Living The New Life Judged By God

1 Peter 4:4-7

The Wicked's Attitude

The wicked think it is strange that we who are God's children do not follow them to their drunken party, why we do not enjoy their excess of riot and their sin in general. They wonder why we do not enjoy their music, their jokes, and their language. Since we have been changed by God's grace, our interests are different now. Old things are passed away, and all things are become new (2 Cor. 5:17).

Sometimes the lost will try to encourage us to be involved in things that Christians should not do, and that is when we must say "No." They, then, speak evil of us as though we are the ones who are in the wrong. Their lost mind cannot understand why we turn away from these evil things.


The Wicked's Judgment

These wicked ones must give an account to God, but they do not think that they will ever meet him. One day they will understand that our trust in Christ's second coming is not to no avail. Every evil person will stand before the Judge of all.

But not only will God judge the wicked; he will also judge the righteous (Eccl. 3:17). Our text says that he will judge the quick (living) and the dead.

Judgment In The Flesh

The Gospel was preached to those who are dead, literally dead, those who have died in the past who are in Christ. The world judged them in the flesh, but they lived according to God in the spirit. This is how we live today: toward God in our spirit, because his Spirit bears witness to our spirit that we are the children of God. Therefore, we are to be sober and to watch in prayer, watch for the judgment of God upon both the lost and the saved.

Judgment At His Coming

The end of all things is at hand. Anyone who will trust in Jesus Christ, his death, burial, resurrection, and his precious blood will be judged according to God's mercy. Let's live in this world knowing that we are his children and that God's judgment is just with mercy through the death of Jesus Christ.