Conscious Of God

1 Peter 2:13-14,17-19 - Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right…Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king. Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God.

Romans 12:10 - Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.

Proverbs 24:21-22 - Fear the LORD and the king, my son, and do not join with the rebellious, for those two will send sudden destruction upon them, and who knows what calamities they can bring?

Conclusions:

• Brotherly love is love within the family of God
• Only a mind renewed by the Holy Spirit could possibly honor others above themselves
• Submission to civil authority is commanded
• To obey God is to fear Him and honor our king
• The king is a terror to the wicked
• Authority established among men depends on God for its existence
• Indirectly, when one disobeys a human ruler he disobeys God, who ordained the system of human government
• When Peter wrote, the emperor was the godless, brutal Nero, who ruled from A.D. 54 to 68
• Of course, obedience to the emperor must never be in violation of the law of God

Application:

• Are you devoted to others within the family of God? Do you honor others above yourself?
• Do you fear the Lord and those who rule over you?
• Do you submit yourself to every authority instituted among men?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible

Free Men

1 Peter 2:15-16 - For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.

John 8:32 - Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

Galatians 5:13 - You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.

Romans 6:22 - But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.

Conclusions:

• Closely connected with Jesus, the truth is not philosophical truth but the truth that leads to salvation
• The truth setting you free is freedom from sin, not from ignorance
• Liberty is not license but freedom to serve God and each other in love
• Slavery to God produces holiness, and the end of the process is eternal life
• There is no eternal life without holiness
• Anyone who has been justified will surely give evidence of that fact by the presence of holiness in his life

Application:

• Has the truth that leads to salvation set you free from sin?
• Do you use your freedom to serve others in love?
• Have you become a slave to God?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible

Good Deeds

1 Peter 2:12-14 - Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.

Titus 2:12-14 - It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

Romans 13:3 - For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you.

Conclusions:

• Salvation involves the double work of redeeming us from guilt and judgment and of producing moral purity and helpful service to others
• Authority established among men depends on God for its existence
• Indirectly, when one disobeys a human ruler he disobeys God, who ordained the system of human government
• When Peter wrote, the emperor was the godless, brutal Nero, who ruled from A.D. 54 to 68
• Of course, obedience to the emperor must never be in violation of the law of God
• Paul is not stating in Romans 13:3 a person will always be commended when he does right but is describing the proper, ideal function of rulers
• When civil rulers overstep their proper function, the Christian is to obey God rather than man

Application:

• Are you morally pure and do you helpfully serve others?
• Do you submit to every authority instituted among men?
• Do you do what is right?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible

People Of God

1 Peter 2:10-11 - Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.

Hosea 2:1,23 - "Say of your brothers, 'My people,' and of your sisters, 'My loved one.'…I will plant her for myself in the land; I will show my love to the one I called 'Not my loved one.' I will say to those called 'Not my people,' 'You are my people'; and they will say, 'You are my God.' "

1 Corinthians 10:14 - Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry.

Romans 13:14 - Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

Galatians 5:16 - So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

Conclusions:

• The people in Hosea 2:23 respond to God’s graciousness
• Hosea 2:23 is applied to Gentiles coming into the church
• In Hosea 2:1, the negatives associated with the names of Hosea’s children are dropped
• As aliens and strangers on earth, whose citizenship is in heaven, they are to be separated from the corruption of the world, not yielding to its destructive sinful desires
• Corinthian Christians had come out of a background of paganism
• Temples for the worship of Apollo, Asclepius, Demeter, Aphrodite and other pagan gods and goddesses were seen daily by the Corinthians as they engaged in the activities of everyday life
• The worship of Aphrodite, with its many sacred prostitutes, was a particularly strong temptation
• Paul exhorts believers to display outwardly what has already taken place inwardly—including practicing all the virtues associated with Christ
• Go on living by the Spirit
• Living by the promptings and power of the Spirit is the way to conquering sinful desires

Application:

• Do I respond to God's graciousness?
• Are my brothers my people?
• Am I separated from the corruption of the world?
• Do I flee from idolatry?
• Do I practice all the virtues associated with Chrsit?
• Do I live by the prompting and power of the Spirit?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible

Precious Cornerstone

1 Peter 2:4-6 - As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him—you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame."

Romans 9:32 - Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the "stumbling stone."

Psalm 118:22-23 - The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.

Acts 4:11 - He is " 'the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.

Conclusions:

• The failure of Israel was not that she pursued the wrong thing, but that she pursued it by works in a futile effort to merit God’s favor rather than pursuing it by faith
• The stumbling stone is Jesus, the Messiah
• God’s rejection of Israel was not arbitrary but was based on Israel’s rejection of God’s way of gaining righteousness (faith)
• The stone the builders rejected is most likely a reference to the king, who had been looked on with disdain by the kings invading his realm—the builders of worldly empires
• Others suppose that the stone refers to Israel, a nation held in contempt by the world powers
• The capstone or head of the corner—is either a capstone over a door or a large stone used to anchor and align the corner of a wall, or the keystone of an arch
• By a wordplay, the author of Psalm 118 hints at capstone meaning chief ruler
• This capstone, disdained by the worldly powers, has become the most important stone in the structure of the new world order that God is bringing about through Israel
• Jesus applied Psalm 118:22 to Himself
• Believers are not literal pieces of rock, but are persons
• Believers derive their life from Christ, who is the original living Stone to whom they have come, the life-giving Spirit
• The holy priesthood is the whole body of believers
• As priests, believers are to (1) reflect the holiness of God and that of their high priest, (2) offer spiritual sacrifices, (3) intercede for man before God and (4) represent God before man
• The New Testament refers to a variety of offerings: bodies offered by God, offerings of money or material goods, sacrifices of praise to God and sacrifices of doing good
• Sacrifices are acceptable to God through the work of our Mediator, Jesus Christ
• Believers are living stones that make up a spiritual temple in which, as a holy priesthood, they offer up spiritual sacrifices

Application:

• Do you pursue works to merit God's favor?
• Do you see Jesus as the capstone, the most important stone?
• Do you see Christ as the fulfillment of prophecy?
• Do you reflect God's holiness, offer spiritual sacrifices, intercede for man and represent God?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible

Spiritual House

1 Peter 2:4-5 - As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him—you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Exodus 19:5-6 - Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites."

Isaiah 61:6 - And you will be called priests of the LORD, you will be named ministers of our God. You will feed on the wealth of nations, and in their riches you will boast.

Philippians 4:18 - I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.

1 Corinthians 3:16 - Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?

John 14:6 - Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Conclusions:

• Believers derive their life from Christ, who is the original living Stone to whom they have come, the life-giving Spirit
• The holy priesthood is the whole body of believers
• As priests, believers are to (1) reflect the holiness of God and that of their high priest, (2) offer spiritual sacrifices, (3) intercede for man before God and (4) represent God before man
• Believers are living stones that make up a spiritual temple in which, as a holy priesthood, they offer up spiritual sacrifices
• Israel was to be the people who acknowledged God as their King and, like priests, was to be wholly consecrated to His service
• God’s people, both individually and collectively, are to be set apart to do His will
• Ministers are priests
• The sacrifice is acceptable and pleasing to God because of Christ’s work for us and God’s work in us
• God’s temple is God’s church
• Paul does not mean in 1 Corinthians 3:16 that each of his readers is a temple of the Holy Spirit
• He says you yourselves (plural) are God’s temple (singular)
• Paul eventually speaks of each Christian as a temple of the Holy Spirit
• Jesus is the way to God
• Jesus is not one way among many, but the way

Application:

• Do you reflect God, offer sacrifices, intercede for man and represent God?
• Are you set apart to do His will?
• Are you a priest of the Lord?
• Are your sacrifices acceptable and pleasing to God?
• Are you a temple of the Holy Spirit?
• Do you see Jesus as the only way?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible

Living Stone

1 Peter 2:3-4 - 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. As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him—you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Acts 4:11 - He is " 'the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.

John 1:4 - In him was life, and that life was the light of men.

John 4:10 - Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."

Acts 2:22,26-27,34-35 - "Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know…Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will live in hope, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay…For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, " 'The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet." '

Acts 3:13 - The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go.

Conclusions:

• Fulfillment of prophecy was an important element in early Christian sermons and defenses
• Life is Christ’s gift, and He, in fact, is the life
• The Gospel of John also links light with Christ, from whom comes all spiritual illumination
• Christ is the light of the world, who holds out wonderful hope for man
• The stark contrast between light and darkness is a striking theme in the Gospel of John
• Jesus gave life and gave it freely
• The living water in John 4:10 refers to eternal life
• The mighty works done by Jesus were signs that the Messiah had come
• God would not allow the Messiah’s physical body to decompose
• Not only was Christ to be resurrected but He was to be exalted to God’s right hand
• And Christ’s presence there was now being demonstrated by the sending of the Holy Spirit
• Disowned Him means they voted against Jesus, spurned Him, denied Him, and refused to acknowledge Him as the true Messiah.

Application:

• Have you rejected the stone?
• Is Christ your light?
• Has Christ given you eternal life?
• Do the mighty works of Christ reveal Him as your Messiah?
• Christ's body did not decompose.
• Have you received the Holy Spirit?
• Do you vote against, spurn, deny and refuse to acknowledge Christ as your Messiah?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible

Therefore

1 Peter 2:1-3 - 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 1:23 - For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.

Ephesians 4:15-16 - Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Hebrews 5:14 - But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

Conclusions:

• The new birth comes about through the direct action of the Holy Spirit, but the word of God also plays an important role, for it presents the gospel to the sinner and calls on him to repent and believe in Christ
• In 1 Peter 1:23 the seed is doubtless the word of God, which is imperishable, living and enduring
• A truthful and loving manner of life is implied by speaking the truth in love
• Christ is the Head of the body, which is the church
• Paul speaks primarily of corporate maturity
• It is the body of Christ that is to be built up
• We are all to become mature
• The body grows under the direction of the Head
• The parts of the body help each other in the growing process, picturing the mutual ministries of God’s people
• Maturity and unity are impossible without love
• The mature are those who had progressed in spiritual life and had become Christians of sound judgment and discernment
• Distinguishing good from evil is something neither physical nor spiritual infants can do

Application:

• Have you repented and believed in Christ?
• Have you become mature?
• Do you grow and build others up in love?
• Do you have sound judgment and discernment?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible

Born Again...Through The...Word Of God

1 Peter 1:23-25 - For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever." And this is the word that was preached to you.

Titus 3:4-7 - But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

Isaiah 40:8 - The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever."

Conclusions:

• The new birth comes about through the direct action of the Holy Spirit, but the word of God also plays an important role, for it presents the gospel to the sinner and calls on him to repent and believe in Christ
• In 1 Peter 1:23 the seed is doubtless the word of God, which is imperishable, living and enduring
• Salvation is not achieved by human effort or merit but comes through God’s mercy alone
• Washing of rebirth is a reference to new birth, of which baptism is a sign
• Washing of rebirth cannot mean that baptism is necessary for regeneration, since the New Testament plainly teaches that the new birth is an act of God’s Spirit and is not effected or achieved by ceremony
• Renewal by the Holy Spirit is also a reference to new birth
• The plans and purposes of the nations will not prevail

Application:

• Have you been called on to repent and believe in Christ?
• Is your salvation by God's mercy alone?
• Will your plans and purposes prevail?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible

These Last Times

1 Peter 1:20 - He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.

Ephesians 1:4-6 - For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

Acts 2:17 - " 'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.

1 John 2:18 - Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.

Conclusions:

• Divine election is a constant theme in Paul’s letters
• In Ephesians 1 divine election is emphasized in the following ways: (1) He chose us; (2) He predestined us; (3) we were also chosen; (4) having been predestined
• Holiness is the result—not the basis—of God’s choosing
• Holiness refers both to the holiness imparted to the believer because of Christ and to the believer’s personal sanctification
• In the passage quoted from Joel in Acts 2:17 the Hebrew has “afterward” for last days and the Septuagint “after these things”
• Peter interprets the passage in Joel as referring specifically to the latter days of the new covenant in contrast to the former days of the old covenant
• The age of Messianic fulfillment has arrived
• With other New Testament writers, John viewed the whole period beginning with Christ’s first coming as the last days
• New Testament writers understood the last hour to be the last of the days because neither former prophecy nor new revelation concerning the history of salvation indicated the coming of another era before the return of Christ
• The word last in last days, last times and last hour also expresses a sense of urgency and imminence
• The Christian is to be alert, waiting for the return of Christ
• John assumed his readers knew that a great enemy of God and His people will arise before Christ’s return
• That enemy is called antichrist, the man of lawlessness and the beast
• But prior to that enemy, there will be many antichrists
• Antichrists are characterized by the following: (1) They deny the Incarnation and that Jesus is the divine Christ; (2) they deny the Father; (3) they do not have the Father; (4) they are liars and deceivers; (5) they are many; (6) in John’s day they left the church because they had nothing in common with believers
• The antichrists referred to in 1 John were the early Gnostics
• The anti in antichrist means against

Application:

• Are you being made holy and blameless in His sight?
• Has God's Spirit been poured out on you?
• Are you alert, waiting for the return of Christ?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible

Lamb

1 Peter 1:18-19 - 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 forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.

John 1:29 - The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

Exodus 12:5 - The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats.

1 Corinthians 5:7 - Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.

Hebrews 9:14 - How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

Conclusions:

• The Old Testament sacrifices were foreshadowings of Christ, depicting the ultimate and only effective sacrifice
• Thus Christ is the Passover lamb, who takes away the sin of the world
• Lamb of God is found in the Bible only in John 1
• Many suggestions have been made as to the precise meaning of Lamb of God
• Lamb of God seems to be a general reference to sacrifice, not the name for a particular offering
• John was saying that Jesus would be the sacrifice that would atone for the sin of the world
• Jesus was like a lamb without blemish or defect
• Get rid of the old yeast perhaps refers to the Passover custom of sweeping all the bread crumbs out of one’s house before preparing the Passover meal
• Positionally the Corinthians were a new batch, already sanctified in God’s sight, but Paul calls on them to become holy also in conduct
• In His death on the cross, Christ fulfilled the true meaning of the Jewish sacrifice of the Passover lamb
• Christ, the Lamb of God, was crucified on Passover day, a celebration that began the evening before when the Passover meal was eaten
• Christ was the One who offered the sacrifice, and He was the sacrifice itself
• Christ was unblemished in the entirety of His being, not just superficially
• Cleanse our consciences means remove sin’s defilement from the very core of our beings

Application:

• Do you see Christ as the ultimate and only effective sacrifice?
• Do you see Christ as the sacrifice that atones for the sin of the world?
• Do you see Christ as without defect?
• Are you becoming holy in conduct?
• Have you removed sin's defilement from the very core of your being?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible

Redeemed

1 Peter 1:18-19 - 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 forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 - Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

Titus 2:12-14 - It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

Ephesians 1:7-8 - In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.

Revelation 5:9 - And they sang a new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.

Mark 10:45 - For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Hebrews 9:15 - For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.

Colossians 1:14 - For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Romans 3:22-24 - This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Conclusions:

• Jesus redeems believers from the curse of the law and all wickedness
• Salvation involves the double work of redeeming us from guilt and judgment and of producing purity and helpful service to others
• The ransom necessary to free sinners from the bondage of sin and the resulting curse imposed by the law was the death of Christ

Application:

• Are you redeemed?
• Are you pure and helpful to others?
• Do you see the ransom paid by the death of Christ?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible

Impartially

1 Peter 1:17 - Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear.

Acts 10:34-35 - Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.

James 2:1 - My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism.

Proverbs 1:7 - The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

Conclusions:

• God does not favor an individual because of his station in life, his nationality or his material possessions
• God does respect an individual’s character and judge his work
• This respect is evident because God accepts men from every nation who fear Him and do what is right
• Cornelius in Acts 10 already worshipped the true God, but this was not enough: He lacked faith in Christ
• God does not show favoritism—nor should believers
• Proverbs 1:7 is the theme of Proverbs
• Fear of the Lord is a loving reverence for God that includes submission to His lordship and to the commands of His word
• God is our King, but even as we stand in awe of Him we can rejoice
• Fools are those who hate knowledge and correction of any kind, who are quick to quarrel and give full vent to their anger, who are complacent and who trust in themselves rather than in God

Application:

• Do you fear God and do what is right?
• Do you show favoritism?
• Do you submit to the Lord's lordship and His commands? Do you rejoice in awe of Him?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible

Be Holy, Because I Am Holy

1 Peter 1:15-16 - But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."

Isaiah 35:8 - And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it.

1 Thessalonians 4:7 - For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.

Leviticus 11:44 - I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves about on the ground.

Habakkuk 1:13 - Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong. Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves?

Conclusions:

• A highway is a road built up to make travel easier
• The Way of Holiness is the way set apart for those who are holy; only the redeemed could use it
• In ancient times, certain roads between temples were open only to those who were ceremonially pure
• Another reason for chastity is God’s call to holiness
• To be holy is to be set apart—set apart from sin and impurity, and set apart to God
• The complete moral perfection of God whose eyes are too pure to look on evil with favor, should move His people to strive for moral purity
• 1 Peter is a letter of practical earnestness, filled with exhortations and encouragements
• Holiness is the key theme of Leviticus, ringing like a refrain in various forms throughout the book
• The word holy appears more often in Leviticus than in any other book of the Bible
• Israel was to be totally consecrated to God
• Israel’s holiness was to be expressed in every aspect of her life, to the extent that all of life had a certain ceremonial quality
• Because of who God is and what He has done, His people must dedicate themselves fully to Him
• Habakkuk 1:13 is a classic statement of the problem of evil within the context of Israel’s faith: Why does evil appear to flourish unchecked by a just and holy God?
• The treacherous and the wicked are the Babylonians in Habakkuk 1:13
• Those more righteous is Judah in Habakkuk 1:13

Application:

• Are you redeemed?
• Are you chaste?
• Are you set apart from sin and impurity?
• Are you dedicated fully to God?
• Are you wicked or righteous?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible

Holy Spirit Sent From Heaven

1 Peter 1:12 - It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

Romans 4:24 - The words "it was credited to him" were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.

John 14:16-17,26 - And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you…But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

Conclusions:

• As Abraham was justified because he believed in a God who brought life from the dead, so we will be justified by believing in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead
• John 14:16 is the first of a series of important passages about the Holy Spirit, the gift of the Father
• The Father sent another besides Jesus
• Counselor means Helper
• Counselor is a legal term, but with a broader meaning than counsel for the defense
• Counselor referred to any person who helped someone in trouble with the law.
• The Spirit will always stand by Christ’s people
• The Holy Spirit is His normal title in the New Testament—emphasizing His holiness, rather than His power or greatness
• Both the Father and the Son are included in the sending of the Holy Spirit
• The Holy Spirit reminding the apostles of everything Christ said is crucial for the life of the church—and for the writing of the New Testament

Application:

• Do you believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead?
• Do you have another Counselor with you?
• Does the Holy Spirit remind you of the things Christ has said?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible

Prophets...Searched Intently

1 Peter 1:10-11,18-19 - Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow…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 forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.

2 Peter 1:21 - For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Luke 4:17-19 - The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

Zechariah 9:9-10 - Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the war-horses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.

Zechariah 13:7 - "Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who is close to me!" declares the LORD Almighty. "Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered, and I will turn my hand against the little ones.

Luke 24:46-47 - He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

Acts 3:18-20 - But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer. Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus.

Conclusions:

• God was the source of the content of Scripture, so that what it says is what God has said
• Those who are united with Christ will benefit in the midst of their present sufferings from His having already entered into glory
• Righteous means conforming to the divine standard of morality and ethics, particularly as revealed in the law; being righteous is a characteristic of the ideal king
• Christ’s rule will be universal
• The Old Testament depicts the Messiah as one who would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day
• Zechariah 13:7 is quoted by Jesus not long before His arrest and applied to the scattering of the apostles

Application:

• Are you united with Christ?
• Are you righteous?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible

Refined By Fire

1 Peter 1:6-9 - In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Psalm 66:10 - For you, O God, tested us; you refined us like silver.

2 Corinthians 4:17 - For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

Romans 6:22 - But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.

Conclusions:

• From one point of view, times of distress constitute a testing of God’s people as to their trust in and loyalty to God
• The metaphor is borrowed from the technology of refining precious metals, which included heating the metals in a crucible to see if all impurities had been removed
• Seen in the perspective of eternity, the Christian’s difficulties, whatever they may be, diminish in importance
• By comparison, the eternal glory is far greater than all the suffering one may face in this life
• Slavery to God produces holiness, and the end of the process is eternal life
• There is no eternal life without holiness
• Anyone who has been justified will surely give evidence of that fact by the presence of holiness in his life

Application:

• Do you trust in God and are you loyal to Him?
• Do you see your difficulties from the perspective of eternity?
• Are you a slave to God?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible

Salvation

1 Peter 1:3-5 - Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

Colossians 1:3-6 - We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints—the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in all its truth.

2 Timothy 4:8 - Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

John 10:28 - I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.

2 Timothy 1:8-10 - So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

Titus 3:4-7 - But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

Romans 13:11 - And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.

Conclusions:

• The Christian is shielded (1) by God’s power and (2) by his own faith
• The sheep’s security is in the power of the shepherd, who will let no one take them from Him
• Salvation is not achieved by human effort or merit but comes through God’s mercy alone
• Every day brings us closer to the second advent of Christ

Application:

• Do you have a firm assurance?
• Is there a crown of righteousness in store for you?
• Are you shielded by God's power and your faith?
• Is your security in the power of your shepherd?
• You are saved by grace.
• You are saved by God's mercy.
• Are you waking up from your slumber?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible

Living Hope

1 Peter 1:3-5,23 - Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time…For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 - Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

Ephesians 1:3 - Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

Titus 3:4-7 - But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

Hebrews 3:6 - But Christ is faithful as a son over God's house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast.

1 Peter 2:21 - To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

1 Peter 3:15-16 - But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

Conclusions:

• God’s comfort flows to all believers when they suffer for Jesus’ sake, and it equips them to comfort others who are in trouble
• Paul perceives that in the exaltation of Christ and in the Christian’s union with the exalted Christ ultimate issues are involved—issues that pertain to the divine realm and that in the final analysis are worked out in and from that realm
• Salvation is not achieved by human effort or merit, but comes through God’s mercy alone
• The imperishable seed is doubtless the word of God, which is imperishable, living and enduring
• Failure to persevere reveals that a person is actually not a child of God, whereas perseverance is the hallmark of His children
• The patient endurance of injustice is part of God’s plan for the Christian
• The Christian is always to be a gentleman or gentle woman, even when opposed by unbelievers

Application:

• Do you suffer for Jesus sake?
• Are you spiritually united with Christ?
• Your salvation is from God's mercy alone.
• Have you repented and believed in Christ?
• Are you persevering?
• Are you patiently enduring?
• Are you a gentleman or gentle woman?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible