Peter, the writer of this grand epistle, addresses dispersed believers scattered throughout five provinces in Asia Minor (I Peter 1:1). His epistle reveals clearly that these believers were suffering severely for their faith. Peter addresses the problem of suffering, but he wanted the believers to focus on the spiritual privileges that they had in Jesus Christ. Peter offers or presents to these believers a theological foundation or base for encouragement in the midst of persecution. In the midst of suffering severely under Emperor Nero, Peter draws attention to the believers’ election and sanctification by God, praising God for the new birth or spiritual life that carries with it a lively hope because of the fact that they are serving a living Saviour.
In I Peter 3:15, Peter enjoined these believers to sanctify the Lord God in their hearts. As believers, we “sanctify the Lord God in our hearts” by acknowledging His Supreme Lordship in our lives! Brothers and sisters, we must set Him apart as Lord of our lives. In the midst of suffering unjustly in this dismal and decadent world, we must concentrate on Him instead of on our circumstances. As believers, we are called upon to suffer as we serve the Lord in this present age. We are definitely not exempted from suffering, for Jesus said: “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
Yes, as Christians, we are indeed called upon to suffer as we serve the Lord. However, we must be awfully sure that we are suffering for righteousness’ sake and not because of some wrongdoing on our part! As we undergo suffering in this godless age, Peter directs our attention to embracing a biblical perspective to our suffering as the basis for encouragement amidst suffering.
I Peter 4:1-6 may be outlined as follows: I. Recalling Christ’s Supreme Example of Suffering – I Peter 4:1; II. Renouncing the Former Lifestyle of Sin – I Peter 4:2-6.
I. Recalling Christ’s Supreme Example of Suffering – I Peter 4:1
Jesus’ supreme example of righteous suffering stands as a permanent encouragement to persecuted believers. Christ, who suffered supremely for our sins, bore an exceedingly heavy load as indicated by the plural term “sins” (I Peter 3:18). He served as our substitutionary sacrifice as expressed by the phrase – “the Just for the unjust.” His morally impeccable life was given for our unjust and despicable lives!
In our pre-salvatic condition, we were unacceptable to God apart from identification with Him! His mediatorial work and our acceptance of Him served as the basis of our acceptance by God. He died that we might be reconciled to God. The expression – He was “put to death in the flesh” refers to Jesus’ humanity. However, through the agency of the Holy Spirit, Christ was raised!
In I Peter 4:1, Christ gained a victory over evil by suffering in the flesh. As a result of Christ’s victory over evil, we are exhorted to arm ourselves with the same courageous attitude or mindset of Christ regarding suffering. As we arm ourselves with Christ’s attitude regarding suffering, we are sharing in His suffering and death. Christ suffered in His body and we also suffer in our bodies.
As we identify with Christ’s suffering, we demonstrate our break with the dominion of sin in our lives. Because of Christ’s death, we should no longer be slaves to sin, because we have died to sin and have been freed from sin (Romans 6:6-7). By the grace of God, we are able to victoriously break the old pattern of a sin-dominated life.
Having discussed “Recalling Christ’s Supreme Example of Suffering – I Peter 4:1, let us now observe “Renouncing the Former Lifestyle of Sin – I Peter 4:2-6.
II. Renouncing the Former Lifestyle of Sin – I Peter 4:2-6
As believers, having adapted Christ’s mindset, we must reckon ourselves dead to sin. We must live our lives not for evil desires, but rather for the will of God (v. 2). We are to live for the present in God’s will because old habits are a thing of the past. Peter stressed that there must be a definite break from the lifestyle of sin; breaking away from such sins of the past, such as debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and idolatry.
In verse 4, the sinful lifestyle of the past should not characterize the lifestyle of believers who should be living in the present for the will of God. The ones who used to be our acquaintances in the world are surprised by our changed lives. A changed life provokes hostility from those who reject the gospel. Verse 5 informs us that those who have spent their lives in indulgence and idolatry will someday give account; they will face a willing Judge! Christ will judge both the living and the dead.
Finally, in verse 6, because everybody must give an account to God, the gospel was preached even to those now dead. This verse refers to believers who have died physically but are alive in God in the spirit. They were judged by the world when they were here; however, they heard the gospel before they died and believed. They suffered and died because of their faith – but they are living with God!
In closing, even death, a great tyrant of mankind, cannot nullify the eternal security that we have in Jesus Christ. Because of Christ’s supreme victory over sin, death, and the grave, Paul taunts death and thanks God for the victory we have in Christ, for I Corinthians 15:55-58 says: “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”
Dr. Johnny Calvin Smith
