Read with Me
1 Peter 4:1-6 (HCSB)
4 Therefore, since Christ suffered in the flesh, equip yourselves also with the same resolve—because the one who suffered in the flesh has finished with sin—in order to live the remaining time in the flesh, no longer for human desires, but for God’s will. For there has already been enough time spent in doing what the pagans choose to do: carrying on in unrestrained behavior, evil desires, drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and lawless idolatry. So they are surprised that you don’t plunge with them into the same flood of wild living—and they slander you. They will give an account to the One who stands ready to judge the living and the dead. For this reason the gospel was also preached to those who are now dead, so that, although they might be judged by men in the fleshly realm, they might live by God in the spiritual realm.
Listen with Me
Peter segues from the last chapter to these versus, moving from the material fact of Jesus’ suffering and death to the need for each of his followers to embrace the sufferings that many of them were experiencing for their faith. Peter knew from personal experience that those sufferings were inevitable and could either be embraced or resented. And much more was to be gained by embracing them.
Peter had found in his own life that the sufferings he had gone through served to purify his heart and solidify his intentions to live for the next world, which would last forever, instead of for the present world, which was doomed to destruction. And with that shift in focus, it becomes much more natural to live within God’s will and to experience all the power and divine blessings that go along with that.
Peter knew that the vast majority of his readers had been pagans, idolators, and sinners before turning to Jesus. And he knew that even as they followed Jesus, they were still living among people who were trapped in that same sinful lifestyle and who couldn’t understand why their actions and attitudes had shifted so violently. And because they held themselves apart from the things that those friends and family members still continued to believe and to do in their own lives, they experienced anger, alienation, and even abuse.
But Peter’s counsel was to let that roll off and to stay focused on God and His kingdom. Those who ultimately refused to repent would be judged by God and appropriately punished, and those who did repent based on the change they had seen in the believers would be saved by that same faith.
Verse 6 gives more details on 3:19-20. Jesus descended to the underworld of Sheol to share the good news with those who were being held for their sins, even those who lived before the flood, who had no inkling of God’s plan to redeem all mankind through faith in Jesus. And some of them believed in the one of whom they had not heard, being judged by men as sinners based on how they had lived and died in the flesh, but choosing to live for God in the spirit throughout eternity.
Pray with Me
Father, how vast is your mercy to those who lived in ignorance before the coming of Jesus. You could have simply left them in prison for all eternity, but instead You sent Jesus to shine His light into their lives and to hold out the branch of salvation to those who chose to believe. Now it is our turn to take the light of Jesus to those who are living in darkness today, who are living lives of lostness and despair. We can show them how they can turn to You and not only be saved, but also transformed and adopted as Your children. So many are still lost, Lord. Help me to share Your word with some today. Amen.