1 Peter 4:1 Commentary and Bible Study

Peter now builds on what he has said about the suffering of Christ and shows the instruction it gives, not only in bearing suffering, but now in putting sin to death. He does this in a way that shows the link between the two. In order to complete his work of atonement, Christ had to arm or equip himself with a certain attitude because of the infinite difficulty of the task. He could not go through with the work of redemption without preparing his mind for the terrible ordeal he would face for our sake. In order to achieve our salvation – something wonderful which filled his heart with joy – he had to brace himself against all temptation to avoid the cross and its immeasurable suffering. It was this possibility which Satan came to him with during the wilderness temptation, when he suggested that Christ could have glory by following a different path to the path of suffering planned by his Father. It was this which Peter suggested when he learnt that Christ was to suffer and be killed in Jerusalem and said, ‘Be it far from thee, Lord’ (Matthew 16:22). Christ met this terrible suggestion with the words ‘Get thee behind me, Satan’ (Matthew 16:23). As he voluntarily laid down his life for his sheep and took every pang of suffering, the unthinkable option of disobedience in order to deliver himself had to be forcefully rejected in recognition of who lay behind it, because he knew salvation could come in no other way. It was indeed impossible that he would not obey, but his obedience cost him dearly. Christ’s victory over sin began in his mind when he excluded any possibility that he would ever yield to temptation whatever the cost. His willingness to suffer in the flesh was the way to avoid sin and make atonement for the sins of his people. But Christ’s attitude is full of instruction and help for us. ‘He that hath suffered in the flesh’ initially has Christ in mind and relates back to 1 Peter 3:18, but by verse 3 it is clear that Peter is thinking of us also. In Christ’s case there never was any sin to cease from. He was God and man, but he did not have a sinful nature, and he had never sinned in his life. He lived a perfect life, a life so perfect under such provocation, that it deserves heaven for all his people. But he shows us, who have lived lives full of sin, how we may leave it behind and put it to death. In the wisdom of God, in order to endure the cross, our Lord had to adopt the very attitude we need to defeat sin. The Greek is ‘has stopped sin’, but it could equally be translated ‘has finished with sin’, ‘has ended with sin’, or in more modern language ‘has done with sin.’ He was never a sinner, but he had much to do with sin because he took our sin upon himself. He entered into our condemnation; he took upon himself the responsibility for our guilt. But having suffered and died and paid the eternal weight of punishment for all the sin of his people, he was done with sin. His work, with regard to atoning for sin, was finished and complete and over.This is not about his mindset after Calvary was over, but about how he girded himself for it when he was going through it. ‘He who has suffered in the flesh’ is first of all Christ, but the same attitude also gives us the victory. In what way do we suffer in the flesh? Obviously, not by making an atonement for sin – Christ alone could do that. We have suffered in the flesh in sense that we have borne reproach for his sake. We need the same mind or attitude as him in order to take up our cross and follow Christ daily. This is not about suffering in general, but about suffering for righteousness’ sake, for truth’s sake. We have vowed to follow our Lord out of the world, at the same time turning our back on sin and all that the world has to offer, and embracing any suffering for his name’s sake that God may choose to allocate to us. We must make up our minds in advance that if we are called to face suffering – persecution for Christ’s sake, persecution for righteousness’ sake – that we will face it with the same fortitude as Christ, and not try to avoid it by denying his name or compromising our Christian walk. When the child of God has died and passed from this world, sin will be finished, but even now while we are still in the world, we have been given this outlook in order to mortify sin. Peter is not teaching that suffering in itself brings an end to sin, but rather that the person who has made up his mind to face suffering for Christ’s sake has disarmed the devil by taking away a powerful lever on his soul, which otherwise might persuade him to sin.