Marching Orders


1 Peter 1:13-21
13 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. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 17 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, 18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you 21 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.

The Apostle Peter takes up the theology of Jesus as Lamb of God in his Epistle to the Church. His words are especially poignant as he had full memory of watching Jesus’ death and witnessing His resurrection. Peter knew that he was a sinner and that the Lamb of God had died for those sins. His words to us remind us of the enormity of Jesus’ work and the response that we now bring to the page.

This passage contains marching orders for the Christian walk. It’s not an easy list if taken seriously. But we must always bear in mind that we are not left to live with and for the Lord Jesus alone. He has sent His Holy Spirit to help us in the lofty work of living for God. This list is fairly significant and each portion bears some scrutiny.

  • Be sober-minded – Being sober-minded doesn’t mean you are boring or super serious all the time. Jesus most certainly wasn’t boring and I truly doubt if He was always serious. The Gospels would indicate a sense of humor. Being sober-minded means paying attention to what goes into your mind and what comes out of your mouth. In a world that is filled the trivial, we would do well to pay more attention to those things that are in need of our care, most importantly our neighbor
  • Hope in grace – Remember, we are a people filled with confident expectation for a future (and a present!) spent in the Kingdom of God. Our lives are built around that hope and perhaps we might share that hope with our neighbor as well.
  • Obedient – God has given us His Law and in it He informs us as to His standards and expectations. Yes – you will fail to keep them perfectly. That is why Jesus came to die for you. But that doesn’t mean you get to live disobediently, willfully ignoring what the Spirit teaches.
  • Do not go back to ignorance – Backsliding is going to happen. But it is not to be pursued!
  • Be Holy – Our God is holy and He calls us to this very high standard. He also provided a way for holiness in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and gives us His Spirit to help us along the way. If I am pursuing holiness with intentionality, sinful actions are less likely to grab me.
  • Conduct yourselves with fear (of God) – When I live with God in the proper place in my life, He holds a place of honor in my heart and mind. I seek to please Him, serve Him, and bring Him glory. When those are my goals, I am living with a “fear of the Lord.” That doesn’t mean I am afraid of Him, but that I hold Him in awe and reverence.

If even just one of these “marching orders” grows in your walk with the Lord, you are heeding the words of Peter. Maybe today you work on just one of these areas and see what happens. It’s bound to be good!

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