The Time Past 1 Peter 4:3

Peter the apostle of Jesus Christ told the “scattered” Christians they should “arm” themselves “with the same mind as Christ” and they should “live the rest of” their “time in the flesh” not to “the lusts of men, but to the will of God”. In chapter four and verse three of his letter Peter referred to “the time past” as he continued to encourage the Christians where we read:

For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:

The verse begins, “For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles,...” Peter began with the word, “For” which means “even, indeed, no doubt, seeing then and verily” “the time past” or “former days or part” “of our life” which refers to “the period or course of life which is sustained with resources, wealth and goods” “may suffice” which means “be sufficient or enough” “to have wrought” which is the Greek word “katergazomai” from which we derive our English word “cauterize” or “performed, accomplished, achieved, worked out and fashioned” “the will” which means “desire, pleasure and what one wishes or has determined shall be done” “of the Gentiles” which refers to “the heathen people or nations”. In other words, “the will of heathen people and nations” may have been sufficient to live by before the Christians knew Jesus.

The verse continues, “...when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:” Peter continued with, “when we walked” which refers to Peter and the “scattered” Christians “lead, carried over, transferred, departed and continued” “in lasciviousness” or “unbridled lust, excess, licentiousness, wantonness, outrageousness, shamelessness and insolence”, “lusts” which means “desire, craving and longing for what is forbidden”, “excess of wine” or “drunkenness and vinolency”, “revelling” which are “nocturnal and riotous processions of half drunken and frolicsome fellows who after supper parade through the streets with torches and music in honor of Bacchus or some other deity, and sing and play before houses of male and female friends; hence used generally of feasts and drinking parties that are protracted till late at night and indulge in revelry” “banquetings” or “drinking and carousing” “and abominable” which means “contrary to law and justice, prohibited by law, illicit and criminal” “idolatries” which is the “worship of false gods and avarice which spring from idolatry and peculiar to it”. Peter began to give a description of the activities which were part of the past lives of the Christians as he mention the aforementioned wicked behaviors

When we think through these words of Peter, we understand this verse is only the first half of Peter's thought, however, his reference to the past lives of those who believe in Jesus Christ should stir us to acknowledge that our former manner of living that should not be a part of our lives today. Christians must put aside ways which were common to their living before they knew Jesus as their Savior, and as Peter's list continues, he challenges us to live in a manner which incorporates the “same mind” of God.

Next time Peter shares concerning how people “think it strange” that Christians do not do as they do, 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.