1Peter 4:15-19 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.
‘Busybody’ the inspector of another; meddling in the affairs of others and forgetting his own (Lev. 19:16; Pro. 20:3; 2Thess. 3:11-12; 1Tim. 5:13).
Christian suffering does not consist of suffering for murder or as a thief, for being an evildoer or a busybody (4:15); or for suffering for any crime listed in Romans 1:18-32; 1Corinthians 6:9-11 and Galatians 5:19-21.
‘Christian’ this so-often misused word means Christ-like or to be like Christ. The meaning of this definition are clearly explained in 1Peter 2:21-23 when He is given as the example for us to follow in.
‘Judgment’ [Greek: krima] meaning judgment, damnation and punishment. If the righteous are found sinning He judges them first, and if they are found righteous He delivers them from judgment (Gen. 18:23-32; 19:22; Ex. 14:13-31; Ezek. 9:1-11; etc.). The idea here is that if God will punish the righteous when they sin, He will surely punish the ungodly. If the ones who are righteous are scarcely saved, there is no possible hope of sinners being saved.
‘Let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator’ let them that suffer for well-doing endure it and commit themselves to God who is faithful to avenge all such (Heb. 10:30-31). ‘The will of God’ always refers to living for God on His moral standards alone, not those set by traditions or society, or our own opinion of what a Christian should look like, so that we can set an example through our daily lives (not preaching) for others to give them hope, thus it will always be important to live godly lives (1:16; 2:21-23; Matt. 5:48) so that we do not cause stumbling through half-truths to others (1 Cor. 10:32; 1Jn. 2:10).
Living the Word 