1 Peter 4
Sin No More, and Do the Will of God (4:1–6)
1 Since Christ suffered in the flesh, you too should arm yourself with the same point of view as his, for he who suffered in the flesh has provided the cure for sin. 2 To this end, he no longer lives during this remaining time in the flesh according to the desires of men but according to the will of God. 3 For it was alright for you, before you joined the Church, to go along with the ways of the world, walking in outrageously lewd conduct, lusts, wine-drunkenness, boisterous merrymaking, drinking parties, and lawless idolatries. 4 While your old friends are surprised that you do not run with them any longer in the same old excesses of debauchery, and for this they revile you, 5 but they will have to account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For to this end also is the gospel made known even to the dead, so that all who have been judged according to men in the flesh might someday live in the spirit according to the will of God.
Have Fervent Charity, That God May Be Glorified (4:7–11)
7 Indeed, the end of all draws near for you. Therefore, be wise and be sure to pray, 8 and above all else, have fervent charity toward each other, for charity prevents a multitude of sins [compare Prov. 10:12]. 9 Be friendly to strangers, one to another without grudging. 10 Just as each person has received a gift from God, even so let all impart similarly to each other as good stewards of the abundant generosity of God. 11 When any of you speak, do so using the revelations of God. When any of you minister, do so out of the strength which God furnishes, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and authority for ever and ever. Amen.
In the Face of Adversity, Consecrate Yourself to Live as a Christian (4:12–19)
12 Beloved friends, when a refining fire comes upon you to test you, do not think that something odd is happening to you. 13 Instead, because you are members of the covenant community, rejoice in the sufferings of Christ, so that in the apocalypse of his glory you may also rejoice and be exceedingly glad. 14 If you are reviled because you are of Christ, you will be blessed, because the spirit of glory and “the spirit of God will rest upon” you [Isa. 11:2]. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or as one who works with evil spirits or as a meddler or as an ecclesiastical usurper. 16 If, on the other hand, anyone of you suffers as a Christian, let that person not be ashamed but glorify God in the very name of Christ. 17 For the commencement of the judgment will begin with the house of God, and if it starts first with us, what shall be the end for those who obey not the gospel of God? 18 And if “the righteous are scarcely saved, how will it turn out for the impious and the sinner?” [Prov. 11:31 LXX] 19 Therefore, let those who suffer according to the will of God dedicate, consecrate, and by living a life of well doing entrust their souls to God, who is our trustworthy Creator.
