1 Peter

Chapter 1:13-19 (ESV) - 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. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 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, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.

Question to consider: What does Peter mean by “conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile?”

What’s translated “preparing your minds for action” can be literally translated from the Greek, “girding up the loins of your mind.” When someone was called to gird up their loins, they were to prepare for a swift action like a battle or fleeing. It involved cinching up his tunic so it wouldn't hinder his leg movement. If you're really curious, here's a how-to link: https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/how-to-gird-up-your-loins-an-illustrated-guide/

Obviously, their brain did not have loins or a tunic that needed to be girded, but Peter was telling them to be alert and ready so they were not consumed by the temptations of the world, especially since the ones to whom he was writing were exiled from their homeland into Gentile nations that worshiped their gods with acts of debauchery. In the ultimate sense, all Christians are living as exiles in a rebellious land and longing to be reunited with Christ. Surviving the temptations of this world takes a sober mind that is focused on Jesus. As Paul said in Galatians 5:16, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”

Those who understood the freedom we have in Christ may have asked themselves why Peter was calling them to act differently than the culture in which they lived. His response to them was simply that they were to be holy because God is holy. If we say that we love God, should we not love the things that God loves? You also may be asking why Peter wrote that we should “conduct ourselves with fear”? Although Peter recognized that our eternal salvation has been bought by the imperishable, precious blood of Christ, we still worship a heavenly Father who demands our respect and disciplines His children. God may receive us into salvation while in our sinful state, but he doesn’t keep us there. The sanctifying work of His Holy Spirit will carry us along a path of holiness and sometimes with a heavy hand.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, please teach us to love your holiness and welcome your loving correction. Help us to stay alert to the devil’s temptations and evil schemes so that we can pursue holiness in the midst being exiled in a fallen world. We also ask for your quick return so that we can see the end of sin and death. Amen.