Purify Yourself By Obeying The Truth
Text: 1 Peter 1:22-23
As Peter wrote to Christians, he told them that they had been redeemed from empty and wicked ways in their lives by the precious blood of Jesus. However, it was not just what Jesus had done for them that resulted in their purification. Instead, they had a role in their own purification by obeying the truth (the imperishable seed of God’s word). While they did not and could not save themselves apart from Jesus, they did have the responsibility of being born again through obedience to the word of God. Then, they were to continue obeying the word of God by showing sincere brotherly love to each other.
There are many times people talk about the love of God that has been demonstrated for us through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. And there is plenty of good reason for this! After all, Jesus is the only one who has provided us the way to experience salvation. We would all be utterly hopeless and lost in sin without the love God has demonstrated through His sacrifice. Yet, people fail whenever they do not give the proper significance to the other part of the salvation equation. This concerns personal obedience to the truth. While some say that obedience is nothing more than what saved people do, this passage demonstrates there is obedience that is necessary to being purified and being born again!
Today’s response to hearing God’s word is this: Purify yourself by obeying the truth. If you believe in Jesus and all that Jesus has done to save you, that is great! However, you must also obey His commandments so as to be purified from your sins and born again. In addition to hearing His saving message of truth and believing in Him, this includes repenting of your sins, confessing Him as Lord, and being baptized (immersed in water) for the forgiveness of your sins. Then, even after you have done this, you must also continue to live in faithful obedience to the message of truth that is contained in the words of God in the Bible!
