Matthew Henry Commentary 1 Peter 1:17-25

"And if ye call on him as Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to each man`s work, pass the time of your sojourning in fear: knowing that ye were redeemed, not with corruptible things, with silver or gold, from your vain manner of life handed down from your fathers; but with precious blood, as of a lamb without spot, [even the blood] of Christ: who was foreknown indeed before the foundation of the world, but was manifested at the end of times for your sake, who through him are believers in God, that raised him from the dead, and gave him glory; so that your faith and hope might be in God. Seeing ye have purified your souls in your obedience to the truth unto unfeigned love of the brethren, love one another from the heart fervently: having been begotten again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the word of God, which liveth and abideth. For, All flesh is as grass, And all the glory thereof as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower falleth: But the word of the Lord abideth for ever. And this is the word of good tidings which was preached unto you." — 1 Peter 1:17-25 (ASV)

Holy confidence in God as a Father and awe-filled fear of Him as a Judge harmonize; and to regard God always as a Judge endears Him to us as a Father. If believers do evil, God will discipline them. Therefore, Christians should not doubt God's faithfulness to His promises, nor yield to an enslaving dread of His wrath, but they should reverence His holiness.

The fearless professed Christian is defenseless, and Satan takes him captive as he pleases; the despondent professed Christian lacks the resolve to use his advantages and is easily brought to surrender. The price paid for humanity's redemption was the precious blood of Christ. Not only openly wicked conduct, but also unprofitable conduct is highly dangerous, even if it appeals to custom. It is folly to resolve, "I will live and die in such a way, because my ancestors did so."

God had purposes of special favor toward His people long before He made such grace manifest to them. But the clarity of light, the supports of faith, and the power of ordinances are all much greater since Christ came to earth than they were before. The comfort is that, having been made one with Christ by faith, His present glory is an assurance that where He is, we will also be (John 14:3). The soul must be purified before it can give up its own desires and indulgences.

And the word of God, planted in the heart by the Holy Spirit, is a means of spiritual life, stirring us to our duty, working a total change in the soul's dispositions and affections, until it leads to eternal life. In contrast with the excellence of the renewed spiritual man, as born again, consider the futility of the natural man. In his life and in his fall, he is like grass, the flower of grass, which soon withers and dies away.

We should hear, and so receive and love, the holy, living word, and should rather risk everything than lose it; and we must banish all other things from its rightful place. We should lodge it in our hearts as our only treasure here and as the certain pledge of the treasure of glory laid up for believers in heaven.