Gospel Of Life Series

1 Peter 4:1-6. [4:1] Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, [2] so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. [3] For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. [4] With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; [5] but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. [6] For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does. (ESV)

Pagans of the first century viewed Christians as killjoys who lived gloomy lives devoid of pleasure. The pleasures from which Christians of the first century typically abstained were the popular forms of Roman entertainment: the theater with its risqué performances, the chariot races, and the gladiatorial fights with their blood and gore. Christian lifestyle also condemned the “pleasures” of an indulgent temper, sex outside marriage, drinking, slander, lying, covetousness, and theft. These attitudes toward contemporary Roman customs and morals, combined with the Christians’ refusal to burn incense to the emperor—a gesture of civic gratitude intended to assure the well-being of the empire—earned Christians the reputation of being haters of humanity and traitors to the Roman way of life. Few in the polytheistic first century cared if Christians wanted to worship Jesus, but it was highly offensive for the apostles to label other religions as idolatrous and inconsistent with the true worship of God. In our pluralistic age of globalization, issues of multicultural pluralism are creating an ethos similar to that of the polytheism Peter faced: everything spiritual seems acceptable except the exclusive claims of the gospel of Jesus Christ. (Jobes, K. H. (2005). 1 Peter (p. 262). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.)

The Gospel of Life equips the believer in Christ to face difficulties. Here in 1 Peter 4:1-6, the Apostle Peter explains four things that the Gospel of Christ provides. With the Gospel, believers are: 1) Armed with the Mind of Christ (1 Peter 4:1), 2) Armed with the Life of Christ (1 Peter 4:2), 3) Disarming the life before Christ (1 Peter 4:3-5), and 4) Armed because of the Judgement of Christ (1 Peter 4:6).

The Gospel of Life equips the believer in Christ to face difficulties, because with it, believers are:

1) Armed with the Mind of Christ (1 Peter 4:1)

1 Peter 4:1 [4:1] Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, (ESV)

Therefore obviously points back to what Peter wrote in the preceding passage, that at the Cross Christ endured His greatest suffering, dying under divine judgment as the just for the unjust; yet there He also accomplished for believers His greatest triumph over sin and its condemning power, over the forces of hell, and over the power of death. The cross of Jesus Christ is the ultimate proof that suffering can lead to victory over the forces of evil. Believers’ choice of a pure lifestyle is directly linked to what came before, namely, the significance of Jesus’ own suffering. (Mangum, D. (Ed.). (2020). Lexham Context Commentary: New Testament (1 Pe 4:1–6). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.)

When Jesus suffered in the flesh, He died (3:18; Isa. 53:10; Matt. 27:50; Acts 2:23) in fulfilling divine redemption’s plan. When He went to the Cross, the Father made Him to be sin and a curse for all who believe; as Paul said: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’ ” (Gal. 3:13; cf. Deut. 21:23). He came “in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin” (Rom. 8:3; cf. 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24). Therefore, He felt the full force of sin’s evil unjustly, but in so doing He gained for His saints salvation and for Himself the everlasting honour and praise of all who will live in heaven (cf. Rev. 5:8–14). Suffering helps us be like Christ, yet people will do anything to avoid pain. Followers of Christ, however, should be willing and prepared to do God’s will and to suffer for it if necessary. We can overcome sin when we focus on Christ and what he wants us to do. Pain and danger reveal our real values. Anyone who suffers for doing good and still faithfully obeys in spite of suffering has made a clean break with sin (Barton, B. B. (1995). 1 Peter, 2 Peter, Jude (p. 110). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Pub.)