Ep 340 – 1 Pheter 1:13-16

Why am I here? That is a question every human has asked at some point in his or her life. It is a matter of identity and speaks to our innate desire for purpose and meaning in life. In 1 Peter 1:13-16, Peter is going to begin to address the answer to this question, at least when it comes to those who have placed their faith in Jesus. I have entitled this episode, “Therefore…” because that is the word Peter uses to begin this section. The first 12 verses of this chapter have been a set-up for what is to come. And what is to come is Peter’s strong encouragement for the believers in his audience to take their new life in Christ seriously. In fact, he is going to call them to a life of holiness, and not some brand of low-grade, man-defined kind of holiness either. Peter will challenge us be holy like God is holy. And that high standard, while intimidating, is not impossible. It’s going to take effort, but God has not left us alone. He is not expecting us to pull off holiness with nothing more than our sin-hampered humanity. He has not only called us, He has equipped us with all we will need to live godly lives. But it will still require effort on our part. We don’t get a free pass or a seat on the bench while the rest of the team scores all the points and wins the game. We’ve got a job to do, but the good news is that we don’t have to do it alone or in our own strength.