“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, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’ And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.” (1 Peter 1:13-21 ESV)
In context, this is speaking to the church, to those who are of genuine faith in the Lord Jesus. And it is speaking of what our relationship with Jesus Christ should look like, on his end, and on our end. He did/does his part and we do ours. Jesus Christ provided for us salvation from sin and eternal life with God via Jesus’ death and resurrection. But that salvation is deliverance out of our lives of living in sin and for self, to us now living lives which are obedient to our Lord in holy living, but by his grace (1 Peter 1:1-12).
And then our salvation from sin is described to us as both something present, then as something ongoing, and then as something future, which is what progressive salvation (and sanctification) looks like. For it speaks of a “salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” and of us “obtaining the outcome of our faith, the salvation of our souls.” And then this speaks of setting our hope “fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ,” which is when Jesus returns for his bride.
[Matthew 24:9-14; Romans 8:24; Romans 13:11; 1 Corinthians 1:18; 1 Corinthians 15:1-2; 2 Timothy 1:8-9; Hebrews 9:28; 1 Peter 1:5-9,13]
Therefore, since our salvation is not a “one-time deal” which “gets us saved” and now we can live however we want until we die, but it is progressive, and it engages us walking with the Lord in obedience to his commands, and no longer in sin, then it is critical that we prepare our minds for action, to do the things God created us to do in walks of obedience to his commands. It is critical that we are serious-minded and that we take God’s word seriously, including all his warnings if we choose not to obey him, but we choose sin.
And since our salvation will not be complete until Jesus returns for his faithful ones, then it is a must that we walk in obedience to our Lord and that we are no longer conformed to the passions of our former ignorance (before we believed in Jesus Christ). For he who saved us by his grace also called us to be holy in all our conduct. And to be holy is to be separate (unlike, different) from the world because we are in the process of being conformed to the likeness of character of Jesus Christ, by the Spirit.
And we are to conduct ourselves with fear throughout our time on this earth, for all of us are going to be judged by God according to our deeds (works). And this fear is a deep awe, respect, honor, reverence, and obedience to God. And it is taking God and his word seriously, believing that what he says he will do, he will do it, both regarding his promises, which are conditional upon what we do, and his warnings against those who might choose their sins over obedience to the Lord. They will not inherit eternal life with God.
For Jesus Christ gave his life up for us on that cross to deliver us out of our slavery (bondage, addiction) to sin so that we will now serve him with our lives in walks of obedience to his commands and in holy living. And Jesus said that if anyone would come after him that he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to our lives of living in sin and for self, we will lose them for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, and follow him in obedience, we have eternal life in him.
[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-21; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10]
As the Deer
By Martin J. Nystrom
Based off Psalm 42:1
As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after You
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
You alone are my strength, my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZv3jzOTE70
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