1Peter 4:1
χριστου ουν παθοντος σαρκι και υμεις την αυτην εννοιαν οπλισασθε οτι ο παθων σαρκι πεπαυται αμαρτιαις
Christ therefore because He suffered in the flesh, you with the same understanding be armed because the one suffering in the flesh has ceased from sins.
Paraphrase:
Comments:
Note the genitive absolute χριστου ουν παθοντος σαρκι. When the participle is in the present tense, it will be either causal or temporal. παθοντος is clearly causal. Because Christ suffered in the flesh…
What is εννοιαν here? αυτος is here used as an identical adjective which implies that whatever this understanding was, it was also in the mind of Christ.
Option #1: The εννοιαν is the idea stated in the last clause οτι ο παθων σαρκι πεπαυται αμαρτιαις. The meaning being that those who suffer are in a better position to stop sinning. This option understands the οτι as a content οτι. The obvious objection is how this could be true of Jesus who never struggled with sin? Perhaps we are not to understand an exact similarity between Jesus and the believer here. Jesus put an end to sin by suffering and dying and thus making atonement for it. In a similar way, believers are to stop sinning by being willing to suffer in the profession and practice of our faith. So there is not an exact similarity in the way Jesus and believers put an end to sin, but there is a similarity nonetheless.
Paraphrase: Now we know that Jesus suffered terrible physical pain when He died on the cross. He was willing to endure such suffering because He knew that He had to suffer and die in order to make atonement for our sins. Now if you want to be ready for the spiritual warfare which you are going to encounter in this dark world, you should take that same attitude and make it your own. I am not saying that you should try to atone for your sins by suffering. Of course not, but I am saying that you can better gain the victory over your personal sin by patiently enduring the suffering and fiery trials through which you are passing. This is actually a principle you should never forget: suffering helps us to stop sinning.
Option #2: This is the idea that the εννοιαν is a willingness to die. Jesus was willing to die and so must the believer. In adopting this mindset, the believer is now armed for battle. The last clause is simply introducing a supporting thought that those who suffer are assured of a final victory.
Paraphrase: Now we know that Jesus died on the cross and when a person is dead, he cannot sin any longer. He suffered terrible physical pain when He died on the cross. He was willing to endure such suffering because He knew that He had to suffer and die in order to make atonement for our sins. Now if you want to be ready for the spiritual warfare which you are going to encounter in this dark world, you should take that same attitude and make it your own. I am not saying that you should try to atone for your sins by suffering. Of course not, but I am saying that you can better gain the victory over your personal sin by patiently enduring the suffering and fiery trials through which you are passing. This is actually a principle you should never forget: suffering helps us to stop sinning.
The εννοιαν is the idea that by suffering, an end was made to sin as in atonement was made for it and not to a believer’s personal struggle to stop sinning. Again, the οτι is understood to be a content οτι. This certainly was in the mind of Jesus as Peter wrote earlier in 1Pet 3:18. The same idea is even more clearly stated in Heb. 9:26, but how can this εννοιαν be in the mind of a believer? Believers have nothing at all to do with putting an end to sin in the sense of making atonement for it as Jesus did.