1 Peter 1:17-21
Spiritual Stimulation Involves
Holy Considerations.
A fear of God is largely missing in our
society, but that is not the saddest reality. Far too many Believers have
little to no measurable respect for God as Father or Judge. From the appearance
of things not many Christians cherish deeply the extraordinary price paid for
our redemption. The result is a generation of professing Believers who have
little or no desire to sustain holy and godly lifestyles. Immorality, sex
outside of marriage, lying, cheating, coveting, and materialism are more a part
of Believers’ lives then the Word of God and walking in the Spirit. We need a
special blend of holy stimulation to awaken godly desires deep within the recesses of
our souls. Here are some helpful considerations:
A. Consider
how God is the Father and the Impartial Judge; continue your journey with the
utmost respect for Him (17).
i.
Get Serious About Combating Sin.
Interactivity with a father and a judge demands respect! As God’s
children, we need to respect Him by being serious about refusing sin and pursuing
holiness. Our Heavenly Father is a holy (John 17:11) and righteous Father (John
17:25). He will not compromise with sin. He is merciful and forgiving, but He
is also a loving disciplinarian who cannot permit His children to enjoy sin.
After all, it was sin that sent His Son to the cross. If we call God “Father,” then we should reflect His nature.
ii.
Don’t Worry About Punishment for Sins.
1. What is this judgment that Peter wrote about? It is the judgment of a believer’s
works. It has nothing to do with salvation, except that salvation ought to produce
good works (Titus 1:16; 2:7, 12). When we trusted Christ, God forgave our sins
and declared us righteous in His Son (Rom. 5:1–10; 8:1–4; Col. 2:13). Our sins
have already been judged on the cross (1 Peter 2:24), and therefore they cannot
be held against us (Heb. 10:10–18).
2. The Fathers judgment of His own in this life is chastening
and corrective, not eternal punishment; He has committed the judgment of
sinners to the Lord Jesus (John 5:22). The prospect of God’s corrective measures
should awaken holy respect in the heart of God’s people.
3. Lincoln writes: “He is looking on,
taking notice of all, whether there is integrity of purpose, intelligence of
mind, and desire of heart to please Him.”
iii.
Prepare for the Judgment Seat of
Christ. But when the Lord returns, there will be a
time of judgment called “the Judgment Seat of Christ” (Rom. 14:10–12; 2 Cor.
5:9–10). Each of us will give an account of his works, and each will receive
the appropriate reward. This is a “family judgment,” the Father dealing with
His beloved children. The Greek word translated judgeth carries the meaning “to judge in order to find something good.” God will search into
the motives for our ministry; He will examine our hearts. But He assures us
that His purpose is to glorify Himself in our lives and ministries, “and then
shall every man have praise of God” (1 Cor. 4:5). What an encouragement!
–Wiersbe: The Bible Exposition Commentary
iv.
Live Daily with a Healthy Fear of
God.
1. We are to pass the time of our stay on earth in fear. As we realize the extent of His knowledge and the
accuracy of His judgment, we should live with a wholesome fear of displeasing
Him.
2. Christians are not at home in this
world. We are living in a foreign country, exiled from heaven. We should not
settle down as if this were our permanent dwelling. Neither should we imitate
the behavior of the earth-dwellers. We should always remember our heavenly
destiny and behave ourselves as citizens of heaven (MacDonald, W.).
B. Consider
how Christ is our Redemption Sacrifice; place your faith and hope in God
(18-21).
i.
Remember
Your Bondage (1:18). Redeem means to buy back someone from
bondage by the payment of a price; to set free by paying a ransom. “Redemption” was a technical term for
money paid to buy back a prisoner of war. Here it is used of the price paid to
buy the freedom of one in the bondage of sin and under the curse of the law
(i.e., eternal death, cf. Gal. 3:13). The price paid to a holy God was the shed
blood of His own Son (cf. Ex. 12:1–13; 15:13; Ps. 78:35; Acts 20:28; Rom. 3:24;
Gal. 4:4, 5; Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:14; Titus 2:14; Heb. 9:11–17).
ii.
Do
Not Lead a Full, But Empty Life (1:18). We were not redeemed with perishable money
(18).
1. Before our conversion, we were the
same as the rest of the world (1:18). Our talk and walk were as empty and
trivial as everyone else around us. Our unconverted days are described as vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers.
Peter’s focus is not on any specific action, but on the way of life that we
inherited from our ancestors. Those old ways were futile, empty of power and
incapable of securing salvation. Like Peter’s readers we all needed to be
snatched from our hopeless condition.
2. But now we have been ransomed from
that futile existence by a tremendous transaction. We have been rescued from
the slavery of world-conformity by the payment of an infinite ransom. No, it
was not with silver or gold that we kidnap victims
have been freed (see Ex. 30:15)!
iii.
Note
the Cost of Your Redemption (1:19-21). We were redeemed with the precious blood of Christ (19-21). Peter describes Christ as the
ultimate sacrificial Lamb, who is offered in our place to pay the price for our
sins. God’s way of salvation is contrasted to human attempts at gaining
salvation through the use of earthly means (v. 18).
1. Nothing Compares To His Perfection
(19). Christ is a lamb without blemish
or spot, that is, He is absolutely perfect, inwardly and
outwardly.
a. Precious blood: a lamb: The analogy here may be a reference
either to the Passover lamb (see Ex. 12:3–6) or to the many lambs without
blemish that were offered as part of the Old Testament sacrificial system (see
Lev. 23:12; Num. 6:14; 28:3).
b. If a believer is ever tempted to
return to worldly pleasures and amusements, to adopt worldly modes and
patterns, to become like the world in its false ways, he should remember that
Christ shed His blood to deliver him from that kind of
life. To go back to the world is to re-cross the great gulf that was bridged
for us at staggering cost. But even more—it is positive disloyalty to the
Savior.
c. “Reason back from the greatness of
the sacrifice to the greatness of the sin. Then determine to be done forever
with that which cost God’s Son His life.” –MacDonald: Believer's
Bible Commentary
2. Nothing Compares To His Predestination
(20). “Foreordained” indicates that God has known (v. 2) the One who
would bring salvation, even as He has known those to whom that salvation is
offered and secured (see Rom. 11:2).
Christ’s death was planned, not and accident or unexpected turn of
events. God designed it with us in mind!
3. Nothing Compares To His Manifestation
(20b). “But was
manifest,”
this phrase contrasts with the first half of the verse. What was known only to
God before the creation of the world is now made known to us. The payment for
sin was planned before the Creation of
the world and revealed for people’s sake
through the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. (The present Age is these last times [1:20] whereas the coming Age is “the
last time” [v. 5].)
4. Nothing Compares To His Resurrection
(21).
a. Peter made it clear that Christ’s
death was an appointment, not an accident; for it was ordained by God before
the foundation of the world (Acts 2:23). From the human perspective, our Lord
was cruelly murdered; but from the divine perspective, He laid down His life
for sinners (John 10:17–18). But He was raised from the dead! Now, anyone who
trusts Him will be saved for eternity.
b. When you and I meditate on the
sacrifice of Christ for us, certainly we should want to obey God and live holy
lives for His glory.
5. Nothing Compares To His Glorification
(21). The Father indicated His complete
satisfaction with Christ’s redeeming work by raising Him out from among the dead ones and honoring Him
with the place of highest glory
in heaven. The result of all this is that
our faith and hope might be in God. It is in Him, not in the present
evil world system, that we live and move and have our being.
a. That
our faith and
hope might be in God (21). It is through Christ, whom the
Father resurrected (1:3) and glorified
in His Ascension (John 17:5; Heb. 1:3) that people may come to know
and trust in God. As a result of
God’s eternal plan and priceless payment for sin, faith and hope can be placed in Him.
b. Loyalty to the Lord Jesus is further
demanded by the fact that it is through
Him we have come to believe in
God. He is the One who has revealed the Father’s heart to us. As W.
T. P. Wolston says: “it is not by
creation nor providence nor law that man knows God, but by Christ.”
Conclusion:
We
can cultivate stronger desires to live holy by believing, embracing, and acting
on strong biblical and theological truths. Allow the holiness of God and the
price of redemption to deeply impress your innermost being! Find stimulating
hope in the Revelation of Jesus Christ! Make a point of living holy in
practical ways each day of life. Christ died for you and me that we should live
for Him! Is your desire to live holy spiritually strong, or is it beginning to
weaken under the pressure of worldly appeals to conform? Are you fully
persuaded to lead a devoted life? Is it your defining aim to please Christ? Have
you prepared for living differently by placing the grace of Christ return
before you? Have you decided to be an
obedient child living holy because God, your Father, is holy? Can you think deeply upon the great sacrifice
of Jesus Christ and still harbor casual attitudes toward sin? Allow these
questions to awaken and alert you to where you are presently in your walk with
the Lord. While you are at it, have a large mug of God’s holy java!
