Bible Studies

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I'll always quote from the New American Standard Bible, 1995 edition, unless I mention otherwise. Sometimes I'll make comments in the middle of quotations in brackets [ ] or [[ ]] to make them more obvious. cf. means compare; e.g. means for example

INTRODUCTION: These verses are of key importance on the super-important topic of righteousness, holiness, redemption, and the victory over all sin through the all-important atoning death of the Lamb of God. For one thing, the apostle Peter exhorts us to be holy in all our behavior as God is holy. For 1 Pet. 1:13-19 I am borrowing heavily from Article #28 of my "Twenty-Eight Articles on Holiness and Victory Over Sin," which borrowed heavily from my book, "Holiness and Victory Over Sin: Full Salvation Through the Atoning Death of the Lord Jesus Christ." For 1 Pet. 2:24-25 I am borrowing heavily from my "The Christian, the Law, and Legalism." Both papers are available on my internet site (Google to Karl Kemp Teaching), and the individual articles from both papers are available on this Christian article site. I highly recommend my book (available on my website and at amazon.com) and both papers on the topic of righteousness, holiness, and the victory over all sin.


I'll quote 1 PETER 1:13-19: "Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (14) As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, (15) but LIKE THE HOLY ONE WHO CALLED YOU, BE HOLY YOURSELVES ALSO IN ALL YOUR BEHAVIOR [my emphasis]; (16) because it is written, 'YOU SHALL BE HOLY [or, 'BE HOLY'], FOR I AM HOLY.' (17) And if you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; (18) knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile [and sinful] way of life inherited from your forefathers, (19) but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ."


1 PETER 1:13. "Therefore, prepare your minds for action [[We think with our "minds," which includes the high-level thinking we do in our hearts, including our priorities, attitudes, and motives.]], keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." As we (true Christians) live in the light of the return of the Lord Jesus Christ and the glory this will mean for us (see 1 Pet. 1:3-7; 4:13; 5:1, 4, 6, 10; Rom. 5:2; Col. 1:5, 22, 23, 27; and Titus 3:7, for example), we will be strongly motivated to live for God in His truth, righteousness, and holiness. As we, by faith, walk by the Spirit of God (cf., e.g., Gal. 5:16; Rom. 8:1-14 [see my recent article on Rom. 8:1-14]) and in accordance with the Word of God, we are enabled to think right in our hearts (cf., e.g., Rom. 8:5-9; 12:2). Our primary thinking takes places in our hearts, not in our heads. As we walk by the Spirit of God, which we are enabled, and required, to do on a continuous basis, we will think in line with the Word of God in our hearts and we will walk in the righteousness and holiness of God on a continuous basis.


1 PETER 1:14. "As obedient children [or, "children of obedience"], do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance." Christians must be "children of obedience." These Christians from a Gentile background that the apostle Peter was addressing here (and all Christians) must not to be conformed any longer to their former sinful lifestyle (see 1 Pet. 1:18; 4:2-4, for example). We have put off the old man and have become born-again new creations in Christ Jesus (see 1 Pet. 1:22, 23; 2:1, 2, 24, 25; Rom. 6:1-23; 2 Cor. 5:14-17; Eph. 4:17-5:4; Col. 2:10-15; and 3:1-11, for example). This is the Christian ideal, and it is not presented in the New Testament as an unrealistic ideal. God's powerful grace is sufficient, but the victory over sin is not automatic and it involves warfare against the world, the flesh (the old man who wants to continue in sin), and the devil and his hosts.

I'll quote the first part of Rom. 12:2, which uses the same Greek verb for "conform," "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing [or, better yet, "renewal" with the BAGD Greek Lexicon] of your mind." The indwelling Spirit of God in combination with the Word of God (especially the gospel) enables us to have a renewed mind. As we discussed under verse 13, we are enabled, and required, to think right in our hearts. I am not saying that all born-again Christians have a renewed mind. Although we Christians are required to take the Word of God (especially the basics of the gospel) into our hearts and walk in line with that Word and by the Holy Spirit on a continuous basis in the truth, righteousness, and holiness of God, this doesn't always happen. For one thing, it is easy to walk to a significant extent in the flesh, instead of the Holy Spirit; nevertheless, we are enabled, and required, to walk by the Holy Spirit on a continuous basis (cf. Gal. 5:16; Rom. 8:1-14).

Whether we know it or not (ignorance of God's Word isn't an acceptable excuse), when we become Christians we sign a contract, so to speak, agreeing to walk in the Word of God and by the Spirit of God on a continuous basis in the righteousness and holiness of God.


1 PETER 1:15, 16. "but LIKE THE HOLY ONE [Greek adjective "hagios"] WHO CALLED YOU, BE HOLY [hagios] YOURSELVES ALSO IN ALL YOUR BEHAVIOR [my emphasis]; (16) because it is written, 'YOU SHALL BE HOLY [or, "BE HOLY

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