1 Peter 4:10

THE EDIFICATION OF THE CHURCH

‘As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another.’

1 Peter 4:10

The weight of the Apostle’s exhortations is strengthened by reminding those whom he addressed of the ‘end of all things.’ The Son of Man, Who ascended to heaven, left behind Him a Church pledged not only to individual but to collective holiness. And this Epistle therefore treats of the spiritual life and edification of the whole Church.

I. The edification of the Church in its fundamental conditions.

(a) The edification of the Church rests on the present living activity of its great Head.

(b) It reposes, too, on the work of the Spirit poured out by Christ on His Church. The Spirit of God works: (1) through the Word; (2) through the offices of the Church, whether those derived immediately through Him, and of express Divine appointment and apostolic origin, or those of purely human invention for purposes of Church work.

II. The edification of the Church in its actual realisation.

(a) Through the sobriety and watchfulness of its members (1 Peter 4:7).

(b) Through prayers (1 Peter 4:7), the public prayers of the Church; the plural surely intended to be inclusive of that worship of God in prayer variously offered in hymn, in supplication, in liturgy, in the house of God.

(c) Through fervent love (1 Peter 4:8), manifesting itself in: (1) frequent forgiveness of offences. ‘Love covereth a multitude of sins.’ (2) Kindly hospitality. ‘Using hospitality to one another without murmuring.’ (3) By friendly offices of advice and counsel. ‘If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God.’ (4) By mutual help. ‘Ministering.’

III. The edification of the Church in its great end—the glory of God in Christ. ‘That in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to Whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever.’

Illustration

‘What gift? The gifts of the Holy Spirit are infinitely various, but the greatest of all is the gift of Himself, the gift of loving God, of caring for the things of heaven, of having even a definite desire to be on the side of Christ, and not on that of His enemies. This is indeed a gift, and, like all gifts of God, it brings with it a responsibility. It is something which demands not only to be appropriated, but also to be traded with and devoted to the relief of others. If any one has, through God’s grace, been brought to hate sin and to see its ruinous, soul-destroying character, let him not shut up this holy conviction in his own heart, but let him be glad to find opportunities for imparting it to others. By so doing, he will greatly confirm his own sense of its importance, and he will have done much to confirm the faith and courage of his brethren. For there is no cordial so cheering to the Christian soldier as the discovery that he is not alone, but that, while he has been striving to serve his Master in secret, others also, unknown to him, have been engaged in the same struggle.’