1 Peter 4:1-6 (New International Version 1984)
1 Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. 2 As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. 3 For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. 4 They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation, and they heap abuse on you. 5 But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to men in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit.
I recently blogged about the 1984 and 2011 versions of the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible. The verses shown above were part of the trigger for that post. As I was reading my Chronological One Year Bible (a 1984 NIV), I noticed verse 4. It is:
They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation, and they heap abuse on you.
I love the phrase a flood of dissipation. It is a contradiction of terms. Fluids dissipate when not contained; that is one definition of the word. Another definition is a wasting of resources. This second definition is used in verse 4, but the image of a flood (fluids coming in mass) of dissipation (fluids leaving) stays in my mind.
That is where I discovered a big difference in the 2011 NIV. It gives verse 4 as:
They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you.
Whoa! That is a different wording entirely. I suppose the 2011 version is more graphic, concrete, precise, and specific. I am sure that it speaks to people more directly than the 1984 NIV. Still, I like the 1984 rendition.
The result is the same. Once with Christ, the Christian doesn’t desire what the non-Christian desires. Instead, the Christian follows another path, and that perplexes the non-Christian. Yes, there are many things that both the Christian and non-Christian desire in this life: a comfortable house, good health, satisfying work, and financial security are a few. I won’t list some of the things that some of my non-Christian colleagues have told me that they want. Those things fit nicely into the
living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry
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