The Ways of the Gentiles

Men and women who have trusted in Christ and display that trust by their willingness to suffer if that is what it takes to obey God rather than to sin demonstrate that they have indeed been freed from the dominion of sin (1 Peter 4:1–2). Yet we should not think that our being willing to suffer rather than sinning is optional. Passages such as Romans 6 and 8:13 indicate that putting sin to death and cultivating life by the Holy Spirit are essential for our sanctification and thus ultimately for our salvation. After all, our new life in Christ is incompatible with the old life of sin, and those who are not striving against sin in any way show that they may not be regenerate. We do not earn redemption by mortifying sin, but mortifying sin is the necessary consequence of living, saving faith. As the great Reformed theologian John Owen famously said, “Be killing sin or it will be killing you.”

The purpose of Christianity, among other things, is to make us a people who live our lives in the flesh—our lives in the body—not for sinful human passions “but for the will of God” (1 Peter 4:2). This means nothing less than endeavoring by the Holy Spirit to live a life consistent with the holy character of our Redeemer. Thus, Peter in today’s verse draws a sharp difference between the way of life in sin and the way of life under the dominion of Christ and His Spirit.

Peter tells us that “the time . . . is past . . . for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry” (v. 3). Although one could find Jews here and there in the ancient world who might engage in such vices, these sins were more characteristic of pagan gentiles than the Jews. Hence, Peter says that these are things that the gentiles do. The picture that the Apostle paints of sin is bleak indeed and shows how low people can descend when there is little restraint and no renewal by the Holy Spirit. Matthew Henry comments, “While the will of man is unsanctified and corrupt, he walks continually in wicked ways; he makes them his choice and delight, his work and business, and he makes a bad condition daily worse and worse.”

The Apostle notes that the time for such behavior is well past (1:3). His point is that believers cannot continue in the wanton breaking of God’s moral law. Sinlessness, we know, is not obtainable before we are glorified (John 1:8–9), but growth in grace and the shunning of excess is possible when we walk in the power of the Spirit.