10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.
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.”
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
Our living hope in our final salvation at Christ’s return is also based on our faith in God’s word. The Prophets of the Old Testament knew that they were writing about the future sufferings of Christ and His subsequent glory but they didn’t understand everything they were saying. They pondered the details of these things like who exactly the Christ would be and when exactly He would come. They knew they were not writing for themselves but prophetically for a future generation. Those details have now been announced by the Gospel writers and other witnesses who have shared the very details the prophets wondered about. The Spirit of Christ spoke through the prophets and the same Holy Spirit speaks through those who preach the gospel now. We are incredibly blessed to be living in a time, like Peter’s readers, where we have the complete redemption story. The Old Testament prophets longed to understand it fully. The angels are amazed when they see God’s grace made manifest in Christ because they cannot experience it. We get to actually experience it.
Because of our certain spiritual destiny, we should respond appropriately. We must prepare our minds for action. Our mindset must be one of action. But it must be sober-minded, not panicked but rational and clear-thinking. Our hope must be fully set on the grace that will be ours at Christ’s return. We have a sure hope, a guaranteed salvation that is ours now and forever. And so we must live as obedient children, not doing the things we used to do before we were saved or getting entangled in the things of the world (Rom 12:2; 1 John 2:15-17). Instead, just as God is holy, so we should be holy in everything we do (Lev 19:2; 20:7).
Are you fully focused on your spiritual destiny? Is your hope fully set on the grace that is yours when Jesus returns? Does your life reflect that in obedient and holy living? Or are you still doing things that run counter to God’s way? What do you need to change today?
Major Stories of the Bible Reading Plan
The Warning to Ninevah: Nahum 1-3