Lesson 1: Holy, Holy, Holy

Peter was a Galilean fisherman who was plucked out of obscurity by the Messiah to be one of His closest disciples. From his experiences as a disciple of Jesus, Peter could have shared stories of Jesus' signs and wonders, about Christ’s crucifixion, and about the persecution that those who sought to spread the gospel encountered. Although this member of Jesus’ inner circle denied his Lord on the night of His arrest, the risen Lord entrusted Peter with the responsibility of nurturing His followers in the days to come. On the day of Pentecost, he preached a Spirit-empowered, compelling sermon that the Spirit used to lead 3,000 people to become Christ-followers––an event that launched the early Church. Emulating his Lord, Peter preached, healed, and cast out demons as he sought to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ, first to the Jews and then to Gentiles.

The Jewish and Gentile Christians to whom Peter was writing his letters were experiencing trials. Persecution had broken out against the Church at Jerusalem after the stoning of Stephen. As a result, believers scattered throughout Judea and Samaria (Acts 8:1–3). As Jewish believers adapted to life in new communities, Gentile believers were added to the family of faith. These converts often faced persecution from family and friends who did not comprehend or agree with their newfound faith in Jesus. Peter wrote to encourage these believers, highlighting the work that God had already done in their lives while pointing them toward the day of Christ’s return.

The passage for this lesson comes from the first of Peter’s two letters in the Bible. In the beginning of this letter, which was addressed to the Jewish and Gentile believers who were scattered throughout Asia Minor, Peter reminded his readers that God the Father had chosen them; Jesus Christ had saved them; and the Holy Spirit was sanctifying them. In response to God’s work in their lives, Peter implored all those who sought to follow Christ to be holy just as God is holy.

This passage teaches the Essential Truth that God Is. In his letter to the believers who were scattered across Asia Minor, Peter praised the Trinitarian God, the one true and living God who eternally exists in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In this passage, Peter emphasized the holiness of God by quoting a command that is found multiple times in the book of Leviticus: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

Because God is holy, He is worthy of our worship. Because God is holy, He is worthy of our obedience. Those who seek to follow Christ must strive to emulate God’s holiness. Our holy God has set us apart for His purposes, consecrating us for His service. God the Father has reached out to us and claimed us as His children. Jesus the Son has saved us, offering His life as a ransom for our sins. The Holy Spirit is sanctifying us, empowering us to be holy in all that we do.

This passage also touches on another Essential Truth: Jesus is God and Savior.

1 Peter 1:13 In the first half of the opening chapter of Peter’s letter, he reminds his readers of his identity—he is an apostle of Jesus Christ—and God’s triune identity—He is Father, Son, and Spirit. Peter praised God for giving His children a living hope. This hope is grounded in the work of Christ, whose death and resurrection makes it possible for those who receive the gift of salvation by faith to experience new birth and gain an eternal inheritance.

Verse 13 marks the transition from the introduction to the body of the letter. Peter urged his readers to prepare their minds for action (lit. “gird up”). In that day, those who wore long flowing garments needed to gird up, to gather up the folds of their clothing and cinch them with a leather belt, before they could have the freedom of movement necessary to work or travel. Peter insisted that Christ’s followers get ready for action because there was work to be done. Next, he advised them to be self- controlled (lit. “be sober”). Be mentally calm, cool, and collected despite the trials that you are experiencing, Peter advises. Set your hope fully on Christ, for the one who began a good work in you will be faithful to carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Phil. 1:6).

1 Peter 1:14 By invoking the image of children, Peter reminds his readers that they have been adopted into the family of God. They have been born again into a holy lineage. Both Paul (Phil. 2:15) and John (1 John 3:2) refer to believers as children of God. Believing Jews and Gentiles alike are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ (Rom. 8:17). Gentile converts are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise of Christ Jesus (Eph. 3:6).

Mindful of their newfound status as children of God, Peter urged his readers to be obedient followers of Christ. In the past, they had lived ignorantly in bondage to sin. Now they are new creations in Christ—the old things have passed away, and a new way of living has come (2 Cor. 5:17). Peter warns them not to conform to their old standard of living. Instead, they are to be transformed by the renewing of their minds (Rom. 12:2).

1 Peter 1:15–16 Peter’s words are striking: Be holy in all that you do, he says. Why should we be holy? Because God is holy. Peter references Leviticus, in which we find multiple verses that emphasize God’s holiness and the corresponding required holiness of the children of God. “I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy” (Lev. 11:44a). “Consecrate yourselves and be holy because I am the Lord your God. Keep my decrees and follow them. I am the Lord, who makes you holy” (Lev. 20:7–8). “You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own” (Lev. 20:26).

God chose Israel to be His treasured possession (Deut. 7:6). As such, they were to be consecrated—to set aside their lives for God’s purposes and to live according to His standards. They were to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Ex. 19:6). In the New Testament, Gentiles who accepted God’s gracious gift of salvation joined the ranks of God’s chosen people, and all who sought to follow Christ were called to live consecrated lives that brought glory to God. Later in this letter Peter declares, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness and into his wonderful light” (1 Pet. 2:9).

Is it really possible to be holy in all that we do? In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said bluntly, “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matt. 5:48). In writing about God’s charge to the Israelites, Baruch Levine explains, “The way to holiness, in other words, was for Israelites, individually and collectively, to emulate God’s attributes. In theological terms this principle is known as imitatio dei—“the imitation of God.” Paul uses similar language in his letter to the Ephesians: “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children, and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God (Eph. 5:1). We can look to Christ’s life to see a picture of holiness lived out on a daily basis. We respond to the Holy Spirit’s prompting to steer clear of worldly conformity. “Holiness is not a stained-glass word referring to soft organ music, vaulted ceilings, and dimly lit church aisles. Holiness is a word that speaks to us of wholeness, integrity, and righteousness in daily conduct” (Valentine 98).

Peter exhorts us to be holy because the God who called us is holy. How in the world can we be holy like God? The word holy is not one that most people would feel comfortable using to describe themselves. While we may have fleeting moments in worship when we think holy thoughts or times when we perform selfless acts of service that might be deemed by others as holy deeds, our lives seem far removed from God’s standard of holiness. God has indeed set the bar high for those who are called His children. We have been consecrated, set apart for God’s purposes. As such, we ought to imitate God in every aspect of our lives, striving to be holy in all that we do. Are you emulating the holiness of God in all that you do and serving as a role model for students who need to be challenged to raise their standards? We cannot do this alone, but we have the power of the Holy Spirit at work in our lives.

Although adults often assume that students are not willing to make sacrifices, many students are actually eager to be challenged. They want to be part of something bigger than themselves; they are ready to answer to a higher calling. Challenge your students to raise their standards and set their sights on the holiness of God. Urge them to be holy in all that they do, and affirm them when you see them imitating Jesus Christ.