1 Peter 4

1 Peter 4:1

More Precious Than Gold An EasyEnglish Commentary (2800 word vocabulary) on the first letter of Peter www.easyenglish.info Helen Pocock This commentary has been through Advanced Theological Checking.

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Chapter 4 Living for God

v1 Christ suffered while he was in his human body. Each one of you Christians must be ready to suffer as he did. If you suffer as a Christian it shows that you do not want to *sin any more. v2 You will do what God wants for the rest of your life on earth. v3 In the past you spent enough time doing evil things. Then you were behaving in the same way as people who are not Christians. You followed your evil desires. You took part in wrong acts of sex.

You drank too much alcohol. You went to noisy parties and ate and drank too much. You had fights. You even *worshipped *idols. v4 Now you surprise your former friends because you refuse to behave the same way as they do. So now they curse you. v5 But they will have to answer to God. He judges the people who are alive and those who have died. v6 This is why the good news of Jesus has reached people who are now dead.

After God judges them for what they have done in this life, their spirits will live with God.

Verses 1-2

Peter now continues what he started to say in chapter 3:18. Christ is the model. He lived to do what God wanted. Christians must do the same, even if they suffer for it as Jesus did (chapter 2:21-23). They will change the way they think and feel too. When people suffer as Christians, it shows how much they love God. They want to obey God and do what is right. They do not want to *sin any more. Romans 6:6-7 says that, when people become Christians, Jesus frees them from the power of *sin. They must make use of this power not to *sin and do what is right.

Verse 3

Peter is writing this letter to *Jews and Gentiles who have become Christians. ‘Gentile’ is the name that the *Jews gave to anyone who was not a *Jew. The Gentiles did not know about the only real God, nor his laws in the *Old Testament. Instead, they *worshipped many false gods. As a result, they lived evil lives. An ‘idol’ is a piece of stone or wood that people believe is their god. But an idol can also be anything that a person loves more than they love God.

Verse 4

When people become Christians, their lives change. This happens because the Spirit of Jesus is now in them. They give up their evil behaviour. Now they *worship God, who is the Father of Jesus Christ. People who are not Christians cannot understand why their former companions have completely changed. In John 3:19-21, Jesus says that people who do what is evil hate the light. Christians now have the light of Jesus in their lives. Other people may hate and insult them because of this.

Verse 5

Peter’s readers knew that Jesus would return. They expected this to happen before they died. But many people had already died. It does not matter whether people are dead or alive when Jesus returns. That is when God will judge what every person has said and done.

Verse 6

In the beginning, God created Adam. Adam *sinned. God judged Adam’s *sin and punished Adam with death (Genesis chapters 2-3). All people die because of Adam’s *sin (Romans 5:12). But Jesus came to this world. God punished Jesus for people’s *sins. Every person’s physical body still dies. But God gives *eternal life to people who believe and trust Jesus (John 3:16). This good news is for everyone. God saves people from the result of *sin because of what Jesus has done.

v7 The time is near when all things will end. Have a clear mind. Keep yourself under control so that you can pray. v8 It is most important that you continue to love one another deeply. Love hides many *sins. v9 Be ready to welcome one another into your homes. Do not be unwilling to do this. v10 God has given each person a gift. Use this gift to serve other people. When you use God’s various gifts in this way, you will be like his good servants. v11 If you have a gift to speak, use it to *preach God’s message. If you have a gift to help other people, do it with the strength that God gives. Do everything in a way that brings honour to God through Jesus Christ. *Glory and power belong to him always. *Amen.

Verse 7

Peter writes, ‘The time is near when all things will end’. He wrote these words almost 2000 years ago. We do not know when the end will come. But one day it will. It may happen while we ourselves are still alive. So we must always be ready. All Christians should think clearly about their daily behaviour. They should live in the way that God wants. This will help their prayers. Then they will be ready to meet Jesus when he comes back.

Verse 8

This kind of deep love is God’s kind of love (see chapter 1:22). It is more than just good feelings that last only for a time. Christians should continue to love one another deeply, even when it is difficult. ‘Love hides many *sins’ (Proverbs 10:12). Christians should not tell everyone when people do something wrong. However, Christians should not excuse people when they *sin. Nor should they think that any *sin does not matter. Instead, Christians should be ready to forgive other people and to help them to do what is right.

Verse 9

One way that Christians can show their love is to invite people into their homes. It may involve hard work. But they should be happy to help other people and should not complain. They should do this even if the Christian is a stranger. He may have travelled from a different place. Remember that God is the Father of all Christians. All Christians belong to the same family.

Verses 10-11

God has made everyone able to do something. This is your ‘gift’. Often God gives people more than one gift. There are various gifts. The *Greek word for ‘various’ means ‘of many colours’. Together, God desires the gifts to produce a beautiful pattern.

Christians should not be selfish, because God wants them to help each other. They must not expect the leaders of a church to do all the work. Paul taught more about this in Romans 12:3-8 and 1 Corinthians 12.

Peter mentions two sorts of gifts. There are gifts where people speak. Also, there are gifts where people serve in a practical way. Some people are able to teach and *preach. Some can *prophesy or speak wise words. However, all these words must be about the truth that comes from God. Other people can do practical things to help. God gives them the strength to do this work. No one should be proud. People should depend on God. Then everyone will *praise God for what he does. Peter ends these verses with *praise to God. ‘*Amen’ means ‘I agree’. Suffering as a Christian

v12 Dear Christian friends, do not be surprised when painful troubles come to test you. Do not think that something strange is happening to you. v13 Instead, be happy when you suffer as Christ did. Then when he comes again in his *glory, you will be full of joy.

v14 People may curse you because you are a Christian. But God will bless you. The Spirit of *glory and of God is with you. v15 If you suffer, it must not be because you have murdered someone. It should not be because you are a thief, a criminal or someone who makes trouble in other people’s lives. v16 If you suffer because you are a Christian, do not be ashamed. *Praise God that you are a Christian.

v17 The time has come for judgement to begin. God will judge first the people who belong to him. God will judge even us Christians. We do not know what bad things will happen to the people who do not obey the good news from God.

v18 The Bible says,  ‘It is difficult for even a *righteous person to have *salvation. What will happen to the wicked person and the *sinner?’ (Proverbs 11:31) v19 If God allows you to suffer although you are a Christian, continue to trust him. God created the world and he is loyal. So, continue to do what is right.

Verse 12

‘Dear Christian friends’. Peter loves and cares about the people to whom he is writing. Again, he says that Christians should not be surprised when they have painful troubles. The *Greek word for ‘painful’ means ‘burning’. Painful troubles are like the fire that tests the gold of *faith (see chapter 1:7). Difficulties are an opportunity for a Christian to show real trust in God.

Verse 13

When people suffer because they are Christians, they can have joy. They know what will happen in the future. They suffer as Christ did when he was in the world. When he returns, they will have a share in his *glory. Then they will be full of joy.

Verse 14

God blesses Christians when people curse them. Peter calls the Holy Spirit ‘the Spirit of *glory and of God’. All Christians have the Holy Spirit in their lives. When Jesus returns, all Christians will have a share of God’s *glory. But those who suffer because they are Christians have special help from the Holy Spirit now.

Verse 15

Christians know that it is wrong to murder or to steal. These are among the 10 commands that God gave to Moses (Exodus 20). It is also wrong to ‘make trouble in other people’s lives’. That means being too interested in someone’s personal affairs.

Verse 16

Not everyone will suffer as a Christian. If you do, that is no reason to be ashamed. Philippians 2:9-11 says that, in the end, everyone will have to agree that Jesus Christ is *Lord. Christians can thank God now that Jesus Christ died to forgive their *sins and to give them new life. They are happy to know that he is their *Lord.

Verses 17-18

‘Judgement’ is the act of judging. God will judge people by his standards of what is right and wrong. Then he will reward or punish each person. It is not easy to live a Christian life. God wants Christians to be pure. He allows them to have troubles. These troubles test their trust in God and make it more pure. But many people do not trust Jesus or obey him. Their lives are full of what is bad. They are wicked people. If they do not accept Jesus, it will be awful for them when God comes to judge them. God will not forgive them. In Matthew 18:9 Jesus says they will go to ‘the fire of hell’. This describes their terrible fate.

Verse 19

Christians cannot always understand what God allows to happen. However, they must continue to trust him and to do what is right. God created the whole world and everything and everybody in it. So he has very great power. God is ‘loyal’. This means that he will use his power to care for all who put their trust in him. He will never fail them. He will always do what is good for them.

© 1999-2001, Wycliffe Associates (UK)

This publication is written in EasyEnglish Level B (2800 words).

December 2001

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