1 PETER 4:1-6
Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do – living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation, and they heap abuse on you. But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to men in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit.

This passage is closely associated with the previous one and presents its own difficulties, but what we learned from 3:18-22 will help us here.

Just several verses earlier, Peter tells us, "It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil" (3:17). Then, he gives Jesus Christ as the supreme example of enduring unjust punishment: "For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit" (3:18). Remember that the latter part of the verse literally says, "put to death in flesh but made alive in spirit."

The beginning of 4:1 – "Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body" – continues the thought that Peter started in 3:18. If we will keep this in mind, it will guide our interpretation at least by narrowing our options, since what appears inconsistent with the context and the purpose of the surrounding verses is far less likely to be correct.

The word translated "arm" means what it sounds like – it is a military term referring to taking up weapons. As for the word translated "attitude," it can also mean purpose, intention, way of thinking, point of view, or mindset. Davids observes that it can also mean "insight."

At the forefront of the apostle's concerns is the state of mind of the believers – their beliefs and attitudes. Do they affirm the right doctrines? Do they look to the grace and power of God for their hope and assurance? Do they ground their belief and behavior on the person and work of Christ? Are they humbled and encouraged by the example of Christ? Are they inspired by his resurrection and exaltation?

He says earlier, "prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled" (1:13), and after our passage he will say, "be clear minded and self-controlled." Right now he is saying, "Arm yourselves with this mindset, this insight about Christ's suffering." He says to put on this way of thinking as a soldier would put on a weapon.

The mindset, attitude, and purpose that the believers must adopt is, "he who has suffered in his body is done with sin." Here we face the first major difficulty with the passage. What does Peter mean? Several interpretations have been proposed.

The statement could mean that suffering promotes sanctification, so that believers should welcome suffering in order to advance in holiness and spiritual development. To some people this appears to be the plainest meaning of what Peter is saying, but there are several problems with it.

First, it cannot be directly applied to Jesus, since that would imply that he had been sinning until his suffering, and that his suffering put a stop to his sinning. This is impossible because Peter has already acknowledged the sinlessness of Christ, calling him "a lamb without blemish or defect" (1:19). Hebrews 4:15 says that although he was tempted, he was without sin.

Second, from our understanding of other portions of Scripture, and the whole Bible regarding the ground and method of sanctification, the idea that suffering in itself could increase holiness or do away with sin is not true at all. Many believers suffer but continue to sin. For that matter, if there is an inherent relationship between suffering and breaking from sin, then it should apply to unbelievers as well. But for them suffering could only increase their unbelief and bitterness.

Third, it appears that we must take "suffer in the body" to mean death in this verse, since this is what Peter has in mind ever since 3:18, where he says that Christ "was put to death in the body." Therefore, when he says "since Christ suffered in his body," Peter has nothing less than the death of Christ in mind. And thus when he says "he who has suffered in his body," it seems that he must be referring to suffering to the death as well. But if so, then the principle is no longer relevant to an increase of holiness or the break from sin in this life.

Perhaps, some proceed to suggest, the believer's physical death is precisely what Peter is talking about. Just as Christ suffered martyrdom, a Christian should arm himself with the same readiness to suffer to the point of death for his faith. And indeed, the believer who dies can no longer sin – he is done with sin – so that martyrdom is in fact a blessing for him.

All of this is true, and it is even relevant to Peter's letter, but it cannot be what he is saying. This is because the very next verse refers to a person who continues to live: "As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God." The correct interpretation must accommodate the idea that the believer could be "done with sin" and continue to live out his earthly life.

Some take a similar approach to the verse, but from a slightly different angle. According to them, Peter is exhorting the believers to arm themselves with the attitude of a readiness to suffer for their faith, since one who demonstrates such willingness and determination also indicates that he has made a clean break with sin.

In other words, it is not so much that suffering advances one's holiness and delivers him from sin, but that one who has the mentality to suffer for his faith has himself made a break with sin. He has committed himself to righteousness, and his suffering reveals it. Then, there is a variation of this interpretation that says the two contribute to each other. That is, the more one suffers for Christ, the more one breaks from sin, and the more one breaks from sin, the more one is willing to suffer for Christ.

However, the above interpretation, as well as its variation, cannot be true. As we have indicated, the suffering that Peter has in mind in this verse is like the one he talks about in 3:18, which leads to death. In addition, in "he who has suffered…is done with sin," the word "suffered" is in the aorist tense, indicating a completed act, and "is done with" is in the perfect tense, indicating a past event with lasting results for the present and future. It is much more likely that he is referring to a "once for all" (3:18) suffering like Christ's, along with its enduring effects.

Another theory is that the statement does not apply to believers, but it refers to what Christ has done in this redemptive work. The verse begins by saying, "since Christ suffered in his body," and so later when it says, "he who has suffered in his body," it is still referring to Christ. The idea, then, is that by his suffering, Christ has dealt with sin decisively, permanently, and effectively, so that he has thoroughly defeated it – he is "done with sin."

To paraphrase, Peter would be saying, "Christ has suffered in the body, and he has defeated sin. Arm yourselves with this mindset and insight." This is in fact consistent with sound theology, for indeed Christ has defeated sin by his suffering. The question is whether the structure and language of the verse allow such an interpretation. Some commentators point out that the verb in "done with sin" could be taken in a passive sense, so that it would mean to be released from sin. This cannot be true of Christ, since although he bore our guilt, he was never enslaved by it.

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