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1 Peter 1:17–19
“You were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot” (vv. 18–19).
Knowing who we are in Christ and what God has done for us through the Savior establishes the foundation for our holy obedience to our Creator. We obey not to save ourselves but because we have been saved and because of our calling to be holy as God is holy, which our Father in heaven empowers us to fulfill sincerely if imperfectly. This has been Peter’s point in 1 Peter 1:1–16, and in today’s passage he builds on his argument by once more reiterating the call to holiness and reminding us of our motivation to serve the Lord.
The Apostle states, “If you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile” (v. 17). The word “if” is better rendered as “since,” indicating that the call to living by fear as the necessary consequence of trusting in God the Father through the Lord Jesus Christ. Here we are reminded that although God is the loving heavenly Father of believers, He remains the perfect Judge who evaluates our behavior. His judgment, moreover, is impartial, according to His own holy law, with no consideration of social status, wealth, or anything else that might sway an earthly judge to acquit the guilty or condemn the innocent (see Deut. 10:17; Rom. 2:6–11). Understanding this should move believers to fear—not an abject terror in which we think the Lord is waiting to smash us for the slightest transgression but a reverent love that respects God’s holiness, aims to imitate it, and repents when we fall short. We should be conscious that the Lord will evaluate our works on the last day and should live accordingly.
We are saved not by our good works but only by the blood of the Lord Jesus, the ransom price to rescue us from the wrath of God. This ransom is another motive for living in reverent fear (1 Peter 1:17–19). The death of Christ saved us from the utter futility of serving the world, the flesh, and the devil. No higher price could be paid than the life of the Son of God. His death is of incalculable value, and the only appropriate response from sinners who benefit from it is reverence and awe. The animal sacrifices of the Old Testament had to be without blemish (e.g., see Lev. 1:3), pointing to the only truly perfect sacrifice—our sinless, perfectly righteous Savior. Only those who live in reverent fear of God truly grasp the perfection and value of Christ.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
John Calvin comments that Peter “teaches us that [Christ] was a suitable victim, and approved by God, for he was perfect, without any blemish; had he had any defect in him, he could not have been rightly offered to God, nor could he pacify his wrath.” Knowing the perfection and value of our Lord’s death, especially since it was to save the unworthy, helps us to be thankful to God and to consequently live in reverent fear of Him.
For further study
- Deuteronomy 17:1
- Hebrews 9:1–10:18
The bible in a year
- 1 Samuel 3–6
- Luke 13:22–35
- 1 Samuel 7–12
- Luke 14:1–24