20  Arming Yourself Against Unjust Suffering  (1 Peter 4:1–6)

Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties and abominable idolatries. In all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excesses of dissipation, and they malign you; but they will give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For the gospel has for this purpose been preached even to those who are dead, that though they are judged in the flesh as men, they may live in the spirit according to the will of God. (4:1–6)

Everything from the previous verses (3:8–22), leading up to this passage, has focused on the scattered believers suffering persecution from the world, and even facing the possibility of death. Suffering unjustly for being righteous is also on Peter’s mind in 1:6–9; 2:19–23; 4:14–19; 5:6–10. Knowing how to face such trials is critical to Christians’ growth and joy.

In this section, Peter calls for believers to be willing to face persecution for righteousness’ sake, and even martyrdom for Christ. His call is a call to strength, to resolve, to unwavering firmness like a soldier entering battle.

The key verb in this whole paragraph is the command arm yourselves, out of which springs all the motivations to obey the command. The verb, used only here in the New Testament, is from hoplizō, an aorist middle imperative, meaning literally, “to arm oneself with weapons” or “to put on as armor.” The noun form hoplon means “weapons” and is used in six passages eg., John 18:3; 2 Cor. 6:7; 10a. The picture is of preparation for battle.

The apostle Peter provides believers with four perspectives motivating them to be strong when righteousness brings suffering and, perhaps, martyrdom. Believers strengthen their resolve in persecution when they are armed with an understanding of the attitude of Christ, the will of God, the transformation from the past, and the hope of eternal life.

THE ATTITUDE OF CHRIST

Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, (4:1)

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. Since Christ has suffered in the flesh, believers must arm themselves also with the same purpose. When Jesus suffered in the flesh, He died (3:18; cf. 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 honor and praise of all who will live in heaven (cf. Rev. 5:8–14).

The primary weapon Peter calls for in arming believers is the same purpose that was manifest through Christ’s suffering and death. That purpose (“attitude, ” “thought, ” or “principle”) is a willingness to die because Christians know death produces the greatest victory (cf. 1 Cor. 15:26, 54–55; 2 Tim. 1:10; Rev. 21:4). Peter himself would have that very opportunity when he faced martyrdom and was faithful unto death (cf. John 21:18–19).

The apostle was not expressing a new concept to his readers. Jesus had taught positively that “if anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me” (Luke 9:23), and negatively that “he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it” (Matt. 10:38–39). Taking up one’s cross has no mystical connotation and means more than merely some extra spiritual dedication. When Jesus spoke of taking up the cross, His listeners knew He was talking about being executed on a cross. They knew exactly what He meant—they must confess Jesus as Lord, no matter what—even if it meant to die physically for His sake. The apostle Paul understood well the principle of cross-bearing:

Thousands of martyrs throughout church history have been willing to die (cf. Heb. 11:13–16, 35–38) because they armed themselves with the same purpose Jesus Christ had—to be faithful to the Father, no matter what, knowing that the cross precedes the crown. The greater the righteous suffering, the greater is the reward. And history’s martyrs realized that there is the greatest triumph of all in death, because believers who have died have ceased from sin. The perfect tense verb emphasizes a permanent condition free from sin. For Christ it was, of course, eternal. He bore sin’s curse only once and for all (Heb. 7:27; 9:12; 10:10, 12, 14). And believers can face death with the same attitude their Lord had, that when it comes they will have entered into an eternal condition of holy perfection, free from all sin’s influences and effects (cf. 1 Cor. 15:42–43; 2 Cor. 5:1; Rev. 21:4; 22:14–15).

Jesus is the forerunner who secured complete victory over sin and death. After He died and rose from the tomb, He had a glorified body (Mark 16:9–14; Luke 24:36–43; John 20:19–29; cf. Phil. 3:21) and was freed from the sinful powers (demons and evil men) to which He had voluntarily exposed Himself (Matt. 4:1–11) in His incarnation (John 1:9–11, 14–16; Phil. 2:6–8) and sin-bearing (Isa. 53:4–5; Matt. 20:28; John 1:29; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 2:17; 1 John 2:1–2). Jesus willingly faced death “for the joy set before Him” (Heb. 12:2). Knowing that in His death He would conquer sin forever was a joy that outweighed any suffering He had to endure in this world. The worst that can happen to a believer suffering unjustly is death, and that is actually the best that can happen because it means the final and forever end of sin. If the Christian is armed with the goal of being delivered from sin, and that is accomplished through death, the fearsome threat of death is gone and death even becomes precious (cf. Phil. 1:21; 2 Tim. 4:18).

Christians can be further encouraged when they recall what sin has done to them all their lives on earth. Sin is ever present in their unredeemed flesh and assaults them as long as they live (Ps. 38:18; Rom. 7:5; Heb. 12:1), constantly rising up within them to spread its damaging effects (cf. James 1:14–15). The ever-present conflict with sin causes them to desire more and more to escape it (Rom. 7:18, 23–24; cf. 8:20–22; 2 Tim. 2:19) and realize the hope Paul offered when he affirmed to Titus that “Christ Jesus … gave Himself for [believers] to redeem [them] from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession” (Titus 2:13–14). And just as Christ rose to newness of life and freedom from sin, God has promised the same for believers after they die: “So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power” (1 Cor. 15:42–43; cf. vv. 44, 49).

Paul dramatically summarizes the triumph believers have over sin and death in the following climactic words concerning the resurrection:

THE WILL OF GOD

so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. (4:2)

All sin is disobedience to the will of God. In that sense all sin is a personal act of rebellion by believers against Him (cf. Ps. 51:4). The New Testament contains many exhortations to obedience that emphasize this. For example, at the conclusion of His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warned His hearers about disobedience in very personal terms. He called the law “these words of Mine.”

In the end, condemnation will come on those who did not obey God’s will (Matt. 25:41–46; Jude 15)—even those who think they were obedient: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 7:21).

Paul commands believers to “not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of [their] mind, so that [they] may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom. 12:2; cf. Eph. 6:5–6; Col. 4:12). Sin, on the other hand, is an expression of disobedience (cf. Neh. 9:26; 1 John 3:4) and a refusal to do what God has commanded (Pss. 106:24–25; 107:11; cf. Jer. 22:21; 35:14b).

The hope of Christians is to cease from sin one day in heaven. Since that is the goal, the purpose for their salvation, it has strong implications for them now, so that they ought to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men. Since they are headed for holiness in eternity to come, saints are to live (bioō; a reference to earthly life) the remainder of the time God gives on earth in pursuit of that holiness, no matter the physical cost. They are armed for victory who live for the will of God, not the sinful desires of men. Peter calls those desires lusts, a strong word (epithumia) that means “passionate longing, ” and in this context connotes an evil desire. He urges believers to shun sin—not to live any longer driven by human lusts (2 Tim. 2:22), which are rooted in their unredeemed flesh (Rom. 7:17–18; Gal. 5:17) and characterized their unregenerate state (Eph. 2:1–3) and life in this world (1 John 2:15–17).

Peter is telling believers to arm themselves with a commitment to do the will of God and abandon their former sins. This is precisely what the apostle Paul calls for in Romans 6:8–12,

THE TRANSFORMATION FROM THE PAST

For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties and abominable idolatries. In all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excesses of dissipation, and they malign you; but they will give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. (4:3–5)

This passage is a vivid description of the tragic and devastating life pattern of the unconverted, which ends inexorably in judgment. The verses parallel several of Paul’s descriptions of humanity’s lost spiritual condition and describe the character and consequences of sin (Rom. 1:18–32; 1 Cor. 6:9–10; Gal. 5:19–21; cf. Eph. 5:3–7; Col. 3:5–10; 2 Tim. 3:1–7). Peter reminds believers to leave all that behind because it belongs to their former life in sin and under judgment. Since they have been delivered from that evil life, their souls are purified (1:22) and the time is already past for serving sin (Rom. 7:5; 1 Cor. 6:9–11a; Eph. 2:1–3). This phrase is literally “the having passed away time” (parelāluthōs chronos) meaning chronological time. It is a perfect tense, as are the two following verbs, have carried out (from katergazomai, “to produce”) and having pursued (from poreuomai, “to conduct one’s life”). Each building on the other, these three perfect tense verbs make the point that, for the believer, the sinful past is a closed book and its saga of sin is over. Sufficient (arketos) in this context means more than simply adequate, but conveys the sense of being more than enough. Peter’s readers had had a whole life full of opportunity to sin, and that is more than enough to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles (the unconverted peoples) and to have lived to fulfill sinful passions (cf. Eph. 2:1–3). Desire (boulēma) here conveys the sense of a purposed longing. The hearts of the unsaved determine to follow their passions as part of what Peter earlier called their “futile way of life” (1:18).

That former disposition pursued a course; it conducted life’s affairs along a specific path of behavior, and Peter described that for his readers with six terms. First, sensuality (aselgeia) describes those who engage in unbridled, unrestrained vice of all sorts (cf. Rom. 13:13). It could also be translated “debauchery, ” an excessive indulgence in sensual pleasure. Many unregenerate people live lawlessly, flaunting their vices in open defiance of God’s law (cf. Rom. 1:21–32; 2 Cor. 12:21), whereas others are less obvious (cf. 1 Tim. 5:24). Lusts (epithumia) are the sinful passions that drive people into such indulgence (cf. 1 Thess. 4:5; 1 Tim. 6:9; Jude 18). Drunkenness (oinophlugia) literally means “wine bubbling up” and refers to habitual intoxication. This term can also refer to the effects of narcotic use. Carousing (kōmos) refers to participating in wild parties or orgies. In one extrabiblical Greek source, the term described a band of drunken people that sang loudly and staggered wildly through the streets, causing a major public disturbance. The apostle completed his list of terms with two more expressions that fit this picture of uncontrolled conduct, drinking parties and abominable idolatries. Potos (drinking parties) were sessions people engaged in just for the sake of becoming inebriated. Abominable idolatries denotes the immoral, debauched worship of false gods (such as Dionysius or Bacchus, the Greek god of wine) that accompanied carousing and drinking parties.

When pursuing such a path in their former lives, the apostle’s audience had indulged in a sufficient amount of such despicable sins and they were never to return to them. The memory of the pain and misery those deeds caused them was to motivate his readers to diligently avoid such behavior, especially since their new life goal was to enter the holy place where sin would forever cease.

Such sins had been so much a way of life for Peter’s readers that when they abandoned them their fellow sinners, still unregenerate, were surprised (xenizō), meaning “astonished, ” or “shocked, ” with the connotation of taking offense or being resentful. Sin was such a normal lifestyle for the unbelievers (cf. Ps. 64:5; John 8:34; 2 Peter 2:14) that they were not only amazed that the Christians’ lives had changed so totally (cf. 1 Thess. 1:9), they even resented the fact that the new believers no longer went with them into the same excesses of dissipation. That expression vividly pictures a large melee of people madly racing forward, what one commentator described as “a euphoric stampede of pleasure seekers.” Excesses (anachusis) pictures waters coming together and pouring out in excess or overflowing. Dissipation (asotia) is that state in which a person’s mind is so corrupt that he thinks about nothing but evil and how he might indulge his sinful passions. Needless to say, Christians no longer desire such mindless pursuit of the passions that throw people into a state of over-the-top debauchery.

One-time friends become enemies and often malign those who do not run with them into sinful behavior. Malign (blasphemeō) literally means “to blaspheme, ” “to slander or defame someone, ” or “to speak evil of them.” Ancient sources, both Christian and non-Christian, provide ample evidence that it was Christians’ reluctance to participate in many conventionally accepted amusements and ungodly civic ceremonies, and their refusal to engage in idolatrous, immoral functions that caused unbelievers to hate and revile them. That led to unjust persecution and suffering for righteousness’ sake.

Peter, however, assured his readers that those who slander and persecute believers will give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. Such vicious attackers are amassing a debt to God that they will spend eternity paying back. He who is ready to judge will ultimately hold them accountable (cf. Matt. 18:23–34). The living—those alive when Peter wrote—and the dead—those already dead—will all be judged “so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God” (Rom. 3:19; cf. Matt. 25:31–33, 41–46). The apostle Paul perhaps most graphically described the severity of unbelieving persecutors’ judgment:

God is prepared to administer impartial judgment (1:17), but at the same time, since He has committed all judgment to Jesus Christ (John 5:22–27), the Father will through the agency of His Son judge those who oppose Christians:

THE HOPE OF ETERNAL LIFE

For the gospel has for this purpose been preached even to those who are dead, that though they are judged in the flesh as men, they may live in the spirit according to the will of God. (4:6)

Finally, believers are to arm themselves with the genuine hope of the reality of eternal life. God has promised them that through death they will overcome sin, escape final judgment, and enter eternal heaven in holy perfection. Peter thus reminds his readers that the gospel (the saving message of Christ) has for this purpose been preached (announced) even to those who are dead (those who had heard and believed the gospel but had died by the time he wrote). Some who read this letter would have known them and realized that some of the dead saints were martyrs. Though some of the dead believers were judged in the flesh as men (physically put to death), they were triumphantly alive in the spirit according to the will of God (cf. Heb. 12:23). Peter’s point is that believers, even under unjust treatment—including death—should be willing and unafraid to suffer, knowing that all death can do is triumphantly bring their eternal spirits into everlasting life in heaven.

There were questions in the early church about whether believers who died and missed the Lord’s return may have missed the promise of glory, especially if they were killed by enemies of Jesus Christ. Paul wrote the famous rapture passage to the Thessalonians to assure them that those who died did not forfeit the promises related to Christ’s return:

Just as Christ was crucified but was alive in spirit and raised from the dead, believers may suffer physical death but their spirits will remain alive and enter into the promise of eternal life. (See the discussion of 3:18–20 in the previous chapter of this volume.)

No pressure from enemies of the gospel and no unjust persecution by an ungodly world can steal believers’ victory; rather, all their suffering for righteousness’ sake has a perfecting power, increases their spiritual strength, humbles them, drives them to prayer, enriches their reward, and, in the event the enemies of Christ take their lives, they have reached their ultimate goal and God’s eternal purpose—they have forever “ceased from sin.”

Paul understood this when he wrote: