Lesson 63
Study of
First Peter Chapter 4
Review:
4:7 The end of all things is near;
- "the end" (to te,loj), the consummation of the present
course of history, the Church age, implies not merely cessation of, but also
the goal toward which the present age moves.
- is
near perfect active indicative
of evggi,zw means to be near, to be at hand, to draw near
- this
is a proleptic perfect - used in anticipation of a future event, one that is sure
Examples where this type of
construction with the verb evggi,zw
Matt 3:2 Have here the message of John the
Baptist, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
We noted this construction
in James 5:8 with a similar thrust as here in 1 Pet 4
5:8
You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is
at hand.
Because of the close parallels
between James 5:8 and our passage lets review what is here, believe it is
important. Will give
us some insight into our passage in 1 Pet 4:7f.
In both contexts the believers are
dealing with UNDSF and were being given the DOA's and
encouragement to press on and handle the tests to the glory of God.
Observations
1. James
here marks the importance of the application of patience in the lives of his
readers.
2. Even in the midst of their own experiences of
oppression and injustice they must cultivate a mental attitude of patience.
3. They
must always keep before them the fact that God cannot deal with them unfairly.
4. Certainly God has the ability to
remove their sufferings and judge their oppressors.
5. But
God desires divine good and the maturation of every believer, this will only
come with the refining of ones faith through tests - CHP's etc. which would be
negated if the heat was lifted.
6. The 2nd imp - "to strengthen your hearts" -
calls for them to put iron in their souls.
7. Rather
than allowing themselves to slip into reacting to the circumstances and soul fainting they need to adopt a mental
attitude of tenacity and toughness.
8. The
single most important thing that they can do is to be consistent in face to
face teaching. God's means of providing the DOA's.
9. The inner life is strengthened by
BD known coupled with your willingness to apply it.
10. The
BD of the parousia - the sure return of Christ should
be a major factor in the ph-2 motivation of the Believer.
4:7b Our
responsibility in light of His soon return
therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer.
- Peter's exhortation is
to live our life in the light of eternity; that is at some point we must learn
that all decisions we make have an impact the evaluation at JSC.
So the first thing Peter does is to give us 2 commands,
both are aorist
imperatives which stresses the urgent and
decisive nature of the responsibilities described.
Having spiritual commons sense from sound thinking is
only possible if one has a solid foundation of truth and evaluates all input
and circumstances faced by that grid of truth.
So Principle: spiritual common sense results from
consistently thinking truth and applying it in your life.
Examples of how translated: Rom 12:3; 2 Cor. 5:13; Titus 2:6;
- sober (spirit) nh,fw also an (aor
act imp) was used to indicate being free
from any form of drunkenness; came to be used in Scripture of being free from
mental and spiritual drunkenness which indicates sin nature rulership
therefore the idea is to
have clear thinking, having a mental attitude based on the Word of God
- saw it used in 1:13; 5:8 also 1
Ths 5:6; 1 Ths 5:8
The same thing is in view here in that the sound thinking
and clear thinking commanded is tied to the ministry of the Spirit and a knowledge of the Word!
for the purpose of
prayer
-
Point Peter is making here is that if we have sound thinking and clear
thinking then its going to be reflected in our prayer
life because our prayers will be based on the Word of God not emotions.
4:7 Now the end of all
things is at hand; therefore exercise spiritual common sense and clear thinking
for the purpose of prayer.
4:8-11 We find exhortation that
logically follows the commands of vs:7
What is in view here are some important areas for
application of the sound and clear thinking that Peter believes is critical for
living the CWOL.
keep fervent in
your love for one another,
The
noun "love" characterizes it as a love of intelligence and
purpose that desires
the welfare of the one loved.
last phrase; application
because love covers a multitude of sins.
-
because introduces a reason why such fervent love should be
maintained among Christians love covers a multitude of sins
- The consistently applied fervent love is not blind to
others sins but sees and accepts the faults of others.
- Prov
4:8 Above all things (high
priority) keep on having this fervent love with respect to yourselves
(group) because love keeps on covering a multitude of sins.