FIRST PETER 4:3

The Bible says in First Peter 4:3, “For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries.” This Bible verse is clearly stating the difference that should exist between the few people in the world who are true believers in Jesus and those who are not true believers. Notice that Peter says, “For the time past of our life…” Just because someone has been saved by faith in Christ does not make him better than other people. All human beings are sinners. Every human being has done things that they ought not to have done. “There is none righteous, no not one.” “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

But the fact that believers still have a sinful nature is never an excuse for sin, and it certainly is never an excuse to live the same way that unbelievers live in their sinful pursuits. The ancient Roman world was in some respects very similar to our own, especially in regards to open immorality, drinking alcoholic beverages, and partying. It should be obvious to everyone that being involved in the activities mentioned in First Peter 4:3 is not something that a follower of Christ would do. The word that is translated “lasciviousness” refers directly to not having a strong moral character. Many people of the world have developed excuses to justify adultery, affairs, or other kinds of sexual immorality. But there is no excuse. A Christian should have the highest of standards: sex in marriage or no sex at all. “The bed in marriage is undefiled, but whore-mongers and adulterers God will judge.” The people of the world often give in to “lusts.” A lust is a strong human desire. Human desires were given to us by God for good purposes, but when those desires are exercised outside of the bounds that God has set for them, those desires become lusts. People of the world have no concern about pleasing Christ. People of the world will go from normal desire to lust very easily.

One of the things that is important to notice about First Peter 4:3 is that the drinking of alcoholic beverages is mentioned directly and indirectly three times. The following all refer to the drinking of alcohol: “excess of wine, revellings, banquetings.” The word “revellings” refers to public displays and carousing that sometimes goes along with drinking. Some of the things that go on at Mardi Gras would fall into this category. The word “banquetings” refers to parties or other celebrations where people gather together for the purpose of drinking alcoholic beverages. Frequenting bars and taverns would fall into this category.

Some people might look at this phrase “excess of wine,” and think that it gives some kind of license to drink as long as no one goes to an “excess.” The problem with making that kind of interpretation is that no one can properly define “excess.” Even the law has a difficult time doing so. For example, different states have different definitions of what it means to be drunk. It probably varies with the individual, and the truth is that no one knows when they have gone to an excess until it is too late. Most people who became alcoholics did so without planning to. They ruined their marriages, their careers, and their health without planning to because alcohol is a powerful drug that should be avoided, and these people did not figure that out until it was too late. The only guarantee to avoid the dangerous effects of alcohol is to avoid alcohol altogether. “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging; and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.”

The last thing that is mentioned in First Peter 4:3 is “abominable idolatries.” It is interesting that sexual immorality and the abuse of substances are mentioned along with idolatry. The greatest commandment is to love God with all of the heart, so it is a very great sin to be involved in a religion that has idolatry. A society that has sexual immorality and the abuse of substances will also have idolatry. The religion in that society will be false religion. Humanism is a religion.

The Bible says in First Peter 4:4, “Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you.” There is a vast difference between saved people and unsaved people. The reason for the difference is based upon what is in the heart. If you have faith in Christ in your heart, then you have light in your soul. Those who do not have faith in Christ have darkness in their soul. Those who do not have faith in Christ have a totally different view of life, but human beings cannot see the heart. Human beings can only see the actions. The unsaved will notice very clearly when a believer does not follow the same lifestyle as the unsaved. If you do not drink alcoholic beverages, it will be noticed. If you do not go to drinking parties, it will be noticed. The unbelievers will “think it strange.” There will be a price to pay for being different because once they think that you are strange; then they will do things against you. They will speak “evil against you.” But because you love Jesus, you will accept this treatment. Jesus said in Matthew 5:11-12, “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” Also because you love souls, you will accept this treatment knowing that the unbelievers must see a difference in your life in order to be attracted to Christ.

Yes, there is a price for Christians to pay. But notice that the persecution you receive will not be because you claim to be a Christian. The price to pay will be because your life is different than that of the unbelievers. “All that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” At least you know that the consequences of what you suffer will have good results for the human race, and that you will reap good things from the hand of God. Jesus said that you will have a “great” reward in heaven.

But the unbelievers who do not repent will have the opposite from the hand of God. First Peter 4:5 says about the unbelievers, “Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.” Instead of rewards the unbelievers will only have judgment. The unbelievers are in a terrible situation. Not only are they in danger of judgment, but they are in danger of it at any moment. Jesus is “ready to judge.” That means that the judgment can happen at any moment. Of course, any human being is only one heart-beat away from standing before God. To be awakened to this reality should cause any person to turn from their wicked ways and to turn to Jesus Christ for forgiveness.

Make no mistake. Jesus will be the Judge. Jesus said in John 5:22, “For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son.” The Bible says in Second Timothy 4:1, “I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom.” This verse has the exact same phrase that is found in First Peter 4:5 that Jesus will “judge the quick and the dead.” The “quick” refers to the “living.” The spiritual side of this verse could be looked at in order to say that the “living” are those who are saved by faith in Christ. They have spiritual life. They will be judged by Jesus both in this life and in the next, because Jesus is the Judge of everyone. The Bible verse that says, “It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God,” is a warning to Christians. So is the one that says, “Be not deceived, God is not mocked. Whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap.”

Concerning the judgment of the unsaved, the truth is that God does not want them to be condemned. God does not want them to have to stand before Him as lost souls. “God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” This is why First Peter 4:6 says, “For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.” Instead of debating who are the “dead” that this verse is referring to, it is probably best to look at the spiritual significance of this verse. Anyone who is not saved is dead spiritually speaking. But the gospel of Christ is preached to them so that they do not have to remain in an unsaved condition. The will of God for every person is that they would give their heart to Christ, and then live their lives “according to God.”

Do not overlook the phrase “in the spirit.” The only way to live for God is to live in the Spirit. The only way to live for God is to be led by the Spirit and filled by the Spirit. The Bible says in Matthew 4:1, “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness.” If Jesus needed to be led by the Spirit, then we need to be even more so. The Bible says in John 3:34, “For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.” The reason that Jesus had the power that He had was because of the power of the Spirit. “Be not drunk with wine wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit.” “Quench not the Spirit.” “As many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God.” The number one thing in living for Christ in this world is to be filled and led by the Spirit of God. When we say “filled by the Spirit,” we are not talking about speaking in modern-day tongues. We are talking about the Spirit controlling your will and your heart and your thoughts and your actions. If the Spirit does not control you, then your own human selfishness will control you and what you do will be sin; even if you are going to church and reading your Bible.

The Bible says in First Peter 4:7, “But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.” One thing is very clear concerning the doctrine of the last times from the New Testament: this age in which we live, can end at any moment. All of the apostles thought that to be the case because they were taught that very thing by the Holy Spirit. It could have ended during their life-time, and it certainly can end during any moment of our life-time. Jesus taught that it would come “as a thief in the night.” John wrote in the first chapter of the last book of the New Testament, “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John.” Jesus said at the end of the same book in Revelation 22:20, “Surely, I come quickly.”

The point that Peter is making in First Peter 4:7 is that because Christians know that life is short and that life on this earth is relatively unimportant compared to eternity, that we are going to take a serious and sober view of life. We have a different mental attitude toward life: a different thought process. For one thing our thoughts continually fly up to God. We are dependent upon Him. We know that we need to turn to our Savior each day with the same humility with which we turned to Him the day that He saved us from our sins. Our knowledge of what life is really all about results in the fact that we turn to Him in prayer. We are people of prayer: true prayer, prayer that is conversation with our Savior Jesus Christ.

___________________________________________________