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Daily Devotions

1 Peter

1 Peter 
Day 
Day 23

"Without partiality"

Text: 1 Peter 1:17

BEHAVIOUR OF GOD’S CHILDREN

The Apostle Peter was quite straightforward as to what it means to be children of God. He elaborates further.

“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.”
1 Peter 1:17

1. Father and children

The relationship between God and believers has been established.

a) God is addressed as “Father” (1 Peter 1:2, 3).
b) Believers are called “children” (1 Peter 1:14).

2. “And if you call on the Father”

a) The meaning of “if” in this sentence.
b) “If and you do” call on the Father:
i) A good and healthy relationship is established.
ii) It is noted and encouraged.

3. What is God the Father like?

a) God is carefully described here as One “who without partiality judges according to each one’s work”.
b) God is indeed Father to those who believe in Jesus as Saviour.
c) But He would always be impartial in His judgment.
d) God will assess and judge each one’s work with fairness.

4. “Conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear”

a) The word “conduct” comes up again (1 Peter 1:15, 17).
b) This is a reference to “behaviour”.
c) In this nuance, the focus is on “work”.
d) We have a bit of combination here.
i) There is behaviour.
ii) There is behaviour in our work to note.
iii) God will assess both, because He is always impartial.
e) “Your stay”
i) The word “stay” is like that of a “foreign domestic worker”.
ii) This is a synonym of the word “pilgrim” (1 Peter 1:1).
iii) Our life on earth is compared to a pilgrim.
iv) Or it could be described as “a stay” (short time).
f) “In fear”
i) This is the fear of the Lord (not of men).
ii) This is a healthy fear of the Lord (Cf. Psalm 19:9).

This is Peter’s description of the kind of life we ought to have in our sojourn on this earth.