1 Peter 4:7-11 - "The End is Near"

1 Peter 4:7-11

"But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. Use hospitality one to another without grudging. As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen."

Here the Spirit speaks plainly: “the end of all things is at hand” (v.7). This is not language meant to stir fear or speculation, but rather faith and watchfulness. The end is near not because believers can calculate dates, but because Christ has already appeared “once in the end of the world … to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself” (Hebrews 9:26). Nothing remains unfinished in His work. History now moves toward a single certainty—the gathering of all whom He has redeemed.

Because this is true, the believer’s life is shaped by eternity pressing in from every side. “Be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer” (v.7). Soberness is not gloom, but seriousness of heart—a settled awareness of Who Christ is and what He has accomplished. Prayer flows from that awareness, not as ritual words, but as a heart continually drawn to the LORD Who governs and directs all things to the end that He has purposed. This watchfulness is itself a gift of Grace, given to those for whom Christ has paid the debt. Left to ourselves, we would live as the world lives, careless and consumed with the present moment.

Peter moves from the believer’s standing in Christ to the believer’s affection toward one another. “Above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins” (v.8). This love does not pretend that sin does not exist; rather, it refuses to make sin the measure by which we judge one another. Christ did not impute our sin to us, but bore it Himself. As Solomon wrote, “Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins” (Proverbs 10:12). When Christ is the Object of our affection, others are not viewed through the lens of fault-finding, but through the Grace of God by which we ourselves stand in Christ (1 Corinthians 15:10).

This love takes tangible form. “Use hospitality one to another without grudging” (v.9). Hospitality here is not mere social kindness, but open-handed generosity rooted in Grace. The believer recognizes that all he possesses has been received from Christ's gracious Hand, not earned. To withhold, to murmur, or to choose whom we will love is to forget how freely mercy has been given to us. Paul echoes this truth: “forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32).

Peter then grounds this exhortation in the Gift itself. “As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (v.10). The Gift is not merely something given by Christ; it is Christ Himself. His Righteousness, His Obedience, His life and death freely bestowed. Since none of this originated with us, there is no room for pride. “What hast thou that thou didst not receive?” (1 Corinthians 4:7). Stewardship means distributing what belongs to Another, for His glory and for the good of His people.

Those who speak and serve within Christ’s body are included, not exalted. “If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God…if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth” (v.11). No word, no service, no strength arises from human sufficiency. Everything flows from Christ, and therefore everything must point back to Him.

Peter concludes where all faithful instruction must end: “that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen” (v.11). Knowing that the end is near—whether by Christ’s return or by His coming to take us out of this world in death—we live not for ourselves, personal comfort, or reputation, but for His glory. And though we fall far short, the Grace of God teaches us to live soberly, love fervently, and serve humbly (Titus 2:12), until the day faith gives way to sight and all praise is given to Christ alone, without the encumbrances of this life..

As the end of all things is nigh, the Spirit of God calls us not to self-reliance, but to sober watchfulness in prayer, fervent charity (love for the brethren), and careful stewardship of the Grace already given us in Christ. All that we are exhorted to do—whether speaking or ministering—is to be done “as of the ability which God giveth” (v. 11), that no glory may rest in the flesh. From first to last, our perseverance, our love, and our service flow from God's free and sovereign Grace in Christ alone. Therefore, the final word is not ours, but His: “that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen,” (v. 11).