each according as he has received a gift, ministering it to one another, as good stewards of [the] various grace of God.
Peter writes this inside a short list of instructions. The end of all things is near, he says, so be sober, pray, love, welcome people — and use what you have received. It raises two questions that the writers keep returning to: who has a gift, and who owns it.
The setting: living as the end draws near
These instructions do not stand on their own. One commentator ties them to the expectation that this age will close:
The end of all things is at hand; always keep before your heart and mind that this age will end. And if it was true then that the promised end is at hand, how much more true is it now. Because we wait for His coming and expect Him at any time, we are to be sober and watchful in prayer. We are to show deep love for fellow believers. We are to welcome people into our homes without complaining, and serve one another as each has received.
A gift for every believer
"Each has received a gift" is not a description of a special class of Christians. One writer says so plainly, and adds the account that follows:
When the apostle talks of a gift, it is not only a man being able to preach or teach. He says, "As each has received a gift." So you see that you have a gift. You are responsible to use it. The first place to use it is the Church. Whatever you have, it is not yours; you are only a steward. It all belongs to Christ. You must be a good steward. One day you will have to give an account of how you managed it.
Grace with many sides
Peter calls this grace "varied," or "manifold." One writer takes that word to mean a supply that never runs short:
As to helping others, each person has different abilities. Each is to hold his gift knowing that he answers to God, who gave it. "It is required of stewards that they be found faithful." So each believer should work at this all the time: to hand out well what God has entrusted to him "of the manifold grace of God." This grace has many different sides. It can supply every believer with more than enough to serve for his whole life.
Not a personal right, but a debt to God
It would be easy to read the verse as a charter of personal freedom. One commentator argues the opposite. The verse presses duty, not freedom — and failing it costs God something:
"As each has received a gift," they were to use it to serve one another, "as good stewards of God's varied grace." This is exactly what human organising gets in the way of. How sad when believers approve of any meddling with God's will and ways! The verse does not plead the right of each person. It presses the duty that God's gifts lay on us: to use whatever we have, answering to Him. "It is required of stewards that they be found faithful" (1 Cor. 4:2) — from the greatest to the least. Otherwise we set aside God's rights and hold His grace back.
Aimed at one another
The gift is not for display and not for private keeping. One writer describes it as shared, pooled, and proved by the help it actually gives:
Because he had it, he was responsible to use it. He answered to the One who had not given it for nothing. The gift itself gave both the ability to serve and the right to serve. I am bound to help and serve with what I have. And if people are helped, they hardly need to ask whether I was given official permission to do it. This is the plain character of ministry. It is the service of love, using the ability God gives. Each serves each, and each serves all, without pushing or shutting one another out. Each gift went into the common treasury, and all were richer for it.
The value of unseen service
Not everyone speaks or teaches. So does the verse leave quiet believers with nothing to do? One writer says no, and prizes the hidden work:
In 1 Peter 4 the Holy Spirit urges Christians to use the gifts God has given them. They are His own direct and faithful stewards... Not all speak. Not all preach the gospel. Not all teach, because not all have these gifts. But Scripture says all must do what God has given them to do... We all have a duty to carry out, and to do it in God's strength. The service no one sees may be the most precious, because it happens before God and not before people. But all have something to do.
Summary
- Received — the chain starts with a gift you did not make. The end is near, so you use it in a life of sober prayer, love and open doors.
- Owned — what you received still belongs to Christ. You are a steward, and He will ask you for an account.
- Varied — the grace behind the gift has many sides. It holds more than enough for a whole lifetime of serving.
- Owed — the verse presses duty, not personal right. An unused gift keeps God's grace from others.
- Shared — each gift goes into the common store, so all are richer. The least visible service may be the most precious, since God alone sees it.