Eleventh Avenue Church
The following is reprinted with permission of The Timely Messenger

AN INFORMAL SURVEY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT

A Dispensational Approach
I PETER

By: R B. Shiflet
I. THE REALITY OF SALVATION 1:2-21
II. THE REQUIREMENT OF BROTHERLY LOVE 1:22-25
III. THE READINESS FOR WORSHIP 2:1-3
IV. THE "ROYAL PRIESTHOOD" AND THE BODY OF CHRIST 2:4-10
V. THE REMINDER TO LIVE HOLY LIVES 2:11-12
VI. THE RESPONSIBILITY TO AUTHORITIES 2:13-17
VII. THE RESPONSIBILITY OF WIVES AND HUSBANDS 3:1-7
VIII. THE REPRESENTATIVE TRAITS OF CHRISTIAN LIVING 3:8-12
IX. RECOGNIZING THE LORDSHIP OF CHRIST 3:13-15

X. REFLECTIONS ON SUFFERING-OURS AND CHRIST'S
    A. Our Suffering
    B. Christ's Suffering 3:18-19

    1. The Precept
    2. The Profoundness
    3. The Purpose
    4. The Puzzle
    5. The Principle (3:22-4:4)

  C. The Gospel's Sufficiency 4:5-9

"Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead. For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. Use hospitality one to another without grudging." (I Pet. 4:5-9)

1. The Living (Quick) and the Dead

"Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead." (vs. 5)

Peter refers to the Gentiles, or the unsaved, who think it strange that believers, who once engaged in the sins that are still practiced by these unsaved, no longer follow that life-style. He reminds his readers that believers live in the light of their accountability to God. He calls our attention to the fact that the living and the dead will be judged by God.

Judgment is, of course, an interesting study in itself. Those who reject Christ will be judged as sinners at the Great White Throne Judgment of Revelation 20. Believers have already been judged in the person of Christ, who bore our sins and paid the price in full. He promised that we will never come into judgment for our sins (John 5:24). The Holy Spirit repeats that promise in Romans 8:1. We are, however, to judge ourselves (I Corinthians 11:31) and reckon ourselves dead to those things which are not in accordance with God's will. God often judges us as children and chastens us (Hebrews 12). We will one day stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ and have our works or service judged, resulting in reward or loss. The "dead" here undoubtedly refers to those who once lived but are now deceased.

2. The Dead

"For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit." (vs. 6)

This verse is one of those very puzzling portions of Scripture that most scholars are reluctant to attempt to interpret. Dr. L. S. Chafer, in his SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY does not deal with this passage. Neither does Pastor Charles Baker in his DISPENSATIONAL THEOLOGY. Scholars of old, such as Augustine, Bede, Erasmus and Luther interpreted the verse to refer to those who are "dead in sin" and supported their view with such passages as Ephesians 2:1. However, it is quite clear that in the context in I Peter 4 the word is used of the physically dead. Some groups have interpreted it to mean that the gospel will be preached to those who have lived on the earth and have died physically, giving a second chance to those who have rejected Christ. They attempt to tie it in with I Peter 3 and the spirits in prison to whom Christ is said to have preached. Three things seem to stand in the way of that interpretation. The word upreached" is in the aorist tense, a past tense referring to something that happened at some point in the past-not a future event of preaching to the dead. Second, the word translated "preach" in our English Bible translates two different Greek words in I Peter 3:19 (Gr Kerusso-to herald or announce) and I Peter 4:6 (euangelizo-to evangelize, preach the gospel). Finally, this view is not even suggested anywhere else I n the Bible and thus is not in harmony with the remainder of the Word.

So we believe that he refers to those who heard the gospel and believed during their life times, but were dead by the time Peter wrote this, possibly having died as martyrs in the light of the suffering referred to in the context.

3. Living

"But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. Use hospitality one to another without grudging." (vs. 7-9)

Peter moves to the practical matter of living for Christ, as all believers should.

(To Be Continued)