Глава IV

Various moral instructions (1–11). Primarily instructions on innocent suffering (12–19) 1 Peter 4:1. So, just as Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourself with the same thought; for he who suffers in the flesh ceases to sin, 1 Peter 4:2. so that the rest of the time in the flesh we will no longer live according to human lusts, but according to the will of God. The thought of Christ, who suffered for people, rose from the dead and ascended into heaven (1 Peter 3:18, 21-22), should, according to the Apostle, encourage all Christians to arm themselves with the readiness to suffer, if necessary, for Christ, “having previously suffered in the flesh, he is free from sin.” “Victim” instead of: deceased. Peter says like Paul: “if we died with Him, we will also live with Him” (2 Tim 2:11) and: we will be “dead to sin, but alive to God” (Rom 6:11). In general, the interpretation of the above saying of Ap. Peter and both verses we are considering, ch. IV is served by the entire chapter VI of the Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans: there is the same thought here and there, only in St. Paul, it is revealed in incomparably more detail. The essence of the matter is that he who turns to Christ by faith in His atoning death on the cross is crucified with Him, and through baptism is buried with Him, and just as a dead person does not sin, so a Christian must consider himself dead to sin, sin should not have power over him, but he must live for God alone (Rom. 6:1-23). “If Christ died for us in the flesh (for without a doubt he was not immortal and by his divine nature), then we, in payment to Him, must die to sin for Him, no longer indulge in human lusts, but live the rest of the time in the flesh according to the will of God alone” (Blessed Theophilus), seeking the fruit of the law - holiness and its end - eternal life (Rom. 6:22). 1 Peter 4:3. For it is enough that in the past time of your life you acted according to the will of the pagans, indulging in impurities, lusts (sodomy, bestiality, thoughts), drunkenness, excess in food and drink and absurd idolatry; 1 Peter 4:4. why they are surprised that you do not participate in the same debauchery with them, and they slander you. The Apostle reinforces the exhortation to live according to the will of God by condemning and denying the readers the former pagan way of life before entering the Church of Christ. “The meaning of the speech is this: having once forever abandoned the pagan way of life that you once led, now you must adhere to the honest life you have chosen. Then the pagans themselves will be surprised at you that you do not participate with them in the same wickedness. Therefore, after being surprised at your change and perplexed, they will not only be put to shame, but will also begin to slander, for piety is disgusting for a sinner. But they will not go unpunished for such slander, but will give an answer to the Judge of all” (Blessed Theophilus). 1 Peter 4:5. They will give an answer to Him who will soon judge the living and the dead. 1 Peter 4:6. For for this purpose the gospel was preached also to the dead, so that they, having been judged according to man in the flesh, might live according to God in the Spirit. The picture given by the Apostle above (1 Peter 3:18-22) of the person and work of Jesus Christ here in v. 5, is completed with a new feature - Christ’s assimilation of the final judgment over the living and the dead (cf. Matt. 25:41; Isa. 5:22, 25; 1 Cor. 15:24). At the same time, wanting to show the universality of this judgment, its extension to all people without exception, the Apostle in Art. 6 again, as in 1 Peter 3:19–20, recalls the preaching of Jesus Christ in hell, and the inhabitants of hell who heard the Lord’s preaching are again taken only as an example of the impact of the Gospel on people, but the main idea is that the Gospel will be preached to all humanity from the first coming to the second. The closest thought of Art. 6 is this: when the Lord visited those in hell, some who lived in this world according to the flesh were condemned, while others who lived spiritually were either resurrected with the Lord, for many bodies of the departed saints arose (Matthew 27:52), or were quickened by good hope (Blessed Theophilus). 1 Peter 4:7. However, the end is near. Therefore be wise and watchful in prayer. 1 Peter 4:8. Most of all, have fervent love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:9. Be kind to one another without murmuring. The Apostle now says v. 7 about the nearness of the end of the world, which will follow immediately after the second coming of the Lord to judgment (1 Pet. 4.5). The Apostle Peter, of course, understands the nearness of the end of the world no differently than the Ap. James (James V:8) and other early Christians. The Apostle uses this thought about the nearness of the end of the world to offer readers a number of moral instructions: a) about prudent sobriety of spirit and body and spiritual vigilance in prayer (v. 7. see Luke 21:34, 36); b) about the highest virtue - zealous love for each other (v. 8. Cf. John 13:35; Rom 13:10; 1 Cor. 13:1 et seq.), “because love covers a multitude of sins” (cf. Proverbs 10:12, 17:9; James 5:20), i.e. covers or forgives the sins of others or - together - attracts the one who loves the special mercy of God, forgiving his own sins. “Peter calls love able to cover sins; this is because mercy towards one’s neighbor makes God merciful to us” (Blessed Theophilus); c) finally, about love of strangers, as commanded by the Lord Himself (Matthew 25:35) and often reminded by the Apostles (Rom 12:13; Heb 13:2 et seq.). 1 Peter 4:10. Serve one another, each with the gift that you have received, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 1 Peter 4:11. If anyone speaks, speak as the words of God; If anyone serves, serve according to the strength that God gives, so that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. In the name of the law of Christian love, the Apostle instructs all Christians to serve with all natural and grace-filled gifts for the good and benefit of their neighbors, inspiring believers not to be proud of their gifts, but to turn them all to serving their neighbors, according to the commandment and example of the Lord Himself (Matthew 20ff.). In the same sense, the Apostle Paul repeatedly taught Christians about serving their neighbors (Rom. 12:6 et seq.; 1 Cor. 12:4 et seq.; 2 Cor. 8:14). The general idea of ​​the instruction on service by Ap. Peter, as in Ap. Paul, one: one must serve one’s neighbors with one’s gifts with fidelity and humility. From a number of gifts the Apostle in Art. highlights the gift of speech (εί τις λαλεί) or the gift of “prophecy” (Rom. 12:6–8; 1 Cor. 12:8–10), in the sense of teaching, exhortation, consolation, persuasion, which had a special meaning in apostolic times (1 Cor. 14:3 et seq.). Ap. Peter demands here that he who has the gift of prophecy must speak as “the word of God” (λόγια θεοϋ) - as the true Word of God (cf. Acts 7:38; Rom 3:2), alien to human admixtures, everything earthly and unclean. Likewise, “service” (διαχονειν), that is, especially helping and doing good to the poor (cf. Rom 12:8; 1 Cor 12:28) must be done “holy, unselfishly, as if God Himself were acting here directly by His Power” (Bishop George). The ultimate goal of all these moral actions is the glory of God and Jesus Christ. “I urge you to this,” he says, “so that God may be glorified in everyone, whether they be pagans or your loved ones” (Blessed Theophilus). 1Pet.4:12. Beloved! do not shy away from the fiery temptation sent to you to test it as a strange adventure for you, 1 Peter 4:13. but as you participate in Christ’s sufferings, rejoice, and at the revelation of His glory you will rejoice and triumph. The Apostle speaks of the naturalness and even necessity for the true followers of Christ of the “fiery temptation” (πυριυσις - actually: ignition, fire), that is, the fire of disasters and sorrows, with the aim of testing even the righteous and improving their virtue (sl. 1 Pet. 1:7; James 2 ff.): by adversity the soul is cleansed and virtue is exalted, as gold is refined in the furnace and increases in value as impurities are removed through the fire. This order in the life of the righteous is in complete agreement with the commandments and promises of the Lord Himself (Matthew 5:11; John 15:18, 16:2). The greatest joy in the suffering of a Christian is the consciousness that through his suffering he will become a participant in Christ’s suffering and is with Christ in living unity (Rom 13:17; 2 Cor 1:7). In Art. 13 The Apostle “added something most blessed of all, namely, that those who endure trials are like their Teacher, Christ, and now endure dishonor with Him, in order to be glorified with Him in the next century” (Blessed Theophilus). 1 Peter 4:14. If they slander you because of the name of Christ, then you are blessed, for the Spirit of Glory, the Spirit of God, rests on you. By these He is blasphemed, but by you He is glorified. 1 Peter 4:15. If only none of you suffers as a murderer, or a thief, or a villain, or as someone who encroaches on someone else’s property; 1 Peter 4:16. and if you are a Christian, then do not be ashamed, but glorify God for such a fate. Continuing to exhort Christians to complacently endure sorrows and suffering for the name of Christ, the Apostle now points out, v. 14 that the burden of sorrows endured by Christians for Christ from persecutors is lightened by the Spirit of God resting on Christians. “He is blasphemed by the wicked, but glorified by you.” Why? Because when their accusation against you turns out to be false, shame will befall them, but glory will befall you” (Blessed Theophilus). But blessed are those who suffer precisely for the name of Christ, as Christians (v. 16), and not for any bad deeds. The Apostle would not want any Christian to suffer for bad deeds, the possibility of which was not excluded even in the best Christian societies and as an example of which the Apostle names, v. 15, some crimes. Between them is “foreign visitor”, Greek. άλλοτριοεπίσκοπος, - according to blessed. Theophylact - “one who is overly curious about other people’s affairs in order to have a reason for slander.” All the more glorious, on the contrary, is suffering for the name of Christ when a Christian suffers only because he is a Christian, Χριστιανός, v. 16. From this place it is clear that the name “Christian” was already quite common at that time (cf. Acts 11:26, 26:28). Only in the mouths of unbelieving Jews and pagans was this name shameful; for Christians themselves, bearing this name was a great honor and glory. 1 Peter 4:17. For it is time for judgment to begin at the house of God; But if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the Gospel of God? 1 Peter 4:18. And if the righteous are barely saved, then where will the wicked and sinful appear? The Apostle points out, as before (1 Peter 4:7), a new basis or incentive for the complacent enduring of suffering, in the nearness of Divine judgment, which will fall with all its weight on the unfaithful and ungodly, but will begin with the community of believers. “Judgment or investigation here refers to the tribulations inflicted on the faithful by the wicked, the coming of which the Lord foretold, saying: “They will hand you over to judgment courts,” and so on. (Matthew 10:17). He instills fear in them in order to turn them away from an absent-minded life” (Blessed Theophilus). Judgment or testing by God begins with the “house of God,” i.e., with the Church (cf. 1 Tim 3:15), with which both the Old Testament prophetic idea (Jer 25:15–29; Am 3:2) and the New Testament teaching of the Lord Himself are consistent (Matthew 25:9; Luke 21:12). “Judgment begins first with the house of God. For, according to Basil the Great, we are naturally indignant at our household when they offend you. And those who belong to God are none other than the faithful who fill His house, that is, the Church” (Theophilus). Ap. Peter looks at the disasters and sorrows brought upon the Christians of his time as the beginning of God’s final judgment, which will fall with all its might on the unfaithful. The Apostle first expresses this last thought with a question, v. 17: “If it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?” , and then, art. 18, in the words of the Old Testament parable, Proverbs 11:31 according to the text of LXX. “The meaning of the speech is this: if the righteous receive salvation through labor and effort (cf. Matthew 11:12; Acts 14:22), then what share will those who spend their lives in bliss and pleasures—we must mean the wicked—receive in the next century?” (Blessed Theophilos.). 1 Peter 4:19. So, let those who suffer according to the will of God surrender their souls to Him, as a faithful Creator, doing good. As a moralizing conclusion from the entire section, 1 Peter 4:12–13, the Apostle instructs readers to submit themselves during suffering to the good and wise will of God (cf. 1 Peter 4:17), looking at the example of complete devotion to God, revealed by the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross (Luke 23:46). How should one surrender oneself to God? "In Charity". What does this mean? It means to rely on God with humility, not to attach much value to one’s sufferings, but the more one suffers, the more one should consider oneself indecent, saying to the Lord: You are righteous in everything you have done to us” (Dan 3:27) (Blessed Theophilus). You might be interested in: