Lesson 5

Why Be Holy?

I Peter 1:18-21

In the early part of his first epistle, Peter calls upon his readers to live holy lives. Twice he writes "Be ye holy" (I Peter 1:15,16).

We have already learned from Peter some important principles on How To Be Holy. Vs. 13-17 tell us that holiness begins with mind, involves being obedient to God, living by the Bible and showing reverence to God. Following these four guidelines will help up to live holy lives.

But in the next section of I Peter, 1:18-21, our text for today's message, Peter answers the question "Why Be Holy?" His answer may surprise you! Let's read the text and see what Peter has to say. (Read text).

In this paragraph, Peter reminds his readers of their salvation experience, a reminder that all of us regularly need. In fact, this is one reason why our Lord established the Lord's Supper, so that regularly His people would remember that He died for them and would confess their sins and commit themselves to holy living.

You see, the highest motive for holy living is our love for Christ. For the love of God, a God who loved us and redeemed us and gave His only Son for us, we are moved and motivated to holy living.

Notice the reminders that Peter gave ...

What We Were, v. 18.

We were slaves who needed to be set free. The word "redeemed" is, to us, a theological term; but it carried a special meaning to people in the first century Roman Empire. There were an estimated 50 million slaves - 60% of the population of the Empire was slave. Christianity was very fruitful within the slave population.

A slave could purchase his own freedom, if he could somehow collect sufficient funds. Or his master could sell him to someone who would pay the price and set him free. Redemption was a precious thing in that day.

When Peter speaks of redemption, he is reminding us all that were all slaves - enslaved by sin. Paul said in Titus 3:3, that were "serving divers lusts and pleasures." And in Romans 6:20, he writes that we "were servants (slaves) of sin.

As Israel prepared to enter their promised land, Moses urged them to always remember that had been slaves in Egypt (Deuteronomy 5:15; 16:12; 24:18, 22). In fact, the generation that died in the wilderness forgot the bondage of Egypt and constantly wanted to go back. In like manner, Peter urges us to remember the slavery of sin, lest we would be tempted to return to unholy living.

Not only did we have a life of slavery, but it was also a life of emptiness and futility. The text calls it "vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers" that is, the empty, useless, worthless, futile, vain, way of life you inherited from your forefathers (see also 4:1-4). Sometimes, the world somehow thinks that their lives are full and happy when they are really empty and miserable. The unredeemed are often blindly living on substitutes. (ILLUSTRATION: "Man is living!")

I remember reading or hearing a preacher tell about a woman who had become a Christian early in life but as an adult had drifted into the "society life" in order to fell excitement and to satisfy her ego. One day, as she was driving to a card party she happened to tune into a Christian radio broadcast. At that very moment, the radio preacher said, "Some of you women know more about cards than you do your Bible!" Those words arrested her and spoke to her heart and caused her to dedicate herself fully to God. She saw the futility and vanity of life spent out of the will of God.

Remember what you were B.C. - before Christ. You were a slave to sin and you had inherited an empty way of life.

What Christ Did, vs. 19-21.

Peter not only reminds us of what we were but he also reminds us of what Christ did.

Christ redeemed us. To "redeem" means "to set free by paying a price." A slave could be redeemed with a payment of money, silver or gold, but no amount of money can set a lost sinner free. There is only one price for a sinner. That is the price that Christ paid. It is the precious blood of Christ.

Peter was a first-hand witness of Christ sufferings (5:1) and mentions His sacrificial death often in this letter (2:21ff; 3:18; 4:1, 13; 5;1). In calling Christ "a lamb", Peter reminds us of an Old Testament doctrine that is still important to us today. It is the doctrine of substitution: an innocent victim giving his life for the guilty.

This doctrine of sacrifice begins all the way back in Genesis 3, when God killed animals that He might clothe Adam and Eve. A ram died for Isaac (Genesis 22:13) and the Passover lamb was slain annually for each Jewish household (Exodus 12). Isaiah (53) presented Messiah as an innocent Lamb. Isaac asked the question, "Where is the lamb?" (Genesis 22:7) and John the Baptist answered that question when he pointed at Jesus and said, "Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). In heaven, the redeemed and the angels sing "Worthy is the Lamb!" (Revelation 5:11-14). And Peter reminds us that our redemption was paid with the precious blood of Christ, as a lamb, perfect and pure, without blemish and without spot.

Peter went on to make it clear that Christ's death was no accident. It was an appointment, ordained by God before the foundation of the world though not revealed until the days of Peter. From the human perspective, Jesus was cruelly murdered. But from the divine perspective, he laid down His life for sinners.

The story doesn't end there. It doesn't end with the substitutional and sacrificial death of Christ. Peter goes on to remind us that God raised Jesus from the dead! Our faith and our hope (confidence) is in what God has done for us through Christ. Now, anyone who trusts Him will be saved for eternity.

Again, the point that Peter is making in giving us these two reminders of what we were and what Christ did is that, as you and I meditate on the sacrifice of Christ for us, we should want to obey and live holy lives for His glory. Why be holy? Because of who we were. Because of what Christ did for us. Because we love Jesus Christ.

When Frances Ridley Havergal was just a young lady she saw a picture of the crucified Christ with this caption under it: "I did this for thee. What hast thou done for Me?" Quickly she sat down and wrote a poem, but was dissatisfied with it and threw it into the fireplace. Somehow the paper came out unharmed. Later, at her father's suggestion, she published the poem and today we sing it.

I gave my life for thee,

My precious blood I shed;

That thou might ransomed be,

And quickened from the dead.

I gave, I gave my life for thee,

What hast thou given for me?

A good question, indeed! I think that Peter would say that because of what Christ gave us, we should, in love and appreciation give Him a holy life.