For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. 

1 Peter 4:3

The divinely inspired apostle now gives some examples of what it means to spend the rest of our lives here on earth devoted “no longer for human passions” (4:1-2).  Before we obeyed the gospel and become Christians (“the time already past”), we “carried out the desire of the Gentiles.”  The first-century church within the extremely debauched Roman Empire would have seen the pagan, sinful practices of the Gentile world around them on a daily basis.  It’s also possible that “the Gentiles” figuratively refers to non-Christians of any ethnicity since the New Testament repeatedly refers to Old Testament Israel as a copy of the New Testament church (cf. Rom. 2:28-29; James 1:1; Gal. 6:16; et al).  Either way, Peter’s point is that the lives, habits, and priorities of Christians must be vastly different from those of the world around them.  A close study of the sins practiced and desired (“having pursued”) by those outside of Christ which are listed in this verse illustrate this very clearly.

Peter mentions “a course of sensuality,” also translated “lewdness” and “lasciviousness.”  The Greek term carries with it the concept of filthy words and deeds, indecent dress and indecent movements with one’s body, and touching and handling others in an improper, carnal way.  This would therefore condemn vulgar talk, the typical swimwear and summer wear popular in our culture which shows midriffs, cleavage, and thighs, dancing which is sensual in nature, and unmarried people engaging in intimate activity (cf. Heb. 13:4; 1 Cor. 7:1-2).  Closely related to this are “lusts,” which in this context (and in others; e.g., Rom. 1:24; Col. 3:5) refers to strong desires for that which is sexual in nature and forbidden by God but generally could refer to anything good (e.g., Lk. 22:15; Phil. 1:23) or bad (e.g., Eph. 2:3; 4:22) for which one has a strong desire.  This is followed by “drunkenness,” literally in the Greek “the bubbling over of wine,” referring to drinking excessive amounts of alcoholic beverages.  Correlated with this is God’s condemnation of “carousing” and “drinking parties,” both terms coming from Greek words which were used back then to describe what today would be thought of as wild parties and drinking bouts.  Peter closes the list by appropriately correlating “abominable idolatries” with all of the above, considering that within Roman culture pagan worship was often accompanied by disorderly, riotous drinking revelries in which was much debauchery and immorality.  The same occurs today.  Consider the parties commonly held by college-age and high school youth in which are found large kegs of beer and funnels connected to “beer bongs” which are used in drinking contests to see who can have the most before passing out or vomiting.  Think also of the bars, clubs, and “honky-tonk” roadhouses all across this land filled on a nightly basis with immodest women and drunken men who engage in bawdy, drunken, violent behavior.

The ingestion of intoxicating drinks is condemned even in moderate amounts in Scripture.  The Greek in its most literal rendering of Ephesians 5:18 tells us to basically “not even begin to be softened or moistened with wine, for that is wasteful, incorrigible, and is what the unsaved and abandoned do.”  The command to be “sober” (1 Thess. 5:6-8; 1 Pet. 5:8) in the Greek literally means to abstain from wine and be free from the influence of intoxicants.  Some find these commands controversial and unnecessarily strict.  Yet think of the massive number of deaths, injuries, sexual assaults, loss of innocence, STDs, addictions, abortions, “shotgun” weddings and loveless families, divorces, irreparable life-long damage to reputations, educations, and careers, and much more which severely harms and destroys our lives, all because of we chose to be in sinful environments as is described above where we either purposefully or against our will were intoxicated through alcohol or other harmful drugs (cf. Prov. 20:1; 23:29-35; Hab. 2:15-16; Gen. 19:30-38).

After thinking of such tragic and abominable acts, I clearly see the love of God for our wellbeing shown in these commands (Matt. 6:33; 1 Tim. 4:8).

— Jon