1 Peter 4:18: And "If The Righteous Is Scarcely Saved, What Will Become Of The Ungodly And The Sinner?"

1 Peter 4:18

[18] And “If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” (ESV)

Any time that you are reading something in the New Testament, and the author quotes a verse from the Old Testament, it is important. It is Scripture's way of underlining or highlighting a point. It is helpful in understanding the doctrine of our salvation to see how the Old Testament and the New Testament describe it. This is what Peter is doing for us here in this verse. 

If you were to ask the average person who claimed to be a Christian to define what it means to be saved, you might get an answer that is inconsistent with what Scripture teaches. Many people will say that God loves us so much that Jesus died for us. We say a prayer, and then God showers us with financial gifts, power, and eternal life. We begin living our best life now the minute after we say a prayer.

Peter says that the righteous are scarcely saved. First of all, for us to be saved, it required the torturous sacrifice of God's Son. We are called by God to salvation. We repent of our sin. We place our faith in the work of the Savior. We then begin a process of being hated, persecuted, and unjustly mistreated because of our identity with Jesus Christ. The way of salvation, in its entirety, is a way of suffering.

So, how about those who are ungodly? The sinner? There is no end to their suffering. Our salvation requires suffering on Jesus' part, and our lives will be marked by suffering. But, the Christian's suffering has an end. We will spend eternity in heaven, in God's presence. The sinner will spend all of eternity in suffering. The righteous are scarcely saved, the sinner is not saved at all.

Are you saved? Have you placed your faith in Jesus Christ? He suffered so that you will have no suffering, after you suffer a while here on this earth.