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So last night, if you remember, we touched on the 1st message, which is the shift in faith and spiritual things. And I gave you all a very quick overview on what the 1st—the 1st epistle to Peter, our 1st epistle by Peter, was all about. It was about the preparation of Christians, the Christian diaspora, who were about to face severe persecution. And because of that severe persecution, we know that Satan will make use—will make best use—of that violence and shock and awe in order to shift them and to move them away from the historic faith. And what is that historic faith? The historic faith in the power of God, in the resurrection of Christ, and the forgiveness of sins. That is a very precious faith, not to be denied or to be neglected. And then finally, we also know and understand that God will keep the believer, and that was the encouragement from the apostle Peter. So you all would have remembered that lesson yesterday evening from the 1st portion of chapter one, 1st Peter.
Today we shall be reading from chapter one, verses 13, all the way to chapter 2, verse 3. So again, we shall read responsively. So please open your Bibles, 1st Peter chapter one, and we shall begin with verse 13. So let us read responsively. I will read from verse 13, and then the congregation will respond. Verse 13, it says, “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. And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear: forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: but the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.” (1 Peter 1:13–25) Verses 1, 2, and 3 of chapter 2 all together, “Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: if so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.” (1 Peter 2:1–3) Amen. We thank God for the reading of His precious Word.
Now, I try to bridge that gap, the historic gap of 2000 years. And what is that historic gap in the time and the writing of the 1st epistle of Peter? The Christians were about to face severe persecution. But how does that relate to us, and how does that become relevant to us today? Well, as persecution can shift a person’s faith and shake that person’s grounding in the faith, similarly, the events that happens around us also do shake our faith and make us shift and make us sometimes unknowingly move away from that historic faith.
And last yesterday evening, as I spoke about the shift from faith and spiritual things, I talk about the shifting mindset, even among people who have grown up in the church, from Sunday school to teens to youth, and then later in life, in their adulthood, they turn around and they say, no, I no longer believe in God. And then you will find that actually Christian leaders, or I should say, errant Christian leaders, sometimes testify of that kind of heresy as well, right? And some of these names may be familiar to you, right? Names like Rob Bell. He was a pastor of a mega church, and he came to a point where he said I no longer believe in this faith. And then there were others as well, men such as David Heywood. He actually has a YouTube channel and is very strangely titled, called The Naked Pastor, right? Why would anyone choose a name like that for a channel, The Naked Pastor? And he also testified of a deconstructed faith.
And that’s a term I like to explain today—deconstruction. It is an word that has come up recently in the theological world, recently because it’s never been heard of in the past century. When men or women who initially professed the faith—I believe in the Lord Jesus, I believe in the salvation by the blood of Christ of my sins, and my reconciliation with God—suddenly they deconstruct that entire faith, and they tear it away bit by bit, and they take the gospel and the written Word of God, and they demystify it. It’s no longer the truth of God, but it is a myth to be demystified, bits of it taken away, and they deconstruct the faith. The exact opposite of the word which the Bible uses to tell us about how we build up our faith. What’s that word in the Bible? Those of you who are familiar—edify. Edify the things, and that means to build up, to strengthen your faith. Whereas these men and women are going in the opposite direction, they are deconstructing it, tearing away, like you would dismantle a superstructural building, bit by bit, until it is completely broken down.
And you may know of names, for instance, like Bart Erman. A man who said he grew up as a conservative, fundamental Christian, but no longer believes that the Bible is the Word of God. In fact, he has serious doubts about the resurrection of Christ, and a lot of the miracles that have been described in the Bible, there must be myths. There must have been enhancements that were added to the text of the scripture over the years by imaginative writers. How terrible, isn’t it? That’s the era we are living in, and that is the kind of exposure our children have, and that’s the kind of exposure our young people have today. We have to be very watchful.
So today in 2nd Peter, starting from verse 13, we move into another aspect of shifting—the shift from holiness and morality, the shift from holiness and morality. And you will find that in the writing of Peter, he’s trying to reorientate the Christians to the understanding that holiness is also a requirement that God has commanded, and on top of that, it is also a protection for the sins against the moving and the shifting away from the historic faith by moving away from the holiness that is demanded in the Word of God.
So we find, for instance, in 1st Peter—and I shall read, right?—verse 13. It says, it begins with, “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.” (1 Peter 1:13) Verse 13 begins with gird up the loins of your mind. We know what that is, isn’t it? Although we don’t do it these days.
In ancient times, most men or people who labour in the fields, right, or soldiers, they will be clad in a robe of some kind, right, a toga. And before they engage in any serious, strenuous activity, the 1st thing they like to do is to bundle up their robes and then, of course, be able to tie it up, right, with a belt or some kind of a fastening, so that all those loose garments will not impede or hinder them from their activity. Right? We still practice that today to some degree. Look at our machinists or our workers on the shop floor. What are they told to do? Fasten up all the loose ends, right? Your sleeves, bits of your collar, bits of your garments, so that it won’t be caught in machinery, right, and become a hazard.
So the idea of fastening and girding up means being prepared, ready. It is also a military term. The Roman soldier, before he engage in battle, will ensure that his belt is fastened, because it will be a terrible thing if you’re in the middle of a fight and then your belt were to come loose. Terrible embarrassment, isn’t it? And a terrible mistake, because that’s when your enemy will stick a sharp object at you, and you’ll lose the battle and possibly lose your life. Readiness—that’s what it means. Gird up the loins of your mind, because the battle is not a battle of muscles and bone and flesh. It’s the battle for the mind. The battle for holiness and morality is up here.
And the devil is very quick to use the media that is available now and the technology that is available now in the world to infect the minds of our young ones—the young ones who are in their classes right now. Thank God they have godly teachers. I know you’ve engaged sisters, Tessa, and Tia to come and teach them. Thank God for that. And I’m sure within your church you have Sunday school teachers who will continue that teaching week after week. And I know that they have godly parents in the congregation who will continue to teach children. But sometimes there’s a losing battle, because the world, motivated by the thoughts of the evil one, have a stronger hold upon them.
I’m pretty sure all of you, and some of you are—you’re holding onto a phone, isn’t it? That is an avenue to a vast repository of knowledge, the vast majority of which is unholy and ungodly. And our children have exposure to that, with or without your knowledge—the shift from holiness and morality.
Now, why is that important in those times? So Peter is writing, gird up the loins of your mind. Let your mind be ready. And then it says, be sober, be very vigilant and watchful, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you in the revelation of Jesus Christ. Continue in that sense of preparation and alertness and that mindset of combat readiness.
You know, some of the safest countries—well, not necessarily safest, but countries that are least threatened by conflict—what are they? What countries are these? These are countries that are very often the most prepared for war, isn’t it? Isn’t it true? If you’re in a country that’s very well prepared for war, and you’re very well equipped and you’re very well—nobody’s gonna mess with you. Nobody wants to come near you. They might walk away with a bloody nose, and they don’t want to do that. They might threaten you, but it’s all they will do.
And the idea of being ready, the idea of having your mind that is ready, and to continue being ready as a Christian is important in our spiritual warfare. If you lapse, you choose not to read your Bible, you choose to stop praying, you get distracted by the cares of the world, and you’re more concerned about making your daily bread, and you’re more concerned about building a bigger house and driving a nicer car and having better holidays—what better holiday can it be than to come here and enjoy this beauty and the scenery of nature? It’s beautiful, isn’t it? I saw the children playing out there. What a wonderful time they’re having.
But then there are cares and attractions in the world that would draw us away. We know that. And yet the mind is not ready. For that battle, the mind will very quickly slip, just like soldiers in the army who have slacken off on their training, and they start to put on a little paunch, and they start to get, right, huffy, right, a little bit out of breath when they have to run a short distance, and they no longer fit for the battle. That’s what becomes of a Christian who is not ready in his mind.
And how does Peter, the apostle, present it? It’s not that preparation for the moment or for now. It is preparation up to the time of the revelation of Jesus Christ. We are to do it this life, while we are alive and breathing and walking and thinking all through our lives. And if the Lord tarries and the Lord appears, we should still be ready when he comes. But if the Lord does tarry, and we do pass on from this life into that eternal glory, we shall be ready to the last moment and the last breath of our lives. That’s what Peter is trying to convey, and that’s how we are to live.
To the people who are about to undergo severe persecution, and possibly the execution and death of their loved ones, holiness and morality may often be the last things in their mind, isn’t it? What would be foremost in your mind if you’re under threat? Survival. Preservation of my life, preservation of my loved ones, and then possibly preservation of whatever possessions or assets that I may have—that may come last. But that would take the primary focus in your mind. Holiness and morality—let’s put it aside for the moment. Life must come first. That is the threat. That is the threat. And the devil is very effective at using that.
How do I know? Because for 3 decades, I was like that. I was engaged in a very busy work. I loved it, though, I must say. Enjoyable, but I spend a lot of time, inordinate amount of time, at it—so much so that my spiritual preparation declined over the years and decades. And so much, there were times when a lot prompted me, and I hardly heard it. You know, some of you men may understand what I mean, right? Your wife’s called you, “Hey, darling, come help me in the kitchen.” What’s that again? Sometimes you don’t hear it at all, isn’t it? True.
Well, that comes if you do not keep and gird up the loins of your mind and continue to keep that preparation. It’s a spiritual fitness that has to be maintained. So Peter continues in telling them, right, this is what you must aim at. You must be aiming at readiness and being able to do that.
But how should you behave? And this is what verse 14 is about, right? “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.” (1 Peter 1:14–16)
So this is the 1st point I want to make about holding fast despite the shift from holiness and morality, and that is to remember that holiness is Christ command to us. God commanded us to be holy, right? You just read that, isn’t it? Verse 16, “Be ye holy; for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:16) We are to be holy, like Christ.
Firstly, we must know that that is his commandment. And then as we go through the passages, the verses in this passage, we also must read and know and understand that we have that holiness because we are purified by Christ’s blood. We are purified by Christ’s blood. And I hope you understand what that phrase means, right? We call this an anaphoric phrase, meaning when we say Christ’s blood, we’re not just talking about the blood, we’re talking about his death, right? His body broken for us, his blood that was shed for us, his suffering for our sins as our substitute, and that purifies us by faith in him.
Firstly, it is Christ’s commandment to us. Secondly, it is Christ’s blood that purified us—we must remember that. And then very importantly and thirdly, we must know that this commandment by Christ is to take on and remember the purity that is in Christ, remember that purity and his commandment to us. Right? So very—3 very simple points to remember: Christ’s commandment to us to be holy.
Secondly, Christ’s blood that purifies us and keeps us holy. And then thirdly, we remember the purity of Christ, both our example and our conduct and our conversation.
So we continue in verse 16. What does it say? He says, “Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:16) You see, it’s very easy to lose ourselves within yourself. Now, what do I mean by that? To lose yourself within yourself. When you’re so absorbed with what you have to do, when you’re so absorbed in the problems that you have to solve, when you’re so absorbed by the things that you have to accomplish in order to keep paying the bills, feeding your family, ensuring that you have your livelihood and your job, making sure that you’re still healthy, when all of that keeps you so engaged and involved—which, by the way, is not wrong, right? We need to do that as Christian men and women. We have a duty to make a livelihood, to make good use of our time, to feed our families, to pay our bills on time, and all of that. We know we have to do that.
But when that becomes the sole and only priority, at the expense of spiritual things and at the expense of holiness, we are doing exactly that. We are doing exactly what Satan wants us to do—to move away from holiness and morality. And therefore, God gives us a standard. What is that standard? The standard isn’t about which country you live in, right? People say, oh, you come from a very busy city state, and there’s very high pressure, and I know people work 14, 16 hours a day, right, 6 days a week, sometimes 7 days a week, and we know that’s very high pressure. But there’s no excuse.
Or somebody may say, oh, you come from a very liberal country, and they have different norms when it comes to dressing and nudity and sexual orientation, and that’s the way you’re in. You’re immersed in that culture, so therefore your norms will change. But that isn’t the point. The point of having a standard of morality is to know that the scripture gives us an absolute standard, and that standard is the holiness of God. “Be ye holy; for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:16)
You see, for the 1st century Christians who are threatened by persecution, that standard is guided by what the Roman Empire will decide is good for them, isn’t it? Roman Empires, you know, is decadent, even in the 1st century, right? They conducted mass feastings and orgies, they have all kinds of sexual sins being committed. They were terribly violent and ruthless, even in their entertainments, and they have that standard of morality. But the Christian is to preserve their morality despite, despite the threat of persecution to come. And so are we. Despite the threat that surrounds us, we must maintain that holiness and that purity.
You know, if we read on, we understand what the word of God tells us. So let’s look at verse 17, right? Verse 17 says, “And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear.” (1 Peter 1:17) Verse 18, “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers.” (1 Peter 1:18)
There is an understanding not only that God has given us an absolute standard for holiness; there’s an understanding that as we live our lives, we are to practise it. And this is why he used the phrase, your sojourning—pass the time of your sojourning here in fear, in reverence of God, in constantly reminding yourself, I have to keep that holy standard.
It’s not unusual if you are in a working environment, especially surrounded by people of the world, to take upon the language of the world, and the language of the world is terrible. Sometimes we actually have to step back away from it and detoxify our minds from those words that are used, and those words that we hear in the course of an 8 or 10 hour working day, because they infect your mind. And what’s worse? Some, for some, when they go home and they go on media, perhaps they watch, you know, a video clip of some kind, those words and phrases that are used in the world—curses, swearing of all kind—comes back. It becomes part of the vocabulary.
But a Christian is called upon to live, to sojourn, knowing that this is only a temporary journey, in reverence of God, holding the truth of God’s word with high esteem, treasuring it—very important.
So what do we learn initially from this 1st 5 or 6 verses? This is a commandment by Christ. Holiness is commanded by Christ—a wonderful thing, isn’t it? It is not an option. Oh, I wish to do it. Why? Because I’m a pastor, I must set an example for my flock. No. Oh, why do you do it? Oh, because I’m the father and husband and head of the household, I must put forth a good testimony. It’s not just that, although that is true—you must live a good testimony. But the underlying reason is that holiness is a commandment by Christ.
And if your language is not holy, if your thoughts are not holy, weep and sorrow and cry before God. Help me, Lord. There are nights when I lay in bed and pray, God, help me. Why do I think those thoughts of the former days? Why do those words come to my mind when it should not? I’m a Christian, washed in the blood of the lamb. God help me. And the Holy Spirit of God will help you. The Holy Spirit of God is all powerful, and the Holy Spirit of God is able to convict and change your heart and your mind. That’s why the Bible calls us the new man, or in the case of sisters, the new woman—washed in the blood of the lamb, able to obey the commandment of God.
You know, the idea of obedience is given to us in verse 14—as obedient children. We have to be obedient, right? We are not to be errant. It is Christ’s commandment for us to be holy.
Secondly, we know and understand that our holiness is not on the basis of our own effort. You know, our understanding of holiness have always been dictated by very often the world, isn’t it? How does the world see men or women who are holy? Oh, they don’t drink, they don’t smoke, they don’t curse nor swear. You know, they don’t engage in, for instance, filthy talk, and they’re kind to others. So that’s a certain standard of holiness. We know the world holds that, and therefore it becomes a form of salvation by works. I behave in this manner, and therefore I’m holy. Is that true? That’s true of all pagan religions, isn’t it? And that is true of almost all religions, apart from Christianity. Any religion that’s based on salvation of works has to do and defines holiness on the basis of the behaviour and the motivation and the intent of the person.
But the Bible describes for us holiness and morality in another way—a person who is washed by the blood of the lamb. So let us continue reading, right, verse 18 and 19: “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” (1 Peter 1:18–19)
Now, Peter, as you know, he himself is a Jew, so he understands the Jewish religion—it’s all about salvation by works, right? But now look at verse 19: “But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” (1 Peter 1:19)
Now this very short verse, just only a few words, right—“with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot”—is richly endowed with theological meaning which we must understand, that our holiness must be based and must be founded upon. The basis is we are washed by the blood of Christ. He gave himself for us. He died on a cross for what purpose? You’ve just had your Easter service, isn’t it? And it is not—is very common in Easter that we read Isaiah chapter 53: “He was wounded for our transgressions… he was bruised for our iniquities… with his stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5) He suffered, he bled on that cross. That precious blood of Christ is a substitute for our sins, and by faith in him, we receive that holiness. And therefore, the Bible describes Christians as saints—holy ones—before God.
Firstly, holiness is commanded by God. Secondly, holiness is imputed upon us on the basis of Christ’s blood. So this is what it says. Now verse 20 says, right, and we read on in verse 20: “Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.” (1 Peter 1:20)
Now, writing to the 1st century Christians—now, as I mentioned before, Peter himself is a Jew—so the entire knowledge that’s given to them in the Old Testament tells them that there will be a Messiah to come, the pure and perfect unblemished lamb of God. But at a point when Christ, our Lord and Saviour, ministered on earth, and he died on the cross, and he was buried for 3 days, and he rose again, no longer was that a secret, because now it is openly manifested. We know who the Messiah is. We know who the Saviour is—our Lord Jesus Christ.
And what proof do we have that God have accepted his sacrifice as our substitute? He was resurrected. And in these last times—well, which is from the time of the ministry of the Lord Jesus all the way, you know, after his ascension, through the church age to today—this is revealed to us.
And what is revealed to us? Look at verse 21 and 22: “Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God; seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren.” (1 Peter 1:21–22)
You have purified your souls. You have purified your souls. And this is how it is described to us. First of all, verse 19 tells us it is the precious blood of Christ that purifies us. And then when you come under verse 22, that idea is repeated—you have purified your souls. With what? With the precious blood of Christ.
Now, I want to pause here for a moment and think about it. If someone is chasing you down and about to take your life, and about to inflict pain and violence upon your loved ones, in order that this person may coerce, may force you to renounce your faith—do you think holiness will be on your mind? Do you think the purity of your souls would still be on your mind? Very difficult thought, isn’t it? Someone would put a sharp sword at your throat and say, renounce your faith, or you lose your life in this instant. Would you be, at that instant, be thinking to yourself, thank God, I have the Lord Jesus, who shed his blood for me that I may be purified from my sins now and forevermore? Maybe not. But it should be, isn’t it?
That’s how the language of the Bible instructs us—seeing that you have purified your souls, seeing that you have been washed by the precious blood of the lamb.
And early on when I said that verse 19 is full and rich in meaning because it says the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot, see to the Jewish reader. When you mention a lamb without blemish and without spot, what does that come to mind? It’s associated with Easter again, right? I’m glad you’re having this camp immediately after Easter because the connection is there right away.
What is that other festival that the Jewish people celebrate and we Christians call Easter? Paschal, right? Passover. The Passover lamb. And it is the shedding of the blood of that perfect lamb that allows, right, that angel of death to pass over the Israelites in the days of old. And what does it mean to us? It is the shedding of the perfect Son of God, the sinless man who died on the cross that allows God’s judgement to pass over me completely and pass over you. And that is the thought that ought to preoccupy your mind, up to the very last moment of your life.
I have only one thought. There are many things to think about—I’m sure—but only have one thought in my mind, that my soul is purified in the blood of the sinless and perfect Lamb of God who is without blemish. And even if I pass on in this life, I shall see my God face to face. As Job himself declared, isn’t that what he said? “In my flesh shall I see God.” (Job 19:26) That’s what he said. A beautiful thing to know and understand.
That holiness is commanded by Christ, and Christ gives us and enables us through his blood that was shed. And holiness comes upon us, imputed upon us, because of Christ’s blood that has been shed for us. Now at this moment, I brought up 2 points. Number one is a commandment by God. Number two, it is Christ’s blood—the perfect, sinless Lamb of God who shed his blood for us.
But when I talk about the shift from holiness and morality, I’m also talking about tremendous changes that have been happening in the Christian world. So give me—I have my drink, please.
Some of you may have heard in the past years, right, recent years, of a Christian apologist who was found… was found to have behaved very inappropriately. This man was very, very well spoken of amongst Christian circles. He was a speaker at many Christian seminars, conferences, in seminaries, in Bible colleges. He was very welcome. A man spoken of as a true defender of the faith. He would debate against men of other faiths, he would debate against cult leaders, and speak of the precious blood of Christ.
But when it was found that he had behaved inappropriately with his staff—not just once or twice, but over a course of many years—and he had used his position of power in order to assert his influence over them and to extract sexual favours from them, his entire institute collapsed. And that whole network that enabled him, right, to reach out to so many parts of the world, of which he was a well-known itinerant preacher, completely folded up. In fact, many churches have removed his literature from their libraries and their recommended reading, seminaries as well. Shocking, isn’t it? That’s the kind of shift in morality that we see today. And he is by no means the only one.
And even more recently, a well-known preacher—I will not mention these names, but you all will know them, it’s in media—at the age of 76, he confessed to his church he committed adultery. Or rather, I should say, he has been committing adultery. And again, it was not an isolated instance. Well, not that an isolated instance is tolerable, but we understand, yes, a man may fall at a moment of weakness. But he has been doing it for decades, years, while he was ministering to a church. How terrible it is, isn’t it? And that’s the kind of shift in morality.
And I pray to God, often, in the quiet moments, God help me. Help me and help every servant of God, that we may never stray away or lose sight of that morality. If we live in times of relative ease, plentiful food—we had a wonderful breakfast, isn’t it? We’re going to have at least two more meals today, and I understand two tea breaks that go with it as well, right, and with dessert to boot. Wonderful.
In these pleasant times and these beautiful surroundings, if men and women can fall away from holiness and moral standard, what would it be like if it were times of persecution? It’s dreadful to think. And Peter, moved by the Holy Spirit, have to pen these words, relevant not only to those who are about to face persecution in the 1st century, but also to us in this day and age, to watch out.
First of all, for ourselves. And I urge all of you, pray for your pastor, pray for your pastor’s family, pray for me, pray for every servant of God, that God will preserve them, that they will remember it is God’s commandment to be holy, and it is the precious blood of Christ that will purify them. And therefore it is no more a matter of personal motivation or effort. You know, if it’s just a matter of personal motivation or effort, it’s so easy to excuse yourself, isn’t it? I’m a man of flesh. I feel. True. We all feel time and again. But you are washed in the blood of the Lamb. That’s different. That’s very, very different.
So we bring up these examples so that we may know and we may understand that shift in morality. So I continue reading, right, in verse 22: “Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” (1 Peter 1:22–23)
You know love, strangely, is an output of a life of holiness in God. You understand that? It’s hard to conceive that, isn’t it? Because in our mind we think that love is a spontaneous emotion that springs forth from our heart, right? Those of you who have been married for many years perhaps, or even if you’re recently married, you can think about the time when you met your partner in life for the 1st time. There’s that strange urging and warm feeling in your heart, doesn’t it?
And we tend to think of love as being an outspringing of emotion from ourselves. A young man who is deeply in love with a young lady will have that feeling. You see that often when they are apart, they will miss each other. And when they happen to be reunited, whether it’s at the airport arrival hall, you will see this outburst of love and emotion being expressed. So we think of love as being an emotion that comes out from the human heart.
But the Bible tells us of another important urging—that holiness brings forth true love out of our hearts. That’s what it says, isn’t it? Do you see that in verse 22, seeing that you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, and see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently. Love with a pure heart. A heart that is holy is a heart that will love fervently.
And I see that amongst you. I see that in a way you serve one another. I see that in a way, right, you all gather together and help one another and cheer one another up. And I see that in many congregations. A member has fallen sick, people will rally around to do whatever and give whatever help is necessary, right? It may be as simple as getting groceries for the family just to ease a little bit of the burden. It may be the helpful and generous giving of those who are very well endowed in order to relieve their financial burden. It may be just a comforting word or a small gift that will cheer up the day for this person who is sick—always giving care to someone who is sick.
That is love. And that is done without the expectancy of reward of any kind. And that is God’s love, because it is without condition. It is given freely. And where does that stem from, where does that kind of true love stem from? From a heart that is holy.
So if you're a young man or a young woman who's looking for a life partner, Don't seek a live partner who will just love you. Seek someone who will love you, whose love springs out of a heart, that is holy, knowing that holiness is commanded by Christ. And knowing that his or her holiness is a result of the purification by the blood of Christ. And with that love, this person will be able to love the brethren with a pure heart fervently. You see the repetition of the word pure, purified by the blood of Christ, loving one another with a pure heart. It is only with a pure heart that you can love truly, isn't it? A heart that is tainted by the flesh or the heart that is tainted by sin cannot love, truly, and neither can it love fervently. Because that love will be tainted with self agenda, with an intention to benefit self, and that becomes selfish love. And every selfish love, it should not be called love at all. In fact, you should be reduced too, selfish. That's what it is.
So you see how Paul, this man, whom the liberal will describes as an ignorant fisherman. He writes with such theological depth, teaching us that the true meaning of love comes out of a heart that is purified in Christ that is holy in Christ. So we learn this today. Holiness is a commandment by Christ. Holiness comes upon us because of the blood of Christ they were shed for us. And then thirdly, we'll know this, that holiness is based upon the word of Christ. And this is why verse 23 says, being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.
If we continue the reading, we'll find that Peter will develop this thought, right? Verse 24 says all flesh is his grass. And as all the glory of manners of flower and grass, the grass withereth, and the flower falleth away. But the word of the Lord endureth forever, and this is the word which by the gospel is preach unto you. Our holiness is based on the knowledge of the word of God that has been preached unto us. And Peter gives the contrast. There's the glory of man. Yes, you can try to be holy. You can try to be, you know, as brilliant as possible in your spiritual life. You try that. That's the glory of man. Your own motivation, your intention, your effort, whatever resource you pump into it, to achieve that perceived holiness. They will fade away. Of course, this verse have also been taken, right, in various interpretation to also mean the achievements of men. All the assets that you've accumulated in this life. All the titles, the accolades, the awards, that the world have heaped upon you, and of which you're so proud. Yesterday, I speak of men and women who put certificates on their wall. in order to display the accolades that the world have given to them. And those are glories of men. But in the theological sense, What's Peter talking about that glory of man that glorifies in himself? But in contrast, the only thing that stands firm and is objective and is the truth that is unchanging is the word of God. And this is why verse 20, verse 25, right, ends with the word of the Lord endureth forever. This is the word, which by the gospel is preached unto you. Holiness is Christ's command. Holiness is imputed upon us because of Christ's blood. Holiness is on the basis of the knowledge of God's word. And I want to end with this encouragement by Peter himself. Not my words, but the words of Peter, the apostle. And it says this, right? 1 Peter 2:1, "Wherefore laying aside all malice and all guile and all hypocrisies and envies and all evil speakings."
You see, these are sins of the flesh. Remember what I said earlier on, you cannot love with a pure heart if your heart is not purified. If your heart is not governed by the understanding of holiness and the holiness that only can come about by the purification by the blood of Christ. Then it will never be pure love. And then you will be tainted by all these things that are described. What is it? He talks about the malice, right? Intent to do harm to others in guile, deceit, falsehood, hypocrisy, disguised dishonesty, envy and evil speakings, all of that together. Let's not loving one another fervently with a pure heart.
And verse 22 ends with this exaltation: "As newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the wood that ye may grow thereby. If so be your tasted that the Lord is good."
It is by Christ's word and feeding on the word of Christ that we grow and we are strengthened, and we develop and grow that character. By the help of the Holy Spirit, and the word of God, that is found to be holy and in accordance to God's word. What have we learned today? The world is shifting away from its holiness and morality, but the word of God teaches it is Christ's command. It is Christ's blood that has purified us and therefore is not our own effort, and we are able, therefore, to love each other with a pure heart. Thirdly, it is on the basis of the word of God that liveth forever. Amen.
Let us pray.
Father in heaven, we thank thee for thy precious word. May I will continue to strengthen and encourage thy people, that we may live for thee, prepare our hearts to serve thee. Bless us as we continue in our day's activity, grant our safety and our activities and protect us and watch over us.
In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.