SCRIPTURE | 1 Peter 1:17–19 “And if you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your sojourn, knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold from your futile conduct inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.”
OBSERVATION | Today’s devotional intersects much with the last (LINK). In that text, 1 Peter 1:14-16, “as obedient children” we are commanded to live perfect and holy lives, just as God is.
Here again the first lesson in this text repeats the same command. You are again commanded to “conduct yourselves in fear.” In this we learn how obedient holy living depends on the condition of our relationship to the Father. “If you address as Father” (v.17) is now in this text conditional, while still pointing back to “as obedient children.” (v.14) Those who do not “address [God] as Father,” are those who are not “obedient children” and are not in focus of the command here to obey these words. Yet, IF we truly are reconciled to the Father through true faith in Jesus & His Word, then we must “conduct ourselves in fear during the time of our stay on earth.” That is, if God truly is our Father, there will be an effect and a result in our lives. We will live for Him as both our Father and the impartial judge of our lives. Our “conduct” and way of living then must be “in fear” while in this world. Fear as in a knee knocking, shaking in our boots, holy and reverent fear of the Almighty Heavenly Father. This is to be a chief characteristic in the heart attitude of God’s children. It should change how we think, speak and live.
Our second lesson we learn is though we are “redeemed” by Christ, our Father will still “impartially judges according to each one’s works.” This is the cause of ourliving in a right fear of the Father. We’ve seen this doctrine taught in scripture before, and addressed how often it is denied by the church. The apostles however, taught judgement day as a cause of holy ambition and a life of good works that will glorify God in preparation for that day. For those who have confidence they are His children, there is no fear of condemning judgement. Their fear is instead about either failure or faithfulness to glorify the Father thru faith and obedient living. Will their lives make much of Him? Magnify His Son’s sacrifice? Exalt His Holy Word? Or will their thoughts and deeds bring dishonor and disgrace to His name on the day of judgement when the Father impartially judges them? This is the cause of a right fear. It is a true child wanting to honor or not dishonor his Father in love. This is not the fear of God’s enemies, who rightly fear the soon coming and condemning judgement if they do not repent.
The third lesson we learn is to motivate such behavior not only with a correct view of judgement day, but also with a correct view of redemption. The more “precious” we understand Jesus’ “blood” sacrifice in our place, the more our hearts will desire to live in fear while we are hear. If His work for us is not precious to us, it will be evident in our living. In other words, that shaking in your boots-reverent-fear also lives a holy life to the degree it understands the unmeasurable greatness of what Jesus did for us. That our salvation came at a great cost. That our Savior didn’t need to die for His own sin, and all the more should have never been so mistreated as the only one who was perfectly righteous in life. He was the only sacrificial lamb truly and completely “unblemished and spotless,” so that He died not to pay the penalty of His own sin, but in our place.
The preciousness of this reality to us, the highly valued reality of it, is reflected in every one of our thoughts, words, and deeds. This is why our value of His death for us will be revealed through our every thought, word and deed on the day of judgment. And may He be greatly glorified by us on that day, through our holy living. This is the aim of our text.
APPLICATION | Do I live in a right knee knocking fear of my heavenly Father? Do I live by a right reverent fear of judgement day? Do I see Jesus’ sacrifice for me as the highly-precious-motivation to live rightly that it is? Does my conduct unmistakably reveal I live by faith in these realities? Or am I living in worldly and “futile conduct” way, despite claiming Jesus’ name and sacrifice for me?
PRAYER | Father, may my life reveal the reality of my expectation of judgement day. That I long for all of my life to be lived according to Your Word. Teach me Your Word. Give me a hunger that is only satisfied by growing to know it more and more, and live by it more and more. So that Jesus awesome work on the cross is magnified by my every thought, word and deed. So that all of my life is for You and Your glory alone, both today and on the day of judgment. Amen.
