As a Christian, there are elements concerning our relationship with God that are not understood and, therefore, not addressed or lived by. One is the fear or respect we are to have for God. In I Peter 1:17-21 Peter continues to give us practical instructions on how a child of God should live.
In verse 17, Peter reminds us that God is our Father when we become Christians. We are to have a fear like we have for our earthly Father. In the days we live in, this analogy may not mean as much as it did in biblical times. The respect for the father is all but gone in most homes. Parents want their children to love them and have a relationship with them, so they become their friends. They seek to give them everything they did not have growing up, and they work night and day to provide these things. This takes them out of the home more, and the relationship deteriorates further. I do not blame the children for disrespecting their fathers; I lay the guilt at the feet of the Father. The Father is to be the provider and the head of the home. No decisions in the home should be made that could affect the well-being or the family’s reputation without his approval. He will give an account to God for what he allows to happen in the home. When the child is allowed to talk back or make derogatory remarks to and about the Father, the parents are making it hard for the child to understand the relationship they are to have with their Heavenly Father. The proper fear in the home sets up the proper fear of God. We must have a reverential awe that relishes God’s love and respects His authority.
This fear of God should cause us to consider everything we do or think and whether it will offend our Father. We are to have a submissive spirit toward the Father and a desire to please him at any cost to ourselves. After all, He gave His best for us.
I Peter 1:17 “And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear.”
When we look at what God has done for us, how can we not love and respect Him? In verses 18-19, Peter reminds us of our redemption and how precious it is. More valuable than silver and gold, it could not be bought or bartered for but was a gift of the Father’s Son. In the Old Testament, a spotless lamb was slain for the sacrifice of sins, symbolic of the sacrifice of the Son to come.
I Peter 1:18-19 “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”
In verse 20, we see that before the creation of the world, God knew we would sin, and He made a plan for our redemption. Knowing this, He created us anyway. He could have created a being that would do everything at His command, but He chose to create a being with a free will. Instead of starting over with a being that was more like a robot, He ordained that Jesus would die to make it possible for us to be redeemed, which means to be bought back to Him. He loves us and wants us to love Him because we choose to.
I Peter 1:20 “Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.”
In verse 21, we see God’s purpose for the death of His Son. God raised Him up from the dead and exalted Him to sit in Heaven at His right hand so that our “faith and hope might be in God.” He laid the foundation for our faith and our hope in Him. This kind of love, this sacrifice, gives us confidence in His promises. If we link this with the entire passage, the summary would be that we are redeemed by the blood of Christ, which causes our hope and faith to be in God. This leads us back to having a proper fear or respect for God. A God who is all-powerful did this for us. This kind of view of God produces a healthy reverential fear. Hebrews 12:28 supports our responsibility to have a godly fear. “Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.”
I Peter 1:21 “Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.”
Do you have a godly fear and respect for God? If you have the proper love and knowledge for Him, you will fear Him. Knowing God will increase our love, but knowing Him also increases our fear.
