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Study of First Peter
Lesson
11
After
giving us a comprehensive overview or our salvation and the awesome provisions
God has made for those who believe in Christ, Peter now gives us an overview of
the life that should flow from that provision of salvation when carried to its
logical goal and objective.
We
will find that it involves our responsibilities to God,
In this first section of exhortation
Peter presents our duty to God as believer's as
consisting of three things: a correct perspective, correct behavior, and
correct attitude.
Therefore, gird
your minds for action,
-
Therefore dio, inferential conj. - idea is for this reason
or because of this, reminding us that the conclusions he now makes are based on
the previous doctrinal section. This exhortation flows out of the doctrinal
foundation just laid in the previous section we just studied.
gird (prepare)
your minds for action
Peter's first focus is on our thinking!
big surprise!
- aorist middle
participle - avnazw,nnumi - idea
is to bind up, to gather up, to gird up
- aorist tense is
constantive ( - F2 -
) is pertinent for our entire
life as a believer
- Participle is imperatival expressing a command, course of action
which is to characterize our life.
-
Isogogics of the verb: The word for gird
or prepare was used in conjunction with the wearing of the long robes that was
characteristic of the day. In order to
not be impeded in their movement or work they were to bind up the long flowing
garments around their body and fasten them with a leather belt that they wore.
- Peter's exhortation here is to clear out the
hindrances to your spiritual advance.
-
The greatest areas of hindrance revolve around the dross of human viewpoint
that so easily draws us in and cunningly sidetracks us from DVPT.
What
we are to prepare!
- the mind
dia,noia - objective genitive = receives the action of being prepared; often refers to the thinking process
itself, sometimes to the conclusions of
the mind functioning providing us insight and understanding.
- Peter pictures a mind prepared for active
work. Need to ask the question, How?
- This is a clear challenge to ensure that our
thinking and f/o/r, our world view is based on the principles of the Word of
God.
- As we have noted it is that a full knowledge
of the will of God gives us spiritual wisdom and understanding so that we have
the mental agility, the coordination, no matter what the external circumstances
are to live our life and bring glory to God.
- We can do that because we have the spiritual
assets to do so. We're prepared!
keep sober in
spirit, nh,fw (vrpanm2p) another
imperatival participle
- word means to be sober,
self-controlled, well balanced
- it is never used in Scripture
of not being drunk, the literal use; In
Scripture it is always used metaphorically be
self-controlled, be clear-headed,
This is an important concept here so what does it mean to
be sober?
1. To be sober as
used by Peter is to be free of every form of mental and spiritual drunkenness, that is to be clear in our thinking.
- mental and spiritual drunkenness is to operate on human
viewpoint thinking.
2. For this to be a reality, the clear thinking
we must not be ruled by the sin nature therefore all sin whether MAS, sin of
the tongue, or overt sin must be dealt with.
3. If we are to be clear thinking we must be
free from the intoxication of false doctrine, the philosophical fads of the
day.
- often
when the sin nature rules these types of things become very enticing
4. If we are sober, having clear thinking we
will have the doctrinal frame of reference, that is the DOA's
to deal with what
ever comes our way and we will be the beneficiary of divine guidance as we
utilize the divine viewpoint.
5. Some other passages where sober/clear thinking
is emphasized.
a. 1 Ths
5:6
b. 1 Ths
5:8
c. 2 Tim 4:5
d. 1 Pet 4:7
e. 1 Pet 5:8
1:13a
Therefore, because of
this, (doctrinal
content of vs:3-12) prepare your mind for action,
keep on having clear thinking,
1:13b
fix your hope
completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Next the third command
fix your hope completely evlpi,zw (vmaa--2p) this is a verb for hope, for confidence, the
idea is to focus your confidence to fix your hope or expectant confidence on something
- Aorist is ingressive, this stresses the beginning of
the action; now that you know and
understand the doctrine laid out in vs:3-12, the
awesome provision we have in Christ;
the resulting action Peter says is that
you need to begin to focus your confidence on that provision.
- Active voice says you must do this for yourself, no one can do it for you
- Imperative mood is a command to apply the doctrine
taught to have this confidence.
- Then Peter adds an adverb completely telei,wj that says that this confidence is to be
without reservations. You know what has
been provided for all 3 aspects of your salvation, now live believing it!
begin to fix your
confidence completely (without reservations)
on the grace to
be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
- the preposition is evpi, + accusative; here indicates the
ground or object of the hope
-
The ground or
object of the hope is grace, the plan, the policy of God in dealing with
mankind. ca,rij
- Grace brings into view all that God is free
to do for us on the basis of the work of Christ on the Cross.
- This would include all 3 phases of salvation
but here in this context with special focus on phase 3, glorification, having a
resurrection body and being face to face with Him.
This we know (emph of all 3 phases) from the next part of the verse, to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus
Christ.
-
Peter uses the
present tense not the future as you might expect, why?
-
Its literally being
brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ
- The present is often used to convey future events when
the objective is to convey to the readers the doctrinal certainty of the event
in view, here the return of Christ. In
Peter's thinking the object of hope is virtually possessed.
- So
Peter is stressing the importance of understanding the blessed hope, the surety
of Christ's return. Titus 2:13
- The revelation = unveiling, the revelation of Jesus
Christ at the Rapture.
- His return includes the redemption of our
bodies, Rom
8:23; Phil 3:20-21.
1:13
Therefore (because of the doctrine just communicated) Prepare your mind (sg) for action, keep on being sober (having clear
thinking), begin to fix your confidence completely upon the grace being brought
to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Summary
Observations
1. With verse 13 Peter begins the first
application of the doctrine taught in vs:3-12 and with
it really gives us the theme of 1st Peter.
2. This theme revolves around living your life
in the light of the eternity.
begin to fix your confidence completely
upon the grace being brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
- this would include evaluating the decisions you make based
on their impact at the return of Christ, i.e. the JSC.
-
Ask yourself is this decision going to produce w/h/s of an increment of divine
good to be rewarded?
3. No matter what generation of the church age,
what timeframe, this is to be the mental attitude.
- the mental attitude is to be the same no matter the
perceived closeness of the Return of Christ
4. The first command (of 3) prepare your
mind for action is a call to
intensify our intake and concentration on truth, doctrine which along with the illumination ministry of
the Holy Spirit prepares us to have the right thinking available in any
situation we might be faced with.
5. Only a full knowledge of the word (epignosis)
will provide us the agility and coordination needed to deal with the CHP's, the
adversities of life and bring glory to God.
6. This full knowledge that we take in and when
it is applied it not only provides what is necessary to face the CHP's of life
as they crop up but that application of the truth also produces an increment of
divine good (DGP) that will be rewarded at the Judgment Seat of Christ.
- that
DGP that will be rewarded is an increment of grace.
7. Sobriety - clear thinking is the logical
result of preparing your mind for action with truth.
-
have that f/o/r of truth that the Holy Spirit can use to recall to your mind so
your able to make good solid decisions.
8. This clear thinking is to be the continuous
objective (customary present tense) of the believer in their life that is to
have a perspective based on the Word of God.
9. Since it is truth, doctrine,
that is the basis for our correct orientation in any situation there is
no way that it can be overemphasized about the need for consistent preparation.
-
Need to clear out the dross of human viewpoint, the impediments to clear
thinking.
-
Establish your MPR in life, must revolve around the Word of God.
- all of this takes self-discipline and concentration