This morning, we continue with our study of First Peter. As a reminder, 1 Peter is a general epistle, meaning that it was a letter written to Christians in general, rather than to a specific church body. The first verse of the letter tells us that it was written:
“To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia,” (1 Peter 1:1)
These provinces—Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia—¬were all located in first-century Asia Minor, in what today is the country of Turkey. Peter’s main purpose in writing the letter was to encourage the believers in this region to maintain a Christ-centered and God-honoring way of life in the midst of a culture that was strongly opposed to them doing so. And that view of them as outsiders is reinforced by Peter repeatedly referring to them as “exiles” and “foreigners”.
“To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia,” (1 Peter 1:1)
“Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear.” (1 Peter 1:17)
“Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul.” (1 Peter 2:11)
Now some of them may have actually been exiles from other parts of the Roman empire, driven from their homes by persecution. But the primary sense here is their spiritual identity. Right from the beginning, Peter is acknowledging that those to whom he is writing are separate and distinct from the people living around them. They are different from their neighbors, different from their co-workers, different from the people they interact with on a daily basis, and perhaps even their family members. They don’t really belong. And Peter’s goal in this letter is to tell them how to live, how to conduct themselves, in that foreign environment. Sound familiar?
So. What to do. Should they conform? That’s one option: “When in Rome, do what the Romans do”. Fly under the radar. Blend in. Or, should they take the opposite tack and withdraw completely; try to establish their own, independent and self-sufficient community? Some religious groups even in our day have taken that route. Avoid contact with the secular world as much as possible. But Peter’s answer, throughout this letter, has been that they should not do either of those things, neither conform or withdraw. Rather, he urges them to choose the path of constructive engagement. They are to respectfully and humbly interact with those around them and submit themselves to the governing authorities, while at the same time maintaining moral boundaries that keep them from adopting the sinful practices of their culture.
That’s a bit of a tightrope act, isn’t it? Believers across the centuries have faced the same dilemma, as they seek to honor God with their lives and remain faithful to Christ, not withdrawing completely from their culture, but also not uncritically adopting the morals and customs of their culture. It’s a struggle that even we, in America with our Christian heritage, find ourselves facing. Because over the last generation, the culture around us has grown increasingly hostile to the gospel and to the practice of Christianity (although recently we have seen some encouraging signs that may be changing).
So it’s with that background in mind that we look at today’s text, 1 Peter 4:1-6. This passage concerns the relationship between sin and suffering, specifically the suffering that comes from living in a world that is hostile to your faith. There’s a lot packed into these few verses. But if we persevere, we will be rewarded with insights that will be greatly helpful to us as we seek to live faithful and morally upright lives in the midst of a culture that is constantly trying to drag us in the other direction. All right?
We’ll begin with 1 Peter 4:1, in the NIV and the ESV.
“Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin.” (1 Peter 4:1, NIV)
“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,” (1 Peter 4:1, ESV)
I’ve included both versions because there’s a Greek term whose meaning is significant. The Greek word “sarx” is translated “in the body”, in the NIV, and “in the flesh”, in the ESV. This is because “sarx” has a range of meanings. It can refer to the physical body (Luke 24:36-40). But it can also refer to humanity, or to human nature more generally, which includes not only our physical body, but also our mind and our emotions (Acts 2:17, ESV; John 1:14, ESV); everything that makes us human.
Why does this matter? Because Peter is telling us that we need to do something; we need to “arm ourselves” with the same attitude that Christ had when he suffered. And how did Christ suffer? Was it only in his physical body? Let’s look at this passage from Luke’s gospel, describing Jesus’ state of mind immediately prior to his arrest, trial and crucifixion:
“39 Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. 40 On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” 41 He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, 42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” 43 An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.” (Luke 22:39-44, NIV)
Jesus was in anguish. He was suffering physically, mentally, and emotionally. His will, his decision to obey God the Father, was also being tested. We know that when Jesus, the Son of God, became a man he didn’t just take on a human body; he took on full humanity, which included a human physical form, and also a human mind and human emotions. This is the doctrine of the incarnation, that Jesus became fully human, in every respect. The book of Hebrews tells us that he was made like us “in every way”. And that is what is in view here in 1 Peter: the suffering of Christ that Peter is referring to is his suffering on the cross, and that involved every aspect of his humanity. Earlier in the letter, Peter tells us this:
“18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,” (1 Peter 3:18, ESV)
Jesus’ suffering on the cross included not only in his body, but also in his mind and emotions. So far that reason, I think the ESV has the better translation here. And that will matter later on as we consider what Peter has to say about our own suffering. Because our suffering also can include every aspect of our humanity: our thoughts, our emotions, and even our physical bodies.
All right. Going back to 1 Peter 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,” (1 Peter 4:1)
“. . . whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin”. Peter is drawing a connection between the suffering of Christ and what that meant for sin, and the suffering of believers and what that says about our sin. That will become more clear as we go on, but for now, do you see that Peter is drawing some kind of parallel here? [ ] All right. So let’s start with Christ’s suffering. What were the consequences of Christ’s suffering? What did his suffering on the cross accomplish?
One of the most important things Christ did on the cross was to overcome sin. Through his death, he broke its power, completely and forever. And so those who are united with Christ through faith are no longer under the dominion, the tyranny, of sin. We no longer have to obey sin’s demands. We are free to reject sin and choose obedience. Here is what the apostle Paul writes on the same topic, in the book of Romans:
“5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.
11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.” (Romans 6:5-14)
Throughout his life, Jesus Christ obeyed God in every respect; he fulfilled every precept, every command of God’s law, without exception. And so, when he was put to death, which is the penalty for sin, it wasn’t for his own sin. He suffered death vicariously; that is, in our place, on our behalf. Jesus did not have to pay the penalty of death for his own sin, and so when he died, his death paid the penalty for our sin. He was our substitute. And that act of “substitutionary atonement” released us from the power that sin held over us. Sin is no longer our master. We don’t have to obey its demands. We are free to obey God. In a very real sense, when Christ died, we died too; our old self that was under the dominion of sin died. And so we are no longer required to obey sin; we are free to obey God. Amen?
Let me go a little deeper into this point. Adam and Eve in the garden were able to sin, and also able not to sin. They were created in a state of innocence. But they chose to sin, and in doing so, they brought all of their descendants, all of humanity, under the power and dominion of sin. From that point on, the only thing that human beings apart from God could do was sin. They could sin fast or slow, they could sin in this way or that, but they could not do anything truly righteous or pleasing to God. All they could do was sin.
And that includes all of us before we came to faith. We could do things that are considered “good” from a human point of view, things that were morally positive or which benefited other people, actions which demonstrated courage, or selflessness, or kindness. But from God’s perspective, none of those things are truly good. They are still sinful, because they aren’t done from a heart that seeks to obey and glorify God, a heart of faith. They may be done to benefit ourselves or other people; they may be done to comply with a moral code, but they aren’t done to honor and glorify God. And God requires that everything we do should be done for his honor and glory.
Let’s look at how Paul states this:
6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.” (Romans 8:6-9)
Here we have yet another meaning of the Greek term “sarx”, or “flesh”: not just the body, or human nature in a neutral sense, but human nature controlled by sin. And that describes every person apart from Christ. They cannot please God. Again, Paul tells us:
“. . . For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin” (Romans 4:23, ESV)
So before we came to faith, all we could do was sin. But Christ, in his death and resurrection, broke the power of sin and made us free. We are now free to sin or not to sin. Christ’s
death on the cross broke the power that sin had over us, and gave us the ability to obey God, which we did not have before.
All right. Why does all of this matter? Let’s look again at 1 Peter 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,” (1 Peter 4:1)
Peter says we are to arm ourselves with this attitude, with the same way of thinking that Christ had. “Arm ourselves”. In other words, this is a battle, a battle for our souls. This is not a game. We need to prepare ourselves for a fight, a struggle, a conflict. And what is at stake? What does Peter tell us?
“Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul.” (1 Peter 2:11; NIV)
In other words, this is no minor skirmish. This struggle against sin in our lives is as serious as it can be; it is a war over our souls. As Peter writes later in this letter,
“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)
That’s a rather frightening image, isn’t it? A “roaring lion looking for someone to devour”.
So how do we fight this battle? How do we arm ourselves? By starting with our mind, our attitude. With our assumptions and our beliefs. Peter tells us that we are to have the same “attitude”, the same “way of thinking” about suffering that Christ did. That is how we arm ourselves. And so our understanding of sin and suffering is critically important, if we are to win the war for the health of our souls. Again,
“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,” (1 Peter 4:1)
“To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.” (1 Peter 2:21)
If we are to succeed, and prevail, in this battle for our souls, we need to have the same attitude as Christ. We need to follow his example. And what was that attitude? What was the attitude of Christ toward suffering that we need to emulate? Let’s go back to the previous chapter, that the “therefore” in 1 Peter 4:1 is pointing back to.
“13 Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14 But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.”
17 For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. 18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. (1 Peter 3:13-14, 17-18)
The attitude of Christ that we need to internalize, that we need to have in our mind and heart, is that it is better to suffer than to sin. That’s the heart attitude, that’s the mindset, that we must have. It is better to suffer than to sin. Jesus Christ had a choice, either to obey God and go to the cross, to suffer there God’s terrible wrath and die, or to turn aside and reject the suffering of the cross. We read about his struggle on the Mount of Olives.
He could choose to suffer unjustly, the righteous suffering for the unrighteous, or he could choose to reject suffering and disobey God. Thankfully, he chose to suffer rather than to sin. And we must do the same.
Let me put this another way. If our goal is to avoid suffering, we will lose the battle for our souls. If our goal is to avoid suffering, Satan will succeed in tempting us into sin and damaging us spiritually. If our goal is to avoid even unjust suffering, we will lose, because this world is not just. Instead, we have to embrace suffering as God’s will for us, accept suffering as a part of God’s good, and wise, and loving purpose for our lives, rather than seeking to avoid suffering. Because if avoiding suffering is our goal, we will fall into the trap of sinning in order to avoid suffering. It’s one or the other.
And so the choice we are faced with is not just to sin or not to sin. The choice, more often, is whether to sin or to suffer. That’s what makes the choice difficult. In fact, much of the time, our choice to sin comes from a desire to avoid suffering. What Peter is telling us is that we should choose to suffer; that to suffer is better than to sin. And our suffering, like Christ’s, affects potentially every aspect of our humanity; our bodies, our minds, and our emotions.
Let me give you some examples of what I mean. Of course, the most obvious example is the scenario faced by the early Christians in a time of intense persecution by Rome; they faced the choice of sinning by denying Christ or suffering rejection, slander—even beatings, torture, or martyrdom. Peter alludes to this elsewhere in the letter.
But we also face the choice to suffer or sin. Here are some examples.
The sin of: lying, deceit, misleading speech
Comes from: a desire to avoid suffering the consequences of the truth being known (about something
we have done or said)
The sin of: joining with others in conduct displeasing to God (gossiping, mocking, slander, reviling)
Comes from: a desire to avoid the pain of being excluded from the group or thought of as an oddball
as an oddball
The sin of: immorality or pornography
Comes from: a desire to avoid suffering the pain of loneliness or rejection
The sin of greed, covetousness
Comes from: a desire to avoid suffering insecurity and want
Do any of those resonate with you? I could list dozens more examples, and probably you could also. In fact, you should: list out your own common sins and what suffering you may be trying to avoid by engaging in them. And consider that instead of seeking to avoid suffering, you need to embrace suffering as God’s will for you, and realize that your willingness to suffer is an act of worship.
How do we do this? Let me give some practical suggestions. First, take stock of your sins. You could do this at the end of each day. Think through the day and how you responded to various people and situations. If there were times you didn’t respond appropriately, as you know God would have you do, ask yourself why. Many times, you’ll realize that it was because you were seeking to avoid suffering of some kind. Ask yourself: what kind of suffering were you trying to avoid? Then pray and ask God to forgive you, and also ask him to give you the awareness and strength to choose suffering instead of sin when you face that situation in the future.
That can be a daily process, but ideally, as you become sensitized to it, you can identify in the moment, as it is happening, when you are tempted to sin rather than to suffer, and then choose suffering instead.
But perhaps in reading through the rest of this passage, you’ve concluded that none of the things Peter lists are problems for you. So you’re home free, right? So let’s look at the list.
“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.” (1 Peter 4:2-6, ESV)
In verses 2 through 4, Peter gives some examples of sinful behavior which his readers should avoid: “sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry.” A “flood of debauchery”. Perhaps none of those is a temptation for you. But even so, you’re not off the hook. What other sins does he mention in this letter?
“So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.”
(1 Peter 2:2)
“9 Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling . . . “ (1 Peter 3:9)
“15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler.” (1 Peter 4:15)
“. . . Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (1 Peter 5:5)
Again, perhaps the behaviors that Peter mentioned in 4:2-4 are not an issue for you: “sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry.” But what about malice? Wishing someone ill. Or Deceit? Shading the truth. Or Envy? Wishing you had what someone else has. Or Slander or Reviling? Speaking ill of another person, or speaking hatefully to them. Or Meddling? Sticking your nose in where it doesn’t belong. Or Pride? Thinking too highly of yourself. And those examples are just from this one letter. If any of these strikes a nerve, ask yourself what suffering you are seeking to avoid by engaging in them, and then choose the suffering rather than the sin.
Let me be very frank with you. I think one of the potential pitfalls of having been a believer for many years is that we become comfortable with our sin. We reach an accommodation with it, we come to accept is as something that isn’t really going to change. In effect, we say to our sin, “if you don’t cause too much of a problem for me, I’ll leave you alone.” I won’t fight you. Is that the case for you? Are there sins in your life that you are no longer struggling against, but have simply chosen to accept? Because it’s too difficult, because you’ve tried too many times and failed? The apostle Peter is telling us that we must not do that. We have to keep fighting against our sins. Why? Because our sins “wage war against our souls”.
You see, I think many of us, perhaps even most or all of us, have sins that are buried deep in the recesses and hidden places of our hearts, sins that are covered by years and layers of denial, and self-delusion and self-justification, sins that have been releasing their poisons and toxins into our spiritual bloodstream for far too long. Sins we’ve tolerated and excused. Sins that we need to repent of and confess to God, even if that process requires suffering. Because they are waging war against our souls, and robbing us of our peace, and joy, and power.
All right. Finally, in verses 5-6, we read this:
“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.” (1 Peter 4:5-6)
What these verses are telling us is that we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. But if we are faithful as followers of Christ, even though other people may judge us negatively in this life, even though they may slander us, or reject us, or mistreat us, we will be vindicated before God; and he will say to us on that day, “well done, thou good and faithful servant”. I want to hear that, don’t you?
I’d like to conclude on a positive note. Three quick points. First of all, remember that our struggle against sin isn’t ours alone. Our risen Savior is actively supporting us in that struggle; he is supplying the power for us to persevere. He knows what we’re going through; he understands temptation. As we read in Hebrews:
“18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” (Hebrews 2:118, NIV)
“15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:15-16)
Christ is with us in every trial, in every moment of every day.
Second, choosing suffering over sin doesn’t mean being in a continual state of gloom and depression. On the contrary, we can and should be living joyfully. What does James say?
“2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” (James 1:2-3, NIV)
Likewise, our Lord gave us this instruction in his Sermon on the Mount:
“11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:11-12, NIV)
It is not only possible, but normal, for Christians to rejoice in the midst of suffering. We rejoice because we know that our victory is assured, whether now or in the future.
Because third and finally, our struggle against sin is only temporary. When Christ returns and we are transformed, we will be confirmed in righteousness, and we will never again be subject to sin and temptation. Our only desire, at every moment, will be to serve and praise God, for all eternity.
“Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3:2, NIV)
Do you find that encouraging? I hope so. May we each determine that we will choose to suffer when necessary, rather than to sin. Amen? Amen.
