For the time past of our life may suffice us to have worked the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revelings, parties, and abominable idolatries:
the time.
Ezekiel 44:6 And thou shalt say to the rebellious, even to the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; O ye house of Israel, let it suffice you of all your abominations,
Ezekiel 45:9 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Let it suffice you, O princes of Israel: remove violence and spoil, and execute judgment and justice, take away your exactions from my people, saith the Lord GOD.
Acts 17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
to have.
1 Peter 1:14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:
Deuteronomy 12:30,31 Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou inquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise…
Romans 1:20-32 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: …
lasciviousness.
Mark 7:22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
2 Corinthians 12:21 And lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed.
Galatians 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
excess.
2 Samuel 13:28 Now Absalom had commanded his servants, saying, Mark ye now when Amnon's heart is merry with wine, and when I say unto you, Smite Amnon; then kill him, fear not: have not I commanded you? be courageous, and be valiant.
Proverbs 23:29-35 Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? …
Isaiah 5:11 Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them!
revellings.
Galatians 5:21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
and.
1 Kings 21:26 And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all things as did the Amorites, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.
living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and detestable idolatry.
This list of behaviors represents a lifestyle contrary to Christian values. "Debauchery" and "lust" refer to excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures, often condemned in Scripture (Galatians 5:19-21). "Drunkenness" and "orgies" highlight the lack of self-control and moral restraint, which were prevalent in many Greco-Roman social and religious practices. "Carousing" suggests wild, noisy festivities, often associated with pagan worship. "Detestable idolatry" underscores the worship of false gods, a direct violation of the first commandment (Exodus 20:3). These behaviors are contrasted with the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), illustrating the radical change expected in a believer's life. The call to abandon such practices is rooted in the holiness God requires of His people, as seen throughout the Old and New Testaments.
Peter reminds believers that the old way of life has already consumed more than its share of our years. Every moment surrendered to sin is time stolen from God’s purposes. Romans 13:11–12 points out that “the night is nearly over; the day has drawn near,” urging us to “put aside the deeds of darkness.” Likewise, Ephesians 2:1–3 traces our earlier walk “following the course of this world,” but now we have been made alive in Christ. The thought is simple and motivating: not one more hour needs to be wasted on the old ways.
“Gentiles” here pictures society outside the covenant family—people who live without reference to God. 1 Thessalonians 4:5 contrasts believers, who know God, with “the Gentiles, who do not know God,” and urges us not to be driven by the same passions. Peter calls for a clean break from the values and appetites of godless culture. Romans 12:2 adds, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,” highlighting that our new identity dismantles the old patterns.
Debauchery describes a lifestyle of unchecked, shameless excess. Galatians 5:19 lists “sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery” as works of the flesh that stand opposed to the Spirit. 2 Peter 2:7 shows God rescuing Lot out of “the depraved conduct of the lawless,” proving He calls His people out of such reckless living.
Lust is the inward craving that fuels outward sin. James 1:14–15 explains how desire conceives and gives birth to sin, which then produces death. Jesus goes deeper in Matthew 5:28, warning that looking with lust already violates God’s standard. God’s answer is not suppression through willpower alone but transformation: “This is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality” (1 Thessalonians 4:3).
Scripture never downplays the danger of intoxication. Proverbs 20:1 notes that “wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler.” Ephesians 5:18 urges, “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to reckless indiscretion. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.” Drunkenness dulls spiritual sensitivity, while the Spirit sharpens it.
Orgies mix sexual sin with wild partying. Romans 13:13 warns believers to walk “properly, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness.” Such gatherings celebrate darkness and suppress conscience; they are the polar opposite of fellowship in the light (1 John 1:7).
Carousing refers to rowdy revelry that often spills into other sins. Luke 21:34 cautions, “Be on your guard, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and the worries of life.” Peter’s readers, saved out of pagan festival culture, would recognize the call to trade empty merriment for the joy of obedience.
Idolatry is detestable because it robs God of the worship due Him alone. Colossians 3:5 equates greed and other heart-sins with idolatry; anything cherished above God becomes an idol. 1 Corinthians 10:14 urges, “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.” Whether the temple statues of Peter’s day or modern obsessions, idols enslave—yet Christ sets free.
1 Peter 4:3 draws a clear line between the believer’s past and present. The old life—marked by uncontrolled desires, reckless pleasure, and false worship—has already taken enough time. In Christ we are called to break with that pattern, refuse conformity to a godless culture, and live in the light of God’s holiness.
(3) For the time past of our life.--There are two words in the English here which do not stand in the true text, and sadly impede the sense. They are "of our life," and "us." The first is added by some scribe to point the contrast with "the rest of his time." The second--which should be "you," if anything at all--is simply put to fill the gap after the word "suffice." If "our life" and "us" were right, we should have St. Peter, quite unlike his wont, identifying himself with the bad life here described, as though he himself had shared in it.May suffice.--It is the same word as in Matthew 6:34; Matthew 10:25, and would be, literally, For sufficient is the past. There is an irony in the word similar to that in 1Peter 3:17, "it is better."
To have wrought.--Rather, to have perpetrated. The Greek word denotes the accomplishment of a criminal purpose, as in Romans 2:9; 1Corinthians 5:3; and one passage more horrid still. . . .
Verse 3. - For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles; rather, as in the Revised Version, the time past may suffice. The words, "of our life" and "us," are not found in the best manuscripts. St. Peter could not include himself among those who wrought the will of the Gentiles. The Greek word for "will" here is, according to the best manuscripts, βούλημα; in ver. 2 "the will of God" is θέλημα. The general distinction is that θέλω implies choice and purpose, βούλομαι merely inclination (compare, in the Greek, Philemon 1:13, 14). The change of word seems to point to such a distinction here. God's will is a fixed, holy purpose; the will, or rather wish, of the Gentiles was uncertain inclination, turned this way or that way by changeful lusts. The perfect infinitive, "to have wrought," implies that that part of life ought to be regarded as a thing wholly past and gone. The whole sentence has a tone of solemn irony. "Fastidium peccati apud resipiscentes" (Bengel); comp. Romans 6:21. St. Peter is here addressing Gentile Christians. Fronmüller's objection is peculiar: "Suppose that the readers of Peter's Epistle had formerly been heathens, his reproaching them with having formerly done the will of the Gentiles would surely be singular." They had done the will of the Gentiles; they were now, as Christians, to do the will of God. When we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries; better, as in the Revised Version, and to have walked. There is no pronoun. Lusts are the hidden sins of unclean thought, which lead to outbreaks of lasciviousness. The Greek word for "revellings" (κῶμοι) is one often used of drunken youths parading the streets, or of festal processions in honor of Bacchus. The word translated "banquetings" means rather "drinking-bouts." The word for "abominable" is ἀθεμίτοις, unlawful, nefarious, contrary to the eternal principles of the Divine Law; "quibus sanctissimum Dei jus violatur" (Bengel). St. Peter is probably referring, not only to the sin of idolatry in itself, but also to the many licentious practices connected with it. After the persecution of Nero, in which St. Peter perished, Christianity was regarded by the state as a religio illicita. Christianity was condemned by the law of Rome; idolatry is opposed to the eternal Law of God. This verse could not have been addressed to Hebrew Christians.