1 Peter 4:3
Believers should not continue in their past sinful ways but instead follow God's will and behave in a manner pleasing to Him.
John Gill emphasizes the importance of recognizing the past sinful life of believers, as described in 1 Peter 4:3. He explains that the time spent in sin, characterized by lasciviousness, lust, intemperance, and idolatry, is sufficient and should lead to a transformation in behavior. The apostle urges believers to abandon the ways of the Gentiles and instead pursue the will of God, highlighting the grace that has brought about this change. Gill stresses that no time is permissible for sin, and believers are called to live differently in light of their new identity in Christ.
Text
Ver. 3. For the time past of our life may suffice us,.... The word "our" is left out in the Alexandrian copy, and in the Vulgate Latin and Syriac versions. The Arabic version reads, "the time of your past life"; and to the same purpose the Ethiopic version; and which seems to be the more agreeable reading, since it can hardly be thought that the apostle would put himself among the Jews dispersed among the Gentiles, who had walked with them in their unregeneracy, in all the sins hereafter mentioned, and best agrees with the following verse:
to have wrought the will of the Gentiles; or "when ye wrought", as the Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions;
when we walked, or "were walking in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries". These converted persons, in the past time of their life, before conversion, "walked" in sin; which denotes a series and course of sinning, a persisting and progress in it, with delight and pleasure, promising themselves security and impunity: the particular sins they walked in are reducible to these three heads, unchastity, intemperance, and idolatry:
in lasciviousness, lusts; which belong to the head of uncleanness, and take in all kinds of it; as fornication, adultery, incest, sodomy, and all unnatural lusts:
excess of wine, revellings, banquetings; which refer to intemperance of every sort, by eating or drinking: as gluttony, drunkenness, surfeitings, and all luxurious feasts and entertainments, attended with riotings, revellings, and obscene songs; and which are here mentioned in the Syriac and Arabic versions, and which lead to lasciviousness, and every unclean lust:
and abominable idolatries; which some understand of worshipping of angels; but they seem rather to intend the idolatries the Jews were led into by the feasts of the Gentiles, either at their own houses, or in the idol's temple; by which means they were gradually brought to idolatry, and to all the wickedness and abominations committed by them at such times: and it is easy to observe, that the two former, uncleanness and intemperance, often lead men into idolatry; see
Ex 32:6. Now when they walked in these things, they "wrought the will of the Gentiles"; they did the things which the sinners of the Gentiles, the worst of men, that knew not God, took pleasure in, and what they would have others do; and therefore, since the past time of their life had been spent in such a way, it was sufficient, and more than sufficient; see Eze 44:6, for no time is allowable for sin; and therefore it became them for the future, and in the remaining part of life, to behave in another manner; not to do the will of the Gentiles, but the will of God; to which that grace of God obliged them, that had made a difference between what they were themselves formerly, and themselves now, and between themselves, and others.
Sermon Outline
- The Past Life of the Believer
- The Will of the Gentiles
- The Will of God
- Walking in Sin
- The Nature of Sin
- Doing the Will of Sinners
- The Consequences of Sin
- Behaving in a New Manner
- The Obligation to God's Will
Key Quotes
“When we walked, or 'were walking in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries.'” — John Gill
“No time is allowable for sin;” — John Gill
“to behave in another manner; not to do the will of the Gentiles, but the will of God;” — John Gill
Application Points
- Believers should recognize their past sinful ways and make a conscious effort to change their behavior.
- Following God's will is essential for believers, and they should strive to do His will in all aspects of their lives.
- No time is allowable for sin, and believers should not give themselves permission to continue in sinful behavior.