Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. 2 As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. ~ 1 Peter 4:1-2
Today, we transition into 1 Peter 4. You will remember that at the end of 1 Peter 3, we read about Noah and his family building and entering into the Ark. In so doing, they gave safe haven in their souls to the culture of God. In like manner, when we placed our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, we began the process of inviting the culture of God into our being. This is what allows us to be defined by the truth of God.
In v.1 of today's passage we read, "Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin."
The Lord Jesus suffered physical death; He died physically on the cross. And, His suffering although included cruel pain, bewilderment, confusion and death for Him, it brought victory to all who will ever trust in His finished work on the cross. You see, we were doomed. Our fate was sealed and we didn't even know it. We were guaranteed an eternity in hell. That is, until the Lord Jesus came and paid our ransom and, of course, we believed..
In John 11:25-26 we read, "25 Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?'"
The resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ validates His identity as God. If He were not God He could not be our Savior. It was His resurrection that attested most to His divinity. And, His resurrection was proven by more than 500 eyewitnesses at one time when they saw Him as recorded in 1 Corinthians 15. It is the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ that provides undeniable proof that He is the Savior of the world.
The resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ validates His identity as God. If He were not God He could not be our Savior. It was His resurrection that attested most to His divinity. And, His resurrection was proven by more than 500 eyewitnesses at one time when they saw Him as recorded in 1 Corinthians 15. It is the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ that provides undeniable proof that He is the Savior of the world.
The next phrase in v.1 of today's passage we read, "... arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin."
The Lord Jesus suffered when He took on Satan's definition of things and defeated Him. In so doing, the Lord Jesus loosened the grips of sin and death on us. Since we are dead to sin, we choose not to be defined by it. As a result of trusting in the work of Christ, the life that we had before we trusted in Him has been rendered powerless. That part of us died when Christ died, so temptation and sin no longer has power over us; it is dead.
The phrase "arm yourselves," is a military phrase. And, the preparation of the believer in Christ is more so inward than it is outward. Believers in Christ are to arm ourselves with a compass bearing that directs our soul, so that we will be properly prepared for the real battles that await us. These battles matter in for eternity, not just for time as we know it.
The Lord Jesus suffered when He took on Satan's definition of things and defeated Him. In so doing, the Lord Jesus loosened the grips of sin and death on us. Since we are dead to sin, we choose not to be defined by it. As a result of trusting in the work of Christ, the life that we had before we trusted in Him has been rendered powerless. That part of us died when Christ died, so temptation and sin no longer has power over us; it is dead.
The phrase "arm yourselves," is a military phrase. And, the preparation of the believer in Christ is more so inward than it is outward. Believers in Christ are to arm ourselves with a compass bearing that directs our soul, so that we will be properly prepared for the real battles that await us. These battles matter in for eternity, not just for time as we know it.
Notice what it says, "Arm yourselves with the same attitude." This battle of sanctification that we are engaged in always begins in our minds. Before it goes anywhere else it starts in the way and what we think. Believers in Christ are to arm ourselves with the same approach to life as to that of the Lord Jesus Christ who was determined to live by the culture of God no matter what it cost Him, even separation from God for a short time.
Sin, which is the distortion of the truth, impairs our ability to value even suffering. Through Christ Jesus, we are free from the power of sin. And now we have been raised to a new kind of life, a life free from guilt and foolish decisions. As a result, we are poised to make wise choices which are consistent with God's definition of all things as given in His word. We will never be perfect at this this side of heaven.
The phrase "because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin," reveals the spiritual state of the victorious sufferer. It does not mean that believers in Christ are now sinless, it means we now have the ability to resist the power of sin. Christ's death, burial and resurrection made it possible for us to possess the mindset of Christ who chose to suffer. When we make this choice which is antithetical to our fallen nature, we show that we have been given the choice to not sin. Once we see and understand the nature of sin, we will trust in God’s truth enough to choose to die to self; we will see the nature of sin, that is a poison to our souls.
In v.2 of today's passage we read, "As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God."
Once we entered into a personal relationship with God through Christ, our eyes were opened and we saw real reality. This means we will increasingly recognize that the will of God for our lives is the most important and the most exciting thing ever. We will subsequently learn to live every day in anticipation of what God is doing in this world and how we factor into what He is doing. This is truly the greatest adventure ever.
God's will is not an encumbrance, it's an enablement that leads to the real battle of the advancement of good over evil. Can you imagine that we factor into the age old war of good over evil? When we get to this point in our walk with the Lord, we will recognize His will has a cross-shaped approach to it. The cross reminds us that life is about connecting the horizontal to the vertical. We will not always know what He's up to, there are times when He doesn't reveal it so quickly, but we can rest assured that He knows best. And, He is calling you and me to a life of connecting the unsaved to Him. And, He even uses our suffering to accomplish it.
C.S. Lewis once said, "God, who foresaw your tribulation, has specially armed you to go through it, not without pain but without stain."
