Living toward the End
Peter challenges persecuted believers to Suffer for Good and trust God to punish those who do evil. He then proceeds to warn of the judgement and the end of those living souls as well as for those who are dead.
Just as the end of all life will come, so must the end of your suffering. The Lord will judge your living soul accordingly after the time of all expires.
Who shall give account?
5 Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.
1 Peter 4:5 KJV
The King James Version translates the Greek of Peter’s letter into words somewhat quait to our 21st century hearing. “The quick and the dead,” refers to the condition of all being judged after our death. Yet don’t miss the encouragement here in Peter’s contrast between believers and disobedient sinners, those who both infiltrate the church and persecute believers.
the living
Most versions of the Bible translate ‘quick,’ ζάω [zaō] as “the living.” From this we hear expressions like, “as I live and breathe” or, “[be] among the living.”
Consider our more familiar references to ‘quick’ as the pace of something, even our quickly passing life. We tend to rush through our living of life more so than persecuted believers of the first century church. Yet we would do well in our quickness of life to consider its brevity.
to give an account
Perhaps in our money-driven daily lives of this 21st century we quickly think of accounting as it relates to buying and selling. This approach to Peter’s meaning is not entirely wrong, but you cannot buy your own soul.
No good you accomplish in your quick days of living this life can outweigh the many sins of your living flesh.
3:19 בְּזֵעַת אַפֶּיךָ תֹּאכַל לֶחֶם עַד שֽׁוּבְךָ אֶל־הָאֲדָמָה כִּי מִמֶּנָּה לֻקָּחְתָּ כִּֽי־עָפָר אַתָּה וְאֶל־עָפָר תָּשֽׁוּב׃
Genesis 3:19
By the sweat of your face
You will eat bread,
Till you return to the ground,
Because from it you were taken;
For you are dust,
And to dust you shall return.”
- Genesis 3:19 NASB
So how does God balance the good of your quickly dying flesh with the evil of our living soul?
The writer of Hebrews cautions those who turn against the Lord, providing an accounting of the judgment of souls.
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
Hebrews 9:27-28 KJV
Peter assures us that whether we suffer for good, experience persecution for Christ or conversely if our daily living displeases God, know that all will give an account. Even the dead will give an account for actions against God during their lifetime.
You must give an account even for inattentiveness to your living soul, for all will will give an account before the Lord.
Your life will pass quickly, then you will die and be called to God’s Throne of Judgment of your eternal living soul.
to him that is ready to judge
Who will judge?
To whom will your departed soul be required to give an account of your living soul?
Peter’s encouragement to persecuted believers goes back to the reason for and objects of their persecution.
Therefore, since Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same understanding…
3 For there has already been enough time spent in doing what the Gentiles choose to do…
… and they malign you; 5 but they will give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.
They will give an account refers to the gentiles who remain sinful. The Lord will judge every soul of those who decay in the flesh, yet some living in sin may be saved by your preaching of the Gospel.
Just as Christ preached to those in the grave, so also will your redeemed life doing good preach the Gospel to those who remain sinners. Perhaps the Spirit will use you to bring some back to life.
6 For this reason the gospel was also preached to those who are now dead, so that, although they might be judged in the flesh according to human standards, they might live in the spirit according to God’s standards.
Who will judge our living souls?
A Hebrew understanding of living relates more to the soul than to our flesh.
Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
So also it is written, “The first MAN, Adam, BECAME A LIVING SOUL.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
Genesis 2:7; 1 Corinthians 15:45 NASB
When will it all end?
Certainly the end appeared to be at hand as the Roman Empire fell into further decline during the first century A.D. Peter writes to those living as Christians persecuted for their faith in Jesus. He too would suffer further and then be crucified in Rome.
The church to whom Peter wrote suffered in their home towns in Asia minor (modern Turkey) as if the end of their lives could be at any time. The church in Jerusalem suffered greatly and Jerusalem itself would fall into ashes and dust at the hands of its Roman oppressors.
Perhaps the end of all things is near. [1 Peter 4:7]
Even in recent centuries some have thought judgement near.
In October of the year of our Lord 1962, some will recall that the world stood at the brink of destruction by nuclear missiles from Russia and the U.S.
In September of the year of our Lord 2001, some believed that an attack of followers of the false prophet would lead us into the last days. Perhaps it has. The Lord knows.
But in any case, our end will come to the measured days of our mortal life. All will end, and then the judgement. God only knows when.
And like the followers of Jesus to whom Peter wrote, we also know:
We will die in the flesh and then be judged. AND our soul is saved from our sin by the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ! Thanks be to God!
Who shall give an account?
Everyone – the living and the dead – will give an account for their living actions during the brief years of our flesh.
οἳ ἀποδώσουσιν λόγον τῷ ἑτοίμως ἔχοντι κρῖναι ζῶντας καὶ νεκρούς
1 Peter 4:5 Morphological Greek New Testament
So since all souls must give an account, let’s look deeper into Peter’s text of his first letter to the church (whose believers understand Greek).
but they will give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.
1 Peter 4:5 NASB
λόγος
Trench’s Synonyms: lxxvi. λαλέω, λέγω (λαλιά, λόγος).
lxxxix. φωνή, λόγος.
xc. λόγος, μῦθος.
Do you see it – the account you must give?
It’s Greek root is from a verb legō, meaning to say, speak or affirm. It is the same word Jesus uses when He says,
“But I say G3004 to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court;
and whoever says G3004 to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court;
and whoever says, G3004 ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.
– Matthew 5:22 – Strong’s G3004 – BlueLetterBible.org
From ‘legos,’ the root of the word Peter and Jesus use, we see that all will give an account for what we say, in addition to what we do. Yet returning to Peter’s use of account, look closer. Do you see the noun Peter uses?
λόγος
Logos –
The KJV translates Strong's G3056 in the following manner:
word (218x), saying (50x), account (8x), speech (8x), Word (Christ) (7x), thing (5x), not translated (2x), miscellaneous (32x).
You will give an account [logos]. That is, of speech they will give an account for slander and words of hatred. They will give an account for false teaching which goes against the precepts of God.
We all know that keeping score means to give an account at the end of the game. This is no game, but a brief life for which we will give account to Almighty God.
Jesus often used this word with the same meaning as Peter uses here to encourage persecuted believers.
“For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts G3056 with his slaves.
Matthew 18:23 NASB
Greek-speaking Romans and Jews of the first century also referred to a word spoken from the Prophets in this way. Many of the Jews believed John the Baptist to be a Prophet with such power of the word of God spoken directly to man through him.
Logos – Accounting in Peter’s words
Peter has already encouraged readers of his letter with this same (logos) accounting:
1Pe 1:23
for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word G3056 of God.
1Pe 2:8b
for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, G3056 and to this doom they were also appointed.
1Pe 3:1
In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, G3056 they may be won without a word G3056 by the behavior of their wives,
1Pe 3:15
but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account G3056 for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;
Therefore, Peter will continue by urging us how to speak and act, now that we are in Christ. (I will continue Peter’s first letter to the church from his advise continuing in 1 Peter 4:7, God-willing.)
Christ – the living logos
No men understood better the accounting and true word of God than Jesus’ inner circle of Apostles. In addition to Peter, these included James and John.
Consider the accounting of the living and the dead to be made before Almighty God from the words of the Apostle John, only surviving one of the Twelve who was not martyred for Christ Jesus. You may read of it in his letters, Gospel, or in The Revelation of Jesus Christ to the church:
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John,
who testified to the word G3056 of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.
Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words G3056 of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.
John, like those to whom Peter wrote, suffered for Christ. And as a living soul for Jesus writes to seven of the same churches in Asia with exhortation as to how we much live as Christ.
John’s Gospel to the church best solidifies the identity of God and Christ. In fact, John includes this same word as Peter has just used in his letter.
In the beginning was the Word, G3056 and the Word G3056 was with God, and the Word G3056 was God.
And the Word G3056 became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:1,8 NASB Strong’s G3056 – λόγος
logos
To be continued...
