1 Peter 1:13

Wherefore, girding up the loins of your mind, be sober and set your hope perfectly on the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

Founded upon the Old Testament requirement that the Jews should observe the Passover with their "loins girded," a few have imagined all kinds of vain things, alleging that 1Peter is a sermon delivered in connection with observing the Lord's supper;[43] but the scholars should look, not always to the Old Testament, but to the words of Christ, for what Peter meant by this (Luke 12:35,36). Jesus used these words of being prepared for the Second Advent, and that is exactly the way Peter used them here.

Girding up the loins of your mind ... As he did frequently, Peter here gives a metaphorical meaning to well known expressions. "Girding up the loins" meant tying up one's loose outward garments as a prerequisite to being able to work unencumbered. It had the rough meaning of "Roll up your sleeves, and go to work." Sure enough, the mind cannot roll up any sleeves; but the mind can be disciplined and prepared for the future by diligent prayer, study and contemplation. It was of this that Peter spoke. From this, and many other instances in this letter, Peter's usual figurative method of expressing himself lends strong presumptive evidence to the conclusion that "Babylon" is a mystical name for "Rome."