1 PETER PART FIFTEEN

By Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

© God’s Breath Publications

 

In this series so far we have learned that Peter wrote this letter to followers of Christ who were scattered in the area of Asia Minor, what is now modern-day Turkey. His main emphasis in this letter was to remind Christians of the hope they have in God because of the gracious salvation provided for them in Jesus Christ as well as how the gift of the Holy Spirit within them works to lead them in sanctification. Christians were facing trials and they needed their hope in God encouraged. We continue now to learn even more about this wonderful salvation that God blesses His children with and how we are to live as Christ and love one another. Part of living as Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior is to seeking to think good and do good. We have learned about the holy spiritual attributes that a follower of Christ will exhibit as they obey the Word, keep in step with the Spirit and model their lives after Jesus Christ.

 

Peter repeatedly instructs in this letter how followers of Christ are to live. He calls the Christians in the Roman provinces of what is now Asia to walk as Jesus walked. This has a three-fold purpose. We have a witness before men that needs to be godly and righteous. We are called by our Heavenly Father to live honorably in the midst of suffering because our Lord and Master Jesus Christ did so. We need to remember that one of the main purposes of suffering is to develop our righteousness and spiritual maturity. Peter now turns back again to speaking about how we are to think, act and respond to trials, suffering and persecution in our lives. Our response to such difficult situations should be grounded in the fact that God is in complete control. He seeks to conform us to the image of His Son, through the ministry of the Holy Spirit who lives within us. His motive is always based in love, compassion and grace towards His spiritual children.

 

1 Peter 4:12-14

“Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.”

 

Peter begins this portion of scripture with a wake-up call to reality. He reminds followers of Christ to remember the condition of the world that they live in and the normal state of affairs of daily life. Today we need to hear this message clearly. Often we tend to perceive that a “normal life” is full of comfort, ease, good health, stable finances and a lack of difficulty. Yes we do have such great experiences and blessings, but they are quite often interrupted by illness, discomfort, financial hardship, pain and tears. It seems we expect a normal life to be good and pleasant the majority of the time and are totally shocked and surprised when hardships arrive on our doorstep. Peter here reminds all readers that we should never be surprised when the storms of life blow into our days and nights like a tornado. Peter’s term for “painful trial” or “fiery ordeal” as the New American Standard Bible states, is a single Greek word, “pyrosis.” It refers to an agonizing experience of burning with fire. Here the Greek structure of the sentence tells us that Peter is referring to a specific personal hardship that the Christians in Asia are facing, very likely intense persecution for their faith. While this specific trial involved persecution for commitment to Jesus, the application of Peter’s thoughts can apply to any hardship or difficulty we face today.

 

In verse 13 Peter shifts from confronting the Christians with their state of mind, to instructing them in how to think in such tenuous times. He tells them to, “rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed.” This seems to be a strange way to go about encouraging someone to face persecution and hardship. But in actuality it is a very Biblical and godly way to view life. It doesn’t mean we seek out trials or desire to bring suffering upon ourselves. It means we have an eternal heavenly perspective when we encounter a storm of hardship in our life. In such perilous situations we should seek to endure hardship in a godly fashion so that we can grow spiritually which brings great glory to our Heavenly Father. We do this in great anticipation of the return of Christ when we will fully realize and receive our heavenly reward and completed salvation. When we suffer for our faith in Christ we are actually identifying with Him and the persecution He endured. We are bonded with Jesus in the task of obeying our Heavenly Father, living out truth in our lives, ministering to others and sharing the Word in the midst of persecution and difficulty. We should rejoice when we are persecuted for our faith because it demonstrates that we are living as we should as a follower of Christ. We can also rejoice when other trials come into our life because we know that it is a way that God will grow our faith and our dependence upon Him. If we have only bright sunny times in our lives we’ll become a desert. A rain storm pouring into our life will cause our faith to grow and our spiritual maturity to develop. Sometimes we need to embrace our trials and see how God is going to work in and through us to grow us and glorify Himself. While we don’t want to become spiritually masochistic, we do want to be realistic and mature in understanding that trials are allowed in our lives to grow us in our spiritual development.

 

Peter continues with these thoughts and encouragements in verse 14 by stating that when we are insulted or ill-treated because we profess to be a Christian, this persecution should illustrate to us that we are blessed by our Heavenly Father for our witness of our faith. We need to remember in such situations that we are not alone. God is with us no matter what we face in life. Peter earlier shared in chapter 1:3-8 that because of the great mercy shown to us by God we have an eternal inheritance waiting for us in Heaven and this gives us great joy. Our perpetual focus as we live for Christ is how we can bring glory to God in our thoughts and actions because of the great gift of salvation God has given us. We do this even though we must endure distressing trials in this life at times. He also shared in this passage that numerous trials prove our faith and establish it as stronger than gold and imperishable. Peter is not alone in sharing this mysterious relationship followers of Christ have with joy and suffering. James and Paul both shared similar statements in other epistles.

 

James 1:2-4

“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

 

Philippians 3:8-1

“I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.”

 

Peter continues with the same train of thought, but uses a stronger comparison to illustrate his point.

 

1 Peter 4:15-16

“If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.”

 

Here Peter states that followers of Christ should never place themselves in a situation of suffering or persecution because of violence towards others, stealing what doesn’t belong to them, breaking the law or delving into issues that are none of their business. Such actions and behavior bring consequences and are not associated with godly behavior. He is stating that there are some thoughts and actions that bring suffering because they are wrong and Christians should live a life above reproach.

 

We should live in such a manner that if we are suffering for our faith and being persecuted it is because we are living like Christ, not like criminals, thieves and gossips. He states that if we lead such exemplary lives and pattern our thoughts and actions after Christ and are persecuted for it we are not to be ashamed. We are to praise God that we have been called to bear the name, “Christian.” Again, James shares insights on this type of endurance in the midst of trial.

 

James 1:12-13

“Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”

 

Peter validates the truth we all know, that there is suffering and hardship in the world and everyone, even followers of Christ, will face such trials. Christians often face persecution and mistreatment because they have committed their lives to Christ. Peter now turns to another aspect of the storms of life, one of judgment.

 

1 Peter 4:17-19

“For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.”

 

Peter in earlier verses has already spoken of how God uses trials to refine our faith and how we are called to obey God during struggles because He judges those He loves (1 Peter 1:17). Peter has also spoken of followers of Christ as stones who make up a living church (1 Peter 2:4-5). Judgment for Christians here does not mean punishment, but a process of refining through trials to bring spiritual maturity. Peter is making a contrast between followers of Christ and those who do not believe. He is stating that if God desires to bring a refining fire of testing to judge the quality of our lives as Believers, how much hotter will be a fire of judgment that comes upon those who are not part of His spiritual family. They will receive a refining fire that judges with death because those who do not know Jesus have made their choice to reject the Messiah, Jesus Christ. In Malachi 3:2-3 a similar prophecy is made regarding the return of the Lord and Him being represented as a refining fire that will fall upon the sons of Levi. Other similar references are in Jeremiah 25:29 and Ezekiel 9:6. Peter continues in verses 18-19 to share “if it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” In other words, it took the sacrifice of God’s only Son to save those who accepted Him as their Savior and Lord. Those who rejected Christ have no adequate sacrifice for their sins, so they will pay with their sins by being punished in burning Hell. So in verse 19 Peter calls for us to commit and dedicate ourselves to our Heavenly Father and to continue doing good, live righteously, seek holiness, endure hardships with faith, and persecution with endurance.