Today’s New Covenant nugget is from 1 Peter 1:13-16
‘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; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”’
Resting and relying fully on the GRACE that is brought to us through the revelation of Jesus Christ imparts holy living.
Romans 6:14 says that sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. Legalism leads to sin and grace imparts holiness and power over sin.
Holiness is far more than not sinning; holiness is walking in the Spirit under the anointing, in purity and in power and in truth and in righteousness. Notice that the bible says, “Rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” We need a greater revelation of Jesus in order to receive a greater level of grace to walk in a greater level of holiness!
In Matthew 16:15-18 Jesus asked, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter said, “You are the Anointed one, the Son of the living God,” and then Jesus said, “Upon this rock [of revelation] I will build my church.” Jesus was not referring to Peter (Petros, meaning little stone) as the rock on which He would build His church, He was referring to THE REVELATION that Peter had concerning Who He was… we can only go as far in our calling as the revelation that we have of Christ Jesus and of His Word.
In Philippians 3:8-10, Paul said, “I also count all things loss for the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord ‘that I may know Him’… I count all other things as dung”. In verse 15 he refers to knowing Jesus intimately as the prize and the high calling if God in Christ.
Paul prayed in Ephesians 1 that God would give to us the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, that the eyes of our understanding would be enlightened; so that we would know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power.
Grace, holiness, our inheritance in Christ and the keys to the kingdom are all received as our revelation of Jesus grows… Who He is, who we are in Him, who He is in us, what we can do through Him, what He can do through us and what He has done for us. Knowing Him in the power of His resurrection and in the fellowship of His suffering. Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, the giver of grace which is the key to holiness! Selah!
In His amazing love, Nick
