Peter here addresses the subject of a final judgment for believers so that they can encounter the trials such as the above coliseum.
1 Peter 4:17-19 For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? Now “If the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?” Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.
Remember that Peter has just finished discussing the suffering that believers would endure on earth, as this could be informative as to where Peter is going with his argument. Is he talking about judgment in the form of that suffering, or judgment after the return of Christ? It is possible that the suffering endured by believers is a form of judgment, as the believers in 1 Corinthians were judged with sickness and even death for dealing improperly with the Lord’s Supper. However, it seems here that since Peter has previously mentioned the appearing of Christ that this is a type of judgment after Christ’s return. Indeed this would fit with 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 as the dead in Christ rise first, an idea concordant with judgment beginning at the house of God. The good news is that by the sacrifice of Christ this judgment is passable for believers.
Why then, are believers judged? Are not all their sins atoned for? The answer is yes, their sins are covered, therefore this must be a judgment of the sort that rewards or corrects those actions by believers in their lives. This is where the wood, hay, and stubble will be burned away and we will see what it is that really mattered in our lives for the glory of God. This is where we will see what treasure we have laid up in heaven as we meet other believers we have either encouraged and edified or treated incorrectly. Note that Peter mentions that believers are scarcely saved. Does this mean that our salvation is in jeopardy? Absolutely not, but it does mean that in light of our sin and from a human perspective it is amazing that we have salvation.
I will conclude with the idea of suffering in this world because I think the two are related. Peter finishes this paragraph by writing, “let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good.” This final judgment we have discussed is a highly practical idea for our everyday lives in the sense that it gives us correct perspective to encounter suffering in this world. It makes us ask the right questions when we encounter trials in this life. For instance, when we properly understand the greatness of the gospel and the miraculous nature of our salvation, we will constantly be asking the question, “How can it be that a holy God has saved me and blessed me so greatly.” And when trials arise we do not ask, “why me, why do I have to suffer so greatly?” Rather, we ask the questions, “Why have I been considered worthy to suffer as my Lord suffered? Why have I had such a blessed life and not suffered more?” At that moment we know that our satisfaction and joy remain present in the trial and that “these present sufferings are not worthy to be compared to the glory in store for us.”
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Follow-up comment rss or Leave a Trackbackwhat makes you think that this passage refers to the end times…if seems that 1 Peter has more to say about how we should live this life, in this world and to be willing to suffer for His glory…
Right, but the way we live our lives now is intricately tied throughout the Bible to the end times. And in this passage in particular, the end is mentioned several times. In v.7 he writes “the end of all things is at hand.” v.13 “when His glory is revealed,” And the judgment of the church and the wicked will occur at the end. 1 Peter is an intensely practical and eschatological book for those encountering earthly trials.
When speaking of the end being near he must be saying that Christ return is emminent…jas. 5:9 the Judge is at the door and it appears that tribulation has not started but that we must live as exspecting Him today.
How can you preach the Jesus could come today if the seven years of tribulation have not started…
Well, one reason might be that we are human and are not perfect judges of when the tribulation has begun. But James is indicating an imminent return here, you are right. Does imminent mean the next moment, or is 7 years soon enough to be imminent? I don’t think the Bible is clear on this, but it is clear that we all need to be ready. Not only because the return of Christ is soon (they’ve been saying this since Paul’s day), but because any of us could pass on at any moment. Either way, we need to be prepared. My main reason for rejecting pretribulationism is that it is built upon 1) a presupposition that God wouldn’t allow the church to suffer and 2) the idea of 2 second comings, one to rapture the church and another to judge the world. The problem is that 1) is simply wrong as God teaches us that suffering is a blessing and 2) is nowhere to be found in the Scriptures. There is one return of the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 4 is usually referred to as the rapture, but if you read the text, it is not possible for this to be the rapture that dispensationalists speak of. 1 Thess 4 is a worldwide event where everyone knows what is happening. Also, a secret rapture does not solve the problem of immanency as the return for judgment is still separated by 7 years. The immanency is really for those who do not believe, they are the ones who won’t see the signs and won’t believe.
So what are we to believe amidst all this confusion? I’m just driven to read the texts (entire texts - I just read all of James to try to get a better handle on that verse) over and over. We could go back and forth for days and weeks and not figure this out, men have done it for centuries. I think the only answer is to keep searching the text, and not to worry about it too much. As long as we get the main emphasis of the Bible on eschatology - that we need to obey because He is coming, I think we are on the right track. That being said, Matthew 24 has probably been the text that most sways my view because it is Jesus speaking about specifically chronological events and He says, “immediately after the tribulation….” the Son of Man will return. He also states that those days will be shortened for the sake of the elect.
Great discussion, thanks.
I appreciate your discussion and issues of faith.
Often times folks forget that within the Law and Prophets the LORD is said to sit in judgment against many people, e.g. Isaiah 3:14 “The Lord enters into judgment against the elders and leaders of his people…”
He is also discussed in terms of passing judgment against the nations that surrounded Israel and Judah.
Therefore, I think that if we assume that St. Paul’s & St. Peter’s writings of Jesus’ coming judgment must necessarily be the “final judgment”, or “the Day” , or “the Day of the Lord”, then we are setting ourselves up to believe something that may not be so.
We are wise check our 21st century prejudices at the door, when we come to the scriptures. Our personal understanding and interpretation of scripture should consider commentaries and philosophies of those who teach us, yet we should also do as the noble minded Bereans did in Acts 17:11.
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