I Peter 4:1-11 (New Living Translation)
So then, since Christ suffered physical
pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to
suffer, too. For if you have suffered physically for Christ, you have finished
with sin. 2 You won’t spend the rest of your lives
chasing your own desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God.
Vs 1-2
Apostle Paul tells us in
Philippians 2:5 Your attitude should be
the same that Christ Jesus had. In
this verse Peter says that if we suffer for doing good, then we are given the
opportunity to respond with the same attitude of Christ. Through suffering we learn to put our
priorities in order so that sin no longer has a hold over us…it is no longer
our master, and we no longer have the sinful desires we once had. Our suffering and responding with a Christ-like
attitude is the best witness we can give that we are done with sinning and are
living for Jesus. Now it is our desire
and purpose in life to do the will of God.
Adopting the attitude of Christ changes our perspective on life.
People are watching us. They want to observe whether or not our
behavior matches up to our claim to be a follower of Christ…a Christian. If it does not, then they will want no part
of Christianity. We are soldiers in a
war against satan and his evil ways.
Through the death of Christ we are enabled to continue his
lifestyle. He didn’t save us to give us
a vacation through life, but to represent him.
We are soldiers of the cross, as the song goes. He lives through us to continue his work in
this world.
In our suffering, according
to Peter, we must remember that our hope is in Christ alone. Suffering is only temporary, and we do not go
through it alone. Because Jesus
suffered, he knows what we are going through and he promised he would be with
us. So
we can say with confidence “The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?” (Hebrews
13:6)
God has a purpose for our
suffering, as Paul reminds us in Romans 8:28:
And we know that God causes
everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called
according to his purpose for them.
The wisdom found in Proverbs
3:5-6 tells us: Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own
understanding. Seek his will in all you
do, and he will show you which path to take.
Doing God’s will means we
quit behaving as we used to when we were led by our carnal nature. With Christ living in us, we have his Spirit
to guide us and help us to live as Jesus wants us to live. We are done with ungodly living.
3 You have had enough in the past of the
evil things that godless people enjoy—their immorality and lust, their feasting
and drunkenness and wild parties, and their terrible worship of idols.4 Of course, your former friends are
surprised when you no longer plunge into the flood of wild and destructive
things they do. So they slander you. 5 But remember that they will have to face
God, who will judge everyone, both the living and the dead. 6 That is why the Good News was preached to
those who are now dead—so although they were destined to die like all people, they now live forever with God in the
Spirit.
Vs 3-6
Satan does not like the fact
that we are living pure lives for Christ.
He is going to badger us in any way he can to get us to go back to our
former lifestyles. In these verses Peter
describes the past pagan lifestyle that the followers of Christ have left
behind. They were being ridiculed and
slandered by their former friends because the Christians would not join them in
their evil acts.
As an encouragement to the
followers of Christ, Peter reminds them that even though their former friends
may judge them for not participating in their wild and wicked ways, ultimately
those people will be judged by God for how they are living. Everyone is accountable to the Father and Son
on the last great judgment day…including the living and the dead. No one escapes that day. Those who accepted the good news of Jesus
Christ, even though they were once destined to die, will now have eternal life
with the Father and Son (God).
We must keep our focus on
Jesus, living our lives for God’s purpose.
It should come as no surprise that the world doesn't understand us, or
rejects us, or ridicules us or treat us wrong.
They have an earthly mindset which does not comprehend the heavenly
world. We are reminded once again in
Hebrews 12:1-3: Therefore,
since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith,
let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so
easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before
us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus,
the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the
joy awaiting him, he endured the cross,
disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s
throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from
sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up.
7 The end of the world is coming soon.
Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers. 8 Most important of all, continue to show
deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Cheerfully share your home with those who
need a meal or a place to stay.10 God
has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use
them well to serve one another. 11 Do you have the gift of speaking? Then
speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of
helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then
everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and
power to him forever and ever! Amen.
Vs 7-11
Peter becomes very blunt in
these next few verses. He never did like
to waste words or beat around the bush.
He reminds the Christians that the end of the world is coming soon. The end of their suffering is in sight. Peter is encouraging those he is writing to
with this hope…it will soon be over.
Christians are to be characterized by having a clear mind to reason,
making wise decisions, and having a definite purpose in life. With the end of all things coming close,
Christians should all the more watch their attitudes and actions so they
exemplify Christ to the world.
Therefore, Peter gave some specific instructions to heed:
1.
Vs 7 - Use good
judgment and stay calm by being fervent in your prayers. There is no need for anxiety. Prayer is a two way communication which
includes listening to God. He often
speaks through his Word. Fervent prayers
means that are we in an attitude of prayer continuously. That is the only way of discerning the will
of God.
2.
Vs 8 - Keep on
loving each other all the more. True
love, agape love, the kind of love Christ has, forgives one another. It is also unconditional love. Christians are
characterized and known by their love for one another. John told us in his gospel chapter
13:35: Your love for one another will prove in the world that you are my
disciples. We see here again that
fervently means continuously. When we
are tempted to criticize or tear down a person, instead we should ask the Lord
to help us love that person with the love of Christ and see the best in him,
building him up.
3.
Vs 9 – Show
hospitality to those who are in need, and do this cheerfully, without
complaining. Whatever God has given us
we are to share with others…our home, our meals, our resources. The worldly mindset is a selfish one,
watching out for number one. As
Christians, however, we should share with others, not out of a sense of duty,
but with the spirit of joy.
4.
Vs 10-11 – Share
your spiritual gifts with each other…the grace gifts that God has given
you. They are given to be used to
minister to the Body of Christ. They are
to be used as though God himself were speaking through us or acting through
us. We are not doing this in our own
strength, but through God’s strength working in us. God should always get the glory, not us.
Peter was not exhorting his
readers, including us, to go and sell everything and sit in a commune waiting
for the return of Christ. He exhorts us
to show the love of Christ all the more and serve each other with our spiritual
gifts all the more so that we bring glory to God by our actions, our service,
and our words. If we will follow these
exhortations of Peter, we will live a life characterized by Christ.
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