Special articles written by Primitive Baptist Elders

Commenting On 1 Peter (Continued)

J.C. Stanaland

 “arm yourselves”

 I Pet 4:1  “Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;”

The phrase “arm yourselves” is a military term meaning to prepare for battle.  To “arm”, is to take up the instruments necessary to meet an impending struggle.  To “arm” is to be well equipped and trained in the use of the instruments of battle.  One who is armed, has reasonable expectation of success.  To face the battle unarmed is to approach the struggle with the fear of certain ruin.  Throughout the Scripture, military terms are used to articulate our Christian struggles in this life.  Peter is here exhorting us to be mindful of how “Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh” and then to “arm” or equip ourselves to likewise suffer “in the flesh”.  The point is, that if Christ loved us sufficiently to die for us to pay our sin debt, then we should be anxiously willing to disadvantage ourselves or even put ourselves in harms way to serve Him by living in obedience to His commands.  The objective of this battle is to show our love to our blessed Lord by our obedience to Him: “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15).

I Pet 4:1  “suffered in the flesh  Peter is exhorting the “Elect” (I Pet 1:2), “born again” (I Pet 1:23 Children of God to “arm yourselves with the same mind”; that is, with “the same mind” that Christ had on this earth wherein He willingly suffered to accomplish the will of His Father.  Those among the “Elect”, “born again” Children of God who follow in Christ’s example have “ceased from sin”.  Notice that he did not say that they are no longer sinners.  Peter qualifies the phrase, “ceased from sin”, in I Peter 4:2-4 where he lists the sin that he is referring to.  The point is that in seeking to follow Christ, we consequently cease from the sin of our previous life.  Only Christ Himself is without sin, for Paul proclaimed, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (Romans 3:23); therefore, Peter is not telling us that we become sinless, but that as we strive to follow Christ’s example, we leave behind the sins of our past life.  May the Lord bless that all the “Elect”, “born again” Children of God will submit themselves to suffer “in the flesh” as they diligently strive to follow Christ’s example of righteous behavior.

I Peter 4:2  “live the rest of his time”  “That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.”

Once the “Elect” (I Peter 1:2) Children Of God are “born again” (I Peter 1:23) of the “Holy Spirit” (John 3:5), they are consequently enabled to arm themselves “with the same mind” (I Peter 4:1) as Christ, whereby they can turn from the sins of their previous life, to follow the Lord’s righteous example and commandment.  In so turning we should dedicate our lives into the Lord’s service; thus, not “live the rest of his time in the flesh”; that is, not pursue the vain things of this world that Peter describes as “the lusts of men”.  As we turn from “the lusts of men”, we are to willingly and lovingly strive with all diligence to live according to “the will of God”.  In so doing we show our love to our Lord, Jesus Christ (John 14:15).

I Peter 4:3  “when we walked”  “For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:”

Peter is showing a great contrast in the life of the “Elect” (I Peter 1:2) before they are “born again” (I Peter 1:23); that is, in “time past of our life” they (we) were motivated by and guided by the “lusts of men” (I Peter 4:2); but now (after rebirth), they (we) are motivated by and guided by the Holy Spirit “to the will of God” (I Peter 4:2).  The sensual idolatry of the Gentile nations was (is) most appealing to the natural “lusts of men”.  Left to himself; that is, without the motivation and leadership of the Holy Spirit, man will inherently live a life guided by his own lusts, versus “the will of God” (I Peter 4:2).  Paul, using himself as an example, tells us that, even after rebirth, “the lusts of men” remains in the Children of God (Romans 7:14-23); consequently, there is a warfare in our minds, being drawn by “the lusts of men” and simultaneously drawn by the Holy Spirit “to the will of God”.  Peter’s exhortation is that we would seek to understand what the Spirit has wrought in our hearts and willingly submit “to the will of God”.  Only in such submission does the Child of God enjoy peace and joy in this life.

I Peter 4:3  “lasciviousness”  The phrase “when we walked in lasciviousness” is applied in a general sense; that is, the word “we” seems to include all the Children Of God who have conducted themselves in an ungodly and immoral fashion.  Peter provides a list of evils that are representative of “the time past of our life” to which we are to avoid with all diligence in our present life.  The first abomination that Peter lists is “lasciviousness” which points to the vainness of an unchecked human nature.  To be lascivious is to seek to satisfy the most base, unbridled human lusts wherein one seeks to gratify themselves physically, emotionally, monetarily, and socially without regard or respect to the needs and desires of others.  But most egregious is the lack of respect for the will of God.  Lascivious people essentially see themselves as gods unto themselves, often times employing feigned godliness as a means to obtain their vain, personal gratification.  Throughout the Scripture we are exhorted to put “lasciviousness” far away from us.

I Peter 4:3  The Peril Of “lusts”  To “lust” is to crave that which is forbidden.  In this context, things are forbidden because it is contrary to God’s order and, or commandment to have or to obtain the object of desire.  For example: God commanded Adam, “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” (Gen 2:17).  Satan seized that opportunity to entice Eve.  He presented the forbidden fruit as “good for food”, “pleasant to the eyes”, and as that which would “make one wise”.  Then, being enticed, Eve “did eat”, then gave to her husband “and he did eat” (Gen 3:6).  The root meaning of the word death is to be separated from; that is, at death one is separated from life when the spirit is separated from the body (Eccl 12:7).  It is certain that Adam and Eve were now subject to natural death and that they would eventually be separated from life.  But God said, “in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” and they did.  They were separated from the perfect peace and joy that they had enjoyed up to that time.  They were separated from their innocence when “the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked” (Gen 3:7).  They separated from their peaceful walk with God when “Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God” (Gen 3:8).  They were separated from their marital bliss when Adam attempted to excuse himself by passing the blame to his wife, “The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree” (Gen 3:12).  Adam was separated from the blissful provision of The Garden when “the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden” (Gen 3:23).  And finally Adam was separated from life when “he died” (Gen 5:5).  James increments the process of “lust” to “death” this way, “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.  15  Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” (James 1:14-15).  James then gives us this warning “Do not err, my beloved brethren.”  (James 1:16).  Let us heed the warning.

I Peter 4:3  “The Will Of The Gentiles”  Like the “Elect” (I Peter 1:2), “born again” (I Peter 1:23) Children Of God in Peter’s day, we can look at “the time past of our life” and remember that we too “wrought the will of the Gentiles”; that is, “wrought” (worked) to satisfy the will of the flesh in all its unholy desires.  Peter gives us a generalized, representative list of abominable, unholy things that are to “the will of the Gentiles” versus “to the will of God” (I Peter 4:2).  In mans natural state, his “lasciviousness” and “lusts” move him to “excess of wine” (drinking to excess which results in gross unholy behavior), “revellings” (loud, riotous, obnoxious behavior), “banquetings” (wild and unholy partying), “abominable idolatries” (worship anything other than God, especially the sensual immoral activities that some refer to as worship).  Such conduct should never be found among the “Elect”, “born again” Children Of God.

I Peter 4:4  “they think it strange”  “Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:”

As the “Elect” (I Peter 1:2), “born again” (I Peter 1:23) Children Of God separate themselves from the unholy conduct of this present world, their past acquaintances “think it strange” that anyone would leave the fleshly, sensual attractions of this world.  This point of truth vividly illustrates that without the Holy Spirit working in the heart of someone, to “born” them of the Spirit, there is no affection for the holy things of God.  Without rebirth, there is only worldly, natural affections.  These natural affections inherently move us toward the vain and unholy things of this world; thus, those whom the Holy Spirit has not “born again” have no attraction for, nor understanding of, the Holy Things of God and “they think it strange” when those who are “born again” separates themselves.  By telling us what to expect, Peter is encouraging us to press-on in obedient service to our Lord; even though those around us “think it strange”.

I Peter 4:4  “that ye run not with them”  To “run … with them” is to favor and take part in the unholy conduct listed in I Peter 4:3.  When we no longer “run … with them to the same excess of riot”, our previous acquaintances “think it strange”.  When we begin to separate ourselves from our previous conduct, our old friends do not understand and they inherently begin to speak evil of us; that is, they laugh at us and ridicule us, all because they do not understand.  But let us never forget that while others are “speaking evil of” us, we have an almighty Friend that “sticketh closer than a brother” (Prov 18:24).  This Friend will never forsake us, He knows our every trial and trouble, He delivers us from even the the most severe difficulties, He always loves us and cares for us, and this Friend loved us so much that he willingly gave His life for us.  This Friend, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, is deserving of our loving allegiance and obedience to Him.

I Peter 4:5  “Who Shall Give Account”  “Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.”

In I Peter 4:1-4 we found that those who are obedient to the Lord can expect to be ill-treated by those of the world.  However, in I Peter 4:5, Peter tells us that those who do mistreat the Children Of God “shall give account to him”; that is, “give account” to the Lord.  To “give account” is to have their sinful conduct enumerated and to receive the grievous consequence for their conduct.  It is never pleasant to see anyone come under the punishing hand of God; however, our Lord is the defender of His beloved people and He will reward the evildoers for their vile deeds.  Such evils are often punished in life so as to afford the Children Of God relief from the wiles of the devil – the final, eternal punishment will come at the end of time.  Paul cautions us against taking matters into our own hands:  “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” (Romans 12:19).  It is apparent that the reason Peter is telling us, that those who mistreat us “shall give account to him”, is to comfort us in our times of trial, reminding us that we are not alone, but in the care of our Heavenly Master!

I Peter 4:5  “Ready To Judge”  “to judge”, in this context, is to hold persons accountable for their conduct; that is, there are punitive consequences for unholy conduct and the Lord “is ready” to exact this judgment, especially upon those who mistreat His obedient Children; that is, upon those who are “speaking evil of you” (I Peter 4:4).  To live in obedience to Christ is, most often, to endure ridicule and abuses from the world around us.  We are highly blessed in this country to enjoy freedom from religious persecution, but that does not prevent folks from “speaking evil of you” on a social level and treating you as an outcast.  The root cause of this treatment is that worldly-minded people are angered when the light of righteousness is shined upon their unrighteousness.  The very act of separating ourselves from unholy conduct accentuates the ungodliness of such conduct as that listed in I Peter 4:3.  The practitioners of such unholy conduct are often angered when their unholy ways are contrasted to the lives of the Children Of God who are striving for moral obedience to the Lord’s commandments.  The Lord “is ready judge” those who live such unholy lives and are “speaking evil of you”.  Note that such judgment is the Lord’s, not ours.

I Peter 4:5  “The Quick And The Dead”  The phrase “the quick and the dead” is referring to those who have Spiritual life (“quick”) and those are Spiritually “dead” (have no Spiritual life).  Paul uses the word “quick” this way: “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;” (Eph 2:1) and “And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;” (Col 2:13).  Therefore, the “quick” are the “Elect” (I Peter 1:2) who have been “born again” (I Peter 1:23) by the Holy Spirit.  The “dead” are those who are left in their natural state with no love for God or the things of God; such things as moral conduct and Church membership.  Both “the quick and the dead” are subject to the law of God.  The “quick” love the Commandments of God and labor to live in obedience to the Commandments.  The “dead”, while they have no love for God, are yet subject to the moral laws of God and are subject to Divine judgment for their disobedience, especially when they do harm to the Children Of God.

I Peter 4:6  “For for this cause”  “For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.”

“For for this cause” is referring to Peter’s declaration that, “Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.” (I Pet 4:5).  Thus, both those who have spiritual life and those who do not are subject to God’s judgments.  This declaration should be of great comfort to the “Elect” (I Peter 1:2), “born again” (I Peter 1:23) Children Of God, for those who are of worldly motives are always in opposition to the Christian way of life.  Those who strive to live their lives in the humble, meek, moral, and brotherly nature of Christian peoples are often subject to public mockery and ridicule.  It is comforting to know that such matters are in God’s hands.  He will “judge” offenders with a righteous judgment. 

I Peter 4:6  “Gospel Preached To The Dead”  The Gospel message; in particular, its commandments for obedience and submission to God, is applicable to both those who have spiritual life and those who don’t.  Those who have spiritual life love the Gospel message: “O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.” (Psa 119:97), “I hate vain thoughts: but thy law do I love.” (Psa 119:113), and “Therefore I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold.” (Psa 119:127).  There are those who not only do not love the Gospel message, they hate it:  “Because he hath despised the word of the LORD …” (Num 15:31), “… they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.” (Isa 5:24).  Nevertheless, all are subject to God’s commandments whether they love them or not.  Those who do not have spiritual life are; in particular, subject to God’s moral and civil commandments, especially where they pertain to the welfare of His people.  The Lord provides for and protects His own: “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” (Psa 23:1).

I Peter 4:6  “judged according to men in the flesh”  In this context, to be “judged” is to be chastened by God because of unholy conduct.  To “be judged according to men in the flesh” is to enforce laws by fear of the consequences of disobedience, versus by love.  The “Elect” (I Peter 1:2), “born again” (I Peter 1:23) strive to obey the Lord because of love.  Christ explained this principle when He proclaimed, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15).  Therefore those who do not have spiritual life are compelled to moral and civil obedience by fear of the consequences of disobedience.  Those who have spiritual life are also compelled to obey God from fear of chastening, but their principle motivation to obey rises from the inner love that God has given them.  The “Elect”, “born again” (those who have spiritual life) seek to show their love to their Lord by their obedience to Him.  Those who have spiritual life suffer great shame because of their disobedience while those who do not have spiritual life have no such shame, only fear of the consequences.  The “Elect”, “born again” Children Of God should take much comfort in knowing that our Heavenly Father rules in the lives of those who do not have spiritual life as well as in the lives of those who do have spiritual life.

I Peter 4:6  “live according to God in the spirit”  To “live according to God in the spirit” is to live in obedience to God’s commandments.  The “Elect” (I Peter 1:2), “born again” (I Peter 1:23) Children Of God who are sometimes disobedient, God lovingly chastens them to correct their behavior: “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.” (Heb 12:6), “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.” (Rev 3:19).  The worldly-minded folks who mistreat the Lord’s Children are subject to the wrath of God; thus, their unholy behavior is tempered by the Lord’s judgment and by their fear of it: “In that day shall messengers go forth from me in ships to make the careless Ethiopians afraid, and great pain shall come upon them, as in the day of Egypt: for, lo, it cometh.” (Eze 30:9).  All that God does is righteous and just, even His chastisements: “But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.” (Isa 11:4).  What joy it is to know that the righteous and just God defends us against our adversaries and chastens us as a loving father chastens his beloved children.

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Last modified: 03/17/08