1 Peter 1:17

“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…”

And

In the original Greek text, the imperative tense (signifying a command) is used in this chapter for the first time in v13, for the word rest. It is the command to rest our hope on the promises of God. If we have hope, we are anchored; there is stability. The hope the Bible talks about is not wishful hope, which can make a person miserable. It is not even expectant hope (like the hope of a good harvest in the heart of a farmer who has toiled and sowed the seed). The hope the Bible speaks of, rather, is a hope of something that’s guaranteed, though not yet seen. It is a certain hope, because it is not based on the wishes of man, but on the character of God, and what He desires to do.

The same tense is then used in v16 for the command to be holy. It is used for a third time here, giving us the command to conduct ourselves in fear.

Peter begins this verse with the word “and,” connecting the 3 commands.

If you call on the Father

All believers have the privilege of calling on God as their Father. No other religion projects its god as father. Romans 8:14-16 tells us that those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God, and are not subject to the spirit of fear, but have received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry “Abba Father” (see also Galatians 4:6-7). We were once sons of disobedience and wrath, but have been adopted into God’s family through faith in Christ. Like a child who is dependent on the father and calls on him for everything, we too should call on our heavenly Father at all times.

Who without partiality judges each one according to his work

Our idea of God as Father is incomplete if we fail to understand that He is also our Judge. God is no respecter of persons and shows no partiality to anyone; and He cannot be bribed (Colossians 3:25, Deuteronomy 10:17). Romans 14:10-12 makes it clear that there is one judge – God – to whom each of us will give account. We read in 2 Corinthians 5:9-10, “We must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” How we live and how we use our bodies in service to God is of great importance, and our works will one day be tested with fire for what they really are (see 1 Corinthians 3:12-15).

Conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here with fear

Peter is saying: you call God your Father, so fear Him as judge also. Isaiah was a prophet who pointed out the sin of people around him, but when he saw a vision of God, He realised his own need for cleansing (Isaiah 6:1-5).

When we are commanded to fear God, it means exactly that – we are to fear Him. Fearing God is not the same as honouring Him. Fearing God is a part of a healthy Christian lifestyle. 2 Corinthians 5:11 says, “Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men…”

We are told in Proverbs 9:10, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” When we understand that God is holy, our response is to fear Him. As our heavenly Father, he also chastises us to yield righteousness (Hebrews 12:10,11).

Through Peter’s words we are also reminded in this verse that this earth is not our permanent home. So we shouldn’t be spending all our effort to invest into our earthly lives.

In the book of Hebrews we are exhorted to “consider our High Priest… who was faithful” (Hebrews 3:1,2). Let us keep our eyes fixed on God and be faithful in our conduct, knowing that He is both our Father and Judge.