Christians. Can anyone understand this scripture??

Question

1 Peter 4:1 says that anyone who has suffered in the flesh (he means for your Christian faith) has ceased from sin. But if you cease from sin you are perfect, sinless. And no one will ever be perfect while we're still in the flesh. Can anyone with wisdom explain this to me??

Answer 1

naw, you simply need to keep reading. lets look at it again vs' 1-3:
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. 2As a result, he DOES NOT LIVE THE REST OF HIS EARTHLY LIFE FOR EVIL HIMAN DESIRES, BUT RATHER FOR THE WILL OF GOD. 3For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry.

here we are admonished to suffer in our bodies (die to our desires) be willing to suffer pain for Chirst as he suffered for us (arm yourselves with THE SAME ATTITUDE) because once you do this (die to your fleshly desires) you are finished with sin (habitual sin, things you fall to over and over again ie. pornography, drunkeness, drugs, sexual immorality, idolatry) in doing so one stops following the desires of the heart (matt 15:19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.) and starts living for the will of God. this causes our flesh to suffer, but our souls to live.

Answer 2

"Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the Flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin" -1 Peter 4:1.
Peter is exhorting believers to cease from sin by the example of Christ. Christ's sufferings, and Christ's example aids a spiritual mind that is dead to sin.
The next verse is also important:
"That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God" -1 Peter 4:2.
Thus by doing so, a person can become a new man, mortify the flesh, and live unto God, doing God's will.
If you are serious about studying a Bible, you should get a reputable version. I use the KJV and it is perhaps a little flowery language, but it is a true translation, and avoids the mistakes of some of the other translations, in that it is concise.

Answer 3

It means that you have stopped choosing sin. We cannot be perfect and we will continue to sin, often without intending to.

If you read on in 1 Peter it specifies that you will have ceased doing sinful things. Here's a bit more of it:

1 Peter 4:2-3
2 As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. 3 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.

Answer 4

I remember my old pastor used to always say, " When the Bible says 'therefore,' you have to look back to see what it's 'there for.'"

1 Peter 3:18 - For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit.

Basically, walk in the Spirit. Hope this helps. God Bless.

Answer 5

To be perfect is to be sinless. Blameless. Jesus Himself instructed us to 'be ye perfect, as your father in heaven is perfect'. It is commonly said that Jesus was the only perfect man to walk the face of the earth. That is because we are all born in sin, i.e. a sinful act was commited in order for us to even be born. Jesus was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit of God, in a sinless act. So He was completely without sin. The rest of us were born in sin. But we can still be as Jesus instructed us to be when we walk in the spirit, and not after the flesh. To live carnally, or be carnally minded is death. To be spiritually minded is life. Does this help any?

Answer 6

We have to overcome our fleshly desires. Your flesh is the biggest opponent of your spirit. Your body still wants to do things the way that it used to, like gossip, lie, steal, cheat, condemn, hate, curse, etc. St Paul wrote that we die daily. We are basically at war with our flesh. The good news is that we can overcome our flesh with the infilling of the Holy Ghost. This is the power of God inside of us. He will help us in our battles. Weget this by following what He has written in Acts 2:38. You will know that you have it by reading Acts 2:4, 10:45-46, 19:6, St. Mark 16:16-17. It is a free gift just waiting to be delivered!! Experience it today!!

Answer 7

We're only perfect through the wounds of Christ... so if we suffer, then through Christ we are made righteous. (That's the point of salvation itself!--- we all sin and all need Jesus to become perfect and go to heaven)

'Suffering in the flesh' could very well mean dying on this Earth, like Jesus did.

Continue reading.

I had a question about one of the gospels (Matt I think) that was pretty contreversial. Eventually I found an answer in Mark. :D

Answer 8

1-2Since Jesus went through everything you're going through and more, learn to think like him. Think of your sufferings as a weaning from that old sinful habit of always expecting to get your own way. Then you'll be able to live out your days free to pursue what God wants instead of being tyrannized by what you want. If we look at a scripture that stumps you in other translations, often we can find the information we are looking for.

Answer 9

1 Peter 4
1Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; 2That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.

It is clearly expressing that sin is the opposition of the will of God; therefore, since Christ did not sin he was forever doing the will of His Father and likewise we too should do the same.

See Philippians 2 also:

8And being found in fashion as a man, he [Christ Jesus] humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name...13For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Answer 10

NIV

1Peter 4:1 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.
4:2 As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.
4:3 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.
4:4 They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation, and they heap abuse on you.

He is saying that those that don’t go along with sinful ways might be ridiculed and abused. (peer pressure) If they stand firm in Christ, they can know they are on the right track.

If you have suffered, but know how the presence of God comforts you, you will not want to turn back to your old ways. You will want to please God.

Answer 11

Not that I am a christian, but my theory is that simply ceasing from sin does not render you perfect, or sinless, as you still have you deeds of the past. After all a popular christian concept is that of 'original sin'. Haven't heard of a way to be absolved of that one. Then again I still can't seem to get a straight answer on what it is exactly...