"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. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy.'" (1 Peter 1:13-16)
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Peter makes a remarkable point in these verses that is often overlooked. Once we see it, however, we find that it is a truth that is evident throughout the New Testament. What is this point? It is that there is a direct link between hope and holiness.
There are two imperatives or commands in these verses. Peter begins by telling us to hope (command number one) and ends by telling us that we are to be holy (command number 2). There is something, then, about the living hope that he mentioned in verse 3 that compels the believer to grow more like Christ. On the other hand, the holiness to which God has called us is possible only when we learn what it means to hope fully.
This is not something that comes to us naturally. We tend to look at holiness as the product of religious duty: if we read our Bible, pray, go to church, give our tithe, etc., then we will become more holy. We think that in order to be holy we must focus on our sin and attempt to defeat it. The problem is that these things are the evidence of holiness, not the cause of holiness. To approach it in this way is to try to force fruit to grow on a branch that is disconnected from its stem and roots.
Consider these verses that make this point a little more clearly:
"Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God." (2 Corinthians 7:1)
Paul urges us to "cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, [thus] bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God." The motivation for the pursuit of this holiness is that we possess the promises of God about the new covenant (2 Cor. 6:16-18). Promises are the seedbed of hope. It is when faith lays hold of the promise that hope is born. Thus, the motivation for holiness is found in the hope that grows out of the promises.
"For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ." (Titus 2:11-13)
According to these verses, the grace of God has appeared to bring salvation; and what does it teach us? "To renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age." We are not to put off godliness until heaven, we are to strive for it now. And what is the motivation for holiness? "Waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ."
"Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure." (1 John 3:2-3)
John presents the ultimate hope of the believer: we will one day see Christ face to face and be made like him. To be made like him is to be made perfectly holy, to be finally and completely freed from the power and presence of sin. This hope of ultimate holiness serves as the stimulus for holiness in this life. The one who places his hope in Christ "purifies himself as [Christ] is pure."
The question that we must answer is, "how does hope produce holiness?" Here are some points to consider:
1. Your hope is for things that are infinitely more valuable than anything this world has to offer. Men who are in elevated positions in society often look at menial tasks as below them, as not worth their effort or trouble. In the same way, you have been promised an inheritance of infinite value. You have been made a child of the King. The things of this world are infinitely below what is in store for you. When you learn to set your hope fully on the grace to be brought to you, you see sin for what it is, and look at it with contempt.
2. Since you hope for such great things, you will fight against anything that seeks to keep you from enjoying them. By its very nature, sin will deprive you of enjoying your hopes now. If your hope gives you "joy inexpressible and filled with glory," then you will look at sin as the enemy of your happiness and will long for its defeat.
3. The things that God has promised you should fill your heart with comfort and satisfaction. You find that your hope is enough and you don't need to seek comfort in anything else. The power of temptation lies in presenting you with opportunities to satisfy your desires with sensual pleasures. It attempts to get you to believe that sin will supply the comfort or satisfaction that you lack. When you are satisfied with the hope of heavenly things, temptation loses its power.
4. The greatness of your hope pushes you on to holiness because it enflames your heart with a love for God. When you remember that you used to be spiritually dead and deserving of God's judgment but that now you are the recipients of every spiritual blessing in Christ your desire becomes to live for him and please him. When temptation presents opportunities to sin, your heart responds with revulsion: "How could I do such a thing against God who has saved me from my sin and promised me such great and glorious things?"
These are just a few suggestions as to how hope produces holiness. More could be said on this point, but from what has been said, it should be clear that holiness is not something that is a mere effort of the will. It involves more than just turning over a new leaf. It is a process by which the heart is transformed. The hope set before us is such that it captivates our hearts and constrains our actions. The holiness that results is the product of a life transformed from the inside out. This is why we say that hope anchors discipleship.
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