Article

 Jared Spicer - June, 2024

The Key passage given is 1 Peter 1:15-16, but I want to start at Verse 13. I would like to encourage you, please read all of these Scriptures and study them out. Ultimately, they have the final say and trump anything that is said here. So study them out for yourself and hopefully see this command brought to life. 

2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV) Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

1 Peter 1:13-16 (KJV) Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

In Verse 13, it starts out with a very important key point. Peter says “gird up the loins of your mind.” Now what does this mean? In one of my concordances it talks about how it is a metaphor derived from the practice of the Orientals. In order to be unimpeded (not hindered) in their movements, they were accustomed, when starting a journey or engaging in any work, to bind their long flowing garments closely around their bodies and fasten them with a leather belt.

You may ask, “what does this have to do with anything concerning holness?” Well, we must gird up the loins of our mind, and we must keep it from figuratively “impending us”, which will hinder our walk and our long journey here on this earth. In order to do this, we must think about and keep our minds focused upon Christ, bringing it under subjection to Him always. In turn, this will stop the “impending garment” that hinders our walk, and will secure it instead, giving us the ability to run the race set before us with no hindrance.

Then in verse 14, Peter tells us as “obedient children not fashioning ourselves…” — according to what? Our former lusts. When you’re a child of God and when you repent, you are to turn away from your former things. You cannot have both. You cannot serve God but yet still fulfill the lusts of the flesh. You must put them away in order to please Him. Which brings us to Sanctification. 

When you are Sanctified Holy, you no longer desire the old things, it is explained as the old man being crucified with Christ (Romans 6:6) which explains in this Scripture that this is imperative so that the body of sin might be destroyed. And you also see in Scripture that there are two ways you can live after.  That is the flesh, which brings forth sin, and death, or The Spirit, which brings forth life, and will lead you and guide you into all truth and righteousness. So in order for you to live a Holy life before The Lord, you must put away the former things and live in the newness of life that comes with being a true child of God. Let the new life take over, and let the old man pass away. 

Verse 15: Here is the command. Peter tells us to be Holy as “The One” who called us is Holy. Now, Jesus is who we are supposed to be striving to live like: are we really striving like we should? He is the very definition and example of what it is to live a Holy life! He lived on this Earth and had no spot and no blemish. And because of this, it was Him and Him alone who’s blood could both save and sanctify (Romans 5:8-10, 1 Peter 1:2). 

The second part says “in all manner of conversation”. This is not talking about any one thing, the way you talk, the way you conduct yourself, the way you dress, etc… But it is all of these things together, and we can only do this through the blood of Jesus and His Sanctifying power; comparing ourselves to Him and Him alone. Now this command is not easy, you are called to live a Holy life when you first get saved, because you are His and you reflect Him, and this is before you are Sanctified Holy, but Sanctification is a gift, and He gave you this gift so that the former lusts would be crucified. When you are saved, you still desire those former things and the old man is still living. But, Jesus wants that old man to be dead and gone. So through the power of the blood of Jesus, He gave us the gift of Sanctification.

You may ask, why would the Lord ask of me to be Holy? Well, we are to be different and distinguishable from the world. We are called to be different and peculiar people (1 Peter 2:9). We are called to be vessels of light, in this dark world (Mathew 5:16). The only way to stand out from the world is to live a life consecrated to the Lord and through this consecration you will live a Holy life before Him. Not according to your standards and your ideas, but what His standards are.

How do we know what His standards are? It’s by His Word. So Holiness is imperative for the Blood bought child of God, in order to show forth the praises of whom they serve. As Leviticus 20:26 says, He must sever (or seperate) you from the people of this world. We are called to be different. When you are a child, you represent your parents and how they have raised you. If you are a child of God, then you represent Him. So are you going to represent Him in the way that is pleasing? Or are you going to do what is pleasing to you?

But the way that is pleasing to the Lord, is through a Holy life. A Holy life is pleasing to the Lord. I know my Prayer is that I want to represent my parents well, but I want to represent my Lord all the more because He is worthy of all that I have, He is worthy of my all and nothing less. There are only two ways and no middle ground. You must choose.

Verse 16, this Scripture is simple and straight to the point: why are we supposed to live this Holy life? It is because it is Written. Because of this short statement, it makes the command all the more powerful. There is something behind the words, “it is written.” This should be our “why”, because The Word has told us. The love for God should motivate us, and we have a guide on how to live, and that is The Word of God. Because we love God, we should do what The Word says. Holiness is a command throughout the whole Bible because God desires all of His people to be like Him and be Holy. 

Leviticus 11:44-45 (KJV)  For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.  For I am the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.”

Leviticus 19:2 (KJV) Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy.” 

Leviticus 20:7 (KJV) Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God.

Leviticus 20:26 (KJV) And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the LORD am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine.”

This is another reason to rightly divide The Word of God, because it is admonished multiple times between both Old and New Testaments. So if The Word commands His people to do it. We should do it because we love Him. Which goes back to verse 14, “as obedient children.” The Lord commands His people to keep His statutes. 

Leviticus 20:8 (KJV)And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: I [am] the LORD which sanctify you.  

Holiness is one of the statutes that must be kept. We cannot do it alone. The Lord requires us to meet Him halfway. He provides the Blood, the Grace, and Mercy; but, we must be willing to surrender it all and let go of our past and put on the new life. Let the thoughts of The Lord consume our hearts and minds and continually gird up our mind, by bringing it continually under subjection to The Lord; to no longer walk after the flesh but now walk after the Spirit. I assure you: He will not lead you wrong. 

Lastly, be willing to no longer live for yourself but for the Lord. In everything you do, you must be willing to live for God. It’s not easy to let God kill that old man, and that’s why I believe The Word refers to it as crucifying the old man (Romans 6:6). You must be willing to endure the pain if you love God, and that is the key. Do you love Him? Not with emotional love, but agape, which is the highest form of sacrificial love. Then, you will be willing to lay all of your former things down and not pick them back up again.

But like everything, there is a choice: are you going to show your love by being obedient to the command that is so clearly set before you — The command for Holiness? And I believe the question that will drive you to strive to meet this command is, “Do you love Him?” I can assure you that He loves you, or else He wouldn’t have sent His Son. Do you love Him that much to let your old self die? The command is clear and the choice is yours. Will you show your love, represent Him well, and be obedient? Or, will you choose your own way?  It is up to you. Will you choose Holiness?