The Righteous Scarcely Saved 1 Peter 4:18

Peter the apostle told the “scattered” Christians, “the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God”, and he went on to write, “and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” In chapter four and verse eighteen of his letter, Peter continued his thought concerning the “righteous” and the “ungodly” where we read:

And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

The verse begins, “And if the righteous scarcely be saved,...” Peter began with the word, “And” which is a conjunction meaning “also, even, indeed” “if” or “whether” “the righteous” which refers to “those observing divine laws, virtuous and keeping the commands of God” “scarcely” or “with difficulty, hardly, not easily and very rarely” “be saved” which means “to be kept safe and sound and rescue from danger or destruction”. Peter's implication is that even “the righteous” people will “not easily, hardly and very rarely” be rescued from the eternal danger to come.

The verse continues, “...where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?” Peter continued with the question, “Where” or “wither, nearly and whereabout” “shall the ungodly” which refers to “those destitute of reverential awe towards God, condemning God and impious” “and the sinner” which means “devoted to sin, not free from sin, especially wicked and heathen” “appear” or “shine, be bright or resplendent and brought forth to light”. Peter's question wonders what will happen to unbelievers if it is true that the “righteous” barely make it.

When we think through Peter's words in this verse, we may be somewhat alarmed at the warning Peter gave. “The righteous scarcely be saved”? Without the grace of God through Jesus Christ, no one would be saved, and since this is true, how awful will it be for those who are unbelievers in Jesus? May all who read these words take heed, and should there be those who have not received Jesus as their Lord and Savior, allow today to be the day of salvation.

Next time Peter shares with the Christians concerning “suffering according to the will of God”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.