Impartial Judge: Peter undergirds his third imperative[1] with another side of our heavenly Father. He is the impartial judge. He is utterly righteous and He judges everyone according to their work (both external actions and internal attitudes[2]). He is just and He never compromises His standard to cater to a demographic, background, genealogy or circumstance; and He doesn’t grade on a curve. Even with His own children God does not relax His laws. With Him it’s perfect justice every time. This is whom we call our Father, who punishes and judges sin and that without partiality (Rom. 2:3; Heb. 10:26-27). Hence, we live with the fear of God in our hearts, living as His people (2:9-10), freed from the “futile way of life,” dead to sin and alive to righteousness (2:24).

Blood of Christ: God’s just condemnation of sin is best seen in the high price of ransom which paid for our redemption[3]: “the blood of Christ.” Nothing on earth could ever measure up to the value of the lifeblood of Jesus, not “silver or gold,” not money, not any other earthly treasure. The price that freed us from sin was the blood of the one and only holy, sinless,[4] “unblemished and spotless” Lamb of God.[5] God required the death of Jesus for our sins. We must never return to the nausea of a futile life or the vomit of sin (2 Pet. 2:20-22).

[1] The first two imperatives were to fix our hope on future grace (1:13) and to be holy in all our behavior (1:14-15). This is the third imperative that follows his doxology for the rich blessing of salvation (1:3-12).

[2] “Work [er-gon (ἔργον)]” which God judges includes inner attitudes (Rom. 2:16; 1 Cor. 4:5; Heb. 4:12-13).

[3] “Redeem [lu-tro-ō (λυτρόω)]” means to free with a ransom (Mark 10:45; 1 Tim. 2:6). The means/ransom of redemption is what Peter emphasizes: “not with … but with…” This prepositional phrase is forward-positioned in Greek for emphasis as the NIV has it: “For you know that it was not with perishable things …”

[4] Cf. Luke 1:35; John 8:29; Acts 3:14; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 7:26; 1 Pet. 2:22; 1 John 3:5; Rev. 3:7.

[5] Jesus is the Lamb who was slain (Rev. 5:6, 12; 13:8). His sacrifice is what woos everyone cleansed by His blood to forsake sin and pursue hard after the new life of holiness for which He has redeemed us. The Gentile church (the audience of this letter) was well aware of the Passover feast (cf. 1 Cor. 5:7; Acts 15:21; Eusebius, History of the Church, 2.23.11, and the 2^nd century Quartodeciman controversy).