1 PETER CHAPTER 4
by
Jim Bomkamp
1.
VS 4:1-2 - “Therefore,
since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same
purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 so as
to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but
for the will of God.” - The Christian is to arm (“furnish or provide for”) himself for
“the purpose of suffering” since Christ also suffered
1.1.
Jesus never sinned,
therefore Peter cannot be saying in these verses that Jesus’ suffering caused
Him to cease from sinning.
1.2.
To ‘arm’ ourselves means
here to prepare to handle suffering properly.
1.2.1. If suffering is handled properly by a Christian, it can be used by God
to cause him to die to self and to sin.
1.3.
We Christians have the
choice of either living our lives for the ‘lusts of men’ or for ‘the will of
God.
2.
VS 4:3 - “3
For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire
of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness,
carousals, drinking parties and abominable idolatries.” - We Christians have lived enough of our life living in sin and the
lusts of the flesh, having ‘pursued a course of’ fulfilling them
2.1.
We have nothing to gain by
living in sin and the lusts of the flesh.
2.2.
We have nothing to prove by
living in sin and the lusts of the flesh, those acts are shameful that we once
were committing.
2.3.
The word translated ‘sensuality’
is defined by Strong’s Greek Dictionary as, “unbridled lust, excess,
licentiousness, lasciviousness, wantonness, outrageousness, shamelessness,
insolence.”
2.4.
The word translated ‘lusts’
is defined by Strong’s Greek Dictionary as, “desire, craving, longing, desire
for what is forbidden, lust.”
2.5.
The word translated ‘carousals’
is defined by Strong’s Greek Dictionary as, “a revel, carousal: a nocturnal and riotous procession of half
drunken and frolicsome fellows who after supper parade through the streets with
torches and music in honour of Bacchus or some other deity, and sing and play
before houses of male and female friends; hence used generally of feasts and
drinking parties that are protracted till late at night and indulge in
revelry.”
3.
VS 4:4-5 - “4
And in all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same
excess of dissipation, and they malign you; 5 but they shall give account to
Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.” -
Non-Christians have a hard time understanding why Christians no longer live a
life of sin
3.1.
Non-Christians cannot
understand how it could be that God could change our natures and cause us not
to desire to live in sin. Many times
non-Christians even feel sorry for us.
3.2.
A Christian’s life looks
boring to a non-Christian since they do not understand the joys of living in
God’s presence.
3.3.
We Christians usually have a
hard time explaining to non-Christians what has happened in our life since
becoming a Christian, and why we do the things we do.
3.3.1. Often times Christians bring the mocking and maligning of
non-Christians upon themselves because they simply act weird.
3.3.2. Often times since we Christians realize that non-Christians just cannot
understand our lives nor why we do what we do that we don’t even try to relate
to non-Christians the things that we do in our lives.
3.3.3. When we Christians don’t share at all about our lives or only talk with
non-Christians about things in our lives that we know that they might
understand, then we look even weirder.
3.4.
We Christians ought to try
to work on relating about our lives and the things that we do with our time in
a natural and translucent manner with the non-Christians in our lives (“Out of the Saltshaker” is a good book to
read dealing with this subject).
3.5.
In verse 5 Peter declares
for encouragement for us the fact that the non-Christians in this world who
mock and malign us will one day give account of their actions to God.
4.
VS 4:6 - “6
For the gospel has for this purpose been preached even to those who are dead,
that though they are judged in the flesh as men, they may live in the spirit
according to the will of God.” - For this reason the
gospel has also been preached to those who are dead
4.1.
INTERPRETATION #1: This verse could be another possible
reference by Peter to Christ’s having gone down to Hades and preached the
gospel after He died on the cross:
4.1.1. Some of those who believe that this verse refers to Christ preaching
the gospel in Hades after His resurrection,
interpret this verse to indicate that Christ preached not only to those
who died in the flood of Noah but to all who were in Hades since it does not
limit the scope here.
4.1.2. Under this interpretation then, these people had died and gone to Hades
and thus were judged as men, yet after hearing Christ’s preaching and believing
upon Him for salvation, they were made to live in the Spirit.
4.2.
INTERPRETATION #2: Those who are preached to are dead in
trespasses and sins, they have not died physically:
4.2.1. The context of this verse could possibly support this view since Peter
has just been talking about the world of those who are not God’s people, and
their life of sin.
4.2.2. This view does not explain other scriptures which seem to teach that
Christ went down to Hades.
4.2.3. Under this interpretation, these people were judged in the flesh as men
because they were sinners dead in sin and separated from God, and they have now
been saved and made alive to God in the Spirit.
5.
VS 4:7 - “7
The end of all things is at hand; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober
spirit for the purpose of prayer.” - Peter proclaims the
‘imminent return of Christ’
5.1.
The end of all things being
‘at hand’ should cause us to concentrate upon certain things:
5.1.1. We ought to be ‘of sound judgment’ since Christ could return at any moment.
5.1.1.1.We ought to act soberly (or
seriously) having a realistic view of life since we know that this world is
soon to pass away.
5.1.1.2. We ought to be “in our right minds” and serving God in a rational
way.
5.1.1.3. We ought to “exercise self-control” and “curb our passions.”
5.1.1.4. We ought to “put a moderate estimate upon ourselves, think of
ourselves soberly.” We’re merely
bond-slaves of Christ.
5.1.2. We should have an attitude
of and desire to be constantly in prayer for ourselves and those around us.
5.2.
It is healthy for us as
Christians to believe in the ‘imminent return of Christ’, for it provides a
motive to make sure that we are always ready to meet Him.
6.
VS 4:8 - “8
Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a
multitude of sins.” - ‘Above all’ the most
important thing that we do as Christians is to be sure to love one another
6.1.
It is not a matter of
whether, but rather a matter of when, we will commit sins. Therefore, it is all
the more important that we in the church walk in God’s agape love towards each other
since ‘love covers a multitude of sins.’
6.2.
If we truly love (agape)
people, then we will be willing to forgive and to forget the wrongs that they
do, just as the Lord does with us.
7.
VS 4:9 - “9
Be hospitable to one another without complaint.” - Peter
exhorts us to be hospitable to one another.
7.1.
In Peter’s day with the
church being persecuted there were many dispossessed Christians (including
families) needing a place to stay.
7.2.
It is always the case that
hospitality is very much needed, especially for traveling missionaries who need
assistance in their travels.
7.3.
It is not enough to be
hospitable to people, Peter says that we must do it without complaining about
the inconveniences we may experience.
8.
VS 4:10 - “10
As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as
good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” - When the
Holy Spirit comes to inhabit a life, He always brings a gift: we must employ that gift
8.1.
Every spiritual gift listed
in the New Testament, with the exception the gift of evangelism, is to be used
in ministering to the body.
8.2.
When we let God use our gift
the way He wants to use it we are being good stewards of God’s grace.
8.3.
‘Karis,’ the Greek word used
for spiritual gift is the same word that is also translated as ‘grace.’ All of God’s spiritual gifts are given
through the exercise of His grace.
9.
VS 4:11 - “11
Whoever speaks, let him speak, as it were, the utterances of God; whoever serves,
let him do so as by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God
may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion
forever and ever. Amen.” - Peter here gives
exhortations concerning the exercise of our gifts
9.1.
The phrase ‘one who speaks’
is really an inference to the gift of teaching.
9.1.1. In the exercise of this gift, we should be sure that what we teach is
truth from God’s Word and comes from His leading, for in this way it will be the very ‘oracles of God.’
9.1.2. Whenever we as Christians open our mouths for the Lord, we should be sure
of the Lord’s leading of us.
9.2.
The gift of “serving”
relates really to all ministry that we do for the Lord.
9.2.1. In the exercise of this gift, we must be led and empowered of the Lord,
not energized and motivated by our flesh.
9.3.
God is glorified only when
we use our spiritual gift in the way God wants us to use it, and under His
direct leading.
9.3.1. In all that we do, we should glorify God, for unto Him belongs all
glory and dominion forever and ever.
10.
VS 4:12 - “Beloved,
do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for
your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;” - We should not be surprized if we find ourselves in the midst of a
‘fiery trial’
10.1. Sometimes trials come upon us unexpectedly as if out of nowhere, and
because we are not expecting them, they hit and throw us completely off course
and we lose our perspective as Christians.
10.2. God has promised that we will experience trials for our testing, so we
should expect them.
10.3. We need to prepare ourselves by being ready to suffer for Christ.
10.4. God loves us enough that He allows us to undergo testings which purify
us.
11.
VS 4:13 - “13
but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing;
so that also at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation.” - To suffer because we are a Christian is to ‘share in the sufferings
of Christ’
11.1. To ‘share in His sufferings’ means to be drawn close to Him and
participate with Him in suffering for Him.
11.2. If He suffered we should expect that we should have to suffer also.
11.3. As James 1:2 exhorts us, we should consider it all joy when we
encounter various trials, seeing that we know what good they will produce in
our lives.
11.4. If we will meet the trials that come into our life with ‘rejoicing’ in
the Lord, we have the promise that we will also ‘rejoice with exaltation’ when
the Lord brings us to glory.
11.4.1.What is key in our Christian
walk is how we meet and handle the things we experience.
11.4.2.Inferred negatively here is
the fact that if we do not rejoice in our sufferings that when He returns for
us that our rejoicing will be somewhat muffled.
12.
VS 4:14 - “14
If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit
of glory and of God rests upon you.” - If you are
reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory
and of God rests upon you
12.1. It is always a blessing to us when the Holy Spirit is resting upon us.
12.2. It says in God’s Word that He draws near to the broken-hearted, He is
never closer to us than when we have to suffer for Him.
12.3. Often when we as Christians are ‘reviled’ it is not ‘for the name of
Christ,’ even if we were taking the Name of Christ.
12.3.1.We aren’t blessed just
because we are reviled, but only because we are reviled ‘for the name of
Christ.’
12.4. To do something in His Name means to do it as His representative or
ambassador acting in His authority and under His leading.
12.4.1.Gayle Erwin points out in
his book, “The Yaweh Style”, that if we are not acting according to the
attributes of His character (as revealed in His Word), that even if we claim we
are doing it in His Name it is not.
12.4.1.1.Erwin points out from the
Old Testament, Ex. 34:5-7, that the character of God is: compassion, grace, slow to anger, abounding
in love, abounding in faithfulness, maintaining love to the thousands,
forgiving wickedness, forgiving rebellion, and forgiving sin.
12.4.2.Many in the world today and
in all of the past ages have done horrible things claiming to do them in the
Name of God, including those who committed such atrosities as the Crusades,
Spanish Inquisition, etc.
12.4.3.To do things ‘in His Name’ when
you don’t meet these qualifications is to break the commandment of “taking His
Name in vain.”
13.
VS 4:15 - “15
By no means let any of you suffer as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a
troublesome meddler;” - We should never suffer as
a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler
13.1. Evidently there were many within the church who had once been criminals
and perhaps hadn’t yet truly reformed.
13.2. Again ‘why we suffer’ is the important thing as far as whether or not
we are where the Lord would have us be.
13.3. Peter tells us that it is even wrong to suffer because we are nosey or
a busy-body (gossip).
13.3.1.Sometimes we Christians can
focus on the wrong things, taking our eyes off of the Lord and walking in a
loving and Christ-like way.
14.
VS 4:16 - “16
but if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not feel ashamed, but in that
name let him glorify God.” - If we have to suffer
because we are a Christian, we should not feel ashamed, but in that name
glorify God
14.1. We ought to take pride in and honor in His Name.
14.2. If we are ashamed of the Lord, Jesus says in the gospels that the Lord
will be ashamed of us.
14.3. In the book of Acts, Acts 5:41, the Apostles were flogged for their
witness and they went on their way rejoicing that they were found worthy to
suffer for His Name. Is this the way
that you endure persecution as a Christian?
14.4. We ought to consider what it really means for our lives to give glory
to God.
14.4.1.We do not bring glory to God
if there is sin and hypocrisy in our lives and we say one thing about what we
believe with our lips, and do another with our actions.
14.4.2.A lot of people confuse
perspiration with inspiration, we must not think that simply because we are
doing things that are for the Lord that we are really glorifying Him in them.
14.4.2.1.The motives for all that we
do must be weighed. Where is your heart
really at with God?
14.4.3.Our testimony for the Lord will
bring Him glory if our lives are simply in harmony with Him and under His
leading.
15.
VS 4:17-18 - “17 For it is time for judgment
to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will
be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And if it is
with difficulty that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless
man and the sinner?” - It is time for judgment
to begin with the household of God
15.1. The judgment that God intends for His children is not one of condemnation,
but rather one of purification of us.
15.1.1.God is not angry with us, or
ready to slam us as soon as we step out of line, He just wants to bless us.
15.1.2.When God judges us and
removes that unclean thing from our lives, He is really removing the dam that
is blocking the flow of His love and blessing in our lives.
15.1.3.We should always rejoice
when the church is purified, even if we be the ones whom He purifies, and purification
can be painful.
15.2. Since God says that it is time for judgment to begin at the household
of God, we should expect God to send trials our way to test and purify our
faith.
15.3. If sin is so significant that God wants to try His children and remove
every hurtful way from their lives, the non-Christians of this world are surely
not going to escape the fury of the judgment of His wrath one day, if they do
not repent.
15.4. It is ‘with difficulty’ that we Christians have been saved, that
difficulty was solved by God sending His only-begotten Son to die and pay the
penalty for our sins.
16.
VS 4:19 - “19
Therefore, let those also who suffer according to the will of God entrust their
souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.” - If we have to suffer, we must entrust our lives to God
16.1. The Lord promises that all things are working together for our good
(Rom. 8:28).
16.2. We can always trust that God has our best in mind at all times.
16.3. God is always ‘faithful’ to us fulfilling all of His promises that He
has ever made to us.
16.4. How we handle the trials that come into our lives is a key to our
spiritual growth and effectiveness of ministry, therefore if we will ‘entrust
our lives to God’ we can be free to handle the situations we find ourselves in,
in a responsible way that glorifies God.
16.5. Satan is not all-powerful or all-knowing, and he can only do in our
lives what God allows him to do, the story of Job proves this as Satan in the
first part of the book must obtain God’s permission to test Job by taking away
his children and his health.
16.5.1.Satan was the one who
brought the calamity upon Job, not God, and as a Puritan author once wrote, God
uses Satan as His messenger boy at times in order to do His work.
16.5.2.The end of Job’s life was
that he was blessed more than ever he had been or could have been before, and
God likewise causes good to occur in the lives of all of His children through
the things that He allows them to suffer.
16.6. The climax to Peter’s teaching in 1 Peter concerning how to handle
suffer is here in this verse, namely, that we must always just focus on the
Lord and being where He wants us to be and doing what He wants us to do with no
fear of persecution, and then we will be ‘entrusting our lives to God’ to do
what is best for us.
16.6.1.EXAMPLE #1: Jesus knew about all of the suffering the He was to endure upon the cross
in bearing our sins, and in the garden of Gethsemane He asked that the cup of
suffering be taken away from Him, however because He as our example entrusted
His life to God to do what is best for Him, He was willing to go to the cross
and said, “Never the less, not My will be done, but Thy will be done.”
16.6.2.EXAMPLE #2: Job Himself was willing to faithfully endure the suffering that God
allowed into his life as he says in Job. , “Though He slay me, I will hope
in Him.”
16.6.3.EXAMPLE #3: All of God’s people who are mentioned in the “Faith Hall of Fame” in
Hebrews chapter 11 likewise entrusted their lives to God to do what was best
for them as they continued stedfast in their obedience unto the Lord.