ByAbout eight years ago, when I became born again, I was blessed by a great fellowship that helped me develop a powerful hunger to know Jesus. On top of that, they helped me to develop a way of reading the Bible consistently. But as I kept reading about grace and law, there was a part I felt confused about. That is, if Jesus comes today, will He judge the people in the Old Testament who lived by the Law differently from the New Testament believers? It wasn’t until I studied the book of 1 Peter that I got the answer. All people will be judged by the standards of the gospel of Christ. But why? Let’s dive in.
Verse 4
“In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you.”
1 Peter 4:4 (NKJV)
Preceding this verse, Apostle Peter highlighted how we believers, whom grace has found us, find no joy in engaging in worldly things as we used to. And by that, it’s natural to have the unbelievers we used to hang around with persecute us and speak evil against us. Today, it’s common for people to mock their friends who just got born again and are now committed to church. I had my fair share of this when I got born again afresh. Even today, I still have people persecuting me for my faith in Christ. But I’ve understood that persecution is part of the faith journey of every believer. So when it happens, don’t be surprised.
However, what these unbelievers don’t know is that God will judge them if they don’t repent. And that is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the Sovereign God (see Hebrews 10:31).
Verse 5
“They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.”
1 Peter 4:5 (NKJV)
Now, there are two main kinds of judgment, according to scripture, that will happen during Jesus’ second coming:
- The one God will judge all sinners and send them to hell (see John 3:17).
- The one where God will judge the works of believers and reward each person according to what He did with one’s body as a Christian (see Romans 14:12).
The type of judgment Peter is speaking about here isn’t the second one but the first. Sinners, or unbelievers, will give an account of their lives to God in judgment. It’s not as if they’re going to explain to God what they used their lives to do. No. Instead, they’re going to suffer the consequences of living a wasteful unrepentant life in hell, either if Jesus comes to meet them in their sins or they die without being born again. How tragic will that be?
Verse 6
“For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.”
1 Peter 4:6 (NKJV)
Now, that verse is where the centrality of this article stands. It’s a continuation of what the Apostle started to warn people about in verse 5.
According to 1 Peter 3:19-20, when Jesus died, He went to preach to the dead spirits, who were in prison because of their sins. So Jesus gave them the opportunity to hear the gospel for them to be saved. I believe He did that because they didn’t hear the gospel we’re hearing every blessed day in multiple ways. But today, it’s not like that. If you don’t believe in Jesus and get saved before you die, you’ll not have a second chance to hear the gospel like the Old Testament people did.
Today, if you’re reading this article, then know that Jesus is coming soon. Be born again and tell people about Jesus.
