1 Peter 1:17-25

17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, 18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you 21 who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; 24 for

  “All flesh is like grass
    and all its glory like the flower of grass.
  The grass withers,
    and the flower falls,
25   but the word of the Lord remains forever.”

And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

(ESV)

STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?

  • What is the writer saying?
  • How do I apply this to my life?

💡How to do your quiet time


Peter just called on us to be holy just as God who called us is holy (1 Pet 1:15-16). If we call on Him as Father, which we do, and He judges what each one does impartially, which He does, then we should conduct ourselves with fear and reverence for Him. Even though our position in Christ is secure we are still judged for the work we do. We will be judged and experience discipline in this life and we receive or are denied rewards in the next if we do not live in the fear of the Lord. We should not be flippant about how we live our lives because we know that our lives were ransomed from our sinfulness. Jesus didn’t use silver or gold but paid with His very life to buy us our freedom from sin. Because of what it cost God to redeem us we should appreciate how concerned He is with how we conduct our lives. The payment Jesus made for your sin was planned before the foundation of the world. God knew before He made Adam and Eve that they, and we, would sin and Jesus knew He would have to pay the price to redeem all of us. Belief in God is the only way to receive this salvation (Joun 14:6) as a result our faith and hope are in God.

The result of living holy lives of obedience to God’s truth is love for one another. We should love from a pure heart. We should love because we have been born again (John 3:5-8). Our physical birth was of perishable seed (we all will die) but our new, spiritual birth is of imperishable seed that is eternal life based on God’s promises that never fail. Peter quotes from Isaiah 40:6-8 showing the contrast between humanity whose lives are fleeting like grass and its flower which withers and the flower falls. But God’s word remains forever.

Consider how secure your salvation is because it is based on belief in God’s unchanging and unfailing word. If our salvation required our work then our hope would be based on the fleeting withering substance of man.


Major Stories of the Bible Reading Plan

Habukkuk’s Vision: Habukkuk 1