Articles
Peter 31 - The Rest of the Time
The Rest of the Time
Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. (1Peter 4:1-2)
Christians are people who have been baptized in order to be saved (1Peter 3:21). They have obeyed the gospel (1Peter 4:16). This has been done in conjunction with what God and Christ have done (1Peter 3:22; 1:18-19). People, who have obeyed the gospel, are to spend the rest of their time living a new life for the will of God (1Peter 4:2). One indicator that they have really become Christians is that they suffer for right. Peter writes that once one has become a Christian, he still has the rest of his time before him, however much that time may be. What exactly is “the rest of the time”?
How much time is the “rest of our time”? Simply put, it is all the time we have. It is described in various ways in Scripture. It will be brief like a vapor: “You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away” (James 4:14-16). It will be brief like spilt water: “For we will surely die and are like water spilled on the ground which cannot be gathered up again” (2Samuel 14:14). It will be brief like a breath: “Remember that my life is but breath” (Job 7:7). It will be like a fast boat and like an eagle that swoops: “They slip by like reed boats, Like an eagle that swoops on its prey” (Job 9:26). It will be like a flower and like a shadow: “Like a flower he comes forth and withers. He also flees like a shadow and does not remain” (Job 14:1-2). It will be brief like the life of grass: “The grass withers, the flower fades, When the breath of the LORD blows upon it; Surely the people are grass” (Isaiah 40:7; 1Peter 1:22).
How should we use the “rest of our time”? Peter writes that the time ought not be used in following the lusts of the flesh (1Peter 4:1-2). This is the way non-Christians use their time (1Peter 4:3). This is the former way of life—the way the world lives: “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world” (Ephesians 2:1-2). This is the way the old man lived: “But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices” (Colossians 3:3-11). This is not a fit way to spend the rest of our time.
Why should we not spend the rest of our time following the lust of our flesh? We should not spend the rest of our time in this manner, for this way of living makes us enemies of the cross of Christ: “For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things” (Philippians 3:18-19). This way of living makes us travel the road to death: “each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death” (James 1:12-15). Following the lust of the flesh cannot profit: “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts” (1John 2:15-17).
How should we use the “rest of our time” here? As Peter reminds us, we should use it doing the will of God (1Peter 4:2). After all, it is a new life the Christian lives: “do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:3-4). How are you spending the rest of your time?
Why be concerned about how one spends the rest of his time? Entering heaven depends upon it: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter” (Matthew 7:21-23). It brings reward of the Father: “Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ; not by way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. With good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free” (Ephesians 6:5-8). This brings blessings: “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does” (James 1:22-25). This brings access to the tree of life: “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city” (Revelation 22:14). It makes a difference.
You have the rest of your time right now. You will never have more. You have less time than when we first mentioned it. You will be wise to use your time in obeying the gospel and being faithful.
- Peter_31_-_The_Rest_of_the_Time.pdf (9.02 MB)
