“Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear…” 1 Peter 1:17-21

We fear many things – death, pain, failure, loss, etc. Many of these fears are ones that we desire to move beyond and grow out of. But the one fear that we don’t always have is the one that we ought to have – the fear of God. The Apostle Peter challenges us to live our lives as exiles here in ‘reverent fear.’ The context for this exhortation is the call to holiness. Fear of God is part of our motivation to be holy, to be set apart for God.

The basis for this exhortation is first of all that we have a Father who will judge our work, our lives. Jesus says in Matthew 10:28 that we are to, “not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” And the Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:9-19, speaking to believers, that “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ…” It matters to God how we live, and the call to holiness is serious: we will be judged.

Another basis for fear of God comes from the reality that God is our ‘Father,’ and as our Father he will discipline us. We ought to fear the discipline of God. Hebrews 12:5-11 elaborates on the discipline of God toward his children. God is treating us as sons and will discipline us for our own good, “that we may share in his holiness.”

The Apostle Peter also leads us in this passage to respect Jesus. He reminds us of the great cost that was paid for our redemption, to deliver us from our empty way of life apart from Christ. Christ bore our pain and suffering on the cross, paying the price for our sin. To not pursue holiness is to disrespect the work of Christ on the cross. I am reminded of the great price that was paid for our freedom as a nation. Thousands have given their lives that we might have the freedom we enjoy. It is frustrating to see the nonsense that goes on in our nation, which I interpret as disrespect toward those who have given their lives for our nation. As was communicated at the end of the movie, Saving Private Ryan, let us make the sacrifice worth it. Likewise, the work of Christ on our behalf demands our utmost respect, and this means living well in righteousness and holiness. Christ gave himself, his all for us.

Lastly, Peter leads us to trust God. This God we are to fear is the God who planned before the beginning of creation to send his son into the world to die for our sins. The grounds for this is the love of God – there is no greater reason. God had a plan and carried it out in the person of Jesus. It was done for us because God loves us. It’s profound to hear the Apostle Peter declare that we were chosen (1:2), Jesus was chosen (1:20) and again that we are a chosen people. (2:9) All this speaks of the love of God.

And so, let us fear God, respect Jesus, and then trust God and his love for us. May this be a motivation for holy living, which means to live well, as God intends for us. God is not to be trifled with.

Pastor Tim, January 20, 2008