信徒的责任
彼得前书一章13至21节
13所以要约束你们的心，（原文是束上你们心中的腰），谨慎自守，专心盼望耶稣基督显现的时候所带来给你们的恩。
14你们既作顺命的儿女，就不要效法从前蒙昧无知的时候那放纵私欲的样子。
15那召你们的既是圣洁，你们在一切所行的事上也要圣洁。
16因为经上记着说：「你们要圣洁，因为我是圣洁的。」
17你们既称那不偏待人、按各人行为审判人的主为父，就当存敬畏的心度你们在世寄居的日子，
18知道你们得赎，脱去你们祖宗所传流虚妄的行为，不是凭着能坏的金银等物，
19乃是凭着基督的宝血，如同无瑕疵、无玷污的羔羊之血。
20基督在创世以前是预先被神知道的，却在这末世才为你们显现。
21你们也因着他，信那叫他从死里复活、又给他荣耀的神，叫你们的信心和盼望都在于神。
信息分享
神对信徒至少有两个期望：第一，是要常常遵行祂的话，这是顺服的表现；第二，是要学像祂，这是圣洁的表现。
我们在信主之前的表现，完全是另一个样子。彼得在第14节指出，我们那时是放纵私欲地生活；但如今，我们既然是属于神，就必须遵照祂的教导而行。
神由始至终都强调祂的儿女要过圣洁的生活。「圣洁」这个词，以不同形式出现在旧约和新约之中，不下于一千次。它的意思是「分别出来，给神使用」。它也表示当一个人是属于神的时候，他的生命就再容不下罪。
彼得叫我们留意基督的一生，是如何的没有瑕疪，和不被罪所玷污。祂就像旧约用以献祭的羔羊。根据献祭的规例，只有无瑕疪的羔羊，才可以用来献祭给神。
耶稣基督的一生是完全和圣洁的。祂是神的羔羊，除去世人的罪。在人类的历史中，祂是唯一一个无罪的人。因此，彼得指出，祂就是我们的榜样和标准。我们的生命要像祂一样。
神在创世以先，就已经预定这一切(20节)。然后，基督按照神所定的时间降世为人，再借着祂的死来成为我们的救主。
然而，神并没有让基督长留墓中。神使祂从死里复活。我们如今所信的，是一位永活的基督。
既然如此，我们这些属祂的人该如何过活呢？我们必须以基督作为我们的典范，过顺服和圣洁的生活。
祷告：
主啊，求你加力给我，让我凡事遵行你的道。
THE RESPONSIBILITES OF A BELIEVER
1 Peter 1:13-21
13 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
14 as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance;
15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,
16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
17 And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear;
18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,
19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
20 He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you
21 who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
Message
God has at least two main purposes for those who believe in him. He wants them to do his will always. This is obedience. He also wants them to be like himself. This is holiness.
Before you were saved, everything was different. In verse 14 Peter says you lived just as you yourself wanted to. NOW, you belong to God and you must do what he says.
Holiness has always been God's standard for his children. The word 'holy' appears in various ways more than 1,000 times in the Old and New Testaments. It means to be set apart for the purpose of being used by God. It also means sin has no place in a person's life when he belongs to God.
Peter points us to Christ whose life had no blemish of sin on it at all. He was like the lambs in the Old Testament. They had to be examined carefully before they could be offered to God as a sacrifice. If they had any blemish or bad spots of any kind, they could not be used. They had to be perfect.
The life of Jesus Christ was absolutely perfect and holy. He is the Lamb of God which has taken away the sin of the world. He is the only sinless one - the only one who could ever have taken our place. Peter says he is our example, our standard. Our lives should be like this.
God planned all of this before the world began (v.20). Then in God's own time Christ came into our world and became our Saviour through his death.
But God did not leave Christ in the tomb. God raised him from the dead. Our faith now is in a living Christ who is alive forevermore.
How then should we live? We should live as men and women who belong to God, willingly obeying him and desiring to be like him.
A PRAYER:
Lord, help me to be today what you want me to be.