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1Pe_4:13. ἀλλὰ … χαίρετε ] Antithesis to ξενίζεσθε ; non tantum mirari vetat Petrus, sed gaudere etiam jubet (Calvin); the measure of the joy is indicated by καθὸ κοινωνεῖτε τοῖς τοῦ Χριστοῦ παθήμασι .
καθό , not equivalent to, “that,” nor to, quando (Pott), but to, quatenus, in quantum; cf. Rom_8:26, 2Co_8:12.
τὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ παθήματα is inexactly interpreted by Vorst. as: afflictiones Christi membris destinatae, nempe quas pii propter justitiam et evangelium Christi sustinent; they rather mean the sufferings which Christ Himself has endured. Of these the believers are partakers ( κοινωνοῦσιν αὐτοῖς ), for the world shows the same enmity to them as to Christ, since it is He who is hated in them; cf. my commentary to Col_1:24, and Meyer to 2Co_1:5; 2Co_1:7 (so, too, Wiesinger, Weiss, p. 293 f., Schott). Steiger[253] is wrong in thinking of the inward suffering endured by the Christian, whilst, by the power of Christ’s death, he dies unto sin.
The object to be supplied in thought to ΧΑΊΡΕΤΕ is the ΠΎΡΩΣΙς previously mentioned by the apostle.
ἽΝΑ ΚΑΊ ] states the design of ΧΑΊΡΕΙΝ : the Christians are to rejoice now, in order that they may also ( καί lays stress on the future in relation to the present) rejoice ἘΝ Τῇ ἈΠΟΚΑΛΎΨΕΙ , etc.; for this future joy is conditioned by that of the present, as the future partaking of the ΔΌΞΑ of Christ by the present sharing of His ΠΑΘΉΜΑΣΙ .[254] Schott unreasonably opposes as “grammatical pedantry” the application of ἽΝΑ to the preceding ΧΑΊΡΕΤΕ , for he remarks, it is the sufferings themselves which hold out to us the future joy. But he omits to consider that the ΚΟΙΝΩΝΕῖΝ ΤΟῖς Τ . ΧΡ . ΠΑΘ . holds out future happiness to him only who finds his joy in it. Schott incorrectly appeals in support of his construction to Joh_11:15.
It is not correct to explain, with Gerhard, etc., ἽΝΑ , ἘΚΒΑΤΙΚῶς .
ἘΝ Τῇ ἈΠΟΚΑΛΎΨΕΙ Κ . Τ . Λ .] not “because of,” but “at” (Luther: “at the time of”) the revelation; cf. chap. 1Pe_1:17. The expression: ἈΠΟΚΆΛ . Τῆς ΔΌΞΗς ΧΡΙΣΤΟῦ (with which compare Mat_25:31), is to be found only here. By it the apostle indicates that he who is now a partaker of the sufferings of Christ, and rejoices in them (Col_3:4), will one day be partaker of His glory, and in it rejoice everlastingly. ἈΓΑΛΛΙΏΜΕΝΟΙ is added to ΧΑΡῆΤΕ by way of giving additional force to the idea (chap. 1Pe_1:8; Mat_5:12): quia prius illud (gaudium) cum dolore et tristitia mixtum est, secundum cum exsultatione conjungit (Calvin).
[253] “The κοινωνεῖν τ . παθ . consists in the inward fellowship of the sufferings of Christ, in the participation in that strength which arises from the justifying confidence in their value, and which causes us even to die unto sin.”
[254] Weiss (p. 291 ff.), while denying that Peter has the Pauline idea of community of life with Christ, supplements, as an intermediate thought that participation in the sufferings of Christ is the necessary mark of the true disciples. But this is to give a much too superficial conception of the relation, and could Peter haye thought it possible to be a disciple without community of life?