1 Peter 1:17 KJV
[17] “And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:”
The word “sojourn” means “a temporary stay”. We must remember that our life here on earth is brief. It is like grass that withers away or a vapor that is here one moment and gone the next. We must cast our eyes on another horizon. Dear reader, look beyond this temporary stay to eternity, where time is no more.
We will find that this verse is full of wonder and warnings. Consider the first wonder that we read about in the opening phrase. It’s a great wonder that God wants us to call Him our Father and allows us to call on Him in prayer. What grace He has given us to come into His presence any time of the day or night. He will never refuse or ignore us.
The second great wonder is that He shows no favoritism toward His children. He is “without respect of persons”. All of His children are equally important to Him. He will never favor one of us over the other. The songwriter said, “It is no secret what God can do, what He’s done for others, He’ll do for you!” This fact gives us great comfort as we sojourn in this life.
The Lord also gives us warnings as we sojourn here on earth. He warns us that He will judge according to every man’s work. This judgment is not to determine where we will spend eternity, but it will have both present and future consequences for our lives. Depending on the decisions that we make, our outcomes can be positive or negative. Please keep in mind that Peter is speaking to believers. God will judge a believer while here on earth and in eternity. Acts chapter five gives us an example of this. He judged Ananias and Sapphira for lying to the man of God and the Holy Ghost. Judgment was pronounced publicly before the church for these sinful actions. He will also judge believers in eternity at the Judgment Seat of Christ. We are to live every day in the light of His grace and judgment.
Finally, He warns us to sojourn through this life by walking in fear. That does not mean we are to live our lives afraid of our Heavenly Father. Remember, He saved us to give us peace and comfort. He does not want us to be worried and fear His presence. It means we are to walk reverently before Him, knowing He is our Father and our Judge. Think about when you were a child and how much you loved your earthly father, but you also feared Him reverently. You knew his hand could bestow grace or judgment, depending on choices that you had made on a daily basis. It is no different with our Heavenly Father.