Reflections from 1 Peter

They will have to give an account

4Because of this, they consider it strange of you not to plunge with them into the same flood of reckless indiscretion, and they heap abuse on you. 5But they will have to give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6That is why the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged as men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

1 Peter 4:4-6

Peter just described the hostility believers face when they no longer participate in the destructive patterns of the world. Now, he shifts focus, drawing the eyes of the faithful away from the judgments of men and toward the judgment of God.

There is deep comfort to be found in this sentence. Yet, the sentence is severe. The world may slander the righteous, judging their actions and motivations and condemning them, but the Judge of all the earth sees and will respond. And His judgment is just. The ungodly may heap abuse now, but they will give account later. Peter is reminding his readers that every human, whether believer or blasphemer, will one day stand before God and render an account of their lives. Justice may be delayed but it will not be denied.

To give an account is a forensic term. It evokes the image of a defendant giving testimony before a judge. The entire framework of the verse is legal and eschatological. It places present suffering with the context of divine justice. God is not blind to wickedness, nor is He apathetic. He is patient, perfect in patience; but His patience has a limit, constrained by His perfection. Constrained by His justice. He keeps an account, and at the appointed time, He will render to each according to their works.

Peter describes God as the One who is ready to judge the living and the dead. This echoes similar declarations by Paul elsewhere in Scripture:

“And He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that He is the One appointed by God to judge the living and the dead.”

Acts 10:42; see also 2 Timothy 4:1

This emphasizes the comprehensive nature of God’s judgment. No one will escape it. Not even death is an escape from justice. Whether living at the time of Christ’s return or having already died, all will appear before Him, and all will account for themselves. They will be stripped bare. No excuse, no self-justification, no whataboutism, no mental gymnastics will free them from the consequences of their choices.

This truth serves two purposes in Peter’s letter. First, it comforts the believer. Those who malign, abuse, or persecute God’s people seem to act with impunity in this life, but Peter reminds us that judgment belongs to God. Vengeance is not ours. We are not the judge; He is. Therefore, the believer is freed from the burden of retaliation and can endure suffering with hope.

Psalm 73 is a stark confession of the error of thinking that the wicked see no consequences. It reflects on the troubling reality that the wicked often prosper while the righteous suffer. The psalmist begins by affirming God's goodness to the pure in heart but admits he nearly stumbled in envy as he observed the apparent ease and success of the arrogant and wicked. These people live in health and luxury, speak with pride, and defy God without immediate consequence. This causes the psalmist to question whether living righteously is worthwhile, as his own life is marked by hardship. However, his perspective shifts when he enters the sanctuary of God and discerns the ultimate fate of the wicked: their downfall will be sudden and complete. He recognizes his earlier bitterness and ignorance but reaffirms that God is his strength, guide, and portion forever. The psalm concludes by contrasting the destiny of those far from God with the psalmist’s own resolve to remain near to Him, finding refuge and declaring His works.

To go into the sanctuary of God and reflect on His character and ways is a bastion for us, a way to fortify our minds against the lie that God does not see or know the actions of the wicked, and that they will not be held accountable. We are too swift to live according to the present and not think about the long-term (as in, eternal) scope of God’s patience and His plan.

The second purpose which Peter delivers is to warn the unbeliever. The life of reckless indulgence and the slander of the righteous will not continue forever. A day is coming, the Judge is not far off, and He is ready. He is not idle, asleep, or distracted. The facts are before Him and He knows them thoroughly. He is prepared. And when He comes, His judgment will be final.

Peter has already spoken of the mercy of God. He calls the believers to suffer in hope. But he does not let the severity of divine justice be forgotten, and this tension in the Gospel shows that God is both merciful and just, both patient and wrathful. His holiness requires that He does not overlook sin. He deals with it, either in the cross of Christ or in the final judgment.

Therefore, the believer can rest. We do not need to win the approval of those who reject God, nor should we be shaken by their abuse. We are not under their verdict. We are under the verdict of Christ. Our Judge is also our Advocate. Praise God that for the believer, the divine courtroom is not a place of condemnation, but of vindication.

The promise of final judgment sobers and steadies. It sobers us, reminding us that every careless word and secret motive will be brought into the light. But it steadies us, because it assures us that God sees all things clearly. He will repay perfectly. He will vindicate what needs vindicating and silence what needs silencing. Every crooked path will be made straight.

For the scattered believers, this truth was essential. They were being accused, insulted, and excluded. Their refusal to conform was earning them hatred and vilification. Peter calls them to fix their eyes on the One who judges justly. Their day of reckoning is coming.

Let the world say what it will. We answer to Christ, and so will they.