1 Peter 4:17-19 17Because it is the time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18And “If the righteous person is saved with difficulty, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” 19Therefore, let those who suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing good.
Peter gives two more conditional sentences in these verses. These verses function as both a warning and an encouragement. Peter has held God’s mercy and holiness in tension in this letter. God extends grace but also holds people accountable for how they respond to this grace. The first conditional thought found in verse 17 is built on the idea that those who are part of God’s household (oikou) will be judged first. The main point of the verse goes beyond this one and is given in the protasis of the rhetorical question at the end of the verse. If God will judge those who should know, trust in, and experience his mercy, what will happen to those who reject this good news? The assumed response in the unstated apodosis is that the disobedient will be judged even more severely. In the larger context of dealing with the topic of suffering, readers are reminded that God is the one to revenge wrongdoing; therefore, Christians should not worry about those who do evil, especially to them. The sovereign God knows all and will hold people accountable for what they do.
Verse 18 is a quote of Proverbs 11:31 (LXX), which uses a qal va-homer interpretation to set up a condition: what is the case in the one situation will be even more true in another situation. If the righteous must develop faith and live in obedience in order to face judgment with confidence, how much more will difficult will judgment day be for the ungodly and sinner who have rejected God’s offer of mercy? God is a fare judge and knows all that we do and think. God knows our motives. God also knows our weaknesses as humans. Ultimately, what will save us or condemn us is what we do with the message of the gospel and the light we have received. Those who have been given much will be accountable for this.
This verse should not be interpreted to mean that it is difficult to be saved or that we have to work hard to be saved, since the Bible clearly teaches that salvation is a free gift from God. The stress seems not to be on the protasis about the righteous but on the apodosis and what happens to the ungodly and sinner. Those who persist to live in sin will have more difficulty in finding salvation because they have rejected God’s offer and the message about Jesus Christ.
Even though everyone will give an account to God, verse 19 reminds us that believers do not need to worry about judgment because God is our faithful Creator. He knows and cares about everyone, sinner and righteous, and does not want anyone to perish (2 Peter 3:9). Believers who suffer unjustly or are persecuted by unbelievers for their faith need not worry about their outcome or how God will judge them because God sees all and knows all. It is challenging to continue to follow Christ when doing so creates cultural shame, strained relationships, animosity, or outright persecution. These stresses may come in waves, short periods of time, or be persistent and powerful. Shame can become emotionally crippling, especially when it comes from family.
In our weakness, we can experience a form of God’s grace that we cannot experience during the good times (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). Our only option may be to commit ourselves to God and cry out for help. If we cringe back in shame in order to protect ourselves in some way, we may be tempted to compromise our convictions. If we do our best to follow the way of goodness, we will be able to tap into the richness of God’s grace. That may not mean we will escape from the suffering, but we can be assured that our faith will grow stronger because of our commitment to following the light.