1 Peter 4

1 Peter 4 belongs to the latter half of 1 Peter. Where 1 Peter 3 closes by speaking of Christ, who suffered for the unjust, this chapter opens with "Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh." The suffering of believers living scattered among others is the theme that runs through the entire chapter.

Outline

• Verses 1–6 Believers are urged to arm their minds with the suffering of Christ and to break with their former way of life, when they lived as the Gentiles do. Those who think this strange and speak evil of them will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this cause, the text says, the gospel was preached also to the dead.
• Verses 7–11 Because the end of all things is at hand, believers are to be sober and watchful in prayer, to love one another fervently, and to show hospitality without grudging. Each is to serve the others with the gift he or she has received, as good stewards of God's grace, and the section closes with a doxology ("Amen").
• Verses 12–19 Believers are not to think the fiery trial strange but to rejoice in sharing the sufferings of Christ. If they suffer not for wrongdoing but because they are Christians, they should not be ashamed, for judgment, the text says, begins at the house of God. Finally, they are urged to commit their souls in well doing to the faithful Creator.

Key Verses

• 1 Peter 4:8 "for charity shall cover the multitude of sins" — echoing Proverbs 10:12, this verse places love within the community above all else.
• 1 Peter 4:10 "even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God" — expresses the idea that every believer serves with the gifts he or she has received.
• 1 Peter 4:16 "Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed" — the name "Christian" appears only three times in the New Testament: here and in Acts 11:26 and 26:28.

People and Places

• Jesus Christ: Mentioned as the one who suffered and whose glory will be revealed.
• Gentiles: The term is used for the believers' former way of life and for the neighbors who speak evil of them.
• No specific places are mentioned.

Interpretive Notes

• "The dead" in verse 6: One interpretation takes this to mean believers who heard the gospel while alive and have since died; another reads it together with 3:19 as meaning that Christ proclaimed the gospel to the dead. The latter interpretation is discussed in connection with the confession "He descended into hell" in the Apostles' Creed; this phrase, however, is absent from the translation of the Apostles' Creed commonly used in Korean Protestant churches. For details, see 1 Peter 4:6.
• Verse 8: Many interpreters read this verse to mean that love covers the faults of one's neighbor, while others connect the practice of love with receiving forgiveness.
• Verse 17: Some read this verse alongside Ezekiel 9:6, where judgment is to "begin at my sanctuary."

In the Korean Church

In Korean churches, verse 7 ("be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer") and the passages on stewardship and service in verses 10–11 are frequently quoted in sermons encouraging prayer and church service.