1 Peter 4:4

2 that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, ^abut for the will of God.

3 For we have spent enough of our past¹ lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries.

4 In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you.

5 They will give an account to Him who is ready ^ato judge the living and the dead.

6 For this reason ^athe gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but ^blive according to God in the spirit.

Serving for God’s Glory

7 But ^athe end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.

Commentaries:

Forerunner Commentary
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What Does 1 Peter 4:4 Mean?

1 Peter 4:3-4

God does care how we worship Him; He gives specific commands about how He wants to be glorified according to His standards and not our own. It does matter whether or not we share in the celebration of this world's pagan religious holidays. Though the Bible—the Word of God—makes no direct references to New Year's Eve, Lent, Easter, Halloween, or Christmas, the origins of these pagan holidays are mentioned as being abominations to God.

Martin G. Collins
Pagan Holidays

1 Peter 4:1-6

The apostle is speaking about the efficacy of Christ's suffering and death in making possible a relationship between God and human beings. His conclusion, beginning in I Peter 4:1-2, is that, since Christ suffered so much to bring this about, Christians should respond by "ceas[ing] from sin" and living "for the will of God."

This means, of course, that in doing so, we no longer live as we used to, like the "Gentiles," like the world (verse 3). Seeing this, our friends who are still in the world wonder why our lives have changed so drastically, and they are likely to malign us for it (verse 4). But we need not worry because God, the just Judge, will bring them into account for their abuses of us (verse 5). In verse 6, he winds up his discussion by providing a general example to give us hope in this regard. He explains that the gospel had been preached in the past to people who are now dead, and even though their contemporaries may have judged them worthy to suffer persecution and death, God, conversely, has judged them worthy of eternal life. He implies that God would do the same for us.

Richard T. Ritenbaugh
Jesus and 'the Spirits in Prison'

Other Forerunner Commentary entries containing 1 Peter 4:4:

1 Corinthians 1:2

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What Does 1 Peter 4:4 Mean?

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