Today I want to discuss a rather boring-sounding phrase, sober-minded. I think it would be good to explore what it means, and what it doesn’t mean. Or, maybe, what meaning tends to be applied to it, but to which it should not be limited. Let’s look at the verses we are going to cover today. Then, we will look into scripture and the writings of our brothers and sisters from yesteryear. The goal is to flesh out the full meaning the writers of the New Testament had in mind when they exhorted us to be sober-minded.
13 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. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
1 Peter 1:13-16
In case you missed it
Of course, at the beginning of these verses, Peter opens with a therefore. If you have been with me for any amount of time, you know that we must always peruse the verses previous to these if we want to learn what it is the therefore is there for. Should you like to delve into the implications of the above mentioned therefore, (as well as Peter’s charge to prepare our minds for action) please read yesterday’s study, Our Minds: The Quest: Day 25.0. If you would like to dig into more on the fascinating, though often ignored, word therefore, please check out this study: Therefore: The Quest: Day 6.0.
Sober-minded
So, along with preparing our minds for action, Peter exhorts us to be sober-minded. What does that mean? In our society, the first connotation is perhaps not drinking. We call someone who has given up alcohol, especially after a period of alcohol abuse, sober. And, that’s a valid use of the word. But, I don’t think Peter, who drank wine with Christ, is picketing for prohibition. Indeed, during his time with our Lord, the Pharisees (after finding fault in John the Baptist’s asceticism) accused Jesus and his disciples of over-indulgence.
18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.”
Matthew 11:18-19
While we can all agree that Jesus was not getting hammered at the dinners and parties he attended, this verse alone let’s us know that he did partake of wine. The Pharisees would certainly not be able to point their fingers at him and accuse him of drunkenness if he was a known teetotaler. Clearly he and his disciples enjoyed wine and food as the gifts from God that they are. We can do the same!
Side-quest
It is true that I am on a personal quest for consistency in daily habits. It is also true that the quest includes abstaining from alcohol. But, this is not because I believe there is any inherent sin in drinking. I have just observed in myself my tendency to let duties slide, postpone training, and neglect things like reading with my kids when I get into the habit of drinking on the regular. I tend to watch more reruns of The Office, read fewer books, spend less time writing, etc. So, those are my reasons for eschewing the frosty brew.
It’s all Greek to me
What I am attempting to press home is the notion that sober-minded means more than not being drunk. And, I think scripture can back me up on this. Here’s the word in Greek: σωφρονέω. What’s that? It’s all Greek to you? Me too. So, here’s the transliteration: sóphroneó. Still nothing? Me either. Let’s see where else it’s used in the New Testament.
Remember when Jesus cast the demons out of the crazy naked man living among the tombs? Here’s the entire passage, in case you want to re-read it: Mark 5:1-20. Well, here’s how Mark uses the word sóphroneó in that passage:
15 And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid.
Mark 5:15
Sober-minded as sanity
The bold was added by me so that you can see how the word, sóphroneó, which is translated as sober-minded in 1 Peter 1:13, is translated in Mark. Here we see it means in his right mind, i.e., sane. So, there is clearly a connotation of sanity to the word. There is a notion of having a correct perception, a lack of confusion, and an ordered verses erratic disposition.
In our modern times, I hear a lot of people parroting what they hear from media outlets and politicians. They repeat everything as if it were fact, including (and especially) those facts which contradict the other facts. There are so many people claiming moral standards on this issue or that issue. If you point out to them that their standard for issue A is diametrically opposed to their standard on issue B, they refuse to concede. They are right in their own eyes despite the blatant contradiction. Their minds can simultaneously hold and affirm two directly opposing standards. This is not a picture of sanity. It is not sober-minded.
Sober-minded as sound judgment
In Romans, Paul tells us not to be conceited when thinking of ourselves. He uses the word sóphroneó like this: For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. (Romans 12:3) The New American Standard translates the word as sound judgment.
Again, we can’t infer anything directly to do with intoxication (or lack thereof) from the word itself. Certainly those who are intoxicated will lack sound judgment, so the inference is not incorrect. But, the being sober-minded in this sense has much broader implications. While sound judgment is similar to, or even a component of, sanity, here it has an element of action which the word sanity lacks. Sanity is passive. It is a condition. In this context sober-mindedness, or sound judgment, implies realism. Don’t think more of yourself than you should but, when you do think of yourself, be realistic.
Sober-minded as self-control
Paul uses the same word again in Titus 2. He writes, Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. Same word, but translated just a bit differently here. I think you can see the implication. This is a verb. It is an action that encompasses self-control, being realistic in your judgments, and having a rightly ordered perspective. That is what the New Testament writers, Paul, Mark, and Peter are urging us toward when they write sóphroneó, what we are calling sober-minded today.
Before I sign off, I want to note a few more action-oriented implications of being sober-minded.
8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
1 Peter 5:8-10
Sober-minded as self-discipline
Later in 1 Peter, he again exhorts his readers to be sober-minded. Here, though, there is an edge of wariness in the term. Like the uses mentioned above, we can take this as keep yourself in your right mind, be self-controlled, and of sound judgment. But, there is even a note of discipline here. Be ready. We know that the devil loves to see Christians fall. It may not revoke salvation or culminate in an adopted son becoming a hell-bound sinner, but it can destroy congregations, steal potential years of witness, and wreck the testimony of the fallen. So, Peter says, we are to be on our guard. How do we prepare to counter the wiles of the devil? By being of right mind, sound in judgment, and self-disciplined.
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Paul, when writing to the Corinthians addresses this very issue of self-discipline. I love these verses. I should make them my theme for this here quest thingy.
Swings and misses
Yesterday I thought I could cover all of the four verses above, but ended up only being able to cover the concept of preparing your mind. Likewise, with the Christmas holidays here, I have been unable to to exercise properly – as I am supposed to according to the quest parameters – not because of a lack of will, but because of joyful duties.
Excuses, excuses
I had guests a few days ago, and when you have to decide between excusing yourself from your family, nieces and nephews, etc., to go run or workout, and visiting with family you see only a few times a year, the choice is clear. Likewise, yesterday after working a partial day, I drove four hours to my parents’ home. I was not going to tell them, “I know I haven’t seen you in a few months, but I am off to workout.”
Sober-minded still
Speaking of sober-minded. My sister is also here at my parents’ house. She drove from NYC where she lives and works in advertising. She brought countless bottles of various liquors, some of which I have never tried or heard of. I was offered a taste of a few different drinks, but declined. While our workout routine might be disrupted by holiday travel – either by others coming to us, or us going to them, I have maintained the goal of avoiding alcohol.
This morning, we were determined to get up and run. My wife and I were up early, before anyone else. We brought our cold weather gear. What we did not bring is cold weather gear suitable for snow and -8 degrees. The weather warnings this morning say one can get frostbite in minutes. I think sober-mindedness told me that going out for a six-mile jog with the risk of frostbite, all because I wrote down that I would somewhere was foolish, not of sound judgment. So, we stayed in.
As far as reading with John, we still haven’t missed a beat! We are on to the fourth book in the Chronicles of Narnia, Prince Caspian. It is a fun read, but so many voices to try to get correct!
Now, I like being somewhat extreme, but part of this quest is attempting to cease being foolish. You might say, I am choosing to be sober-minded! So, now that my mom is up and about, rather than braving the cold, snow, and risking the loss of a fingertip or two, we are going to sit together, enjoy some coffee and quiet conversation.
