LIVING IN THE LIGHT OF THE GOSPEL 1 Peter 4:1-6
Pastor Dennis Bone
7-15-18
Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Jesus is the light and He came into this world to shine the light of God’s salvation into a dark world; and sinners receive this light through the message of the gospel. The power of the gospel is what removes the veil from our blind eyes and enlightens a dark heart, so that we can find our way out of the darkness of sin and into the light of life through Jesus Christ. In this book of I Peter, Peter is teaching us as Christians what it means to live in this light of the gospel in a dark world, where many people continue to reject the light and still live in darkness.
The apostle Paul clearly speaks to this as well in Philippians 2: “You are to become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life.” The light of the gospel in us, has made us be lights to the gospel. This is quite a responsibility and calling, thus we need to be willing and prepared to do it. In our text this morning from I Peter chapter 4, Peter teaches us how to be prepared and how to act in light of this calling as Christians. So please turn with me to chapter 4; we will be looking at verses 1 – 6:
Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do – living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry.
They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation, and they heap abuse on you. But they will have to give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to men in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit.
As I talked about last week, there is a clear connection between this passage and the one that ends chapter 3. The word “therefore” indicates now the application to us of Christ’s suffering for us. Christ’s suffering and death for us not only changes our status before God, in that we are now forgiven of our unrighteousness and have become children of God, but also in terms of how we should live before God. We are now called to live for God and to do so by following the example of Jesus, the one who suffered for us but who then rose from the dead to lead us and guide us to live in the light of His gospel. And so Peter tells us that this requires a different attitude; a different activity and a different accountability as those who have been saved by Christ and are now called to live in the light of this wonderful salvation.
The first main point to consider is the attitude we should adopt in light of Christ’s gospel. In verse 1 Peter says, “Arm yourselves with this same attitude of Christ.” Peter uses a military term to remind us that we are in a spiritual battle; and the first key to winning this battle is our minds. It’s how we think and the attitude we have as Christians. The gospel is what teaches us how to think in the Christian life. We should not be thinking first of all about ourselves and what we want or how we feel, but we should be thinking first about Christ and how our attitude in this life will reflect Him and be like Him. This is truly a battle because of our human nature, as well as the attitudes of those around us.
Thus the first point is this: We must seek the mind of Christ when it comes to sin and suffering. In Philippians 2 Paul says, “Your attitude should be the same as Christ Jesus.” A song we often sing should be our daily prayer: “May the mind of Christ my Savior, live in me from day to day, by His love and power controlling all I do and say.” This is the attitude we are to adopt and to implement in our lives as Christians. You should notice and remember that this attitude is in the context of Christ’s suffering for our sin, thus Peter’s point is that we should be willing to avoid sin and if necessary suffer for it. We are to think like those who are done with sin – this is to be our attitude towards sin – verse 2: “As a result (of Christ’s suffering for us), he (that is us who receive this salvation) does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.”
This is what it means to live in the light of the gospel. Christ suffers to take away our sin so that we will no longer live in it. Thus a second point: we must stand in the victory of Christ and fight in His armor. Paul uses this same imagery of a spiritual battle, thus we are to arm ourselves with the attitude of Christ. We need His attitude so as to put on the armor. We need to think like Christ and look at sin like Christ. Paul talks about this in Romans 13 when he writes: “Let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery; and not in dissension or jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” Paul mentions some of the same types of sins as Peter does in the next few verses, but the key is how we think.
In order to change our activity or our behavior we must have the right attitude – the attitude of Christ – or it will simply be moralistic or legalistic, instead of gospel driven and Christ motivated. Our attitude must be that we are fighting in the victory of Christ, not for the victory. Christ has won the victory over sin and suffering, thus we stand in Him. It’s not a fight that you will win apart from Him, thus a third point: we must choose the discipline of Christ-likeness. It’s Christ in us that will enable us to turn away from our own desires and to live for the will of God in this life. Peter has been reminding us of this throughout this epistle, and now again he is calling us to Christ-likeness in terms of our attitude or mind and the choice to think like Christ. When we think like Christ we will act like Christ – we will follow His example in the activities of our lives – regardless of the circumstances.
In Romans 8 Paul explains this when he writes, “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.” Paul, like Peter is teaching us the attitude we should adopt in light of Christ’s gospel, which teaches us to think like Christ. And it’s this attitude that leads us to action. This then is the second main point to consider from our passage: The Activity we should demonstrate in light of Christ’s gospel. The gospel teaches us how to think and how to act in the Christian life. Peter illustrates this in terms of how we used to act, prior to the gospel, and how this change will impact those around us. In verse 3 Peter writes: “For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do – living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry.
They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation, and they heap abuse on you.” Peter sets forth a sharp contrast between the old life, prior to knowing Christ, and the new life of those in Christ. The list Peter uses may not exactly characterize your activities but they are representative of a non-Christian lifestyle and his point is first of all this: our new life in Christ changes our thinking and our behavior. It doesn’t really matter what you did or when you became a Christian, you spent more than enough time being a pagan; and the gospel has changed that. The list of behaviors isn’t what’s important, although this speaks to many people who have been converted, what’s important is the principle.
In Colossians 3 Paul says, “You used to walk in these ways – and he lists some of these same practices but a few more, as he does in many other passages – in the life you used to live.” But you are now putting off those things and putting on a new self that thinks and acts in different ways because of the gospel. This is the principle: through the gospel, Christ changes our thinking and behaviors. And as a result we see a second point: we reject a past pagan lifestyle (we put it off or put it to death) and we embrace a new godly lifestyle (we put this on or clothe ourselves with Christ-like qualities). Peter doesn’t expand on this principle of gospel transformation to the extent that Paul does, but it’s this same principle that Peter wants us to understand in terms of suffering for doing what is right, and living a godly lifestyle in the face of opposition. In other words don’t give into a pagan culture, a culture that you came out of, but now have to still live in.
We all came from different backgrounds and lifestyles before we became Christians, but what’s most important now is that we all have the same commitment to live in the light of the gospel.
And as a result we see a third point, a point that Peter has reminded us of several times already, we will experience suffering and slander for a godly lifestyle, even when we do what is right. If we truly live in the light of the gospel it will get people’s attention, especially when it is counter-culture. In verse 4 Peter says: “They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation, and they heap abuse on you.” You see, not celebrating sin and rebellion against God is strange to unbelievers. To respect God’s truth, to respect one’s body and to worship Christ as the only Savior and King, often makes us strange; and if we speak too loud we are subject to slander and insult.
A young lady who had recently become a Christian asked a question of her pastor Charles Spurgeon: “What friends do I need to give up now?” Spurgeon replied, “You don’t have to give up any of your friends, they will give you up.” This was certainly true in the early church because living in the light of the gospel clearly shed the light of Christ’s truth upon unbelievers. When our activity clearly demonstrates the light of Christ’s gospel, most unbelievers will run the other way or they will run to Christ.
Peter realized that living in the light of the gospel is not easy; and it’s often not fair. There is a cost to discipleship when we think and act like Christ, thus Peter points us to a third main point in verses 5 & 6: The Accountability we should respect in light of Christ’s gospel. Peter says in verse 5: “But they will have to give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.” You might have noticed that Peter uses the word “flood” in verse 4 when it comes to the deluge of depravity, drawing our attention to the same vain and arrogant idea of many in Noah’s day who didn’t believe that God would judge them.
Denying the facts doesn’t change the reality and Peter reminds us of this biblical truth. God will judge; He is ready to judge sin and in God’s timing there will be a time of accounting for all mankind. As Hebrews 9:27 says, “It is appointed to men to die once and after that the judgment.” This is an absolute truth of the gospel, and as result of this the gospel teaches us how to see in the Christian life. The gospel teaches us to see God’s perspective in times of suffering, and at times when it may seem that the world is winning, but most importantly the gospel teaches us to see God through the lens of our faith in Jesus Christ. We are all accountable to God – everyone will be held accountable for what they have done in the body, or in this life, thus we believe this and respect it, but do not need to fear it, because we see it in the light of Christ. So first, we see God as the just judge and trust Him through Christ.
The gospel teaches us that Christ came to free us from the penalty of judgment for sin by taking it upon Himself, thus we can stand before the just judge in the righteousness of Christ. In verse 6 Peter explains this by saying: “For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to men in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit.” The gospel doesn’t make us less accountable for what we did in the body, but it frees us from the penalty and power of sin so that those who have died as Christians are now alive in the spirit. This brings us to a second point to see: we see God through the spiritual eyes of the gospel, thus have a living hope.
If our hope is only in this life we should eat, drink and be merry; we should go ahead and live like the pagans. But the gospel gives us a greater hope than this; a living hope in this life and for a life to come.
It’s this hope in Christ that changes our attitude and actions in this life because it gives us a greater purpose in life. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5 that the love of Christ through the gospel compels us to no longer live for ourselves, but to live for Him who died for us and was raised to life. This is the accountability we have and should respect in light of Christ’s gospel. He has set us free from sin, thus we now live for Him. This brings us to a third point: we see God as our Father who makes all things right through His Word. At the end of chapter 3 Peter reminds us that Christ has been raised to the right hand of God and He rules over all things.
Through Christ the King and Head over His church, God is making all things right, and He is making it right for His people. Thus when we see God as our Father through the gospel we see God as we ought, not as someone or something we make into our own image; or as something we deny or suppress, not as someone we are afraid of; rather as our God who has saved us by His grace and continues be with us through any and all trials and sufferings, because we are committed by faith to live in the light of the gospel.
©You’re welcome to recycle these resources for your church free of charge. However, if you find them useful, please consider making a donation to the ministry of GCC
Pastor Dennis Bone
7-15-18
Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Jesus is the light and He came into this world to shine the light of God’s salvation into a dark world; and sinners receive this light through the message of the gospel. The power of the gospel is what removes the veil from our blind eyes and enlightens a dark heart, so that we can find our way out of the darkness of sin and into the light of life through Jesus Christ. In this book of I Peter, Peter is teaching us as Christians what it means to live in this light of the gospel in a dark world, where many people continue to reject the light and still live in darkness.
The apostle Paul clearly speaks to this as well in Philippians 2: “You are to become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life.” The light of the gospel in us, has made us be lights to the gospel. This is quite a responsibility and calling, thus we need to be willing and prepared to do it. In our text this morning from I Peter chapter 4, Peter teaches us how to be prepared and how to act in light of this calling as Christians. So please turn with me to chapter 4; we will be looking at verses 1 – 6:
Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do – living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry.
They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation, and they heap abuse on you. But they will have to give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to men in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit.
As I talked about last week, there is a clear connection between this passage and the one that ends chapter 3. The word “therefore” indicates now the application to us of Christ’s suffering for us. Christ’s suffering and death for us not only changes our status before God, in that we are now forgiven of our unrighteousness and have become children of God, but also in terms of how we should live before God. We are now called to live for God and to do so by following the example of Jesus, the one who suffered for us but who then rose from the dead to lead us and guide us to live in the light of His gospel. And so Peter tells us that this requires a different attitude; a different activity and a different accountability as those who have been saved by Christ and are now called to live in the light of this wonderful salvation.
The first main point to consider is the attitude we should adopt in light of Christ’s gospel. In verse 1 Peter says, “Arm yourselves with this same attitude of Christ.” Peter uses a military term to remind us that we are in a spiritual battle; and the first key to winning this battle is our minds. It’s how we think and the attitude we have as Christians. The gospel is what teaches us how to think in the Christian life. We should not be thinking first of all about ourselves and what we want or how we feel, but we should be thinking first about Christ and how our attitude in this life will reflect Him and be like Him. This is truly a battle because of our human nature, as well as the attitudes of those around us.
Thus the first point is this: We must seek the mind of Christ when it comes to sin and suffering. In Philippians 2 Paul says, “Your attitude should be the same as Christ Jesus.” A song we often sing should be our daily prayer: “May the mind of Christ my Savior, live in me from day to day, by His love and power controlling all I do and say.” This is the attitude we are to adopt and to implement in our lives as Christians. You should notice and remember that this attitude is in the context of Christ’s suffering for our sin, thus Peter’s point is that we should be willing to avoid sin and if necessary suffer for it. We are to think like those who are done with sin – this is to be our attitude towards sin – verse 2: “As a result (of Christ’s suffering for us), he (that is us who receive this salvation) does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.”
This is what it means to live in the light of the gospel. Christ suffers to take away our sin so that we will no longer live in it. Thus a second point: we must stand in the victory of Christ and fight in His armor. Paul uses this same imagery of a spiritual battle, thus we are to arm ourselves with the attitude of Christ. We need His attitude so as to put on the armor. We need to think like Christ and look at sin like Christ. Paul talks about this in Romans 13 when he writes: “Let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery; and not in dissension or jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” Paul mentions some of the same types of sins as Peter does in the next few verses, but the key is how we think.
In order to change our activity or our behavior we must have the right attitude – the attitude of Christ – or it will simply be moralistic or legalistic, instead of gospel driven and Christ motivated. Our attitude must be that we are fighting in the victory of Christ, not for the victory. Christ has won the victory over sin and suffering, thus we stand in Him. It’s not a fight that you will win apart from Him, thus a third point: we must choose the discipline of Christ-likeness. It’s Christ in us that will enable us to turn away from our own desires and to live for the will of God in this life. Peter has been reminding us of this throughout this epistle, and now again he is calling us to Christ-likeness in terms of our attitude or mind and the choice to think like Christ. When we think like Christ we will act like Christ – we will follow His example in the activities of our lives – regardless of the circumstances.
In Romans 8 Paul explains this when he writes, “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.” Paul, like Peter is teaching us the attitude we should adopt in light of Christ’s gospel, which teaches us to think like Christ. And it’s this attitude that leads us to action. This then is the second main point to consider from our passage: The Activity we should demonstrate in light of Christ’s gospel. The gospel teaches us how to think and how to act in the Christian life. Peter illustrates this in terms of how we used to act, prior to the gospel, and how this change will impact those around us. In verse 3 Peter writes: “For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do – living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry.
They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation, and they heap abuse on you.” Peter sets forth a sharp contrast between the old life, prior to knowing Christ, and the new life of those in Christ. The list Peter uses may not exactly characterize your activities but they are representative of a non-Christian lifestyle and his point is first of all this: our new life in Christ changes our thinking and our behavior. It doesn’t really matter what you did or when you became a Christian, you spent more than enough time being a pagan; and the gospel has changed that. The list of behaviors isn’t what’s important, although this speaks to many people who have been converted, what’s important is the principle.
In Colossians 3 Paul says, “You used to walk in these ways – and he lists some of these same practices but a few more, as he does in many other passages – in the life you used to live.” But you are now putting off those things and putting on a new self that thinks and acts in different ways because of the gospel. This is the principle: through the gospel, Christ changes our thinking and behaviors. And as a result we see a second point: we reject a past pagan lifestyle (we put it off or put it to death) and we embrace a new godly lifestyle (we put this on or clothe ourselves with Christ-like qualities). Peter doesn’t expand on this principle of gospel transformation to the extent that Paul does, but it’s this same principle that Peter wants us to understand in terms of suffering for doing what is right, and living a godly lifestyle in the face of opposition. In other words don’t give into a pagan culture, a culture that you came out of, but now have to still live in.
We all came from different backgrounds and lifestyles before we became Christians, but what’s most important now is that we all have the same commitment to live in the light of the gospel.
And as a result we see a third point, a point that Peter has reminded us of several times already, we will experience suffering and slander for a godly lifestyle, even when we do what is right. If we truly live in the light of the gospel it will get people’s attention, especially when it is counter-culture. In verse 4 Peter says: “They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation, and they heap abuse on you.” You see, not celebrating sin and rebellion against God is strange to unbelievers. To respect God’s truth, to respect one’s body and to worship Christ as the only Savior and King, often makes us strange; and if we speak too loud we are subject to slander and insult.
A young lady who had recently become a Christian asked a question of her pastor Charles Spurgeon: “What friends do I need to give up now?” Spurgeon replied, “You don’t have to give up any of your friends, they will give you up.” This was certainly true in the early church because living in the light of the gospel clearly shed the light of Christ’s truth upon unbelievers. When our activity clearly demonstrates the light of Christ’s gospel, most unbelievers will run the other way or they will run to Christ.
Peter realized that living in the light of the gospel is not easy; and it’s often not fair. There is a cost to discipleship when we think and act like Christ, thus Peter points us to a third main point in verses 5 & 6: The Accountability we should respect in light of Christ’s gospel. Peter says in verse 5: “But they will have to give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.” You might have noticed that Peter uses the word “flood” in verse 4 when it comes to the deluge of depravity, drawing our attention to the same vain and arrogant idea of many in Noah’s day who didn’t believe that God would judge them.
Denying the facts doesn’t change the reality and Peter reminds us of this biblical truth. God will judge; He is ready to judge sin and in God’s timing there will be a time of accounting for all mankind. As Hebrews 9:27 says, “It is appointed to men to die once and after that the judgment.” This is an absolute truth of the gospel, and as result of this the gospel teaches us how to see in the Christian life. The gospel teaches us to see God’s perspective in times of suffering, and at times when it may seem that the world is winning, but most importantly the gospel teaches us to see God through the lens of our faith in Jesus Christ. We are all accountable to God – everyone will be held accountable for what they have done in the body, or in this life, thus we believe this and respect it, but do not need to fear it, because we see it in the light of Christ. So first, we see God as the just judge and trust Him through Christ.
The gospel teaches us that Christ came to free us from the penalty of judgment for sin by taking it upon Himself, thus we can stand before the just judge in the righteousness of Christ. In verse 6 Peter explains this by saying: “For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to men in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit.” The gospel doesn’t make us less accountable for what we did in the body, but it frees us from the penalty and power of sin so that those who have died as Christians are now alive in the spirit. This brings us to a second point to see: we see God through the spiritual eyes of the gospel, thus have a living hope.
If our hope is only in this life we should eat, drink and be merry; we should go ahead and live like the pagans. But the gospel gives us a greater hope than this; a living hope in this life and for a life to come.
It’s this hope in Christ that changes our attitude and actions in this life because it gives us a greater purpose in life. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5 that the love of Christ through the gospel compels us to no longer live for ourselves, but to live for Him who died for us and was raised to life. This is the accountability we have and should respect in light of Christ’s gospel. He has set us free from sin, thus we now live for Him. This brings us to a third point: we see God as our Father who makes all things right through His Word. At the end of chapter 3 Peter reminds us that Christ has been raised to the right hand of God and He rules over all things.
Through Christ the King and Head over His church, God is making all things right, and He is making it right for His people. Thus when we see God as our Father through the gospel we see God as we ought, not as someone or something we make into our own image; or as something we deny or suppress, not as someone we are afraid of; rather as our God who has saved us by His grace and continues be with us through any and all trials and sufferings, because we are committed by faith to live in the light of the gospel.
©You’re welcome to recycle these resources for your church free of charge. However, if you find them useful, please consider making a donation to the ministry of GCC
