I do many things today because of my father. For instance, when I approach a door and a lady is behind me, I open it. Not because she can’t manage on her own, but because it’s a small, physical way of saying I recognize the gift she is to those around her. I don’t do this because I invented the habit. I do it because my father modeled it and expected it of my brother and me. To this day, opening a door is how I honor both the lady and my dad.
That small habit points to something much bigger. Who I am is rooted in Christ, my living hope. I am rooted in hope. That hope doesn’t merely sit quietly in the background of my life. It shapes how I walk. He is my example, and through Scripture I can trace the path He has paved for me. This is true for all of us rooted in hope. Our hope in Him pushes us toward holiness.
We learn much about what holiness in and through those rooted in hope looks like in 1 Peter 1:13-25. Peter puts it this way: “Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy’” (1 Peter 1:13–16). Preparing our minds for action means rolling up our sleeves. Being sober-minded means clearing out stinking, sloppy thinking and bringing our thoughts under control. And holiness here isn’t first about moral perfection; it’s about being set apart, sharing in the apartness of a God who is fundamentally different from the world, the flesh, and the devil. Unlike the fickle, impure gods of the pagan culture Peter and his original readers were surrounded by, our God is stable, pure, and impartial. Since we’re rooted in hope in a holy God who shows no favoritism, our lives ought to reflect a sober, holy walk of faith.
But why would we want to live this way? Peter answers by pointing to the price paid for us: “knowing that you were ransomed… not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot” (1 Peter 1:18–19). We aren’t saved by our effort, nor are we sanctified merely by our effort, but by the finished work of Christ and the ongoing power of His Spirit. The same grace that saved us is the grace that carries us. For those of us rooted in hope, knowing the cost of our redemption becomes the motivation for godly living.
At its heart, holiness isn’t merely doing the right things but loving as God loves. “Love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again… through the living and abiding word of God” (1 Peter 1:22–23). That word of God is not fragile. Emperor Diocletian once tried to burn every copy of Scripture in the Roman Empire. He failed. Within a few decades, Emperor Constantine commissioned fifty new copies at government expense. As Bernard Ramm observed, the Bible’s funeral has been announced a thousand times, yet “the corpse never stays put.” The Scripture, living, abiding, and imperishable, is the seed planted for those rooted in hope, and it keeps bearing the fruit of holiness, such as godly love.
I still follow in my father’s steps, and I still follow in my Heavenly Father’s steps too. At first it was out of fear of disappointing Him. Then it became imitation. Now, having grown to know His love, I walk in His ways because I want to know Him more and make Him known. If you are not yet rooted in hope, you aren’t following Christ as Savior and Lord. Won’t you enter into that relationship with Jesus today? And if you already know Him, don’t just believe in hope; live it, being genuinely rooted in hope. Let holiness mark your small moments, and let the seed planted in you bear fruit right where you are. Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone)!