1 Peter 4:11

If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God The words cover the gifts of tongues, prophecy, teaching, knowledge, counsel, in St Paul's fuller classification (Romans 12:6-8; Romans 1 Corinthians 12-14.). These gifts, St Peter teaches, were only used rightly when the speaker's utterances were in harmony with what were already recognised as "oracles of God." The word is used of Old Testament revelations in Acts 7:38; Romans 3:2, but we may think of it as including also those made through the prophets and teachers of the Christian Church. The fact that Papias, Bishop of Hierapolis, who came within the circle of Apostolical teaching, wrote a book on the Oracles of the Lord Jesus(Euseb. Hist. Eccl., iii. 39), makes it probable that St Peter included our Lord's teaching, possibly also the Epistles of St Paul, which he speaks of as "Scripture" (2 Peter 3:16), under this title. The essential unity of Apostolic teaching was not to be disturbed by private eccentricities of interpretation or theoretical speculation.

if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth The ministering here spoken of (diakonein) can hardly be limited to the special work of those who bore the name of "minister" or "deacon" as a title of office, but takes in all works of ministration in act as distinct from teaching, visiting the sick and needy, teaching children, helping those that were in trouble. Men were to set about that work also as stewards of a gift. The strength to work for others was not their own but was supplied by God. The word for "giveth," used by St Paul in 2 Corinthians 9:10, and again in a compound form by St Peter in 2 Peter 1:5, had, as its primary meaning in Classical Greek, that of defraying the expense of a chorus in the performance of a drama. As this took its place among the more munificent acts of a citizen's social life, the verb came to be connected with the general idea of large or liberal giving, and was used in that sense long after the original association had died out of it.

that God in all things may be glorified This is pointed out as the end to be aimed at in the use of all gifts whether of speech or action. In so teaching, St Peter was but reproducing what he had heard from his Lord's lips, "that men may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in Heaven" (Matthew 5:16), perhaps also what he had read in St Paul's Epistles, that men should "do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31).

to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen It was but natural with St Peter, as with St Paul, that the thought of "glorifying" should be followed up by the utterance of a doxology. For "praise" it would be better to read glory as expressing the sequence of thought more clearly, and instead of "for ever and ever," for ages of ages. It may be noted, as probable evidence that the Apostle is using a liturgical formula, that precisely the same combination is used by St John in Revelation 1:6, and is found also, in a fuller form, in Revelation 5:13. The use of the Amen(from the Hebrew for "fixed, settled, true," and so meaning "verily,") as commonly in the Gospels, confirms this view. It was as in Romans 1:25; Romans 9:5; 1 Corinthians 14:16, the natural close of a liturgical utterance of belief or adoration.