Peter has spent several paragraphs appealing for a lifestyle of holiness. He began by stating that this world is not our home, we are exiles. He expands on this in this week’s passage.
You can see Peter’s encouragement for yourself in 1 Peter 1:17.
Many times, one of the motivators for discipline is fear. For example, a parent can motivate a child by appealing to the child’s fear of the consequences or discipline that could come as a result. That is exactly what Peter does here. We are accountable to the Father, and if we neglect our responsibility to live holy lives, then we will face His discipline.
The Father will be the judge of our actions. He will judge each person in light of their actions, and his work will be impartial. And the fact that we may call ourselves a child of God won’t excuse inaction and unfaithfulness. We are called to be holy. The proper response is obedience.
God’s judgment is a theme that recurs throughout the Bible (See Romans 14:12; 1 Corinthians 3:10-15; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Psalm 62:12; Revelation 22:12, and many more). And as Christians, we should be very familiar with that concept, and ready to face it when the time comes. Being ready means living lives of holiness.
Once again, Peter reminds his readers that they are not citizens of this world. They are strangers, foreigners. This is not the same word the Peter used in verse 1. This word stands in contrast and complement to that, much like the description of Abraham in Genesis 23:4: “I am an alien and a stranger among you.”
While these two words have different meanings, Peter’s point is the same. We do not belong here. And because of that, we must live out our lives in reverent fear. Fear is another common concept throughout the pages of Scripture, and is a difficult one to completely understand. In one sense, this means that we are to have a reverence or respect for God. Yet, the other side of this coin shows that we are to absolutely fear God, and passages such as Philippians 2:12 bear this out.
Rather than an “either/or” mindset, probably the best response is “both/and.” To fear God, a reverent fear, as Peter puts it, incorporates all of this completely.
The idea that comes to mind from Peter’s description is that of someone who lives in a foreign country. In order to live there, one must understand the culture, and abide by it, even though it may be completely different than that person’s home country. In the same way, we must pay careful attention to the details that God has called us to, obedience, faithfulness, and holiness, in order to honor him properly.
After all, he has redeemed us, as Peter will explain in the coming verses.
Question: Do you ever “forget” that you are a stranger here and begin to live like you belong here? What do you do to prevent that and obey this passage? You can leave a comment by clicking here.