1 Peter 4:7-9 Questions (True Grace Study)

1. As you prepare your heart for study, know that God desires to reveal Himself to you, and He has given you His Holy Spirit to guide you into truth.  Before you open in prayer, consider Jeremiah 9:23-24.  “This is what the Lord declares: ‘Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,’ declares the Lord.”  Pray for this understanding and knowledge of God with the Holy Spirit as your guide.
2. Read 1 Peter 4:7-9
3. Peter begins 4:7 by commenting that “the end of all things is at hand.”  In what sense is that true?  What do you think he means by that?  (See also 1 Peter 4:5 for immediate context.)
4. Eschatological (a word meaning “end times”) realities have ethical implications . . . something 4:7 makes clear.  What are some of the ways Christians respond to our understanding of the “end of all things” according to 4:7-9?
5. In 1 Peter 4:8, Christians are called to KEEP (i.e. not stop) loving one another “EARNESTLY.”  The word translated “earnestly is used in other ancient writings to describe a sprinter straining for the finish line.  What would it look like for you to love others earnestly this week?
6. Lenski commented on 1 Peter 4:8’s affirmation that “love covers a multitude of sins” by saying, “Love hides them (other’s sins) from its own sight and not from God’s sight.  Hate does the opposite; it pries about in order to discover some sin or some semblance of sin in a brother and then broadcasts it, even exaggerates it, gloats over it.”  Is there someone or a situation in your life that you need to allow love to lead you to “cover a multitude of sins”?
7. Hospitality means to show kindness to strangers or those outside your home.  This can be very difficult to do (as Peter concedes by reminding us to show hospitality “without grumbling.”)  What would it look like for you to live a hospitable life?
8. In these verses, Christians are encouraged to live self-controlled, prayerful, loving, and hospitable lives.  Why do you think it is important for Christians to live this way (beyond just “the Bible told me so”)?

To access the entire “True Grace” study of 1 Peter, click here.