Anchored: The Life and Letters of the Apostle PeterУзор

In the Old Testament, when God redeemed the nation of Israel out of slavery, He brought them to Himself, making them His distinct people.

The Israelites’ identity as a holy, set-apart people was rooted in their belonging to the Lord. The nation of Israel was represented by a High Priest, who would intercede for them. As the priest ministered before the Lord, one element that distinguished him was a nameplate fastened on his forehead, with a label that read “Holy to the Lord.”

Friends, the truth of our identity in Christ is what we study today in 1 Peter: We are holy unto the Lord because of the high price paid to redeem us!

Notice verse 13 (ESV) begins with the word therefore. This transition connects our identity in Christ with what has been stated previously about our living hope. We now learn how being redeemed by Jesus’s precious blood propels us to live holy lives for His glory.

As our culture grows increasingly opposed to a biblical worldview, we should expect backlash for our beliefs. Each day, I feel more like an alien in my own country. Watching sin be celebrated and darkness glorified, I can easily feel depressed and defeated. While it’s difficult to feel like an outsider, Peter argued that our hope must be anchored to the shores of heaven, our eternal home. We can’t expect people who don’t know Jesus to embrace our biblical convictions. We must remain steadfast in the face of those who think us strange for seeking to live holy lives because we belong to the Lord.

Remembering we are holy to the Lord empowers us with an eternal perspective in the midst of raging cultural storms. We anchor our hearts to the One who redeemed us, remembering His promises to bring us safely home. Peter taught us to keep a loose grip on this world and a tight grip on the world to come. The phrase “set your hope” (v. 13) reminds us we have a choice of what we think about. We can focus on the chaos of this world and allow our emotions to run rampant with fear and anxiety, or we can remind our hearts of our living hope and rest in God’s promises.

Know this: our emotions follow our thoughts. In an age marked by anxiety, Christ followers can shine as lights in the darkness as we walk in confidence because we know Jesus wins! Therefore, we radiate the peace that only comes through a relationship with God.

Next, Peter exhorts us to be holy in response to God’s redeeming grace. Reflecting on Jesus’s sacrifice motivates us to forsake sin and selfishness to live for our Redeemer.

When God tells us to “be holy” as He is holy, He’s not calling us to keep the moral law in our own effort, but rather to rely on His Spirit that lives in us and reflect His glorious character in our actions, attitudes, and affections.

Here’s a tension we face: what God calls holy, the world calls weird. Friend, we need to embrace being different from the culture in which we live. While we may be tempted to blend in, the nature of a child of God is that we are distinct, and frankly, that’s a good thing. Ultimately, we live to please our Redeemer!

Let this truth sink deep in your heart:

1. Jesus stepped out of Heaven and humbled Himself as a servant—for your sake!
2. Jesus was beaten, cursed, and crushed—for your sake!
3. Jesus became the Lamb of God and died on a brutal Roman cross—for your sake!

Meditating on this truth sets us free from insecurity and shame and silences the voices that make us feel unworthy and unloved. Not only does Jesus’s blood declare us “not guilty,” it also says we belong to the One who redeemed us.

Friend, you are set apart to reveal God’s goodness and grace to the world. In a culture that worships self, indulges in sin, and celebrates things God hates, a life devoted to Christ should not blend in!

Anchor Your Life to This Truth:

We who have been redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus are called to live set-apart lives for the glory of our Redeemer. Just as the priest in the Old Testament was marked with a blue cord and identified as “Holy unto the Lord,” so are we! As we anchor our lives in this identity, we are empowered to live counter-culturally with boldness.

Read 1 Peter 1:15. Thank God for calling us into a life of holiness. Ask for His help in adhering to the narrow path He sets before us, especially in times where the wider road seems more appealing