Peter Exhorts the Persecuted Believers Volume 10

 We as Children of God are Called to be Holy Part 1

1 Peter 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; KJV Note: NKJV=New King James Version & ASV=American Standard Version

Now the Apostle Peter begins to reaffirm, reiterate, and remind those begotten again or born again Jewish believers in our Lord Jesus Christ what was their primary calling 'in Christ' and our primary calling 'in Christ' is to be and that is to be holy as He our Father in Heaven is Holy. The Apostle Peter first tells them and we true believers today and of every era and generation since the Cross ➕ of Christ to take action, that is, be proactive in our walk with God with these words, "Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;" (1 Peter 1:13) (KJV). We see Peter first tell them and us to 'gird up the loins of your mind, be sober', and here Peter is emphasizing that we must brace up or fasten up the thoughts in our minds to stay focused, fixed, and firm on Christ and His Holy Word the Bible, and to be sober is to be vigilant, watchful, and self-controlled in our conduct and behavior. This echoes the Words spoken by our Lord Jesus Himself speaking of those who would be faithful servants of Him when He said, "Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately. Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them. And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." (Luke 12:35-40)(NKJV). Here is the great Word Picture, for we do not know the hour or time of the 2nd Coming of Christ, likewise, no man 👨 or woman 👩 saved or lost knows the exact hour or time of their death, therefore, the Apostle Peter exhorts us to be found by our Lord Jesus Christ walking in true repentance and faith and seeking after holiness, just as the writer of Hebrews declares is so important with these words, "Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears." (Hebrews 12:14-17) (NKJV). The time is coming and I believe that it is already here, when our Lord Jesus Christ is moving by His Spirit in the earth realm to clearly draw a line of demarcation between those of us who are His true adopted sons and daughters, that is, the wheat 🌾, and those who are tares (false believers), the tares being those whom the Apostle Jude refers to with these words, "Beloved, while I was giving all diligence to write unto you of our common salvation, I was constrained to write unto you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in privily, even they who were of old written of beforehand unto this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. Now I desire to put you in remembrance, though ye know all things once for all, that the Lord, having saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not." (Jude 1:3-5) (ASV). Remember the tare/false believer Korah and those other tares who followed after him, read Numbers Chapter 16. The judgement of God upon false converts today in our time is not instant death always, but in some cases still today it may be, but for the most part it is turning them over to a reprobate mind (Romans 1:28; 2 Timothy 3:8; Titus 1:16), that is, a mind or way of thinking that is completely opposite of what the Word of God declares to be truth and in so doing they seek out teachers who will affirm the lie to them (2 Timothy 4:3-4). This is why the Apostle Peter tells we true begotten again believers to gird up our minds with the truth of the Word of God and hope, expect, confide, and trust until the end of our sojourn that the true grace of God that we have received by faith which is making us new now and will makes all things new at the revelation of our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ, because the grace of God is not only what we don't deserve, but it is also the power we need to live a new life of holines 'in Christ' that is impossible to live without His grace. Amen!

Here is what the JFB Commentary said of 1 Peter 1:13, "An image taken from the way in which the Israelites ate the passover with the loose outer robe girded up about the waist with a girdle, as ready for a journey. Workmen, pilgrims, runners, wrestlers, and warriors (all of whom are types of the Christians), so gird themselves up, both to shorten the garment so as not to impede motion, and to gird up the body itself so as to be braced for action. The believer is to have his mind (mental powers) collected and always ready for Christ’s coming. 'Gather in the strength of your spirit' [Hensler]. Sobriety, that is, spiritual self-restraint, lest one be overcome by the allurements of the world and of sense, and patient hopeful waiting for Christ’s revelation, are the true ways of 'girding up the loins of the mind.'" Here is what John Wesley had to say of 1 Peter 1:13, "Wherefore - Having such encouragement. Gird up the loins of your mind - As persons in the eastern countries were wont, in travelling or running, to gird up their long garments, so gather ye up all your thoughts and affections, and keep your mind always disencumbered and prepared to run the race which is set before you. Be watchful - As servants that wait for their Lord. And hope to the end - Maintain a full expectation of all the grace - The blessings flowing from the free favour of God. Which shall be brought to you at the final revelation of Jesus Christ - And which are now brought to you by the revelation of Christ in you." Here is what Adam Clarke had to say of 1 Peter 1:13, "Take courage from this display of God’s love now made known to you; and though you must expect trials, yet fortify your minds with the consideration that He who has given you His Son Jesus will withhold from you no manner of thing that is good. The allusion here is to the long robes of the Asiatics, which, when they were about to perform any active service, they tucked in their girdles: this they did also when they waited on their superiors at meals. Continue to expect all that God has promised, and particularly that utmost salvation, that glorification of body and soul, which ye shall obtain at the revelation of Christ, when He shall come to judge the world." Here is what Albert Barnes had to say of 1 Peter 1:13, "The allusion here is to the manner in which the Orientals were accustomed to dress. They wear loose, flowing robes, so that, when they wish to run, or to fight, or to apply themselves to any business, they are obliged to bind their garments close around them. The meaning here is, that they were to have their minds in constant preparation to discharge the duties, or to endure the trials of life - like those who were prepared for labor, for a race, or for a conflict. The translation in the text is the most correct. It means that they were not to become faint or weary in their trials. They were not to abandon the hopes of the Gospel, but were to cherish those hopes to the end of life, whatever opposition they might meet with, and however much might be done by others to induce them to apostatize. For the favor that shall then be bestowed upon you; to wit, salvation. The word brought here means, that this great favor which they hoped for would be borne to them by the Saviour on His return from heaven. When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from Heaven in His glory; that is, when He comes to judge the world."

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.


Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…