Hello, friend! Welcome! I hope you’re doing well. Last week we began our discussion of 1 Peter 1, and we talked about what (or who) our living hope is, what we do have when everything else is lost, and standing strong during suffering and trials. If you haven’t read that article, I recommend you do so. Click here to open it.

If you want to read today’s passage you can read it here (1 Peter 1:13-25). I recommend this since I will only be able to discuss a few of the verses in this article and it’s good to have the context in mind.

Verses To Consider

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,

1 Peter 1:13-14

Just like last time, Peter throws a lot of big words at us; let’s break it down.

1. Being Sober-minded

To be sober is to have a clear head, free of intoxicating things. In this case, being sober can be interpreted as being free from sin– clearing our head from unrighteousness.

Being sober-minded, though, is harder than just saying, “I’m going to clear my head of all sin,” because humans naturally want to sin. We get angry, jealous, upset for silly reasons– there’s no doubt about it: we’re sinful.

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 3:23

So how do we be sober-minded if we automatically sin? That brings us to the next point.

2. Set Your Hope Fully

I love the use of the word “fully” here; “Fully” means “all” or “completely.” We are to set our hope fully on God’s grace, given to us by Jesus’s sacrifice. 

Since we have been saved by grace, the Holy Spirit begins working through us, teaching us how to become more holy. The Holy Spirit does this through God’s word, the Bible, which goes back to why reading the Bible is important. Through God’s sovereign word we can learn so much about how we should live and the story of our faith as a whole.

We should also hope and trust in God completely. We can’t trust in the news, the doctors, the government, jobs, especially right now during COVID-19. But we can trust in God’s amazing gift of grace.

Let’s go back to Romans 3. Paul says that all have sinned in verse 23, but do you know what he says in verse 24?

And are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

Romans 3:24

We have an amazing gift of grace, and we should put our hope fully in that, reading the Bible and trusting God with our lives.

3. Former Ignorance

This goes back to being sober-minded, but it also is about when you come to your faith. When you come to faith, you might think, “I’m saved by grace so I can do whatever I want.”

But no, that’s not how it works.

When we’re saved, we don’t just keep sinning. We commit ourselves to our new faith, our new lives, and try to live as born again Christians. Sadly, though, this is easier said than done. 

Personally, I know this is what I should do- but I don’t always do it. I read the Bible (though not consistently), go to (or watch) church, and do a lot of those normal Christian sorts of things. However, I still sin, probably every single day, and I often don’t think twice about it. 

If you’re like me, you may have the same problem. So I want to challenge you, for the next week, to pray for at least two minutes every day and evaluate yourself for common sin in your life. Let me know if you’ll be participating in the comments below! In next week’s article, I’ll ask you how you did!

Imperishable Seeds

Since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living word of God,

1 Peter 1:23

Our imperishable inheritance given to us by Jesus’s sacrifice is truly the only thing that matters. I hope that we can all remember that, especially now.

Final Thoughts (& A Look Ahead)

Next week we’ll be taking a break from 1 Peter and I’ll be doing a recommended song list! Last time I did one it was “My Top 7 Encouraging Songs For Tough Times.” Soon after posting it I found plenty of other songs that could have also gone in that list, so I’ll be doing a part 2! Stay tuned!

Thank you for joining me today in this study of 1 Peter! If you want to receive updates when I post and my monthly newsletter, you can sign up for my email list: either by the pop-up or on the home page of the blog! I’ll see you next week.

Have a blessed day,

~Caroline