BBCC Bible Study Notes

BEING WHAT YOU ARE – 1 Peter 1:13-2:3

September 29th, 2024

I. Christians as Exiles (Review)

• Pain and discomfort remind us this world is not our home.

• Christians are born again into living hope through Jesus.

II. Hope is Active (1 Peter 1:13-21)

"Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming." (1 Peter 1:13, NIV)

• God's commands follow His blessings; we respond in gratitude

• Set your hope on the grace of Jesus Christ, not worldly things

• Hope leads to action and readiness to do God's will

"As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But justas he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: 'Be holy, because I am holy.'" (1Peter 1:14-16, NIV)

• As God's adopted children, we are called to be like our Father

• Hope drives us to holiness and resisting worldly pressures

"For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect." (1 Peter 1:18-19, NIV)

• We are redeemed by Christ's precious blood, not worldly wealth

• God's love and the fear of despising it should motivate holiness

III. Hope Leads to Holiness (1 Peter 1:22-2:3)

"Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each

other, love one another deeply, from the heart." (1 Peter 1:22, NIV)

• Obedience to truth leads to purification and sincere love

• We must not only know truth but obey it to become holy

"For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and

enduring word of God." (1 Peter 1:23, NIV)

• God's word is eternal truth that transforms lives

• Hearing and obeying God's word makes us grow in holiness

"Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good." (1 Peter 2:1-3, NIV)

Summary: As Christians born again into living hope, we are called to live holy lives that reflect our Father's character. Hope is active, driving us to obey God's eternal word and be transformed to love others sincerely. By hearing and obeying the truth, we grow in holiness and show the world that we belong to God, not to this temporary world.

BBCC Verse of the Week:. 1 Peter 1:22b–23 (NIV) Love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of

God.

‍1 Peter 1:13-2:3 Study/Discussion Guide

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“The imperatives of Christian living always begin with ‘therefore.’ Peter does not begin to exhort Christian pilgrims until he has celebrated the wonders of God’s salvation in Jesus Christ.” (Ed Clowney)

‍ Consistent with the pattern found elsewhere in the NT, the author follows the opening statements of his letter, in which he describes the nature of new life in Christ, by exhortation that uses imperative forms. Peter prescribes four actions, each expressed in main clauses… (1) set your mind on the grace ahead, (2) be holy in your whole way of life, (3) love one another earnestly, and (4) crave pure spiritual milk. By directly applying OT passages to his readers, the author immediately employs the hermeneutic he just explained in 1:10–12. Allusions to the exodus event, quotations from the Holiness Code of Leviticus and from Isaiah, and echoes of Ps. 34 are woven together to create a new-covenant context for these four exhortations. (Karen Jobes)

Peter urges his readers to see history the way God has planned it. Though now they may suffer unjustly at the hands of evil people, someday Christ will return and justice will be fully established. As a result, Christians are to live in light of that day of manifested grace. If they think fellowship in the family of God and tasting of Jesus are good now (2:3), they need to think even more about the future when better things await them. What they can only praise God for now they will then know personally in all its glory (cf. 1:3–12). (McKnight)

This passage is full of quotes from the Old Testament (or sometimes you’ll see “LXX” which is a symbol for the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible). Peter’s Jewish readers would have immediately recognized the quotations and understood what he was writing in their Old Testament context. To understand this passage, it’s worth reading the quotes as found in the OT. (i.e. Lev. 11:44, 45, 19:2, Isaiah 40:6-8, Psa 34:12-13) (SS)

The contrast between what is transitory and what is permanent embodied in the quotation [of Isa. 40:6– 8] would be highly appropriate for a beleaguered community of Christians facing what gave every appearance of being the permanent, even eternal, power and glory of the Roman Empire. In such a situation, the announcement that the glitter, pomp, and power of the Roman culture was as grass when compared to God’s eternal word spoken in Jesus Christ, available through the gospel preached to and accepted by the Christians of Asia Minor, would give them courage to hold fast to the latter while rejecting the former. Even the hostility of that overwhelming power becomes more bearable when itsultimately transitory nature is revealed and accepted. (Achtemeier)

Discussion Questions:

In 1:13 Peter says we should get our minds ready for action. What part does our mind have in a life of faith and obedience?

According to Peter in 1:13-17, what are the connections between hope and holiness?

How can the world still squash us into the shape of the passions we had before we knew Christ.

Read 1 Peter 1:22-2:3. Most Christians struggle, at least some of the time, with having a sincere love for all their fellow believers (1:22). What reasons does Peter offer for Christians loving one another? (questions adapted from N.T. Wright)

For next week – Read 1 Peter 2:4-10 Pastor Samuel Sutter // sam@BBCCOnline.org

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