The soul which is purified by obeying the truth experiences a complete change of life, starting with the heart. “Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth though the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently.” (1 Peter 1:22) The heart can be “deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” according to Jeremiah 17:9, and needs to be purified by the word of the gospel. (1 Peter 1:25)
We want to examine the books of First and Second Peter to see some of the changes produced by the gospel in a person’s heart and life.
There is a change in the heart from one who hates God to one who loves God and His Son, Jesus Christ. Peter said about Jesus, “Unto you therefore which believe he is precious …” (2:7) Earlier, Peter said about Jesus, “Whom having not seen, ye love …” (1:8) Do you love Jesus and is He precious to you?
Another change of the heart deals with your willing obedience. If your heart has been purified by faith and obedience (Acts 15:9; 1 Peter 1:22), you will obey God as His child. Notice how Peter contrasted believing with disobedience. “Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient … even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient …” (1 Peter 2:7-8) If unbelief is equal to disobedience, then it must be true that believing is equal to obedience. Religious individuals who claim they believe, but yet will not obey God, are really disbelieving. “As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to your former lusts in your ignorance.” (1 Peter 1:14)
Those who have tasted that the Lord is gracious (1 Peter 2:3) will grow spiritually by ingesting the word which teaches the Christian to lay “aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speaking.” (2:1) Peter, in his second letter, mentions some who exercised their hearts with covetous practices. (2 Peter 2:14) Peter mentions some positive attitudes of a Christian’s heart in 1 Peter 3:4. “But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.” Pure minds or hearts need to be stirred up by the word of the gospel. (2 Peter 3:1)
The clean heart will produce a holy and chaste life. “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation.” (1 Peter 1:15) The word “conversation” refers to one’s way of living. Peter encourages women to have a “chaste conversation coupled with fear.” (1 Peter 3:2)
Christ’s gospel produces a change in one’s heart in which he becomes dead to sins and alive unto righteousness as he imitates Christ’s example. “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” (1 Peter 2:24)
A Christian with a pure heart loves his brethren. “… Unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart.” (1 Peter 1:22) Love for one’s brethren is to be genuine and not pretentious. “And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8) Yes, all of these things represent big changes in a person’s heart!