Tag Archives: 1 Peter 4:1

Arming the Mind: Suffering and Transformation in 1 Peter 4:1

Χριστοῦ οὖν παθόντος ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν σαρκὶ καὶ ὑμεῖς τὴν αὐτὴν ἔννοιαν ὁπλίσασθε, ὅτι ὁ παθὼν ἐν σαρκὶ πέπαυται ἁμαρτίας

This line from 1 Peter 4:1 blends theology and exhortation in compressed, military imagery. It opens with a clause about Christ’s suffering and then moves to a call for believers to “arm themselves” with the same way of thinking. The Greek is crisp, loaded with participles, and unafraid of paradox. Suffering becomes not just endurance, but transformation.

Grammatical Foundations

παθόντος is an aorist active participle in the genitive, modifying Χριστοῦ. It describes a completed event—Christ suffered. The phrase ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν (on behalf of us) emphasizes substitution, while σαρκὶ (in flesh) grounds the suffering in human experience.… Learn Koine Greek

Posted in Grammar | Tagged | Leave a comment