BE DIFFERENT. 1st Peter 1:17 The manner of life consistent with our profession of faith, even when it leads to suffering, means we will be dedicated to Him, and our devotion to Him will set us apart from the influence of sin. To that extent, we will not blend in with those who love and practice sin. It can be offensive to people when we are different simply for the sake of being different. We can't help there being a contrast between righteous and sinful living.
“If you call,” or “since you call on the Father,” means we acknowledge God, as the Most High God of the universe, and Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Our conduct must be holy as we reflect His light to those around us. The “time of our stay” refers to the years of our lives on earth as pilgrims. “Fear” is not dread but a sense of God’s awesomeness and reverential respect to Him, somewhere between terror and awe. This is much more than being polite and giving honor to God.
There is a wholesome reverence evident in the healthy respect believers have for the all-powerful God we can call our Father, who is in heaven and whose name is hallowed. The God of the Old Testament dealt with kindness, grace, and love toward His chosen nation on earth, the Jews, and with justice, judgment, and punishment when they disobeyed Him. He is the same God who does not change. He judges His children impartially when they conduct themselves in disobedience and disrespect toward Him.
Reverential fear has a certain dignity about it that reflects a wholesome respect for God. This is not the terror of fright, a cowardly fear, but the true recognition of the nature of the One before whom we live. This is not a casual use of words we use with equals who are similar to us in nature. Rather, it is an awareness that the Almighty God of the universe has commissioned us to a work. He has equipped us to do what He expects and to accomplish that work. We are to "persuade men" to seek the Lord while He may be found.
God is to be feared today as He was in the past. Ananias and Saphira, along with the Corinthian believers, learned this and remind us of those who lacked reverential fear and respect for God and the things of God. We must cleanse ourselves “from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” This is a proper biblical response to God's holiness.
The command to fear God is a proper and biblical response to His holiness. This is more than reverence; it includes the motive for proper conduct while we are away from our Father’s home. We are motivated to holy living by God-fearing faith. God’s holiness requires Him to discipline His children when they sin. He treats us with discipline and encouragement.
God disciplines sin, and that discipline should be feared because we reap what we sow. The world system, including its ethics, practices, and even its laws, changes to suit the will of the people. Those changes should not affect believers' behavior and beliefs, nor should they affect our commitment to remain faithful to our unchanging God.
Even in times of persecution or opposition, the Father looks on and judges His own people. He has committed all judgment to the Son, who knows when there is integrity of purpose, spiritual intelligence in our minds, and a desire in our hearts to please Him. We show our gratitude and love to Him when our respect for Him, our conduct in life, and our work of faith are done in holiness before Him.
Just because I know God as Father doesn’t mean I am free to do what I want. Every part of my life should be a testimony to the new nature God imparted in me. As a citizen now, whose home is in heaven, I travel this world as a stranger and testify, with holy, reverent fear, that the Great Judge is my heavenly Father. I don’t assume that, because I am privileged to be a child of Almighty God, I have no obligation or restrictions. I am bound to act by His Word. With reverential fear and respect, it is important for me to be consistent, living each day as a pilgrim, committed to holiness and to being different.