If the righteous is scarcely
saved…
What Does
1 Peter 4:17-18 Mean?
A Puzzling Passage
• Does 1 Peter 4:17-18 teach that a
righteous person will barely be
saved in the judgment day?
• This lesson will help us to
understand this puzzling passage
and to learn some good Bible study
habits along the way
“Judgment” in this context
• The word “judgment” can refer to
different kinds / occasions of judgment.
What does it mean in 1 Peter 4:17-18?
• “Judgment” can refer to judgment
upon a nation (Rev. 17:1; 18:10,20),
the judgment day (Rom. 2:5), or
judgment by discipline (1 Cor. 11:3132)
“Judgment” in this context
• “Judgment” in this context refers to
the judgment (discipline, testing) of
suffering / persecution / fiery trial
(see 4:12-16,19; consider the rest of
the book; 1:6,11; 2:19,20,21,23;
3:14,17,18; 4:13,15,16,19; 5:1,9,10)
• Note that Peter writes, “for the time
is come…” – a form of judgment
already in his day, not the end of
time
“Saved” in this context
• The word “saved” can refer to
different kinds / occasions of
salvation. What does it mean in
1 Peter 4:17-18?
• “Saved” can refer to salvation from
sin (Mt. 1:21), a storm (Mt. 8:25),
God’s wrath (Rom. 5:9), death
(Heb. 5:7), Egypt (Jude 5), etc.
“Saved” in this context
• Saved” in this context refers to
salvation from suffering /
persecution (compare Mt. 10:21-22;
24:13,22)
What does “scarcely” mean?
• What is the Greek word behind
“scarcely”? The Gr. word molis
translated “scarcely” means “hard”,
“with much work”, “not easily”,
“with great difficulty” (Lk. 9:39; Acts
14:18; 27:8,16; Rom. 5:7; 1 Pet. 4:18)
• The English word “scarcely” can
mean “barely”, but it’s other meaning
is “difficulty”
What does “scarcely” mean?
• What do other English translations
say?
– “if it is with difficulty that the
righteous are saved” (NASV)
– “If it is hard for the righteous to
be saved (NIV)
– “If the righteous are barely
saved” (NLT, AMP, CEV, CEB)
Good Bible Study Habits
• Judgment and saved: study Bible
words in their immediate context
• Scarcely: study English words in light
of 1) their original Greek / Hebrew
meaning (lexicon), 2) their original
English meaning (Webster’s), and
3) their use in other translations
Putting it all together
• Note that Peter uses two rhetorical
questions (two contrasts):
– the house of God (us) and “them
that obey not the gospel (v. 17)
– the righteous and the ungodly and
sinner (v.18)
Putting it all together
• This is an “a fortiori” argument –
an argument from the lesser to the
great (see also Rom. 11:21)
• If difficult suffering is happening to
the good people by God’s will, what
more can the bad people expect
from God? The answer is found
elsewhere in the NT such as
2 Thess. 1:7-10 or Mt. 25:46
Putting it all together
• Peter is saying that the Lord’s
church is going through difficult
judgment in the form of suffering,
persecution, trial (lit. and if it begin
from us…) – comp. Ezek. 9:5-6
• How much more greater must be the
misery and wretchedness of the
ungodly who are experiencing the
same thing – comp. Prov. 11:31
Putting it all together
• If the righteous experience difficult
disciplinary judgment, how much
more will the disobedient merit the
wrath of God whose offer of
righteousness they have rejected
• The disobedient will not have a good
end; they have no hope of appearing
with God’s approval
Lessons for Today
• The reward of the righteous in the
last day is not something that is
barely gained, rather it is “richly
supplied” (2 Peter 1:10-11)
• Suffering is God’s test (1 Pet. 4:12)
• Suffering for Christ’s sake can be a
very difficult experience, but it leads
to glory (1 Pet. 4:13; 5:1,10)
Lessons for Today
• Christians who suffer are blessed
having the Spirit of glory / God
resting upon them (1 Pet. 4:14)
• Christians who suffer are to live
clean and pure lives (1 Pet. 4:15-16;
see 1:15)
• Christians who suffer should commit
their souls to God (1 Pet. 4:19;
3:12; 2:21-23)