RSV ~ 1 Peter 4 Notes
1 Pet 4:1 | ISB Notes
ceased from sin: Suffering gives added incentive to break away from sinful habits, which often lose their attraction when times get tough and especially when life is threatened.
1 Pet 4:2 | ISB Notes
the will of God: This was the driving force behind Jesus’ earthly mission (Mk 14:36; Jn 4:34) as it should be of ours (Rom 12:2). The task is difficult because our fallen inclinations and passions are constantly competing for our allegiance (1 Pet 2:11; Jas 4:1-2).
1 Pet 4:3 | ISB Notes
the Gentiles like to do: The godless ways of the pagans must be shunned (Rom 13:13; Gal 5:19-21). Peter cautions, however, that efforts to live heroic and holy lives can be a cause of persecution, that is, once the heathens discover that Christian purity is a moral protest against their own depravity (4:4).
1 Pet 4:5 | ISB Notes
the living and the dead: Every member of the human race, the vast majority of whom will have died before the end of history (Rev 20:12-13). That Christ is their Lord and Judge is stated several times in the NT (Acts 10:42; Rom 14:9; 2 Tim 4:1). Only the last generation will live to see Christ return as Judge (1 Thess 4:15-17).
1 Pet 4:6 | ISB Notes
the gospel was preached: The RSV translation implies a link between this verse and 3:19, in which case “the dead” would seem to be identified with “the spirits in prison”. However, the statement in Greek does not have a specified subject (the RSV adds “the gospel”). As scholars have pointed out, the subject could just as well be Christ (translating “he was preached”), in which case the text refers to the evangelization of Christians who have since died (judged in the flesh) in the hope of a future resurrection (in the spirit).
1 Pet 4:7 | ISB Notes
end of all things: Another indication that Christ has ushered the world into its final phase of history (see also 1 Pet 1:5 and 1:20).
• This is said so that no one will be deceived into thinking that the future judgment is far off. Though length of life is uncertain, it is clear that no one can live for very long in this mortal life (St. Bede, On the Seven Catholic Epistles at 1 Pet 4:7).
1 Pet 4:8 | ISB Notes
love … multitude of sins: A quotation from Prov 10:12.
• The proverb contrasts the damaging effects of hate with the healing power of love, which builds up and restores relationships because it forgives and forgets the offenses of another (1 Cor 13:4-7).
1 Pet 4:10 | ISB Notes
each has received a gift: Charismatic and ministerial graces are bestowed on believers, not merely for their private edification, but for the building up of the Church as a whole (CCC 2003). See note on 1 Cor 12:7.
1 Pet 4:14 | ISB Notes
reproached … blessed: Echoes the words of Jesus in Mt 5:11.
1 Pet 4:17 | ISB Notes
the household of God: Or, “the house of God”, possibly alluding to the Church as a spiritual temple (2:6).
• Even now judgment begins with the Lord’s house, that is, with the Church, which is prepared for the joys to come by enduring the afflictions of the present. The condemned, for their part, are living securely in this transitory life, in contrast to the future punishment that awaits them (St. Bede, On the Seven Catholic Epistles at 1 Pet 4:17).
1 Pet 4:18 | ISB Notes
If the righteous man: A quotation from the Greek version of Prov 11:31.
• The proverb reasons from the lesser to the greater, implying that if the saints pass into glory only with great effort and through many difficulties, sinners can expect only doom if they persist in their wanton revelry until the Judgment (cf. Mt 7:13-14).