1 Peter 4:10-11 ....As every man hath received the gift....

1Pe 4:10    As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

1Pe 4:11    If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do itas of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

WSC Question. 1. What is the chief end of man?

Answer. Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever.

1 Peter 4:10 John Gill

As every man hath received the gift,.... That is, from God, as the Syriac and Ethiopic versions add. This is a general rule laid down by the apostle, according to which, distribution of every kind, whether in things temporal or spiritual, is to be made, even according to the nature, quality, and quantity of the gift received:

the greatest gift God bestows on men, next to himself, Son, and Spirit, and received by them in this life, is special grace; which God gives of his sovereign will and pleasure, liberally, abundantly, without the deserts of men, or conditions to be performed by them;

of this kind are faith, repentance, hope, and love: the next to this is the ministerial gift, or what qualifies men for the work of the ministry; which is not anything in nature, or what is acquired by art and industry, but is a gift of grace, which is bestowed on some in a higher, on others in a lower degree:

and besides these, there are the gifts of nature and providence, as human wisdom, and the knowledge of things natural and civil, riches and wealth, and the various good things of life; for there is nothing a man has in nature and in grace but what is a gift to him, and what he has received: and according to the measure of the gift received, be it what it will, the exhortation is,

even so minister the same one to another; or to, and among yourselves; to your neighbours or companions, as the Syriac, version renders it; if the gift be special grace though that itself cannot be imparted from one to another, yet the knowledge of it may; and it becomes such who have an experience of the grace of God upon their hearts to make it known, both to particular friends in private conversation, and to the church of God in public, for the use and edification of others, and the glory of God's grace:

if the gift be a ministerial one, whether it be greater or less, for it is not in all alike, it is not to be wrapped up in a napkin, and hid in the earth, or to lie neglected, but to be stirred up, and used for the benefit of the souls of men:

and if it is a temporal one, the good things of this life, according to the measure of them, that a man has, he is to minister to the supply of the poor; and as God has prospered him, he is to distribute to the necessities of others; as men freely receive, be it what it will, they should freely minister it, according to the nature and measure of it:

as good stewards of the manifold grace of God; for they are but stewards of whatsoever gifts they have; and therefore, if they would approve themselves good stewards, they should minister the same in proportion to their reception of them.

Manifold and various are the graces of the Spirit of God, and the rich experiences communicated to men, which are not only for themselves, but for the good of others also:

gifts for public usefulness are different one from another; one man has one gift, and another has another; or the same gift is not alike in all, in some greater, and in others less; and all are but stewards:

they are accountable for them, and the use of them, to their great Lord and master: and various are the doctrines of the grace of God;

of the grace of the Father in election,

in the everlasting covenant,

in the mission of his Son,

in the free justification of sinners by his righteousness,

in the free and full pardon of all their sins,

in the adoption of any into his family,

and in the gift of eternal life;

and of the Son of God, in engaging as the surety of his people from everlasting, in assuming their nature in time, in obeying, suffering, and dying in their room and stead;

and of the Spirit of God in regeneration and sanctification;

and of all these mysteries of grace the ministers of the Gospel are stewards; and it is required of them that they be faithful.

Temporal good things are given to men, not for their own use only, but for others; and they are but stewards of them; the original proprietor is God, and to him they must give an account of their stewardship, and how they have used and disposed of the manifold gifts which God of his goodness has put into their hands; so that this last clause contains a reason or argument enforcing the above rule.

1 Peter 4:11

If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God,.... This is an application of the above general rule to a particular case, the public ministry of the word, for that is here meant: "if any man speak";

not in any manner, or on any subject; not in a private way, or about things natural and civil;

but in public, and concerning divine things: "let him speak": this is rightly supplied in our translation; and in which it is supported and confirmed by the Syriac and Arabic versions, who both supply the same way: "as the oracles of God"; by which are meant the writings of the Old Testament, the sacred Scriptures; see Rom 3:2 so called, because they come from God, are breathed and spoken by him, and contain his mind and will, and are authoritative and infallible;

Romans 3:2   (KJV)

2  Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.

2Ti 3:15    And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

2Ti 3:16    All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

2Ti 3:17    That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

and according to these he is to speak who speaks in public on divine subjects, both as to the matter and manner of his speech: the matter of it must be agreeably to the divinely inspired word of God, must be fetched out of it, and confirmed by it;

and he is to speak every thing that is in it, and keep back nothing, but declare the whole counsel of God, and only what is in it, without mixing his own chaff, or the doctrines of men with it;

and it should be spoken in a manner agreeably to it, not as the word of man, but as the word of God; and not in words which man's wisdom teacheth, but in the words of the Holy Ghost;

and with all boldness, for so the Gospel ought to be spoken;

and with all certainty and assurance, constantly affirming the things of it, for nothing is more sure than they are;

and with all openness, plainness, and freedom, making truth manifest, laying it plain and open before men, as it ought to be;

and that with all reverence and godly fear, which becomes both speaker and hearer.

The apostle next proceeds to mention another case, to which the above rule is applicable;

if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth; that is, if any man minister in temporal things to the supply of the poor;

if a private man, and in a private way, let him do it in proportion to his ability, as God has prospered him in the world;

or if an officer of the church, a deacon; and which seems to be the sense, for so the word used signifies, διακονει, if any man perform the office, or act the part of a deacon, let him do it according to what God, in his providence, has put into his hands;

that is, of the church's stock, which he should minister with simplicity and cheerfulness. A like division of church offices into public preaching of the word, and ministering to the wants of the poor, is here made, as in Rom 12:6.

Rom 12:6    Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;

Rom 12:7    Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;

Rom 12:8    Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.

The end of all this is,

that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ; or by all means, as the Arabic version renders it; by all ways and methods proper; for the glory of God should be the principal view in every action of life:

hence the Syriac version adds to the phrase, "in all things", for the sake of explanation, "which ye do";

by sobriety, by prayer, by watching unto it;

by exercising fervent charity,

and using hospitality one to another;

by ministering the gift as it is received;

by the public ministration of the word;

and by supplying the wants of the poor, whether in a personal or in a church way:

or in all gifts, whether private or public, temporal or spiritual;

since they all come from God, and men are accountable to him for them; and therefore should be used so as to glorify him by them, and give him the glory of them; and not glory in them, as if not received from him:

or in all the members of the church, whether officers, as pastors and deacons, or private Christians; all should so behave in their respective stations, as God may have glory: "through Jesus Christ": through whom all grace is communicated, by whom all gifts are bestowed, and by virtue of grace and strength received from him every good work is performed to the glory of God:

to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever; meaning either to God the Father, from whom every good gift comes; who is the God of all grace, of whom, and through whom, and to whom, are all things; and therefore the praise and glory of all belongs to him; and who has the dominion over all creatures and things, and has the disposal of all in nature, providence, and grace:

or to Jesus Christ, out of whose fulness manifold grace, grace for grace, is received; and who having ascended on high, has received gifts for men, and gives them to them,

and so is worthy of all praise;

and who, as God, has the kingdom of nature and providence equally with the Father,

and, as Mediator, the kingdom of grace, the government of the church;

and whose dominion will be from sea to sea, and from the rivers to the ends of the earth; and of whose kingdom there will be no end.

Amen; so let it be, so shall it be.