#DailyDevotion We Have Been Freed From Our Worthless Lives Under The Torah & Traditions
1 Peter 117And if you call on Him as your Father, Who judges each one according to what he has done, without favoring one over another, live reverently as long as you are strangers here, 18knowing that you were freed from the worthless life you inherited from your fathers, not by a payment of silver or gold, which perish, 19but by the precious blood of Christ, the Lamb without a fault or a spot.
Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord that we may call upon God the creator of all as our Father. We should remember that these words are based on the previous words up to this point. We have called, chosen from all the people of the world to be God’s chosen people by his grace in Christ Jesus. He has called us by his grace through the good news of Jesus Christ to be his children and to be holy even as he is holy. To this end, he has given us faith and the Holy Spirit who has caused us to be born of God with the holy seed of his word, the free forgiveness of sins in Jesus Christ.
Now the Father judges each person according to what he has done not favoring one person over another. That is, we are forgiven our sins freely for Christ’s sake but we are not to trample upon the grace of God and the sacrifice of Jesus by willfully sinning and not think we will not be disciplined in some way by our heavenly Father. (cf. Heb. 12) Having been called and born of God we are not called to live like the rest of the world but to be holy. Peter tells us to live “reverently as long as you are strangers here.” We, like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, like the Israelites in Egypt are strangers here in the world. The new age, the world to come, the kingdom of God, the new heavens and new earth are our home and inheritance. We, while living here, are called to live as those who are citizens of heaven, not as citizens of this world.
We have been freed, ransomed from the worthless life we have inherited from our fathers. Now this life is twofold, on the one hand it refers to the ways of pagans, unbelievers, and idol worshipers. On the other hand it also refers to the Jewish way of life following the law of Moses and the way of their fathers, their traditions. Remember Peter is the apostle to the Jews and is initially addressing Jewish believers in this letter, though its message is for all believers everywhere. Paul talks about this similarly in his letter to the Galatians when he says they have returned to the elementary principles of this world equating the pagan way of life and Jewish way of life and then pointing out Jesus who is the Way and the Life is far superior to both and has superseded them.
As the Lord had ransomed the Israelites from Pharaoh with the Passover Lamb and then placed them under the Mosaic Covenant, now he has ransomed Israel and all people from our previous way of life, not with gold or silver but with the precious blood of Christ, the Lamb without fault or spot. It is the freedom, the ransom price which calls us to live a different life than before. The Holy Life is one of mercy, kindness, love, forgiveness, and patience as such the Father has shown us in Christ Jesus. The new birth from God affects this way of life. His Spirit brings this new way of life through the sacrifice of Jesus’ blood.
O Holy God and Father, you call us to live holy lives even as you are holy. Continually give us your Spirit and faith that we may live our lives in this world conformed to your way and life. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.