There is a question that surfaces in every life, usually not during the good seasons but right in the middle of the hard ones. It sounds something like this: If Christ has already won, what am I supposed to do with the days between now and then? Peter answers that question in 1 Peter 4:1-11. Coming on the heels of the most theologically rich passage in the entire letter about the death, burial, proclamation, and enthronement of Christ in chapter 3, Peter does not let his readers linger in contemplation. He turns all of that theology into a way of life. Because of what Christ has done, here is how you are to live.

“Therefore, since Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same understanding, because the one who suffered in the flesh has finished with sin, so as to spend the remaining time in the flesh no longer for human desires, but for God’s will. For there has already been enough time spent doing what the Gentiles want: carrying on in unrestrained behavior, evil desires, drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and lawless idolatry. They are surprised that you don’t join them in the same flood of wild living — and they slander you. They will give an account to the one who stands ready to judge the living and the dead. For this reason the gospel was also proclaimed to those who are now dead, so that, although they might be judged in the flesh according to human standards, they might live in the spirit according to God’s standards. The end of all things is near; therefore, be alert and sober-minded for prayer. Above all, maintain constant love for one another, since love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining. Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve others, as good stewards of the varied grace of God. If anyone speaks, let it be as one who speaks God’s words; if anyone serves, let it be from the strength God provides, so that God may be glorified in everything through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Peter 4:1-11)

Arm Yourself with a New Mind

Peter opens with a military word. Arm yourselves. He is not speaking about physical weapons, but the image is deliberate and pointed. He is describing something you have to pick up intentionally, something that does not come automatically just because you have been saved. It is a way of thinking and a particular understanding of what life is for and how it is to be spent.

The understanding Peter calls believers to is drawn directly from the suffering of Christ. Because Christ suffered in the flesh and that suffering accomplished the decisive defeat of sin, the believer who arms himself with this same mindset is someone who has reckoned with sin in a new way. Not someone who is sinless, but someone who has decisively turned away from sin as the organizing principle of their life. This is not behavior modification. Peter is describing a fundamental reorientation of desire. Before Christ, life was organized around what you wanted. After Christ, the organizing question is no longer what do I want? but what does God want?

This shift is exactly why the people around you notice. Peter says in verses 3 and 4 that the Gentiles are genuinely surprised when you do not join them. They are surprised because it looks strange. You used to be there with them, and now you are not. And because they do not know what to make of it, some of them slander you for it.

Think about what it is like to turn a large vessel around in open water. There is resistance. The water pushes back. It takes effort and intention. Peter is describing a life that has turned. The pressure from the world around you when you are no longer going the direction it is going is not evidence that something is wrong. It is evidence that the turn was real.

Live with the Weight of What Remains

One of the most clarifying realities in this passage is the reality of accountability. The people who are slandering you for your changed life, Peter says in verse 5, will give an account to the one who stands ready to judge the living and the dead. Every life will one day be held up against the holiness of God.

This is an anchor for suffering people. The verdict of the watching world is not the final verdict. God’s judgment is. And for those who are in Christ, that judgment has already been spoken over them through the cross.

Serve One Another with What Is Left

Peter shifts from how the believer thinks to how the believer actually uses the remaining time. And here the tone becomes intensely practical. The end of all things is near. So what do you do with that?

You might expect Peter to say: retreat, disengage, hunker down and wait. He says the opposite. Because the end is near, be alert and sober-minded for prayer. Maintain constant love for one another. Be hospitable. Use your gifts to serve.

There is a logic here that runs against how we typically think about urgency. When we believe time is short, our instinct is to scale back and do less. Peter says the nearness of the end should intensify our investment in the community of believers, not reduce it.

Love, he says in verse 8, covers a multitude of sins. This is drawn from Proverbs 10:12, and Peter means it practically. A community anchored in love does not keep a running ledger of every offense. Sins get committed between friends, in marriages, in churches. Love is the covering that allows the community to absorb the friction and keep moving forward. This is not an excuse for avoiding accountability, but it is a strong argument for leading with grace when relationships get hard.

Verses 10 and 11 bring the whole section to a close around the idea of stewarding what God has entrusted to you. The word for gift here is charisma which is grace-gifts distributed by God to every believer, not for personal enrichment but for building up the whole. The question Peter is pressing every believer to answer is not simply what are my gifts? The real question is: am I using what God has given me for others?

Peter then draws the boundary that governs all of it. Whether you are speaking or serving, the power is not yours. It comes from God. The glory goes back to God. This is the posture of a believer who has genuinely armed themselves with the mind of Christ. They do not serve to be noticed. They serve because God is the source, and God deserves the glory in everything.

The Thread That Holds It Together 

In 3:18-22, Peter gave us the deepest possible theological foundation: Christ died once for sins, was raised, proclaimed victory, and is now enthroned at the right hand of God with all powers subject to Him. That is your anchor.

Now in 4:1-11 he says: live from that anchor. You are not waiting to be rescued. You have been rescued. So arm your mind, turn from the way you used to live, take the coming judgment seriously, and invest the remaining days in loving, serving, praying, and using every gift you have been given for the glory of God.

A life anchored in purpose is not a life spent in passive waiting. It is a life spent in active, deliberate, grace-powered service to those around you. It is a life that looks different enough from the surrounding world that people notice. And when they notice, and when they eventually ask, you will have something to say.

In just a few weeks, there is an excellent opportunity for us to serve others!  Please pray about volunteering at VBS!  Vacation Bible School is one of our biggest outreach events and it takes an army of volunteers to ensure that as many kids and families as possible hear about Jesus!   There is a wide variety of ways you can serve at VBS that range from helping in classrooms, greeting in the foyers, serving snacks, supporting the teachers, recreation, and more!

Adult Volunteer Registration is HERE

Student Volunteer Registration is HERE

And if you’re going to volunteer, we’d love for you to attend our Volunteer Training THIS Sunday at 3:30pm.   Sign up to attend the training HERE

Ladies, you’re invited to an incredible experience at our Women’s Cultivate Conference on April 24th and 25th! This year’s theme is Hope!  Join us for powerful worship, inspiring speakers—including Tasha Calvert—engaging breakout sessions, and meaningful connections. Get your tickets today!

Guys, you don’t want to miss this! Join us on May 1st for an unforgettable night filled with food, worship, and inspiring messages from special guests Colt McCoy and Joby Martin!

Grab your tickets! Round-up your crew—dad, brother, son (high school and up), or that coworker who could use an encouraging night out—and join us for an unforgettable evening!

I know life is busy. I know there are a hundred things competing for your time. But I am asking you to prioritize this. Come be with your church family. Come bring your burdens, your praise, your requests, and your heart before the Father alongside brothers and sisters who love you and who are fighting the same fight. There is something that happens when we pray together that simply cannot be replicated alone. We need you there, and you need to be there. Come join us – Wednesdays at 6pm.

You are loved and prayed for!

Michael Gossett