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For this is why the gospel was preached even to the dead[a] that, though condemned in the flesh in human estimation, they might live in the spirit in the estimation of God.

Christian Charity.[b] The end of all things is at hand. Therefore, be serious and sober for prayers. (A)Above all, let your love for one another be intense, because love covers a multitude of sins.[c]

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Footnotes

  1. 4:6 The dead: these may be the sinners of the flood generation who are possibly referred to in 1 Pt 3:19. But many scholars think that there is no connection between these two verses, and that the dead here are Christians who have died since hearing the preaching of the gospel.
  2. 4:7–11 The inner life of the eschatological community is outlined as the end (the parousia of Christ) and the judgment draws near in terms of seriousness, sobriety, prayer, and love expressed through hospitality and the use of one’s gifts for the glory of God and of Christ.
  3. 4:8 Love covers a multitude of sins: a maxim based on Prv 10:12; see also Ps 32:1; Jas 5:20.