1 Peter 4:18

And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

Scarcely (cf. , end) - having to pass through trying chastisements, as David did for sin. "The righteous" man has trial, but the issue is certain, and the entrance into the kingdom abundant at last. The "scarcely" marks the severity of the ordeal, and the unlikelihood (in a human point of view) of the righteous sustaining it; but the righteousness of Christ, and God's everlasting covenant, make it sure.

Ungodly - without regard for God: negative.

Sinner - loving sin: positive: the same man is at once God-forgetting and sin-loving.

Appear - in judgment.