Page 54 - General Epistles (James through Jude) Textbook

How-to Live-in Light of the End Time (1 Pet. 4:7-11).
Since the end of all things was near because it was next in God’s redemptive plan, Peter’s audience
needed to be 1) alert, 2) sober in mind. This was going to allow them to pray. 3) They did not need to
only love one another, but to do so deeply. The reason for doing that was to cover over the multitude of
sin. “Peter draws on Prov. 10:12 to affirm the power of Christian love; it can result in forgiveness and
reconciliation when people have been harmed or wronged (Jas. 5:20). In this way, love overcomes
127
sin.” 4) They needed to offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. There is a possibility to
forget doing that or stop doing it due to a hostile environment around them. He admonished them to
continue to exercise their gifts in various forms. These could have been the speaking of God’s Word,
serving in order that God may be praised in all things through Jesus Christ. Therefore, their knowledge of
the second coming of Christ Jesus which would inaugurate the end times needed to influence the way
they needed to think and act.

Rejoicing in Sharing Christ’s Suffering (1 Pet. 4:12-19).
Peter made four admonitions to his audience. First, they did not need to be surprised with fiery trials
that came to test them nor consider that experience as strange (1 Pet. 4:12). Second, experiencing fiery
sufferings for Christ’s sake is a blessing because it confirms that one will also enjoy all Christ has
achieved for that one when He is revealed (1 Pet. 4:13-14). Third, in reply to suffering that may come
because they are trusting in Jesus Christ as their Lord and personal Savior, they needed to continue
living righteously as an expression of their abiding trust (1 Pet. 4:19). And fourth, God the Father is in
control of all things even our own sufferings and gives relief to those who trust Him in good time and at
His own pace (1 Pet. 4:19; cf. 5:10).

Instructions to the Elders and God’s Flock (1 Pet. 5:1-14).

To the Elders (1 Pet. 5:1-4).
Peter appealed to them in two ways. First, he appealed to them as a fellow elder. This means that at the
time of writing, Peter also was still serving as an elder. Secondly, he appealed to them as a witness of
Christ sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed. Peter could possibly be referring to
Christ sufferings, leading up to His crucifixion. But he plausibly “referring to his present role as a witness
128
to the sufferings of Christ as seen in believers’ responses to physical and social persecution.” Why did
he appeal to them? First, he wanted them to be shepherd of God’s flock. Were they not shepherd of the
flock of God? They were. However, Peter wants to reinforce his command on them to continue to be
shepherd amidst much suffering.

How did he want them to shepherd the flock? 1) He wanted them to watch over God’s flock willing but
not compellingly. “Not by constraint but willingly means not doing the job simply out of obligation or
because ‘someone has to do it’, but because the elder has freely and willingly chosen to carry out this
valuable work (cf. 1 Tim. 3:1).” 2) He wanted them to be eager to serve. Third, he wanted them not to
129
load it over those they were leading. This implies elders needed to lead by examples. While they were
serving God’s flock in that way, there were certain ways in which he did not want them to minister
God’s flock. First, he did not want to minister compellingly. Second, he did not want them to serve in
order to pursue for dishonest gain. Third, he did not want them to serve by only teaching without
demonstration of how the teachings (or biblical instructions) can be applied.

53