GIVE ACCOUNT. 1st Peter 4:5 There are consequences to everything we do in our lives. Even though unbelievers think they can do what they want and when they want, and that it is nobody else’s business, a day is coming when they will stand before God and face their sins. Every idle word, every defiant act against God, every evil thought, every sinful action, and every time they rejected God’s mercy and grace are known to God. God, in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ, is infinite in knowledge and will judge each unbeliever at the Great White Throne. Peter has the Great White Throne in mind in this passage of scripture. The living unbelievers will be judged before the millennium begins. The wicked dead will be judged at the end of Christ’s reign.
Every believer will give an account of the things they have done in life at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Each believer will “receive for the things done in the body” there. Everything will be tested by fire: the “wood, hay, and stubble” will be burned; the “gold, silver, and precious stones” that remain will be presented to bring glory and honor to our Lord Jesus Christ.
Every person will be judged: believers for the rewards they will receive; unbelievers for the punishment their unforgiven sins deserve. They will have to face the consequences of their persecution of God’s people. Our activities and actions should be considered in view of those coming events.
Judgment is ahead, when each will "give account" (say in words) of what has been done. For "the quick" (the living), it will be at the judgment seat of Christ, where both words and works will be evaluated. This is not a judgment of sin. That took place on our behalf at the cross, where our Lord fully dealt with our sin. Judgment for the believer concerns our stewardship and rewards for faithfulness. "The dead" are those who are not saved and who will stand before the Lord Jesus to give "account."
At that time, every mouth will be truly silenced. The Judge is "ready to judge." He is prepared. The day is appointed. There is motivation to endure because of what lies ahead. The certainty of the coming judgment keeps us from being short-sighted. For believers, we look ahead to a glorious future with our Lord. Life is not wasted, even when we suffer, and the grave is not the goal.
We are commissioned to preach the Gospel now so that, in the death of Christ, a believer has been judged for sin because "Christ died for us" when He "loved me and gave Himself for me." The preaching of the Gospel also assures us of eternal life now and forever. That motivates us to live according to God in our spirit and to commit ourselves to accept and do His will, even if it means suffering.
Motivated by the future, despite opposition from former friends and acquaintances, makes it clear there are things we do not associate with now. My time will come when I must state the sum of things I did in life. I will tell the Lord why I did, or did not reply, when challenged to right or wrong. As I look ahead, is there fear and dread, or is there joy as I think of that day when I will see the Lord’s face and trace His way with me? And He waits to hear what I say. Those who lived for Christ will give an account of those things they did while serving the Lord. Those who lived for earth with no second birth will be judged by their very own words. The Judge knows each heart and of life, every part of each and everything we did and why. This is not some unfair scheme or some far-out dream, but a look ahead.
With such a day in view, saved and unsaved alike need to stop and seriously consider their future. Motivation is given to those going to hell and to those going to heaven. Consider carefully what we do in life. How great the gain for those who love His name, to walk in the ways of the holy, and how great the loss for those who count the cost.
In our understanding of this verse, Peter is writing particularly about unbelievers. Living unbelievers who survive the tribulation will be judged before the Millennium. Those who died in their sins will be raised after the thousand years are finished and will face their condemnation, in contrast to the righteousness of the people of God whom they persecuted.