1 Peter 4:10-11 makes the point that since God will one day judge our deeds, another way believers can make our lives on earth count for eternity is by using our God-given spiritual gifts to serve one another. Some have gifts for communicating God’s word, to teach and encourage, others have gifts to help others through acts of service, and by taking care of earthly needs. It is God who gives the ability to serve one another, and when we do, God is glorified.
1 Peter 4:10-111 Peter 4:10-11 commentary expands on painting a picture of what it means to fervently love one another, admonishing the believers to live in community and in service to one another. A few verses earlier, Peter admonished the believers receiving this letter to be fervent in their love for one another, echoing the new commandment he heard from Jesus to “love one another” (1 Peter 4:81 Peter 4:8 commentary, commentaryJohn 13:34John 13:34 commentary).
In 1 Peter 4:7-91 Peter 4:7-9 commentary, commentary Peter exhorted the believers to be diligent in prayer, love and hospitality—all in context that the end of this age is approaching, and with it the judgement of all people. Now he adds another important thing to focus on as the end of all things draws near—using your spiritual gift. Peter challenges his readers, As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God (v. 10).
Believers often wonder how they can best serve God and their fellow Christians. Peter’s simple answer is that we can best serve one another by applying the spiritual gift God gave us. Peter makes sure that his readers know that each one has received a special gift.
From the phrase above, we can make three observations about spiritual gifts. First, every believer has one. The Bible says each one. That means every person who has believed in Christ has a spiritual gift.
A second observation about spiritual gifts is that each one’s gift was received. That means there was a giver. It also means there was a definite time in the past when every believer has received their gift.
Peter does not tell us the time believers received their gift. 1 Corinthians 12:11-131 Corinthians 12:11-13 commentary indicates that the Holy Spirit distributes spiritual gifting to a believer at the time he is spiritually joined into the body of Christ. However, in 1 Corinthians 14:11 Corinthians 14:1 commentary Paul says “yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts” which would indicate that the Spirit might provide additional gifting after one comes to faith in Jesus.
The third observation about spiritual gifts concerns what they are called. Peter uses the phrase a special gift. The word “special” is not in the Greek text as indicated by the use of italics in the NASB95 translation. The word gift is the Greek word “charisma” referring to an ability given to an individual Christian (Romans 12:6Romans 12:6 commentary, commentary1 Corinthians 12:41 Corinthians 12:4 commentary).
The form of “charisma” used in verse 10 is singular, which indicates that this gifting is uniquely crafted for each person. Since Peter does not expound on how people should discover their gifts, we can infer that our gifting might be apparent. It would be what naturally flows out of us, what “seems easy” or what we have substantial capacity to do.
For Peter, the importance of spiritual gifting is not having the gift as much as it is putting the gift into action in a constructive manner. He exhorts, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
The phrase employ it in serving comes from the verb “diakoneo” (from which we get the English word “deacon”) meaning to perform a ministry of service (John 12:26John 12:26 commentary, commentaryActs 19Acts 19 commentary.22, 2 Timothy 1:182 Timothy 1:18 commentary, commentaryHebrews 6:10Hebrews 6:10 commentary.) The goal of the gifting is to perform service for others in love.
This ministry of service is directed toward one another, once again referring to believers serving one another within the body of Christ. The motivation for having this ministry of service toward each other is to serve as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
A steward is one who is entrusted with management of someone else’s business or assets. In 1 Corinthians 4:1-21 Corinthians 4:1-2 commentary, commentary Paul asserts that he is a servant of Christ and a steward of “mysteries” revealed to him. He says, “it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.” Therefore, the goal of each believer should be to prove a trustworthy steward of the spiritual gift they have been given.
Peter tells the believers he is addressing they should strive to be good stewards of the manifold grace of God. The Greek word translated grace is “charis” and refers to God’s favor, as in Luke 2:52Luke 2:52 commentary where Jesus is said to grow in favor (“charis”) with God and man. Here grace is described as manifold, meaning expressed in various ways. The inference is that each person will have a gift that is particularly crafted for them.
Therefore, since each person differs, God’s favor will take on many forms and expressions. The manifold grace of God is the many-faceted expression of His gifting through members in the Body of Christ. There will be unity of purpose with a great diversity of capabilities. It is, therefore, a solemn responsibility each believer has been granted, to be a good steward of their gifting.
We see a similar idea expressed in Ephesians, where each person is said to have a specific work “God prepared beforehand” for each of us to walk in:
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10Ephesians 2:10 commentary)
This verse immediately follows Paul asserting that all believers are saved by grace, through faith, apart from works (Ephesians 2:8-9Ephesians 2:8-9 commentary). This speaks of the past tense of salvation, being saved from sin’s penalty of being separated from God. Through simple faith in Christ, we are delivered/saved from that fate through Jesus’s death on the cross (John 3:14-15John 3:14-15 commentary).
But we are not only saved from something, we are also saved to something. We are saved from separation from God to being joined together in Christ. We are saved from being fallen to being a new creation in Christ. We are saved/delivered from being incapable of serving God to having a job to do and the tools with which to do it.
The job we have to do has already been blueprinted by God; the “good works, which God prepared beforehand” (Ephesians 2:10Ephesians 2:10 commentary). The toolkit we need to do that job is contained within our spiritual gifting. This infers that whatever spiritual gifting God provides will be what we need to do the job He has for us, and vice versa. He leaves it to use to discover and learn to apply our gifting to the works He prepared for us to do.
Peter groups all the spiritual gifts into two main categories: speaking gifts and serving gifts. Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God, whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies (v.11a).
The specific speaking gifts are not individually identified by Peter, perhaps because they were commonly known throughout the newly formed churches. What concerns Peter about the speaking gifts is they are speaking as one who is speaking the utterances of God. The utterances of God is the translation of the word “logion” referring the sayings of God. This can be observed in:
Acts 7:38Acts 7:38 commentary, commentary where “logion” is the “oracles” God gave Israel through Moses in Sinai.
Hebrews 5:12Hebrews 5:12 commentary, commentary where “logion” is also the “oracles” of God.
In 1 Corinthians 14:1-31 Corinthians 14:1-3 commentary, commentary Paul elevates the speaking gifts as particularly desirable because prophetic speaking, speaking words elevating scripture and its principles, can provide “edification and exhortation and comfort to men” (1 Corinthians 14:31 Corinthians 14:3 commentary). This further underscores that the purpose of the gifting is to build up others in their faith and capabilities to serve.
Just as speaking gifts are discussed as a broad category, so are the serving gifts described. There is no individual listing of gifts. This could be because they were common knowledge. It could also be because each person has a unique gifting, designed specifically for the work God has for them to do (Ephesians 2:10Ephesians 2:10 commentary). Either way, Peter’s primary focus here regards the source of strength to serve. He reminds his readers, whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies (v. 11b).
The word strength contains the idea of capability or power to function effectively (Ephesians 1:19Ephesians 1:19 commentary, 66 commentary.10, 2 Peter 2:112 Peter 2:11 commentary). Peter reminds us that our capability and strength to minister serving others is a strength which God supplies, rather than our own energy. As Paul asserts in his writing, he can do all things through Christ (Philippians 4:13Philippians 4:13 commentary) and he is strongest and most effective when he sets aside his natural self as “weakness” and serves in the strength of God (2 Corinthians 12:92 Corinthians 12:9 commentary, 13:413:4 commentary).
Whether speaking or serving, employing our spiritual gifting is all about stewardship. It is God working through us using the spiritual abilities that He has given us to enable us to do the work He prepared for us to do beforehand (Ephesians 2:10Ephesians 2:10 commentary). Each person has a spiritual ministry of serving others in the Body of Christ.
There is no limit given to this ministry of speaking and serving. This could be done in the workplace, as Paul did often as he made tents to supply his financial needs. It could be in meeting in homes or any assembling together of believers with one another (Matthew 18:20Matthew 18:20 commentary). It can be within the family and community, as Peter addressed earlier in 1 Peter 3:1-91 Peter 3:1-9 commentary.
Peter reminds us that this is not done for our glory to be seen by men, but the glory of God. So that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen (v. 11c).
That Peter includes an Amen might indicate that the phrase God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever was a common saying or song. The point here is that believers have a very significant role to play in glorifying God. When we employ our spiritual gifting to serve others in love, we are doing so by allowing the power of Christ to flow through us. In doing so, we are glorifying God.
The Greek word translated glory is “doxa.” It refers to the essence of something being observed by others. We see this in 1 Corinthians 15:411 Corinthians 15:41 commentary, commentary which speaks of the moon, sun, and stars having different sorts of glory; they each have a different essence which can be observed.
In this case, God’s essence is being observed through the deeds of His people, His power is working through the new creations in Christ (believers) to do the works He prepared beforehand. Therefore God is glorified because His essence is observed when good deeds are done according to His commands.
Peter also spoke of this in 1 Peter 2:121 Peter 2:12 commentary where he writes of “your good deeds, as [the Gentiles] observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.” Again the good deeds are glorifying God in the judgment even while unbelievers slander the believers “as evildoers” for their good works.
The Greek word translated dominion is “kratos” and is often translated as “strength.” Near the end of this letter Peter will say, “To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Peter 5:111 Peter 5:11 commentary). The translators properly chose to use dominion because the context of speaking about the “end of all things” being near and God’s judgment of all people correlates with the return of Jesus in power to establish His reign upon the earth. As Jesus told Peter shortly before He ascended, “All authority is given unto Me” (Matthew 28:18Matthew 28:18 commentary). Because of His faithful obedience as a witness to the Father, He was given authority over all (Philippians 2:5-9Philippians 2:5-9 commentary).
As we see in Hebrews 2:5-8Hebrews 2:5-8 commentary, commentary it was not angels but humans in whom God chose to place dominion over the earth. God “crowned him” (Adam/humans) with “glory and honor” by appointing him to reign over creation in obedience to Him as the supreme ruler.
However, due to the Fall of Man, we do not see humans reigning as servant leaders over the earth. We do not observe a broad pattern of humans collaborating with one another to bring about flourishing, in harmony with God and His design for the earth. Rather we see death, destruction, wars, and turmoil.
However, as Hebrews 2:9-10Hebrews 2:9-10 commentary tells us, we do see Jesus “for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor.” In context, this “glory and honor” refers to Jesus being given all authority over heaven and earth as a reward for His obedience to the Father and His service as a faithful witness. Jesus was given the reward of being the Son (ruler) over all creation, as a human (Hebrews 1:5Hebrews 1:5 commentary). Jesus’s desire is to “bring many sons to glory” with Him.
This means that when believers glorify God by doing the work He leads us to do in obedience to Him, we are promised that Jesus will reward us by sharing His glory with us (1 Peter 4:131 Peter 4:13 commentary). As we see in Romans 2:6-7Romans 2:6-7 commentary, commentary those who seek glory from Jesus by doing good deeds will be rewarded with “eternal life.” In this instance, “eternal life” is a reward and likely refers to the amazing opportunity to serve with Christ in His “administration.” As He says in Revelation:
“He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” (Revelation 3:21Revelation 3:21 commentary)
The context of this discussion of living with a constant thought about the consequences our actions will have in the final judgement is in dealing with the basic question “Why should I patiently endure unjust suffering?” The answer is: “It glorifies God, even as Jesus’s unjust suffering glorified God by showing His love toward us.” And, it is beneficial for us, because when we do what God gives us to do, we fulfill our design, which leads us to life.
The rest of Chapter 4 can be viewed as a summary and restatement of 1 Peter 3:181 Peter 3:18 commentary to 1 Peter 4:111 Peter 4:11 commentary. Peter will again make the point that believers should expect to endure difficulty, but when they do, they should choose a perspective that the difficulty provides great opportunity. To the extent which believers endure the same kind of unjust suffering as Jesus endured, we can look forward to being rewarded in the final judgment (2 Corinthians 5:102 Corinthians 5:10 commentary).
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1 Peter 4:10-11 meaning
1 Peter 4:10-111 Peter 4:10-11 commentary expands on painting a picture of what it means to fervently love one another, admonishing the believers to live in community and in service to one another. A few verses earlier, Peter admonished the believers receiving this letter to be fervent in their love for one another, echoing the new commandment he heard from Jesus to “love one another” (1 Peter 4:81 Peter 4:8 commentary, commentary John 13:34John 13:34 commentary).
In 1 Peter 4:7-91 Peter 4:7-9 commentary, commentary Peter exhorted the believers to be diligent in prayer, love and hospitality—all in context that the end of this age is approaching, and with it the judgement of all people. Now he adds another important thing to focus on as the end of all things draws near—using your spiritual gift. Peter challenges his readers, As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God (v. 10).
Believers often wonder how they can best serve God and their fellow Christians. Peter’s simple answer is that we can best serve one another by applying the spiritual gift God gave us. Peter makes sure that his readers know that each one has received a special gift.
From the phrase above, we can make three observations about spiritual gifts. First, every believer has one. The Bible says each one. That means every person who has believed in Christ has a spiritual gift.
A second observation about spiritual gifts is that each one’s gift was received. That means there was a giver. It also means there was a definite time in the past when every believer has received their gift.
Peter does not tell us the time believers received their gift. 1 Corinthians 12:11-131 Corinthians 12:11-13 commentary indicates that the Holy Spirit distributes spiritual gifting to a believer at the time he is spiritually joined into the body of Christ. However, in 1 Corinthians 14:11 Corinthians 14:1 commentary Paul says “yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts” which would indicate that the Spirit might provide additional gifting after one comes to faith in Jesus.
The third observation about spiritual gifts concerns what they are called. Peter uses the phrase a special gift. The word “special” is not in the Greek text as indicated by the use of italics in the NASB95 translation. The word gift is the Greek word “charisma” referring to an ability given to an individual Christian (Romans 12:6Romans 12:6 commentary, commentary 1 Corinthians 12:41 Corinthians 12:4 commentary).
The form of “charisma” used in verse 10 is singular, which indicates that this gifting is uniquely crafted for each person. Since Peter does not expound on how people should discover their gifts, we can infer that our gifting might be apparent. It would be what naturally flows out of us, what “seems easy” or what we have substantial capacity to do.
For Peter, the importance of spiritual gifting is not having the gift as much as it is putting the gift into action in a constructive manner. He exhorts, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
The phrase employ it in serving comes from the verb “diakoneo” (from which we get the English word “deacon”) meaning to perform a ministry of service (John 12:26John 12:26 commentary, commentary Acts 19Acts 19 commentary.22, 2 Timothy 1:182 Timothy 1:18 commentary, commentary Hebrews 6:10Hebrews 6:10 commentary.) The goal of the gifting is to perform service for others in love.
This ministry of service is directed toward one another, once again referring to believers serving one another within the body of Christ. The motivation for having this ministry of service toward each other is to serve as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
A steward is one who is entrusted with management of someone else’s business or assets. In 1 Corinthians 4:1-21 Corinthians 4:1-2 commentary, commentary Paul asserts that he is a servant of Christ and a steward of “mysteries” revealed to him. He says, “it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.” Therefore, the goal of each believer should be to prove a trustworthy steward of the spiritual gift they have been given.
Peter tells the believers he is addressing they should strive to be good stewards of the manifold grace of God. The Greek word translated grace is “charis” and refers to God’s favor, as in Luke 2:52Luke 2:52 commentary where Jesus is said to grow in favor (“charis”) with God and man. Here grace is described as manifold, meaning expressed in various ways. The inference is that each person will have a gift that is particularly crafted for them.
Therefore, since each person differs, God’s favor will take on many forms and expressions. The manifold grace of God is the many-faceted expression of His gifting through members in the Body of Christ. There will be unity of purpose with a great diversity of capabilities. It is, therefore, a solemn responsibility each believer has been granted, to be a good steward of their gifting.
We see a similar idea expressed in Ephesians, where each person is said to have a specific work “God prepared beforehand” for each of us to walk in:
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”
(Ephesians 2:10Ephesians 2:10 commentary)
This verse immediately follows Paul asserting that all believers are saved by grace, through faith, apart from works (Ephesians 2:8-9Ephesians 2:8-9 commentary). This speaks of the past tense of salvation, being saved from sin’s penalty of being separated from God. Through simple faith in Christ, we are delivered/saved from that fate through Jesus’s death on the cross (John 3:14-15John 3:14-15 commentary).
But we are not only saved from something, we are also saved to something. We are saved from separation from God to being joined together in Christ. We are saved from being fallen to being a new creation in Christ. We are saved/delivered from being incapable of serving God to having a job to do and the tools with which to do it.
The job we have to do has already been blueprinted by God; the “good works, which God prepared beforehand” (Ephesians 2:10Ephesians 2:10 commentary). The toolkit we need to do that job is contained within our spiritual gifting. This infers that whatever spiritual gifting God provides will be what we need to do the job He has for us, and vice versa. He leaves it to use to discover and learn to apply our gifting to the works He prepared for us to do.
Peter groups all the spiritual gifts into two main categories: speaking gifts and serving gifts. Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God, whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies (v.11a).
The specific speaking gifts are not individually identified by Peter, perhaps because they were commonly known throughout the newly formed churches. What concerns Peter about the speaking gifts is they are speaking as one who is speaking the utterances of God. The utterances of God is the translation of the word “logion” referring the sayings of God. This can be observed in:
In 1 Corinthians 14:1-31 Corinthians 14:1-3 commentary, commentary Paul elevates the speaking gifts as particularly desirable because prophetic speaking, speaking words elevating scripture and its principles, can provide “edification and exhortation and comfort to men” (1 Corinthians 14:31 Corinthians 14:3 commentary). This further underscores that the purpose of the gifting is to build up others in their faith and capabilities to serve.
Just as speaking gifts are discussed as a broad category, so are the serving gifts described. There is no individual listing of gifts. This could be because they were common knowledge. It could also be because each person has a unique gifting, designed specifically for the work God has for them to do (Ephesians 2:10Ephesians 2:10 commentary). Either way, Peter’s primary focus here regards the source of strength to serve. He reminds his readers, whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies (v. 11b).
The word strength contains the idea of capability or power to function effectively (Ephesians 1:19Ephesians 1:19 commentary, 66 commentary.10, 2 Peter 2:112 Peter 2:11 commentary). Peter reminds us that our capability and strength to minister serving others is a strength which God supplies, rather than our own energy. As Paul asserts in his writing, he can do all things through Christ (Philippians 4:13Philippians 4:13 commentary) and he is strongest and most effective when he sets aside his natural self as “weakness” and serves in the strength of God (2 Corinthians 12:92 Corinthians 12:9 commentary, 13:413:4 commentary).
Whether speaking or serving, employing our spiritual gifting is all about stewardship. It is God working through us using the spiritual abilities that He has given us to enable us to do the work He prepared for us to do beforehand (Ephesians 2:10Ephesians 2:10 commentary). Each person has a spiritual ministry of serving others in the Body of Christ.
There is no limit given to this ministry of speaking and serving. This could be done in the workplace, as Paul did often as he made tents to supply his financial needs. It could be in meeting in homes or any assembling together of believers with one another (Matthew 18:20Matthew 18:20 commentary). It can be within the family and community, as Peter addressed earlier in 1 Peter 3:1-91 Peter 3:1-9 commentary.
Peter reminds us that this is not done for our glory to be seen by men, but the glory of God. So that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen (v. 11c).
That Peter includes an Amen might indicate that the phrase God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever was a common saying or song. The point here is that believers have a very significant role to play in glorifying God. When we employ our spiritual gifting to serve others in love, we are doing so by allowing the power of Christ to flow through us. In doing so, we are glorifying God.
The Greek word translated glory is “doxa.” It refers to the essence of something being observed by others. We see this in 1 Corinthians 15:411 Corinthians 15:41 commentary, commentary which speaks of the moon, sun, and stars having different sorts of glory; they each have a different essence which can be observed.
In this case, God’s essence is being observed through the deeds of His people, His power is working through the new creations in Christ (believers) to do the works He prepared beforehand. Therefore God is glorified because His essence is observed when good deeds are done according to His commands.
Peter also spoke of this in 1 Peter 2:121 Peter 2:12 commentary where he writes of “your good deeds, as [the Gentiles] observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.” Again the good deeds are glorifying God in the judgment even while unbelievers slander the believers “as evildoers” for their good works.
The Greek word translated dominion is “kratos” and is often translated as “strength.” Near the end of this letter Peter will say, “To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Peter 5:111 Peter 5:11 commentary). The translators properly chose to use dominion because the context of speaking about the “end of all things” being near and God’s judgment of all people correlates with the return of Jesus in power to establish His reign upon the earth. As Jesus told Peter shortly before He ascended, “All authority is given unto Me” (Matthew 28:18Matthew 28:18 commentary). Because of His faithful obedience as a witness to the Father, He was given authority over all (Philippians 2:5-9Philippians 2:5-9 commentary).
As we see in Hebrews 2:5-8Hebrews 2:5-8 commentary, commentary it was not angels but humans in whom God chose to place dominion over the earth. God “crowned him” (Adam/humans) with “glory and honor” by appointing him to reign over creation in obedience to Him as the supreme ruler.
However, due to the Fall of Man, we do not see humans reigning as servant leaders over the earth. We do not observe a broad pattern of humans collaborating with one another to bring about flourishing, in harmony with God and His design for the earth. Rather we see death, destruction, wars, and turmoil.
However, as Hebrews 2:9-10Hebrews 2:9-10 commentary tells us, we do see Jesus “for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor.” In context, this “glory and honor” refers to Jesus being given all authority over heaven and earth as a reward for His obedience to the Father and His service as a faithful witness. Jesus was given the reward of being the Son (ruler) over all creation, as a human (Hebrews 1:5Hebrews 1:5 commentary). Jesus’s desire is to “bring many sons to glory” with Him.
This means that when believers glorify God by doing the work He leads us to do in obedience to Him, we are promised that Jesus will reward us by sharing His glory with us (1 Peter 4:131 Peter 4:13 commentary). As we see in Romans 2:6-7Romans 2:6-7 commentary, commentary those who seek glory from Jesus by doing good deeds will be rewarded with “eternal life.” In this instance, “eternal life” is a reward and likely refers to the amazing opportunity to serve with Christ in His “administration.” As He says in Revelation:
“He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.”
(Revelation 3:21Revelation 3:21 commentary)
The context of this discussion of living with a constant thought about the consequences our actions will have in the final judgement is in dealing with the basic question “Why should I patiently endure unjust suffering?” The answer is: “It glorifies God, even as Jesus’s unjust suffering glorified God by showing His love toward us.” And, it is beneficial for us, because when we do what God gives us to do, we fulfill our design, which leads us to life.
The rest of Chapter 4 can be viewed as a summary and restatement of 1 Peter 3:181 Peter 3:18 commentary to 1 Peter 4:111 Peter 4:11 commentary. Peter will again make the point that believers should expect to endure difficulty, but when they do, they should choose a perspective that the difficulty provides great opportunity. To the extent which believers endure the same kind of unjust suffering as Jesus endured, we can look forward to being rewarded in the final judgment (2 Corinthians 5:102 Corinthians 5:10 commentary).