1 Peter 1:18Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

As creatures, we are His possession. But as those who became alienated through sin, we are not His possession. Do not think that you are God's possession if you become a sinner. Then the devil acquires you. You are his possession. The man of sin, the son of perdition, buys you not with precious blood, but with dishonorable blood. He buys you with sin. He buys you with adultery, because he is not pure. He buys you with murder, because he is a murderer: "a murderer from the beginning, and he does not stand in the truth" (Jn 8:44). This is his custom.

An example of the second, that is, perfect fear, may also be found in David, for example in these words: "Fear the Lord, all you His saints, for there is no want to those who fear Him" (Ps 33:10). And again: "The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever" (Ps 18:10). The Apostle Peter persuades those who listen to him to live in this perfect fear. He says: by the ineffable mercy of God the Creator, you have been received among His children. Therefore let this fear always be with you, since you became such by the love of your Creator, not by your own works. The Apostle uses many arguments in his persuasion. First, he persuades by the fact that the Angels take sincere and living part in our salvation. Second, he persuades by the sayings of Holy Scripture. Third, he persuades by necessity. For whoever calls God Father must necessarily do what is worthy of that Father, in order to retain the right of adoption. Fourth, he persuades by the fact that they have received countless good things through the price paid for them, namely the Blood of Christ, poured out as a ransom for the sins of men. Therefore he commands them to have this perfect fear as a companion throughout the whole time of life. For those who strive for perfection always fear lest they lack some perfection. Note. Christ said that the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son (Jn 5:22). But the Apostle Peter now says that the Father judges. How is this? We answer with the words of Christ Himself: "The Son can do nothing of Himself, unless He sees the Father doing it" (Jn 5:19). From this is also seen the consubstantiality of the Holy Trinity, the perfect identity within Her, and Her peaceful and undisturbed harmony. "The Father judges" is said without distinction, because everything that someone says about one of the three Persons must be referred in common to all of Them. On the other hand, since the Lord also calls the Apostles children (Jn 13:33), and says to the paralytic, "Child, your sins are forgiven you" (Mk 2:5), there is no inconsistency if He too is called the Father of those whom He has regenerated by communicating holiness to them. "There are two fears: one initial, and the other perfect. One belongs, so to speak, to those beginning to be pious. The other is the fear of the perfect saints, who have attained to the measure of perfect love." Abba Dorotheus, Soul-Profiting Instructions and Letters, 4.

He became incarnate for the deliverance of the human race from sin, eternal death, and the curse for inborn sin. Man himself, being sinful, could in no way free himself from this. Only the Sinless One could free him by offering Himself in sacrifice, as is expressed in verse 19. As sinless, He took upon Himself the sins of the whole world (1 Pet 2:24), and thereby delivered us from sins. At the same time, having become a curse for us, He delivered us from the curse (Gal 3:13). Together with this He delivered us from eternal death, granting eternal life through faith (1 Cor 15:54-57). The Apostle Peter expresses this deliverance, or redemption, as redemption from the vain life handed down from the fathers. In giving instructions concerning holiness of life, he also expresses what we have been redeemed from in terms of its manifestation in life. It is a vain, empty, and worthless life. Such truly is life under the power of sin, compared with true life in God after liberation from sin by Christ. Whoever is truly converted to Christ ceases, or ought to cease, to live this vain life. He must live a life that is new for him and true. In this way he is, as it were, redeemed from the former vain life. This former vain life is called handed down from the fathers, a difficult expression to understand. It seems right to explain it as pointing to inborn sin, passing from parents to children and making the life of the redeemed vain. Under the influence of sin, which darkens the mind, life is composed of distorted views, opinions, teachings, customs, habits, and traditions. These pass from generation to generation and make the whole of life vain, since God's truth is not in it (Rom 1:21 and following). This must especially be said of paganism.

Further, we must firmly remember why the Blood of Christ, the spotless Lamb, was poured out for us (cf. Jn 1:29-36; 19:34-36). It was so that we might not live according to the flesh, according to sinful customs inherited from our fathers and infectious evil examples, but blamelessly and in holiness. Christ was foreordained for this from the beginning (see Jn 17:24; Eph 1:4). He appeared after ages of preparing mankind to meet Him worthily. He lived with men, suffered, and rose again. Thereby He made it possible for our faith and hope to be firm, undoubted, constant, and altogether perfect. Before the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Apostles were weak. After the Resurrection they were strengthened in hope in the Risen One, so that they undertook great labors and endured death. The Apostle stirs all Christians to the same thing. He especially encourages them by hope that our Redeemer has ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father (cf. Acts 2:32). Therefore He can give eternal glory to us also (cf. Rom 8:11; 1 Cor 6:14).

But these sacrifices had meaning only because they served as a prefiguration of the propitiatory sacrifice of Christ, Who poured out His Blood for us on the Cross. Only this sacrificial Blood was fully sufficient for our redemption, because the One Who shed it is the spotless and most pure Lamb. All men are corrupt and impure in the moral sense. Not one of them could give the price of deliverance, not only for others, but even for himself. Christ alone, being sinless, could redeem sinners by His Blood, taking their guilt upon Himself. The price of this Blood in God's eyes surpasses the price of silver and gold as much as eternity surpasses time. Incorruption surpasses all corruptible things, including precious metals, which are destined to perish together with the earth (v. 18). Glory to the boundless mercy of the Lord toward sinners, redeemed by so costly a price. But woe to those who, although they know the greatness of Christ's sacrifice, despise this mercy and continue to live a vain life worthy of eternal condemnation. The Blood of Christ, poured out for them, cries out against them and demands vengeance like the blood of Abel. One cannot remain hardened with impunity in the sins for which so precious a sacrifice was offered.