1 Peter 4:14-16 meaning

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1 Peter 4:14-16 shows that those who suffer for the name of Christ are blessed by God’s Spirit at work in their life. In contrast, we should be careful not to bring suffering on ourselves by sinning. The pain we feel when we are punished for sin is not the same as suffering for doing good. When we suffer for being obedient to God, we should praise God, because it comes to our benefit by growing us now and rewarding us in Christ’s kingdom.

1 Peter 3:14-16 emphasizes that suffering as Christ suffered does not include suffering for doing wrong; it only comes when we suffer unjustly. Paul starts the contrast of doing wrong with the kind of suffering that brings the great reward he discussed in the prior section (1 Peter 4:12-13): If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you (v. 14).

Christians who are suffering for the cause of Christ will be rewarded:

If reflects a condition that Peter assumes to be true,
you are reviled, meaning people heap insults on you, and reject you,
for the name of Christ, explains the reason you are reviled is because you have identified yourself with and are walking in the ways of the person of Christ as God’s anointed Messiah. (v. 14).

Peter’s encouragement to Christians suffering for the cause of Christ is you are blessed. This particular blessing is conditional (If you are reviled). This means there is a particular reward/blessing for unjust suffering.

The concept of blessed has the meaning of being a privileged recipient of divine favor (Matthew 5:11, 1 Peter 3:14, James 1:12). The blessing that suffering believers receive is described as because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

Because introduces the content of the blessing. The phrase the Spirit of glory and of God appears to be two blessings. It could be taken as the Spirit of glory and of God simply refer to the Holy Spirit. But that does not seem to best fit the context, because the promised blessing here is conditional, applying only if you are reviled for the name of Christ.

Since all believers are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and this passage’s promised blessing only applies to those reviled for the name of Christ, then the phrase would be best understood if taken in a manner that only applies to the referenced group, those reviled for their faithful witness to Jesus. The phrase Spirit of glory appears to be another name for the “Spirit of God.” So the question we can address is, “What in this phrase could be uniquely applied to those who are reviled for the name of Christ that does not also apply to all believers?”

We can look for clues to Peter’s intent in the phrase the Spirit of glory by examining the word glory as well as the word rests.

The Greek word translated rests is used to describe the kind of rest humans employ when relaxing or recuperating. It has the sense of being comfortable and at home. We can take that in the case of someone who is suffering as Christ suffered, the Holy Spirit is not having to contend against the flesh, because this person is walking in the Spirit (Galatians 5:17). Therefore, we can presume that the Spirit is leading and empowering the person in whom He rests in a manner that expresses the Spirit’s fullness at work in their lives.

The Greek word translated glory is “doxa.” It refers to the essence of something being observed as we see in 1 Corinthians 15:41 where it says that the sun, moon, and stars differ in glory (“doxa”). This is because the sun, moon, and stars differ in essence. Verse 14 uses the phrase the Spirit of glory.

The word “doxa” (“glory”) appears ten times in 1 Peter. It primarily refers to the glory of Jesus at His coming, as in 1 Peter 1:7, 11, 21, 4:11, 13, 14, 5:1, 4, 10. At His coming, a primary glory of Jesus that will be manifested is that His authority and reign on earth will visible. Jesus has been given all authority, but that authority is not currently seen. It will be seen when He is installed directly as the King of kings and Lord of lords, and therefore His glory manifested (again, glory being the essence of something being observed).

He will reign over all the earth and rule in the earth as its great Servant King. It was because of the “suffering of death” that He was “crowned” with the “glory and honor” of reigning over the earth (Hebrews 2:10).

Jesus’s authority over all things is not currently being observed upon the earth. It is currently a spiritual glory, observed only in the heavens (1 Peter 3:22). The glory of Jesus’s authority over all will in the future become a physical glory, as Jesus’s kingship will be manifested and fully visible to be observed on earth (Revelation 19:16).

Jesus said to the Roman governor Pilate “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). Since glory (“doxa”) is the essence of something being observed, Jesus’s glory of reigning over the earth awaits His return, when His authority will be visible to all. Meanwhile His glory is seen through the created order and through His servants who walk in His ways (John 15:8, Romans 1:20).

When Jesus’s kingdom is physically established on earth, every knee will bow to His authority, and His glory will be fully visible on the earth. His glory will be fully established because then Jesus’s true essence will be physically observable upon the earth (Philippians 2:8-10, Revelation 19:16, 21:23-24). Peter speaks specifically of this particular glory of Jesus’s return in 1 Peter 1:7, in the immediately preceding verse (1 Peter 4:13) as well as in the next chapter in 1 Peter 5:1.

As Hebrews 2:5-9 states, humans were originally “crowned” with the “glory and honor” of reigning in the earth, but lost it due to the Fall. But Jesus, “for the suffering of death” was “crowned with glory and honor”—being given authority over all things (Matthew 28:18, Revelation 21:3).

Jesus was rewarded with the “glory and honor” of reigning over all as a human (the God-man) because He served as a faithful witness and did the will of His Father (Philippians 2:8-10). It would seem reasonable then to consider that the Spirit of glory that rests upon those who suffer for the name of Jesus includes an initial fulfillment in this life; the blessing for being a faithful witness begins in this age in a spiritual manner.

In the next age, the Spirit of glory will be visibly manifested for those who share in Christ’s sufferings by sharing in Christ’s glory of reigning (Matthew 25:21, Revelation 3:21). They will share in Christ’s glory by sharing in His servant leadership of the earth. It will take a physical form, just as Jesus’s glory takes a physical form; believers who overcome as Jesus overcame will reign with Him (Romans 8:17b, Hebrews 2:9-10, Revelation 3:21).

But in this age, the glory of Jesus having been granted all authority over heaven and earth takes a spiritual form. We can infer that this Spirit of glory is given as a reward to those who suffer for being a faithful witness. What form this glory takes is not explained. But this glory rests upon the believers who suffer for Jesus’s name, just as the Spirit of God rests upon them and we can infer its meaning from other scripture passages.

Perhaps part of that Spirit of glory is an inner testimony of the rewards God has for us in the next age, as is indicated by the Apostle Paul. In 1 Corinthians 2:9, Paul says that God plans to reward those who love Him in a manner that goes beyond human comprehension. But then he adds in the next verse, 1 Corinthians 2:10, that the Spirit reveals these things that can not otherwise be comprehended.

Romans 8:16 tells us that the Spirit bears an inner witness to any believer that we are God’s child. Since the Spirit bears to us an inner witness about the Gift of salvation, perhaps it does also about the Prize, or rewards for faithful service. Perhaps the Spirit of glory includes an inner spiritual witness that suffering for Christ’s sake will end up being a great investment in due time, as we reap great rewards for faithfulness (2 Corinthians 4:17).

The Spirit of God leads and empowers with the resurrection power of Jesus. So we can infer that the same Spirit of glory will also lead and empower with the glory of Jesus, which is to reign in loving service. In the case of the glory of Jesus’s authority, the leading and empowering the Spirit would be a special leading and endowment of power to serve others.

This is why 1 Peter 4:13 tells believers to “keep on rejoicing” when they encounter unjust persecution (suffer the suffering of Christ) “so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.” Those who suffer with Christ will share His inheritance (Romans 8:17b, Revelation 3:21).

This is more than ample reason for these believers to “rejoice with exultation” when the King returns and welcomes those who were good and faithful servants to share in His joy of reigning (Matthew 25:21). It seems not all believers will rejoice at Jesus’s return, those who are not prepared, whose deeds were done for rewards from this world (1 Corinthians 3:14-15).

We can infer also that the Spirit of glory is a special endowing of the Holy Spirit to serve as Jesus served and lead in truth and grace as Jesus led. Although Jesus was the Divine Son of God, He said “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life ransom for many” (Matthew 20:27-28).

To “overcome” as Jesus “overcame” includes overcoming the worldly temptation to use our influence and power to exploit others to serve our own desires. When we follow God’s will, we instead will use our influence and power to serve the best interest of others. We can make application that when the Spirit leads us to lead by serving, we are being blessed by the Spirit of glory resting upon us. In that way we can know that serving others now leads to glory later. The Spirit can help us to believe God’s promises and be willing to patiently continue in doing good despite opposition (Galatians 6:9-10, Hebrews 11:6).

To summarize, God promises that those who endure suffering as Jesus endured will be given a special blessing. The phrase: If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory dwells upon you might refer to a special blessing in this life—perhaps a special enablement to serve as Jesus served and love as Jesus loved as well as an inner testimony to the immense reward He has prepared for those who serve as faithful stewards.

It is faithful stewardship Jesus seeks to reward. It is those who overcome as He overcame who will share in His reward of authority, to enter in to His “joy” and reign over many things (Matthew 25:21, Hebrews 12:2, Revelation 3:21). It is also the Spirit that empowers and enables believers to be capable of walking in the deeds God has prepared for His people (Ephesians 2:10, Romans 8:11, 18, Galatians 5:16-17).

Jesus promised that all who endure suffering for His sake will receive “a hundred times as much now in the present age” but also “along with persecutions” as well as “eternal life” as a reward in the age that is to come (Mark 10:30). This hundredfold reward in the present age appears to come through connection with other believers in the Body of Christ.

In contrast to believers suffering for the cause of Christ, some believers bring suffering on themselves because of their own sinful behavior. This kind of suffering will not bring temporal or eternal rewards that are good. Peter exhorts, Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler (v. 15).

The phrase make sure that none of you suffers emphasizes the difference between suffering unjustly and bringing about suffering on ourselves by making bad choices. The consequence of patiently enduring unjust suffering is to gain a great blessing. The consequence of being a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler is to gain the negative consequences of sin.

Sin brings about death (James 1:14-15, Romans 6:23). Death is separation, as in James 2:26 where physical death is the separation of our spirit from our body. Sin separates us from our own design, from fellowship with God and from fellowship with other people. Fellowship with God and others brings us true joy (1 John 1:3-4). God’s “wrath” upon the unrighteousness of sinful behavior is shown as a progression of natural consequences for sin (Romans 1:24, 26, 28).

God’s wrath on sin in this life is to give us over to the natural consequences of our desires. By allowing us to have what we asked for, we incur wrath. God gives us over to our fleshly desires, and we suffer lust, which leads to addiction, which leads to loss of mental health (Romans 1:24, 26, 28).

The first type of sinful behavior noted that causes self-induced suffering is one who suffers as a murderer. A believer who kills a person for the wrong reason may suffer God’s discipline through the civil law that requires the penalty of death. The inner attitude that results in murder is hate for others (James 4:2, 1 John 3:12).

In His teaching, Jesus emphasized how anger and hostile words toward others is akin to murder and deserving of the punishment a murderer ought to receive (Matthew 5:21-26). We are to “take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). To avoid suffering as one who suffers as a murderer, we can follow Peter’s early exhortation to replace hatred and anger with “sound judgment and sober spirit” and “keep fervent in [our] love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:7-8).

By loving one another fervently, our love for each other can snuff out self-seeking resentment and rivalry. In the previous chapter, Peter spoke on similar lines, to do good and be a blessing to others, rather than ever seek vengeance or return evil for evil, or insult for insult (1 Peter 3:9).

A second type of sinful behavior from a believer that brings about suffering is suffering as a thief.

The believer who steals may suffer God’s discipline through the civil law that requires a penalty, such as time in jail. Stealing is an outer expression of envy. Both hate and envy lead to harming and exploiting others to seek to fulfill our own desires. Such behaviors also lead to self-induced harm.

The third type of sinful behavior that causes suffering is suffering as an evildoer. An evildoer is a person who acts in a way that is wrong. Here again a believer who engages in criminal activity may be disciplined by God through civil authority, by being fined or jailed (1 Peter 2:12, 14. 3:16-17, Romans 13:3-4).

The final type of sinful behavior noted that brings about self-inflicted suffering is as a troublesome meddler. This is a rare word used only by Peter in the entire New Testament. In the original Greek it is two words, “allotripos” meaning pertaining to things not your own (2 Corinthians 10:16, Hebrews 9:25) and “episkopos” meaning a guardian (1 Peter 2:25) or one who oversees (1 Timothy 3:2); these two words are combined to form one word, “allotriepiskopos.”

This might refer to a person who tries to control or manipulate people or areas that are not their proper responsibility, or perhaps in a manner that abuses their authority. The suffering of God’s disciple that would come from such sinful behavior is a miserable life of conflict with others in the church.

This troublesome meddler might describe a controlling or manipulative leader rather than a servant leader who leads in the Spirit of Jesus. We see inferences of this sort of behavior alluded to in scriptures such as:

2 Corinthians 11:13, 20, where Paul describes the abusive tactics of false apostles who seek gain for themselves.
Galatians 4:16-17, where Paul describes the social manipulation used by leaders seeking to capture and control them through shunning.
Titus 1:11, where leaders mislead entire households for the sake of dishonest gain.

In contrast to the believer who brings suffering on himself for sinful behavior, Peter turns again to the believer who suffers unjustly for the cause of Christ: But if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name (v. 16).

The but indicates a contrast between the Christians who suffer justly for their sinful behaviors and Christians who suffer unjustly for the cause of Christ. The use of if points to a condition assumed to be true. Suffers as a Christian is drawn from the context of verses 14 and 15. What should their response be?

Peter suggests a two-fold response. The first response of the one suffering for the name of Jesus is he is not to be ashamed.

The word ashamed here is the same word Peter used in 1 Peter 3:16. That verse promises that those who do the reviling will put to shame. This brings hope that God will see that ultimately justice will prevail. The attitude/perspective of the Christian is not to be that of shame but of rejoicing (1 Peter 4:13, Acts 5:41).

Peter uses the term Christian to refer to those who have believed in Jesus. Interestingly, the term Christian only occurs three times in the New Testament. Christian is a name first applied to those who believed in Jesus in Syrian Antioch (Acts 11:26). It occurs a third time in the New Testament when King Agrippa says to Paul “In a short time you will persuade me to be a Christian” (Acts 26:28).

In contrast to not being ashamed, the response of the suffering believer is to glorify God in this name. The phrase glorify God is used by Jesus in Matthew 5:16, which tells believers to let their good deeds shine like a light before men and “glorify God.” The Greek word translated glorify is the verb form of “doxa” which is often translated as “glory.” “Doxa” (glory) is the essence of something being observed (1 Corinthians 15:41) where the sun, moon, and stars are said to have different sorts of “glory.” This is because they have a different essence that can be observed.

When we do good deeds for Christ that are seen of men, God’s glory is observed because we are reflecting His essence by following His commands. Similarly, when believers suffer unjustly for this name, the name of Christ, then we reflect the essence of God in a manner that is visible, and glorify Him. This is what will cause people who observe God’s essence working through us to ask about “the hope that is within you” (1 Peter 3:15).

When believers glorify God’s name by suffering as Christ suffered, we are to adopt the perspective that we are greatly blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon us. In the next section, Peter again elevates the importance of living this day for “that day”—living now in preparation for the inevitable day of judgment, where all the deeds of believers will be judged by fire, to determine rewards (2 Corinthians 5:10).