Chapter # 1 Paragraph # 3 Study # 1
April 26, 2009
Lincolnton, N.C.
1769 Translation:
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;
14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:
15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
1901 ASV Translation:
13 Wherefore girding up the loins of your mind, be sober and set your hope perfectly on the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
14 as children of obedience, not fashioning yourselves according to your former lusts in
the time of your ignorance:
15 but like as he who called you is holy, be ye yourselves also holy in all manner of living;
16 because it is written, Ye shall be holy; for I am holy.
- I. Peter's Focus Upon "Holiness".
- A. Begins with the "mind".
- 1. The "girding" has to do with understanding that there are a lot of ways a garment can impede one's actions and/or cause one to get tangled up so that a particular action is blocked ("girding" is to make action possible). But in an exactly opposite way, "girding" was a way to prevent certain actions (particularly sexual ones).
- 2. The "object" of the girding is called "the loins of your mind". The "loins" are seen in the language as the origins of the strength to produce. The "problem" of "production" is the tendency toward a mindless, helter-scelter kind of "producing". In this light, it is entirely possible that Peter had both of the concepts of "girding" in mind because of the problems of the "mind". On the one hand, the "loins of the mind" needed to be restrained much like the overabundance of cloth in flowing garments so that there could be a directed effort; and on the other hand those "loins" needed to be protected from outside efforts to destroy the mind's ability to produce.
- a. The "mind" is one of the four "fundamentals" of one's makeup (heart, soul, strength, and mind -- the required elements of love for God). According to Paul, if the "eyes" of the mind are "enlightened", one can "know" the "hope", "riches", and "glory" that are to come (Ephesians 1:18) and if the "mind" is uncontrolled, it will sponsor "desires" that lead to wrath (Ephesians 2:3). Likewise, if the "mind" is "darkened", alienation from the life of God through "ignorance" will occur (Ephesians 4:18). According to Hebrews 8:10, a fundamental aspect of the New Covenant is the placement of the Law of God into the "mind" (note that 8:16 reverses the order of "placement"/"writing" in terms of the Mind/Heart realities).
- b. Peter wrote again in his second epistle that it was his intention to "stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance" (2 Peter 3:1). Clearly Peter saw the "mind" as a critical faculty for Life; one that needed a disciplined approach to the processes of decision making and action taking.
- c. John took this a step further in 1 John 5:20 by saying that the Son has given us an "understanding" so that we might know Him.
- B. Assumes the identity of "children".
- C. Provides an adequate "contrast".
- D. Rests upon His "holiness".