from temptation, but power to overcome temptation”. G. CAMPBELL MORGAN (1863–1945). The fact that Peter could give such a command implies that he knew that such desires still remain and have some power in the hearts of true Christians. Yet he also implies that he agreed with Paul (Rom. 6:11, 14; Gal. 5:24) that the Holy Spirit’s regenerating work has broken the ruling, dominating force of those desires, and that it is possible for Christians to have a significant measure of victory over them. Regeneration creates a new life (2 Cor. 5:17) that has both the desire and the power to live righteously. (Grudem, W. A. (1988). 1 Peter: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 17, p. 83). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
Please turn to Colossians 3
For believers, such former passions … were theirs in ignorance, before they were saved and when they did not know any better (cf. Acts 26:18; Eph. 2:1), which could be true of both Gentiles (cf. Eph. 4:17–19) and Jews (cf. Rom. 10:2–3).
Paul’s inspired words in Colossians 3:1–10 echo Peter’s call to holiness:
Colossians 3:1–10. 1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. 5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. (ESV)
• One of the clearest tests to determine if we are right with God is what we desire. If our lives are consumed in receiving on our terms then we are not seeking the things that are above. But if we concern ourselves with Kingdom priorities, done God’s way for His glory, then we evidence we have set our minds on things that are above. This process does not just happen, but believers must actively put to death that which dishonors God. If we are consumed with anger, slander obscene talk and the like, then we need to seriously consider if one is a Christian at all.
In verse 15, Peter then presents the positive standard of holiness as the very perfection of the Holy One who called believers, namely God Himself: “but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,”. Negatively, believers are to stop living sinfully as they did prior to regeneration; positively, they are to be holy … in all their conduct/behavior. In Matthew 5:48, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus set forth this same standard: “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (cf. Eph. 5:1). J.I. Packer puts it, “Holiness means not only desiring God, but also loving and practicing righteousness, out of a constant exercise of conscience to discern right from wrong and an ardent purpose of doing all that one can to please God.”. And from R. J. Stewart: “Holy has the same root as wholly, it means complete. An (individual)is not complete in spiritual stature if all (their) mind, heart, soul, and strength are not given to God.”. Putting it all together, if we first know the great truths of our salvation (vv. 1–12) and then begin a habit of visualizing ourselves personally on a path of life leading without fail to unimaginable heavenly reward (v. 13), we will be mentally and emotionally ready to strive for a life of holiness before God (vv. 14–16, etc.). ( Grudem, W. A. (1988). 1 Peter: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 17, pp. 81–82). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
Peter’s call to holiness was not new but echoed that of the Old Testament, as he indicates by introducing an Old Testament quote in verse 16 with the common phrase since it is written (cf. Mark 1:2; Luke 2:23; John 6:31; Rom. 1:17), followed by the quote, “You shall be holy, for I am holy,” derived from Leviticus 11:44; 19:2; and 20:7. God reiterated this command elsewhere in the Mosaic law (cf. Ex. 19:5–6; Deut. 7:6–8). This is just one example of the way the New Testament repeatedly assumes that imitation of God’s moral character is the ultimate basis for ethics. The final reason why some things are right and others wrong, and why there are moral absolutes in the universe, is that God delights in things that reflect his moral character (and thus reflect his excellence) and hates what is contrary to his character. Therefore, we are to imitate him (Eph. 5:1; Matt. 5:48; Luke 6:36; Col. 3:9–10; 1 John 3:2–3; 4:11, 19; cf. Eph. 5:2; 1 Pet. 2:21; 1 John 2:6), and thereby glorify him. Christians should delight in imitating God, both because he is their Father and because his moral excellence is inherently beautiful and desirable—to be like him is the best way to be (cf. Ps. 34:8; 73:25). (Grudem, W. A. (1988). 1 Peter: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 17, p. 85). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
• The predominant theme in today’s culture is selfishness: We live in a society that is completely me centered: focusing on rights over obligations. It is not uncommon to hear the predominant reason why people choose to join or leave a church to be exclusively self-centered desire: “I like this here, or I like something better elsewhere. People tend to choose a congregation because it may be close, have a particular program or how relaxed they can be. Seldom do you find someone considering being a part of a congregation on that which is most accurate biblically, helps them be more holy, or where they can be of most use in the kingdom of God. But to be holy, H-O-L-Y is to be wholly, W-H-O-L-L-Y, or perfectly complete in God.
Illustration How then does God use selflessness?
There is a story of the two brothers in Yorkshire, England. During the early 1800s, two sons were born to a family named Taylor. The older one set out to make a name for himself by entering Parliament and gaining public prestige. But the younger son gave his life to Christ. He entered into covenant with the Almighty to live a holy life. With that commitment, Hudson Taylor turned his face toward China and obscurity. As a result, he is known and honored on every continent as a faithful missionary and the founder of the China Inland Mission (now known as Overseas Missionary Fellowship). For the other son, however, there is no lasting monument. When you look in the encyclopedia to see what the other son has done, you find these words, “the brother of Hudson Taylor.” (Sermoncentral.com)
• As CALVIN COOLIDGE (1872–1933) SAID: “No person was ever honored for what he received; honor has been the reward for what he gave”.
Finally, because of what He has given and promises, God expects: “Faith in action” that:
3) Believers Must Respond in Honor (1 Peter 1:17)
1 Peter 1:17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile (ESV)
Inseparably linked to believers’ obligation to respond to salvation in hope and holiness is their responsibility to honor God: conduct yourselves with fear, meaning “reverence,” “awe,” and “respect” toward God. A confident driver also possesses a healthy fear of an accident that prevents them from doing anything foolish. A genuine fear of judgment hinders believers from giving in to libertinism. The background to such fear can be traced to Deuteronomy (e.g., Deut 4:10; 8:6) and the wisdom tradition (Prov 1:29; 3:7; 9:10; Job 28:28; Eccl 12:13), where the fear of the Lord informs all of life. ( Schreiner, T. R. (2003). 1, 2 Peter, Jude (Vol. 37, p. 81). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
• Here is a simple test to see what we truly value. Right now are people more fearful of a virus, or more fearful of disappointing God? What we fear will determine our actions.
Therefore, Peter says: “If you call on him [God] as Father” then show that your reverence for Him as your Father matches your call. “If you call on him [God] as Father implies that believers all the time call on/address (the present middle voice of epikaleisthe, “to call upon” or “appeal to”) God that way—and they should. Paul affirmed the legitimacy of such an intimate form of address when he told the Galatians: Gal. 4:6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!". Peter insists that since one addresses the final judge as father, as did Jesus (see 1:3, 14 and Mark 14:36 and the Lord’s Prayer), one is committed to a life of reverential fear toward one’s divine parent. (Richard, E. (2000). Reading 1 Peter, Jude, and 2 Peter: a literary and theological commentary (p. 63). Macon, GA: Smyth & Helwys Publishing.)
Please turn to 2 Corinthians 5
Peter did not want believers to forget that though they have an intimate relationship with their heavenly Father, they must conduct themselves in holiness throughout the time of their exile/stay on earth because God is also the One who impartially judges according to each one’s deeds (1 Cor. 3:10–15; 2 Cor. 5:9–10; Heb. 12:5–6; cf. Eph. 6:9). Work that Christians do in Christlike faith and obedience (1 Cor. 3:10–11) will survive and be rewarded; work done in the power of the “flesh” (v. 1) or in disobedience to Scripture (4:6) will not. (Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 2195). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.)
Paul explains this concept in 2 Corinthians 5:
2 Corinthians 5:9–10. 1 For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, 3 if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. 4 For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. 6 So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. (ESV)
• The “judgment seat” (Gk. bema) was the tribunal bench in the Roman courtroom, where the governor sat while rendering judicial verdicts. In the coming age, Christ will judge as God the Father’s representative, ruling the kingdom the Father has given him (see Rom. 14:10–12; etc.). In that ruling, He has warned us that “each one may receive what is due for what he has done … whether good or evil”. This underscores the principle that present-day actions, or inactions have eternal consequences. All Christians will appear before the eternal judgment seat of Christ, to receive “what is due” to them for the deeds, that they have done in their earthly life. It is debated, however, (1) whether the aim of this judgment is to determine the measure of reward that the Christian will receive in the age to come; or (2) whether the aim is to provide demonstrative evidence regarding who is lost and who is saved. Because the context of Paul’s statement refers back to both the believer’s hope for the resurrection (see 2 Cor. 5:1, 4) and to the reward of “glory beyond all comparison” (see 4:16–18), (Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (pp. 2229–2230). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.)
We live in an age that demands grace. People demand that God deliver whatever they want like a cosmic Santa Clause. His nature demands holiness from those who represent Him. He is jealous for it and will do whatever it takes so that it occurs. This is His number one concern. As Nathan Emmons summarized: “Holiness has love for its essence, humility for its clothing, the good of others as its employment, and the honor of God as its end”. NATHANAEL EMMONS (1745–1840)
Illustration: Pompeii’s Sentinel
When Pompeii was destroyed by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius there were many persons buried in the ruins who were afterwards found in very different positions. There were some found in deep vaults, as if they had gone there for security. There were some found in lofty chambers. But where did they find the Roman sentinel? They found him standing at the city gate where he had been placed by the captain, with his hands still grasping the weapon. There, while the earth shook beneath him; there, while the floods of ashes and cinders overwhelmed him, he had stood at his post; and there, after a thousand years, he was found. Let us stand ready in the hope of our Lord Jesus Christ; walking in holiness and standing eternally in Honour; that when He comes for us, we may be at our posts, dutiful, with a legacy that may grow a thousand years.
