“The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment
and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer.
Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another,
because love covers a multitude of sins.
Be hospitable to one another without complaint.
As each one has received a special gift, employ it
in serving one another as good stewards of the multifaceted grace of God.
Whoever speaks is to do so as one who is speaking actual words of God;
whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies;
so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ,
to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
~~1 Peter 4:7-11~~
“The end of all things is near”. What a way to start a passage, huh? Well, if Peter felt this way when he penned this book long ago, how much closer is the “end of all things” now? Jesus is coming back, and that coming is “near”. <Engizō> is the Greek word for near and it means “is at hand” or “is approaching”. It’s important to understand that by Peter saying “the end of all things is near, he isn’t alluding that he knows when Christ will return, but is instead saying that “the end is approaching”. So what our takeaway from this phrase? While we don’t know when Christ will return will be, we do know that His return is closer today than it was yesterday.
So in light of the every increasing nearness of Christ’s return, this passage gives us some commands as to how to live until that time.
Be of sound judgment and sober spirit
for the purpose of prayer.
What exactly is “sound judgment”? The Greek word is <sōphroneō> and it means to curb one’s passions and be of sound mind. I looked up “sound” in the dictionary, when used as an adjective, and it said: free from injury or disease (do my thought patterns hurt myself or others?); free from flaw, defect, or decay (are my thoughts based on the Word of God or on my own opinions?); stable (does my dependence on the truth of God’s word waver depending on the situation in which I find myself?); free from error, fallacy, or misapprehension (do I mean what I say and say what I mean?); exhibiting or based on thorough knowledge and experience (do I live out what I am learning in God’s Word?); deep and undisturbed (do feelings have me, or do I have feelings?); showing good judgment or sense (is what I believe the Bible to teach evidenced by the choices I make?).
PAUSE TO PONDER. If you’re like me, my thoughts can’t be reliable and stable in and of myself. They are only reliable and stable to the extent as I choose to base them on a thorough knowledge of what God’s Word says instead of base them on what I feel at any given moment. What’s coming to mind is Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
What does being “sober in spirit” look like? The Greek word used here is <nēphō> and it means to be calm and collected in spirit; to be temperate, dispassionate, circumspect. Let’s unpack that.
- If I am calm and collected in spirit, I am not allowing the outer circumstances rock my inner calm.
- If I am temperate, my life is marked by moderation. I avoid extremes.
- If I am dispassionate, I am not influenced by strong feelings. I can think clearly, not being affected by personal or emotional involvement in a matter. My emotions don’t run the show.
- If I am circumspect, I think things through, being careful to consider all circumstances and possible consequences before I move forward with something.
I don’t know about you, but these descriptions were a little “ouchie” to this gal.
Why are we commanded to be of sound judgment and sober in spirit? — “For the purpose of prayer”. We need to control our thought processes and keep our emotions under control so we will be able to discern how to pray about things. We should be praying more and more as we see the day of Christ approaching. Chances are there are people in your circle who don’t know Jesus yet. Or perhaps it’s a neighbor who needs Christ. Or a family member. We know that Jesus is coming back and it is of paramount importance that we seriously pray for the salvation of others.
Keep fervent in your love for one another,
because love covers a multitude of sin
The word “keep” <echō> is in the participle mood. It’s an “-ing” word, denoting continuance, and it means to hold on to something and not let it go. Another nuance of the definition of <echō> is to keep wear-ING something. So what is it that our minds are to be “keep-ING”?
Fervent in our love for one another. Fervent <ektenēs> means stretched out. It is used as a metaphor here to mean intent, earnestly, assiduously.
- If I am intent about loving others, I am clearly formulating a plan to put that love into action.
- If I am earnest in my love for others, that love is flowing from an intense and serious state of mind. (Funny how the act of loving begins in the mind, isn’t it? Wink.)
- If I am loving others assiduously, I am showing great care, attention, and effort to love. I am marked by careful and persistent love for them.
So why “keep fervent in our love for one another?” — Because love covers a multitude of sin. A commentary I read explains this so clearly. Check it out.
“Where love abounds in a fellowship of Christians, many small offenses, and even some large ones, are readily overlooked and forgotten. But where love is lacking, every word is viewed with suspicion, every action is liable to misunderstanding, and conflicts abound – to Satan’s perverse delight.” (Grudem)
Be hospitable to one another without complaint.
Being transparent here, I am not a “people person”, and what I mean when I say that is that “peopling” drains me instead of energizes me. So when I read this command to be hospitable, I kinda sighed, “….okay, if I have to”. And then honestly…did Peter really have to add “without complaint”?! Haha. My mind was saying, “shut it, Pete!”.
The word hospitable <philoxenos> means fond of guests, i.e. hospitable:—given to (lover of, user of) hospitality. Well that nailed my “okay, if I have to” attitude to the proverbial wall, didn’t it?. And if the definition of hospitable wasn’t “ouchie” enough, without complaint <gongysmos> certainly added to the ouch, because it means without secret displeasure but with a cheerful and willing mind.
PAUSE TO PONDER how our modern culture has kind of made this command obsolete. In Bible times, there wasn’t a hotel on every corner. Fast food wasn’t readily available. People didn’t pull their camel or donkey up to the window to order a Big Mac. People depended on others for a safe place to stay and/or have a meal. Another thing to consider here is the fact that eating a meal together in that culture was more about who was “around” the table than what was “on” it. Our society and culture hasn’t done us any favors in facilitating hospitality in our homes.
“As each one has received a special gift, employ it
in serving one another as good stewards of the multifaceted grace of God.
Whoever speaks is to do so as one who is speaking actual words of God;
whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies;
so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ,
to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
~~1 Peter 4:10-11~~
Looking at the remainder of this passage, I see Peter covering all his bases by saying that every person has a special gift from God that they are to “employ”. The Greek word used is <diakoneō> is in the participle mood (it’s an “-ing” word), and it means to be ministerING to or servING another person, mutually. Everyone has something that God has gifted them to do and that gift is necessary to the effective working of the body of Christ. God gives the gift and God gives the strength to use it. Why? SO THAT in ALL things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.
What exactly does that mean? Well, we know that bringing God glory is the final end for everything we do. It’s the “why” to the “what”. It’s to be our motive. Regardless of what gift God has given us to use, the purpose for that gift is not so other people notice us, but that they notice the God we serve.
The phrase “through Jesus Christ” speaks of the fact that Jesus is the mediator through whom all of our blessings come down to us, and also through whom all our praises ascend to God. Through Christ alone can God receive glory through our saying and our serving (1 Timothy 2:5).
The end of all things is near, so “…whatever you do, whether in word or deed,
do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
~~Colossians 3:17~~