1 Peter 4

Peter calls believers to take up Christ’s own mindset toward suffering and to leave their old pagan life behind. With the end near, they are to pray, love, open their homes, and use their gifts to serve. He then tells them not to be shocked by fiery trials, but to rejoice in sharing Christ’s sufferings and to trust their faithful Creator.

1 Peter 4:1

Christ suffered in a real body, and believers are to take up the same mindset as a weapon. Someone who has chosen to suffer rather than give in to sin has broken with sin’s hold. Facing hardship for Christ can free a person from sin’s pull.

BSA: arm (“equip, prepare”): The picture is of putting on armor for a battle, so the right attitude is a defense we deliberately take up. resolve (“determination, mindset”): This is a settled way of thinking, not a passing feeling.

Greek: ὁπλίσασθε (hoplisasthe, G3695) — “arm yourselves.” It comes from the word for a soldier’s weapons. Peter treats Christ’s attitude toward suffering as a piece of equipment to put on.

See also: Romans 6:7; Ephesians 6:13.

1 Peter 4:2

The result is a changed purpose for the rest of life. Time on earth is no longer spent chasing human cravings. It is spent doing God’s will. Peter treats the years left to us as a gift to be given to God.

BSA: will (“purpose, desire”): God’s will is not only a rule to obey but his own desire, which we are invited to share.

1 Peter 4:3

Peter reminds them of their former life among the Gentiles. They have already given enough years to drunken parties and idol feasts, which were closely tied together in the pagan world. He says it was enough, and that sorrow for it has now given way to a new life.

BSA: debauchery (“excessive indulgence, licentiousness”): It describes living with no restraint at all. carousing (“drinking parties, celebrations”): These were group drinking feasts, often held in honor of idols.

See also: Ephesians 4:17-19.

1 Peter 4:4

Old friends are puzzled when believers stop joining their wild living. They respond with insults. Peter pictures a rushing flood of excess that everyone else is plunging into, while the Christian stands on the bank. Being misunderstood and slandered for this is a normal result of a changed life.

BSA: plunge (“run, join in”): The word suggests a crowd rushing together in the same direction. abuse (“evil, blasphemy”): Their insults are serious slander, and in the end they fall on God himself.

1 Peter 4:5

The mockers will not have the last word. They must answer to God, who stands ready to judge everyone, living and dead. This comforts believers who are slandered. The Judge sees every insult, and no one escapes his review.

BSA: account (“to render a verdict, to pay the penalty”): Each person will have to give a full reckoning of their life before God.

See also: Acts 10:42; Romans 14:12.

1 Peter 4:6

This is a hard verse, and Christians read it in different ways. The plain point is that the good news was preached to believers who have since died. Men judged them in the flesh, but they live with God in the spirit. Death does not undo the gospel’s promise.

BSA: preached (“announced, proclaimed”): The good news was openly declared to them, not whispered. live (“have life, be alive”): The gospel gives real life that outlasts the body’s death.

Greek: εὐηγγελίσθη (euēngelisthē, G2097) — “good news was announced.” It is the verb form of the word gospel. Peter says the good news itself was brought to them, and its power does not depend on whether they are still alive.

1 Peter 4:7

Peter says the end is near. The first Christians lived as if Christ could return at any time. That expectation does not lead to panic. It leads to a steady mind and a sober life, so that prayer stays clear and focused.

BSA: clear-minded (“of sound mind, sane”): It means a mind that is steady and not carried away by fear or excitement. sober (“morally alert, discreet”): It means staying awake and watchful, not only avoiding drink.

See also: Matthew 24:42.

1 Peter 4:8

Above everything else, Peter asks for deep love among believers. Close community brings friction, and love is what lets one believer overlook another’s failings. This does not make light of sin. It chooses to forgive and not to broadcast faults.

BSA: deeply (“with intense zeal, wholeheartedly”): The word pictures love stretched out to its limit, like a strained muscle, and kept up with full effort. covers (“hides, forgives, will cover”): Love does not expose and spread another’s wrongs, but forgives them.

See also: Proverbs 10:12; Colossians 3:14.

1 Peter 4:9

Hospitality mattered a great deal to early Christians, since travelers often had no safe place to stay. Peter adds that it should be done without grumbling. An open home is a gift, and a gift given with a bad attitude loses much of its worth.

BSA: hospitality (“being fond of guests”): It describes real affection for guests, and not merely putting up with them. complaining (“grumbling, murmuring, without grudging”): The cost of welcoming people should not be repaid with a bitter attitude.

See also: Romans 12:13; Hebrews 13:2.

1 Peter 4:10

Every believer has received some gift from God, and it is meant for others, not for ourselves. Peter calls us stewards, which means managers of what belongs to someone else. God’s grace comes in many forms, and each person holds a piece of it to pass on.

BSA: stewards (“managers, overseers”): A steward looks after another’s property and will answer for it. manifold (“various, diverse”): God’s grace has many colors and shapes, so no one gift covers every need.

Greek: ποικίλης (poikilēs, G4164) — “many-colored, varied.” It was used of richly woven cloth with many colors. God’s grace is a rich pattern, and each believer supplies a thread.

See also: 1 Corinthians 12:4-7; Romans 12:6.

1 Peter 4:11

Peter gives two examples, speaking and serving. A speaker should be aware that he is passing on God’s words, not his own. A server should rely on strength God supplies. The aim is that God gets the glory through Jesus Christ, and he ends with praise.

BSA: strength (“power, ability”): The power to serve is supplied by God and not produced by us. glorified (“praised, honored”): The goal of all gifts is that God is honored, not the person using them.

See also: 1 Corinthians 10:31.

1 Peter 4:12

Peter now turns to suffering. He tenderly calls them beloved and tells them not to be shocked at the fiery trial. Fire was used to test and purify metal. Trials are not a sign that God has left them, but part of the Christian road.

BSA: fiery (“burning, refining”): The fire tests, as it does gold, and shows what is real. trial (“testing, temptation”): Its purpose is to prove and refine, not to destroy.

See also: 1 Peter 1:6-7; John 15:20.

1 Peter 4:13

Rejoicing here is possible because of the link with Christ. To suffer for him is to share in what he went through. The present sorrow is also temporary, since a day is coming when his glory is revealed. Those who shared his sufferings will share his joy.

BSA: share (“participate, have fellowship”): Suffering for Christ is a partnership with him, not a loss suffered alone. overjoyed (“exceedingly joyful, glad with great joy”): The joy at his return will overflow, far beyond present gladness.

See also: Romans 8:17; Philippians 3:10.

1 Peter 4:14

To be insulted because you belong to Christ is a blessing, not a disgrace. The reason is that God’s Spirit rests on those who are mistreated for him. The same glory that will one day be revealed is already present with them in their trouble.

BSA: blessed (“happy, supremely fortunate”): Such people are favored by God even while they are scorned by others. rests (“gives rest, refreshes”): The Spirit comes to bring refreshment and a quiet presence in the hardship.

See also: Matthew 5:11-12.

1 Peter 4:15

Peter makes sure that the suffering is for the right reason. Believers should not be punished as criminals. Even meddling in other people’s affairs is on the list. Christians should be hard to accuse of anything but their faith.

BSA: meddler (“a busybody, one who interferes in other’s affairs”): Even a nosy, interfering spirit can bring trouble we have caused ourselves.

1 Peter 4:16

Being called a Christian was at first an insult from outsiders. Peter says not to be ashamed of it, but to honor God for the name. If suffering comes for belonging to Christ, it is a privilege and not a disgrace.

BSA: ashamed (“feel no disgrace, have no regret”): Believers can bear the name openly and without embarrassment. name (“the title of Christian, the name of Christ”): The name ties the believer to Christ himself.

Greek: Χριστιανός (Christianos, G5546) — “follower of Christ.” The word means belonging to Christ’s party. It was first used by outsiders, and Peter turns a label of scorn into a name to be proud of.

See also: Acts 11:26; Romans 1:16.

1 Peter 4:17

Peter says judgment starts with God’s own household. Suffering now refines the church, and God deals with his people first. If believers are tested this way, the end for those who reject the gospel must be far more serious.

BSA: family (“the household, the congregation”): Believers are God’s own household, and he cares for it and disciplines it. disobey (“refuse to obey, are disobedient to”): Rejecting the gospel is a refusal to obey, not just a lack of knowledge.

See also: Hebrews 12:5-6.

1 Peter 4:18

Peter quotes Proverbs 11:31. The salvation of the righteous is not easy, and it comes through trial and by God’s grace alone. The verse is meant to sober us. If the saved pass through such testing, the ungodly have no excuse and no hope apart from turning to God.

BSA: saved (“delivered from harm, protected”): It speaks of being rescued and brought safely through, and the road to it is hard.

See also: Proverbs 11:31.

1 Peter 4:19

Peter ends with a plain instruction for suffering believers. They can place their lives into the hands of their faithful Creator, who made them and will not fail them. Meanwhile they keep doing good, trusting him with the outcome.

BSA: entrust (“commit, put their trust in”): It is like leaving a valuable item in someone’s safekeeping. faithful (“trustworthy, reliable”): The One who holds our lives can be counted on completely.

Greek: παρατιθέσθωσαν (paratithesthōsan, G3908) — “let them entrust, deposit.” It was a banking word for placing money with someone for safekeeping. Believers deposit their souls with God.

See also: Luke 23:46; Psalm 31:5.