Original Meaning
PETER HAS SKETCHED the glories and implications of salvation (1:3–2) and spelled out how Christians are to live honorably within the context of a hostile society (2:11–4); he now turns to his final concerns. The major theme of 4:12–5 revolves around exhortations based on the life within the church. Peter speaks here again about how to cope with suffering, but this time adds a note of urgency.1 He then addresses the leaders of the churches (5:1–9) and concludes with a doxology (5:10–11).
Peter begins by exhorting his churches not to be surprised at the sufferings they are experiencing (4:12); instead, he contends in a counterproposal, they are to rejoice in their sufferings because it is participation in both the sufferings and glory of Christ (4:13). He reminds them of the one condition (emphasized in 2:18–20; 3:13–17) that is to obtain: If they are to suffer, it must be because of doing good, not because of rebellious behavior (4:14–16). Finally, he reminds them of the foundation of their perspective on suffering: They are to live in light of God’s judgment instead of in light of earthly pleasures (4:17–19).
Exhortation (4:12). As at 2:11, Peter marks the beginning of a major section with “Dear friends” and exhorts his readers to avoid being surprised2 by the “painful trial you are suffering.” Presumably, the early Christians were not generally surprised by opposition to the gospel (cf. 1 John 3:13), but the actual turn of events among Peter’s audience may have caught them off guard or shocked them. They were encountering a “painful trial” (lit., “the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you,” NRSV).3 “Trial” denotes an experience that is either positive (God is testing you; cf. 1:6–7) or negative (it is a painful experience or an occasion for temptation). While the latter may be true, the primary sense is surely to be found in the former.4
Counterproposal (4:13). Instead of being shocked by these events and turning inward to wonder and doubt, Peter’s readers are to “rejoice.”5 Their lives will be tied into the patterns of Jesus’ life (2:18–25; 3:15, 16; 4:1; cf. Mark 8:34–38), which should shape their fundamental attitude as they encounter persecution. Though they may now be somewhat surprised at the intensity of the heat they have stirred up by following Jesus, that very heat is an opportunity to “participate6 in the sufferings of Christ.” As Paul taught his own sufferings completed the sufferings of Jesus (Col. 1:24), so Peter sees the sufferings of ordinary believers as a special bond with their Lord.
But this attitude is only a preparation: Being able to rejoice now in the midst of suffering prepares one for being “overjoyed7 when his glory is revealed.” What seems presently unjust and difficult to face can be turned into a celebration of joy when one understands that Jesus endured the same; but even that celebration of joy is nothing compared with the abundant joy that will be experienced when the glory of Christ (cf. 1 Peter 1:5, 7, 13; 3:18–22) is revealed to vindicate God’s people and usher them into his pure joy, peace, and love (cf. Rom. 8:18–21).
Condition (4:14–16). Having lifted his readers spirits, Peter now reminds them of one important condition for enjoying that final, inexhaustible glory: They must remain faithful in doing good and not incur suffering because they deserve it. The first comment (4:14) is reiterated by the third comment (4:16): that is, being blessed if you suffer in the name of Christ is essentially the same as not being ashamed for suffering as a Christian. These two comments surround another one, about not suffering because they are evildoers (4:15).
The first comment speaks of being “insulted.”8 Because the first-century Mediterranean society was an honor-shame culture,9 an “insult” was much more than a form of criticism. Criticisms can be deflected; being shamed, however, irreparably damages one’s social standing. This is why in 4:16, Peter writes: “Do not be ashamed.” What these Christians must learn to cope with is the loss of social standing involved with conversion and consistent Christian living (though this does not imply they were previously in the upper class).
Rather than taking these insults personally, Peter’s readers must take these insults as an occasion to see that they are blessed (4:14), for Jesus taught that way (Matt. 5:10, 11–12; cf. 10:24–25). Peter therefore exhorts them to glorify God for their being identified with the name of Jesus (4:16); they are to wear his name proudly.10 The reason they are to assume this stance against persecution is because “the Spirit of glory11 and of God rests on you” (4:14). That is, they are blessed by God and are to glorify him because of the presence of his Spirit on them. This resting of the Spirit may refer to an occasional presence of the Spirit (as in Matt. 10:20), but it more likely means the constant indwelling of the Spirit in the community of saints, for the same Spirit rested on Jesus (Isa. 11:2; Matt. 3:13–17). This Spirit, especially when the saints are in stress, reveals the power, patience, and goodness of God to those who witness such events (cf. 1 Peter 2:12; 3:1, 16; cf. e.g., Acts 7:55).
No matter what happens, however, Peter offers a warning: “If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler.” Suffering for the name of Christ or for being a Christian is acceptable; suffering for doing bad things is unacceptable and deserving. Once again, the social context highlights the importance of Peter’s exhortations: The Christian household is under a severe threat of extinction, and any kind of behavior12 that jeopardizes an already difficult situation must be eliminated. Instead, as Peter says in 2:11–12, Christians should live good lives (which includes suffering for doing Christian kinds of things), so that there may be no just cause of suffering.
Foundation (4:17–19). The Christians of Asia Minor are to rejoice because they are participating in the sufferings of Jesus; they are also to make sure that, if they do suffer, it is because they are doing good. Peter now gives the foundation for both exhortations: They will someday have to answer to God for their behavior. He begins with the statement: “For it is time for judgment to begin with the family13 of God” (4:17a). Judgment is an important motif in 1 Peter and, as observed at 4:7, serves as the foundation for motivating early Christians to live faithfully before God (cf. 1:17; 2:23; 4:5).
That God’s judgment begins with the people of God is familiar to any reader, whether ancient Jewish or modern Westerner, of the Old Testament.14 For instance, Amos 3:2 says, “You only have I chosen of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your sins.”15 While the threat of judgment was for everyone, the actual judgment would begin with God’s people, resulting in the salvation of the faithful and the condemnation of the unfaithful. Such a condemnation would then extend to all the nations of the earth. A similar threat of a judgment of all is found throughout the New Testament (cf. Matt. 25:31–46; 1 Cor. 11:28; 2 Cor. 5:10), and it is clear that the early church saw persecution as the first stage of the coming judgment (cf. Phil. 2:28–30; 1 Thess. 3:3–4; 2 Thess. 1:4; Revelation). This threat of judgment formed the basis for exhorting Christians to live faithfully.
It is not enough for us to say simply that the final judgment will begin with the family of God; rather, we must understand that such persecution is the beginning of that judgment.16 In other words, the persecution these Christians are experiencing is the act of God whereby he purges his people to prepare them for his final display of salvation, insofar as he makes them fit for that judgment through suffering. So, for example, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11:32, “When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.”17 This may be the context for understanding 1 Peter 4:1: Suffering purges sin from one’s Christian living. What Peter is saying here, therefore, is as much related to persecution and suffering as it is to the final judgment, though the two are closely related. Those who are purged through suffering are the ones who inherit final salvation.
In light of this statement, Peter then asks rhetorically: “If it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?” (4:17b). That is, if the judgment is so severe that it deals a harsh blow for those associated with the family of God, then surely the pagans, who have no connection whatsoever with God’s people or salvation, will be cut off entirely (cf. 2:7–8). The apostle then reiterates this rhetorical question in 4:18 with another question, this time a question from Proverbs 11:31: “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”18
Because of the severity of God’s penetrating judgment, Peter exhorts these Christians to submit themselves to God by living a good life (4:19). If it is God’s will for some to suffer, then those same people must, like Jesus (2:23), surrender themselves to the faithful Creator. Peter’s construction makes it clear that the trust of these suffering Christians is to be exhibited by means of, or in the context of, doing good works. That is, they are to live honorably within their cultural context (2:11–12; 2:13–3:12) in such a way that there is no room for accusing them of sinfulness and rebellion. As Goppelt has written: “This ‘handing over’ of one’s own ‘I’ to the Creator, which liberates a person from fear, takes place, amid the danger of losing one’s life, through prayer and through action arising from hopeful faith.”19
Bridging Contexts
ONCE AGAIN, WE are confronted with a text whose main direction is considerably remote from the normative experience of most Westerners. While we do occasionally hear reports of suffering in the name of Christ in the Western world, such reports are noteworthy only because they are unusual. For Peter’s churches, however, such experiences were the norm. Once again, therefore, we must protect the integrity of the text and give adequate respect to our brothers and sisters throughout the world and history of the church who have truly suffered in the name of Jesus. This means we must not cheapen the message of this text in our haste to make it relevant. After all, what really does an American Christian businessman have to do with suffering when he drives a $20,000 car, has media access to all his connections wherever he finds himself (in a car, on a golf course, at home, or a work), takes lush vacations several times a year to exotic places, and buys whatever his heart desires? To make our text relevant to such a man by suggesting that his tithing dedication is something that prevents him from advancing in today’s markets is, in my opinion, to make a mockery of the millions of Christians who have suffered extensively simply because they are Christians and want to meet to worship.
However, within this text is a concept that might help us make a transition into our modern context—the concept is honor and shame. While it would be foolish for us to think that our culture is as much honor-bound or shame-bound as an ancient Mediterranean culture, such a mechanism is not entirely absent from our modern world. When a new employee assumes the tasks of a former employee, that former employee can feel a sense of a “lack of status” or “shame” if the new employee is more competent, whereas a sense of honor is preserved when the new employee cannot handle the tasks with the same competence. When a parent discovers that one of her children knows more than she does or can perform a task with greater efficiency and skill, that parent can sense of lowering of status and hence feel some shame. When your pastor comes to you to ask you what you think about a certain program or plan in the church, you might feel honored, even elevated in your status, to be asked such a question by a pastor. These are all instances that show the presence of honor and shame in our culture.
Where we might be able to make this text more relevant to ours are those times when we lose some status (are shamed) or gain more status (are honored) because of our allegiance to Jesus Christ. Recently I heard a professional baseball player speak of his embarrassment over the continuing threat of a strike by the Player’s Association and how he had lost respect from other ballplayers because he was opposed to that decision. He was concerned about the impression of greed and wrong priorities that the players were giving to our society and its youth, and his judgment about these issues was entirely formed on the basis of his Christian faith. Such a “loss of status,” and therefore the presence of shame, was the direct result of his faith. We can only imagine how he will be treated during the season. In such a case, I believe we are bringing Peter’s text directly into our world, regardless of how different the situation might be.
Christians in the first century undoubtedly frequently experienced loss of respect and shame to a degree that we probably never will. But we are not amiss if we try to find analogies to this in our society—to the occasional presence of shame in our world for being Christians. This can happen whenever a supervisor speaks for honesty instead of greed or for fairness to workers instead of profits, whenever a Christian worker opts for respect of an employer over adopting an adversarial relationship, whenever a family member loses power or influence within a family structure because of conversion to Christ, or whenever the Christian student refuses to participate in the party spirit at the college campus. In each of these the Christian alternative may very well lead to social shame, to the loss of status and influence; such shame is to be endured with joy.
In 1 Peter 4:15, the author records prohibitions for which Christians are not to suffer. His concern is with the reason for suffering; he says, in effect, “Do not let it come about because you deserve it.” This does not mean people can do these things as long as they do not get caught, as long as it does not cause problems for the Christian community, or even as long as they do not find themselves suffering for such behavior. In other words, applications can be made indirectly: If these prohibitions are given to keep the churches from suffering for doing bad things, it follows that the churches are not to do those things even when the prospect of suffering is less likely. Furthermore, such prohibitions are founded on the law of Moses and biblical principles. This makes them even more readily applicable.
Contemporary Significance
IF INDEED THIS text speaks of learning how to cope with the shame that can be caused by following Christ, we need to begin here with discovering the contemporary significance of the text. Put differently, we can draw up some guidelines of what happens when we feel the lowering of our status because we confess our allegiance to Jesus Christ and compose a list of considerations we need to pursue for how to cope with the ensuing shame. A list of principles, some of which may be more pertinent than others (depending on the person and the situation), includes the following nine items.
(1) Christians ought not to be surprised if they suffer shame and loss of status because of their faith (4:12). Instead, they ought to know that in the history of Israel and of the church, God’s people have always been opposed by the Prince of Darkness, by the flesh, and by people who refuse to submit to God’s will. Whether we think of Joseph, Moses, Elijah, Jeremiah, Jesus, or the apostles, or whether we think of ordinary Christians in mainland China or in some Muslim countries, persecution is a theme woven tightly and boldly into the fabric of the Christian story. When it does occur, we ought not to be surprised.
(2) Suffering shame for Jesus should be understood as a test to prepare us for God’s final judgment (4:12). Although Peter may have drawn this theme from Jewish eschatology, wherein persecution was connected with the final age as a preparatory device, it speaks to the human condition whenever Christians endure unjust suffering. Our lives now prepare us for our final exam with God; even our suffering is one way God prepares us to be fit for his presence.
(3) Christians ought to welcome the opportunity to share in the sufferings of Christ (4:13). When we realize that losing status puts us right into the company of Jesus, we should be able to cope much more easily with suffering. Jesus has gone before us, he has suffered like us, he has endured and gives us encouragement to go on, and, in the categories of Hebrews 4:14–16, he is a sympathetic high priest who intercedes for us.
(4) Christians ought to be able to transcend their present pain by reflecting on the transcendent glory that awaits God’s people (4:13; cf. 1:3–9). It is of no small consolation to the sufferer to know there is something infinitely greater in his or her hope. In spite of injustices, there is a glory for the Christian because God is just. “That means that [Christians] do not always have ready answers; they have, instead, a reasonable confidence in One who does have the answers and the power to impose them. God will have the last word; we dare to wait for that.”20
(5) Even if anxieties and cares jump up to terrify Christians at every turn when facing suffering, they should be able to thank God for the Spirit, who will enable them to continue in doing good and in bringing glory to God (4:14). Jesus taught this (Matt. 10:20) and clearly endured it (chaps. 26–27); other Christians have witnessed to the same confidence and thankfulness that Stephen had (Acts 7:54–8:1).
(6) When facing suffering, the Christian needs to remind himself or herself to guard good behavior with a firm shield (4:15). Whatever happens to us, Peter reminds us, we are not to ruin the cause of the gospel with filthy works of evil. Once again, Christian wisdom has taught us the same thing: nothing is more damaging to the glory of God and the growth of the gospel than the sins of his people, especially those of well-known Christian leaders.
(7) Christians are to take their eyes off themselves, endure shame, and turn their eyes on the glory of God as they face injustice because they are following Jesus (4:16). Shame is the heart of peer pressure, and peer pressure may never conquer our resolve to be obedient, loving, and peaceful. We must learn to put aside what others think and care only about what God thinks.
(8) Because Christians realize that the final day of reckoning is yet to come and is a firm, fixed date in God’s diary, they must strengthen their resolve to obey God in the face of suffering and injustice (4:17–18). Here they need to develop a stubborn streak, that no matter what happens to them, they must live their lives in light of God’s judgment. Whether the IRS knows or not is not the issue; God knows. Whether the boss knows or not is not the issue; God knows. Whether your family knows or not is not the issue; God knows. And because God knows everything, we must learn to submit everything in our lives to his final assessment.
(9) Finally, when facing suffering in the name of Christ, Christians must continue to do good works as an expression of their trust (4:19). Obedience in the Bible is not an appendix to faith. These two (obedience and faith) are so connected in the Bible that they are inseparable. Believers are obedient, and the obedient ones believe. Consequently, Peter exhorts his readers to hand over their lives to the faithful Creator by living a life of good deeds no matter what happens to them.