Reverent Fear of God: Living Between Redemption and Reward

Living with Reverent Fear of God

After instructing believers to follow Christ’s example and live a holy life which we explored in our last 1 Peter devotional, Peter now addresses how we should conduct ourselves for the rest of our earthly journey. His answer centers on a reverent fear of God—a profound respect and awe for the One who will judge each person according to their works at the final judgment (2 Corinthians 5:10). This isn’t terror or anxiety about losing salvation; it’s the healthy awareness that how we live matters deeply to God and carries eternal consequences.

For believers, this judgment doesn’t determine whether we go to heaven or hell—that question was settled at salvation through Christ’s finished work (John 5:24). Rather, reverent fear of God recognizes that we will be judged regarding the quality of our actions, how we furthered God’s kingdom, and the eternal rewards based on how we lived our lives (1 Corinthians 3:12-15). Every choice, every word, every moment of faithfulness or compromise—God sees it all and will evaluate it with perfect justice and generosity.

This reverent fear of God isn’t meant to paralyze us with anxiety but to motivate us toward faithful living. When you truly grasp that the Creator of the universe cares about how you spend your days, that He keeps record of your service and sacrifice, that He promises to reward what others never notice—it transforms ordinary moments into eternally significant opportunities.

The Price of Your Redemption

To deepen our reverent fear of God, Peter reminds us of redemption’s staggering cost. We were enslaved and in bondage to sin, with death as the only payment our sins deserved (Romans 6:23). But God, in His unfathomable love, sent His Son to die on the cross to purchase our freedom—to pay off our insurmountable debt with the shedding of His righteous blood (Ephesians 1:7).

Peter emphasizes that we “were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold.” No amount of earthly wealth could have purchased your salvation. The most valuable commodities humans treasure—precious metals, vast fortunes, accumulated wealth—all fall infinitely short of what was required. Your redemption demanded something far more costly: “the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:19).

This truth should cultivate profound reverent fear of God. When you understand the price paid for your freedom, casual disobedience becomes unthinkable. How can we treat lightly what cost God His beloved Son? How can we return to the sins that nailed Christ to the cross? Reverent fear of God grows when we remember that our salvation wasn’t cheap grace—it was purchased at the highest possible price, demonstrating both the severity of our sin and the magnitude of God’s love (Romans 5:8).

From Aimless to Purposeful

Peter describes our former life as “aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers.” Before redemption, life was futile and directionless—grasping for our own righteousness, which was like grasping for the wind (Ecclesiastes 1:14). We followed inherited patterns of meaningless existence, pursuing empty goals, and building lives on foundations that couldn’t bear eternal weight.

But reverent fear of God transforms everything. Where our life once was aimless and futile, now we have purpose. Where we once had no assurance, now we possess confident hope. Where life felt meaningless, now we have a reason worth living. We know that God sees all our efforts and will reward them (Hebrews 6:10). Every act of obedience, every sacrifice for the kingdom, every moment of faithfulness when no one else was watching—God notices, records, and will reward.

This is the practical outworking of reverent fear of God. You don’t live for applause from people or accumulation of earthly success. You live with the constant awareness that an audience of One sees everything and that His evaluation is the only one that ultimately matters (Colossians 3:23-24). This liberates you from the exhausting pursuit of human approval and anchors you in the satisfaction of pleasing God.

God’s Predestined Plan and Unshakeable Security

Peter grounds our reverent fear of God not in anxiety but in confidence by pointing to God’s eternal plan. Christ “was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you” (1 Peter 1:20). Your redemption wasn’t an afterthought or emergency response to human failure. It was God’s predetermined plan from before time began (Ephesians 1:4-5).

This means everything about your salvation—the timing of Christ’s coming, the method of redemption through His blood, your personal restoration to fellowship with God—all unfolded according to His sovereign design. We have been restored to fellowship with God by His own predestined plan, and there is nothing that can separate us from His hand (Romans 8:38-39). No sin you commit, no failure you experience, no circumstance you face can sever what God has joined.

This security actually deepens reverent fear of God rather than diminishing it. You don’t serve Him out of terror that one mistake will cost you salvation. You serve Him out of grateful awe that He orchestrated redemption across eternity, sacrificed His Son to secure your freedom, and holds you with a grip that cannot be broken. This is the kind of reverent fear of God that produces joyful obedience rather than fearful compliance.

Raised to Glory, Secured for Home

After His death on the cross, the Father raised His Son back to heaven and restored His eternal glory (Philippians 2:9-11). This resurrection and exaltation is the foundation of our hope. Thus we have great hope and faith in God for our future home—with confident assurance rooted in divine promise.

The same power that raised Christ from death guarantees your future resurrection and glorification (Romans 8:11). The same Father who restored His Son’s glory will share that glory with all who belong to Christ (Romans 8:17). Reverent fear of God includes living with one eye constantly on this future reality—the home He’s preparing, the glory He’ll reveal, the rewards He’ll distribute (John 14:2-3).

This future focus transforms present living. When you maintain reverent fear of God, you make decisions with eternity in view. You evaluate opportunities through the lens of eternal significance. You endure hardships by remembering that present suffering produces eternal glory (2 Corinthians 4:17). You invest in what lasts rather than what fades. This is living between redemption already accomplished and reward yet to come—motivated by grateful reverence for the God who orchestrated both.

Purpose, Assurance, and Eternal Perspective

The contrast Peter draws is stunning. Life without reverent fear of God is “aimless conduct”—grasping for righteousness through our own efforts, chasing wind, building on sand. But life lived with reverent fear of God is radically different: purpose replaces aimlessness, assurance replaces uncertainty, meaning replaces futility.

You have purpose because God sees your efforts and will reward them. Nothing you do for His kingdom is wasted or forgotten (1 Corinthians 15:58). You have assurance because your fellowship with God rests on His predestined plan and Christ’s finished work, not your fluctuating performance. You have a reason worth living because you’re part of the eternal story God is writing—a story that culminates in glory shared with Christ Himself.

This is why reverent fear of God doesn’t produce anxiety but freedom. When you know God sees everything, judges fairly, rewards generously, and holds you securely—you’re liberated to live boldly for His glory without fear of ultimate failure or loss (Hebrews 4:16). Reverent fear of God means honoring Him with obedience, trusting Him completely with the results, and living with confident expectation of the home and glory that await.

Reflection Questions

1. How does understanding that God will judge the quality of your work—not for salvation but for reward—change your motivation for daily obedience? Does this create anxiety or purposeful intentionality in your life?
2. When you consider that you were redeemed not with silver or gold but with Christ’s precious blood, how does that affect your reverent fear of God? Does the price paid for your freedom make casual sin more or less appealing?
3. In what areas of your life are you still living with “aimless conduct,” grasping for your own righteousness or following inherited traditions rather than living with purpose under God’s direction? What would change if you truly believed God sees all your efforts and will reward them?
4. How does knowing that your redemption was God’s predestined plan from before the foundation of the world and that nothing can separate you from His hand affect your sense of security? Does this deepen your reverent fear of God or diminish it, and why?

Prayer

Consider the incredible price God paid for your redemption and the future glory He has prepared for you. Thank Him for raising Christ back to heaven and restoring His eternal glory—the same glory you will one day share.

If this devotional encouraged you and you’d like to study the believer’s promised eternal inheritance further, Living Hope: The Anchor for Suffering Saints explores the incorruptibility of our future in heaven and the riches God promises for those who faithfully serve Him.