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
The
apostle Peter, writing to his audience admonished them to conduct their
lives in accordance with what is expected of those who call on the
Father. He reminded them that the Father is without partiality, and
judges according to each person's works. But I thought that we are
judged only according to what Jesus Christ did on the cross; why then
will the Father judge us according to our works? Is this judgment
according to our works unto an eternal destination? If it is, what then
is the purpose of grace? Since the scriptures are clear regarding
salvation, that we are not saved because of any good works which we have
done, then we must conclude that what Apostle Peter is implying is not
good works for salvation.
Having
cleared this, what then did he mean when he said that the Father judges
according to each person's works? Since we have concluded that this is
not a judgment that determines our eternal destination, we can then
rightly say that it is a judgment that determines our rewards in the
eternal place where our faith in Christ brings us into. It is important
that we bear in mind that he was writing to people who are already
saved, not people in the world.
So
those who call on the Father must remember that they are expected to
live, not like those in the world, who will be judged for their sins.
Knowing what it cost to purchase our salvation should, in my opinion, be
the greatest motivation for godly living. When I was a child, my
teacher taught us not to tear, without tears, the books our fathers
bought with tears. Knowing what it cost to make salvation possible
should deter us from living like those who are of this world.
Toni
