To whom does Peter write - to believers who are being persecuted. "God's elect", who are "exiles scattered throughout" much of the known world. Peter reminds them, and those who would follow centuries later, that those who are in Christ have been chosen by God. The Father's foreknowledge, the Spirit's sanctifying work in us, and the blood of Jesus, God's Son, work in concert to make us who we were created to be.
Peter reminds his readers to begin with praise, modeling that for us in verse 3. When are hearts are positioned to praise God first in the midst of any troubles, our problems and circumstances, no matter how dire, even life and death, can be seen for what they are. God is working in us and in His world to build His Kingdom and build our faith (v. 5-7).
In verses 13-16, we are charged with being holy. No human being other than Jesus has ever or will ever achieve sinlessness, but we can absolutely live lives of holiness. Holiness requires a heart turned toward God. Holiness says, "God is bigger than my troubles". Holiness rejoices in the midst of suffering because we understand there is a bigger picture than what we can see and touch in the moment. When my attitude is one of praise, trust and perspective, turning away from the "evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance" becomes more than a bunch of words that sound nice, but actually becomes our reality. Sin loses its appeal when we are God-focused. Understand, you and I are not going to do this perfectly. Hopefully that's been made clear. Perfection isn't the goal. Holiness, a heart that seeks God and praises God at all times in all things, is the goal. This is absolutely attainable.
Finally, understand that holiness and obedience enhance our ability to love each other "deeply, from the heart". Let's do that. Let's make that our goal.
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