Scripture Daily

Context No. 937 of 4322 · 1 Peter

Context · Reflection

1 Peter 4:7-11: in context

7But the end of all things is near. Therefore be of sound mind, self-controlled, and sober in prayer. 8And above all things be earnest in your love among yourselves, for love covers a multitude of sins. 9Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. 10As each has received a gift, employ it in serving one another, as good managers of the grace of God in its various forms. 11If anyone speaks, let it be as it were the very words of God. If anyone serves, let it be as of the strength which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Peter is writing to Christians under pressure, and he frames everything with a horizon: the end of all things is near. But the conclusions he draws from that are surprisingly practical and communal. Be clear-minded and sober in your prayers. Above all, love one another earnestly, because love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable without grumbling. Use whatever gift you have received to serve one another as good stewards of God's grace. Whoever speaks, speak as one delivering God's words; whoever serves, serve by the strength God supplies, so that God gets the glory.

Notice what Peter does not say the nearness of the end requires. He does not tell them to withdraw, to speculate about dates, or to grow frantic. He tells them to love, to open their homes, to serve, and to pray with clear heads. If the end is near, the response is not panic but faithful, ordinary love inside the community. The line love covers a multitude of sins is the heart of it: in a group of real people living close together, offenses are constant, and earnest love is what keeps overlooking, forgiving, and holding the body together rather than letting every wrong tear it apart. And the two examples, speaking and serving, both end the same way, by the strength God supplies, so that God may be glorified. Even our serving is not our own achievement to be admired; it is grace flowing through us and back to God. The nearness of the end makes this kind of love more urgent, not less.

If I really believed the end of all things was near, would it make me more loving, more hospitable, more ready to cover others' sins, or just more anxious?

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