1 Peter 4

Bible Study1 Peter

Apr 21

It’s our fourth week in 1 Peter and we are studying Chapter 4! In this chapter, Peter is calling us to live holy lives in light of Christ’s imminent return with God’s final judgment. Peter is asking us to turn away from our sin and follow Christ’s example by enduring suffering faithfully.

Consider reading through all of Chapter 4 at least once at the beginning of your study. I think it’s important to take time to read the entire chapter in one sitting so that you can get a proper feel for the big picture, before you dig in to try and understand what God is speaking directly into your life. Perhaps your time in 1 Peter 4 this week could look something like this:

Day 1: 1 Peter 4
Day 2: 1 Peter 4:1-6
Day 3: 1 Peter 4:7-11
Day 4: 1 Peter 4:12-15
Day 5: 1 Peter 4:16-19

As you prepare for studying 1 Peter 4 this week, spend some time in prayer, talking to God and asking Him to speak to your heart as you read His Word and dig into this chapter. Through the rest of this post, you will find each section of the chapter and some study notes and questions to help you process what you are reading and will hopefully challenge you in your personal relationship with Jesus and how you live out your faith in Him in daily life.

1 Peter 4:1-6

Therefore, since Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same understanding—because the one who suffers in the flesh is finished with sin— in order to live the remaining time in the flesh no longer for human desires, but for God’s will. For there has already been enough time spent in doing what the Gentiles choose to do: carrying on in unrestrained behavior, evil desires, drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and lawless idolatry. They are surprised that you don’t join them in the same flood of wild living—and they slander you. They will give an account to the one who stands ready to judge the living and the dead. For this reason the gospel was also preached to those who are now dead, so that, although they might be judged in the flesh according to human standards, they might live in the spirit according to God’s standards.

Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

Once again, Peter is pointing us back to the cross… reminding us of the pain and heartache of the death and suffering of Jesus on that cross.

What do you think Peter means when he says that we should “arm ourselves with the same understanding”?

What are practical ways that we can live for God’s will rather than for human desires?

I remember my days in high school and rubbing shoulders with many other students who were not Christians and often couldn’t understand why I said that I was and what that meant. It was hard for other kids to understand why I wasn’t the same as them - why I chose not to use curse words, watch the same shows as them, or why I expected my relationships to look different from theirs. I wouldn’t necessarily say that all of my peers in high school that were unbelievers were living “wildly,” but they were most certainly looking at my life as though it were buttoned-up and proper and didn’t make any sense to them!

Have you ever felt like your peers (or co-workers or family) have spoken poorly of you because of your belief in and relationship with Jesus? How did that make you feel? How did you respond to those situations?

There is great hope at the end of this passage! The incredible grace of Jesus is that he not only came for those of us who believed in him when he was alive, but also for those who were “now dead” - that “although they may be judged in the flesh according to human standards, they might live in the spirit according to God’s standards.”

If you were to look back at everything you’ve done in the last week (or last month) of your life, do you feel that you could say you were living in the Spirit according to God’s standards?

Take time today to thank Jesus for what He did on the cross for you! Write out a prayer of thanks to God for sending Jesus to take on a death that we deserved instead, and ask Him to show you areas of your life that you need to continue to live for Him rather than yourself.

1 Peter 4:7-11

The end of all things is near; therefore, be alert and sober-minded for prayer. Above all, maintain constant love for one another, since love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining. Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve others, as good stewards of the varied grace of God. If anyone speaks, let it be as one who speaks God’s words; if anyone serves, let it be from the strength God provides, so that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ in everything. To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.

Have you ever felt just so overwhelmed and exhausted and like you’re not able to see clearly because the weight of the world feels like it is on your shoulders? Peter is not making it any better by reminding us that the “end of all things is near.” Somedays it really feels that way, especially while we are living in the midst of a pandemic and are unable to leave our homes or resume our “normal lives.” But when Peter is talking about the “end of all things,” he’s not saying that the world is coming to an end right here and now. Rather, Peter is reminding us that Jesus will be returning - and it can be at any time - any year, month, week, day, hour… we don’t know the exact day or time! So how do we prepare for that reality?

Write out a list of the actions that Peter is calling us to do in this passage.

Which of these actions do you find to be the hardest to put into practice? What is the easiest and most natural for you to do?

Spend some time in prayer or writing in a journal about your response to the question above. Share with God the areas that you feel are hard for you to live out and ask Him to be working in your heart and your life as you pursue a holy life.

At the end of this passage, Peter shares the ultimate goal of living a holy life… that everything we do should be for God to receive all glory and power forever and ever… that God might be glorified through Jesus in everything that we do!

1 Peter 4:12-15

Dear friends, don’t be surprised when the fiery ordeal comes among you to test you, as if something unusual were happening to you. Instead, rejoice as you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may also rejoice with great joy when his glory is revealed. If you are ridiculed for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. Let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or a meddler.

Peter is relentless, isn’t he? Once again, he is determined to get the point across that suffering as a Christian should not be a surprise to any of us!

Have you ever felt like you have walked through suffering or a trial in your life just because of your relationship with and belief in Jesus? What was your response?

What do you think it would look like for you to respond to sufferings with joy?

Peter is reminding us that while sufferings and trials can be painful (because no one really likes to be called names or ridiculed, right?), that the reality is that when we walk this journey, we are actually blessed! How do you think that suffering for Christ can actually strengthen your relationship with Jesus?

For today’s time in prayer, ask God to be working in your heart to prepare you for this type of blessing… if you have already walked this journey, thank God for how He has worked in your life through that difficult season. If you have not yet faced suffering for Christ, ask Him to show you how to prepare your heart even now with joy so that you know how to respond to future trials.

1 Peter 4:16-19

But if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed but let him glorify God in having that name. For the time has come for judgment to begin with God’s household, and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who disobey the gospel of God?

And if a righteous person is saved with difficulty,
what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?

So then, let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust themselves to a faithful Creator while doing what is good.

In this passage, Peter is just continuing his encouragement from the previous verses that we looked at above. In these verses, Peter is challenging us to trust God’s judgment and believe that God can use seasons of suffering in our lives for His purposes. Somedays that can be really hard to remember, right? Often, when we are in the midst of a difficult journey or season of life, we can easily feel overwhelmed or surrounded by questions that seem hard to answer or understand.

If you are facing a season of suffering in your life that can at times feel overwhelming, do you have people in your life that can point you back to who God is and remind you of the truth that you see in Scripture? Take a moment to write down some of the names of people that you would trust to walk through seasons of suffering with you. If you have already walked through difficult seasons with someone, make it a priority this weekend to write them a letter or note and tell them what their encouragement has meant to you during that time.

As we wrap up our study of Chapter 4 of 1 Peter, spend some intentional time in prayer and thank God for His faithfulness in your life.

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