1 Peter 1:17  ¹⁷If you call on a Father who judges the work of each person impartially, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your sojourner, 

Peter next gives several motivations for living in holiness. The first is that we will give an account to God for how we have lived. The opening of verse 17 is stated as a hypothesis that is possible (ei can be “if” or “since”) if the right conditions are met, which in this case is belief in Jesus as Lord and Savior. God is a fair judge, which gives us assurance that we will be treated fairly and justly at judgment. God is compassionate and gracious but also holds sinners accountable. Peter’s statement in verse 17 has a hint of warning, as God’s love and holiness are held in tension. God will judge our actions in this world. We are saved by God’s grace, but our actions demonstrate what we truly believe. Our obedience validates and confirms the work of God’s grace in our lives and our faith to receive this grace. It is not enough to simply believe in our minds. We must also demonstrate this belief in our lives through our actions.

Verse 17 makes it clear that, although we are not saved by works, God will judge us by how we live during our time as foreigners in this world. Our motivation is that we realize that this world is not our home. We live in fear (phobō) because of the certainty of judgment. This fear is both reverence in worship and the realization that God is holy and sin will be punished. We do not need to approach God in terror but with a healthy sense of worship of the Holy One. Recognizing God’s holiness should inspire us to live godly lives that model this holiness, which requires commitment on our part. This commitment is demonstrated and grown by worship. We have a limited time during our journey on earth, and so we must live in holiness, realizing that we will give an account for what we have done.