"And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot."1 Peter 1:17-19 (Read 1 Peter 1:13-21)
The writer to the Hebrews warns against willfully continuing in sin, saying, "Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?" (Hebrews 10:29). Peter also urges all of us who have placed our faith in the crucified and risen Christ and look forward to the joys of heaven for Jesus' sake to conduct ourselves in fear during the time of our stay here in this world.
And, when we remember that it was because of our sins that God the Son became true man and lived a sinless life in our stead and then suffered the just punishment for our sins and the sins of the world, shedding His holy and precious blood upon the cross to make atonement, indeed, we have every reason to shun sin and our former way of life and to conduct ourselves in fear, seeking to be holy like the Lord God who called us is holy.
In fear does not mean that we live our lives in terror and dread that God will cast us away and condemn us to the fires of hell; it means that we trust in our God for mercy and forgiveness in Christ Jesus but also consider the price paid to redeem us and the punishment we would suffer if it were not for Christ Jesus.
In other words, we don't take sin lightly for we see in the crucifixion and condemnation of Christ what our sins justly deserve; and we hold fast to Christ and do not turn away from walking by faith in Him because we know that, apart from faith in Christ, we too stand condemned and forsaken of God and face the everlasting torments of hell! We recognize that the price paid for our redemption was costly and we should not trample the Son of God underfoot and count the blood with which we were redeemed as a common and unholy thing.
"[We] were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from [our] aimless conduct received by tradition from [our] fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot."
We remember that God shows no favoritism in His judgment. The soul that sins shall die (Ezek. 18:20). But in Christ and for the sake of His shed blood, we have forgiveness and life.
If we turn away from Christ and back to our old and sinful ways, there is only death and eternal damnation! (Cf. John 3:18, 36; 1 John 5:11-12; Hebrews 10:26-31; Psalm 95:8ff.). If we walk by faith in Christ Jesus, we have God's pardon, forgiveness and the everlasting joys of heaven! (Cf. John 3:16, 18, 36; 5:24; 1 John 1:7 -- 2:2; 5:11-12; Mark 16:15-16).
O gracious and merciful God, grant that we not take sin lightly or count the shed blood of Christ with which we have been redeemed as a common thing. Grant that we remember Your justice and the punishment we deserve. But grant also that we walk by faith in Christ Jesus, taking comfort in the fact that He paid the penalty for our sins and rose again that He might give us forgiveness and life through faith in His name. Amen.
[Devotion by Randy Moll. Scripture taken from the New King James Version®.
Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.]
Editorial on 04/26/2017