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;  (18) knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, (19) but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.  (20) He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you (21) who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. 

The apostle Peter wrote this letter to suffering Christians while in a Roman prison for his preaching of the gospel. The occasion for this letter was to console fellow Christians in a time of terrible persecution for the faith. Peter writes – and lived – in such a consuming passion for the truth of the gospel and the enormity of the redemption of the faithful through Christ Jesus.  He personally experienced Christ both as true man in this world and as the risen Messiah and communicates God’s message of redemption through the cross.

In our verses today Peter begins with threatening words; there is nothing in our worldly experience that can compare with Gods promise of eternal life. He calls on his readers to live  a holy life – as we are, through Christ, made right again with God.  We are reborn in faith (also a gift) and faith in Christ will radically  change our priorities. The process of justification does not happen automatically but calls for discipline, character and obedience. With the indwelling Spirit we are given the power and desire to pursue a higher calling – our former life seems meaningless.  And we WANT to live a holy life.   Peter tells us we should be holy – separate from this world – because we are right with God Who is our father, but also because God is the judge of our actions and motivations. Our sins have been covered by Christ in faith but we will also be held accountable.

We are in this world temporarily – some closer to the end than the beginning.  As we are told in Genesis the sin of the first man earned us death, both physical and spiritual. The ultimate price of sin was separation from God.  Also in Genesis God tells us of His plan for salvation through the perfect and acceptable sacrifice of the perfect  man Jesus Christ. What a plan – the depth of our sinful nature can only be measured by the enormity of the price for our salvation. All men are imperfect, all are flawed. Man can never be good enough to earn salvation – only the Christ. There is no room in our lives for pride as redemption is of the Lord; not of man and not of men’s works.

We never want to hear the words from the risen Christ: depart from Me, I never knew you.