The way my pastor has often put it, in the New Testament, before an imperative you’ll find an indicative. Before there’s a command to obey, there’ll be some facts to believe. So, this morning while reading in 1 Peter, while it was a common imperative that caught my attention, it was the associated indicative that fed my soul.

Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart . . .

(1Peter 1:22 ESV)

The imperative? The command to obey? Love one another earnestly from a pure heart. Got it. Pretty familiar.

The indicative? Your souls have been purified by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love. Hmm . . .

A purified soul. Cleansed. Ransomed by the blood of Christ, thus cleansed by the blood of Christ; without blemish or spot, because He is without blemish or spot (1Peter 1:18-19). His righteousness now credited to my account (Rom. 4:3-24).

How? By your obedience to the truth. Wait, I thought we were saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone . . . what’s this obedience stuff? But isn’t that what faith is, obedience to the truth? Isn’t there a sense in which the gift to believe the truth about Jesus is the gift to obey the truth about Jesus? Isn’t my assent to the claims of the gospel manifest in my subjection to the dynamics of the gospel? I’m thinking . . .

Not only have I been graced to believe, but I’ve also been graced to behave. Not only have I been saved by faith, but I’ve also been saved for faith (Rom. 1:17). I think you could say my first act of obeying God was believing God. That because I was given eyes to see and ears to hear, I wanted to look to Him and to hear His voice. Does that make sense? Isn’t that a bit awe-invoking?

Oh, the wonders of our salvation!

But then get this . . . what does Peter say I was saved for? What’s the last part of the indicative before I get to the imperative?

Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love . . .

I was saved for a sincere brotherly love. One of the great ends of my sanctification, of being set apart by faith for faith, is to love the family of believers with a sincere and authentic love.

When asked the question, “Why did God save you?” I can respond, “To delight in other believers. To be kindly affectioned — with divine, self-sacrificing affection — towards others who have been ransomed by the blood and born again by the word (1Peter 1:19, 23).” Not the only answer to the question, but I’m thinking a pretty significant one.

Faith in Jesus is obedience to truth. Being born again is for family affection towards others who have been born again. Indicatives worthy chewing on, I think.

And then the imperative; love one another earnestly.

Indicatives by God’s grace. Imperatives for God’s glory.

Amen?