In his book, “An Anthropologist on Mars,” neurologist Oliver Sacks tells about Virgil, a man who had been blind from early childhood. When he was 50, Virgil underwent surgery and was given the gift of sight. But as he and Dr. Sacks found out, having the physical capacity for sight is not the same as seeing. Virgil’s first experiences with sight were confusing. He was able to make out colors and movements, but arranging them into a coherent picture was more difficult. Over time he learned to identify various objects, but his habits – his behaviors – were still those of a blind man. Dr. Sacks asserted, “One must die as a blind person to be born again as a seeing person.”
We too must be see suffering, not as we have always have, as blind people, but as God sees suffering. If we can get around our dislike of suffering and realize God’s purposes in it then we will be able to really see. In this passage of Scripture Peter specifically deals with the Christian suffering for Christ. And the key idea in this passage is that we are to recognize that suffering for the sake of Christ is actually a privilege to which we can respond with joy.
Peter marks four aspects of suffering in this passage.
1. The Reason for Suffering (v. 12)
The first aspect that Peter marks concerning suffering in this passage is the reason for suffering. First we notice that Peter calls this suffering a fiery ordeal (or trial) that is occurring to us. It may take place in any number of ways but it is some kind of suffering that comes upon us for a reason. It is not to be thought of as something strange or unexpected. As Peter says, “Do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though, some strange thing were happening to you.” The reason that these trials may come upon us is for our testing. This word testing brings us back to chapter 1 because Peter uses this word in 1:6 (there translated trials, here testing). And in 1:7 he says that the reason for these tests or trials is so that your faith may be proven, that is that it might be shown to be genuine.
God uses these trials in our lives so that the genuine quality of our faith might become noticeable to those around us. God wants to show the precious quality of our faith by bringing it through difficulties. It is through time, heat and great pressure that a lump of coal is turned into a beautiful diamond. It is through the hot furnace that impurities are purged away so gold can become pure. In the same way God’s pressure and heat are brought to bear in our lives so that our faith shines and sparkles in the light of God’s grace. And this is so that (as Peter says in 1:7) it may result in praise and honor and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
These believers were thinking that if they obeyed the Lord and lived for Him that because they were related to Abraham through faith they should receive the same promises of prosperity that the Israelite nation had been promised. And when they began to have persecution because they were obeying and doing right they began to question if this was truly the grace of God. Peter in the last chapter has to tell them that this suffering is the true grace of God and that they are to stand firm in it. Don’t think that it is strange if you are suffering for the cause of the Gospel. This is not something that should be unexpected. As a matter of fact the apostle Paul says in 2 Timothy 3:12, “Those who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” If you want to live for Jesus Christ you can expect persecution from those who want nothing to do with the God of the Bible. If you want to stand up for Christ and be a witness for Him and love Him you will be persecuted because Satan hates God and likewise those who have become His children through faith in Jesus Christ. Because of this Satan will oppose and seek to harm us. He will send all kinds of persecution against us, whether attacks against us physically or emotionally or spiritually. So don’t think that it is strange because God will use this suffering in our lives to bring out in us the reality of the multifaceted grace of God. In chapter one, Peter says that we will see every kind of trial but in chapter four Peter uses the same word to describe God’s grace. We will experience multifaceted trials but God gives to us multifaceted grace to overcome them. Yes we will experience all kinds of trials but God will counter them (as we let Him) with His grace sufficient for every kind of trial.
2. Our Response to Suffering (v. 13-16)
The second aspect that Peter marks concerning our suffering is our response to suffering. He notes this in verses 13-16. There are four ways that we are to conduct ourselves as believers.
A. We are to rejoice
The first way that we are to conduct ourselves as believers when we suffer is that we are to rejoice. This is what Peter says in verse 13. “But to the degree that you share in the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.” The first item that we must note about this verse is the word “share.” The word share is literally the word that we use for fellowship. The apostle Paul uses the word in a similar way in Philippians 3. He said, “That I may know Christ, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings.” The apostle Paul understood that the sharing in the sufferings of Christ would cause Him to draw closer to Christ. If we truly have the right focus then we will understand and rejoice in our sufferings. Peter says that we can rejoice presently in our sufferings because when Christ returns in all His glorious power after we have suffered for Him we will really rejoice then.
Peter uses such a word picture that it is important to meditate on this. At the end of this verse he says literally, that when Christ is revealed you will rejoice with glad rejoicing. Peter is painting the picture of the joy that someone has when they see a loved one who has been away for a long time. And the image of this ought to cause us to rejoice when we suffer.
When I was away for months in the Navy, I can remember, in the midst of the hard work and long hours, I rejoiced, because I knew that soon, I would see Lora again. And the pictures that I had of her and the button of her that I wore on my uniform only helped to remind me of that coming day when we would be reunited again. And I remember as I passed through customs with my heavy duffel bag I looked for where Lora would be and when I saw her I flew to her, my duffel bag now light as a feather. I took her into my arms and said, “Oh how I’ve looked forward to this day. How I’ve missed you.” My heart was now rejoicing with glad rejoicing. I was ecstatic as I held my wonderful wife.
The same can be true for the believer. In the midst of our suffering and struggle for the Lord, we can rejoice because we know that soon, we will see our Savior. And the Scripture that we have memorized can cause us to think on our wonderful Lord and further remind us of that coming day when we will be united to Him. And as we look for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ one day we will look out and see Him across from us. The load that we had carried will seem as light as feather. And we will fly into our Savior’s arms and say, “Oh how I have looked forward to this day.” Our hearts will be overflowing with joy and glad rejoicing. We will be ecstatic in the arms of our Savior because we have finally come home.
Peter says that we can rejoice now in the midst of suffering because one day we will certainly rejoice with overflowing joy.
B. We are to understand we are blessed
The second way that we are to conduct ourselves as believers when we suffer is that we are to understand we are blessed. This is what Peter says in verse 14. “If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.” By Peter describing us as blessed if we suffer in the name of Christ reminds us of Jesus’ own words in Matthew 5 where He says, “Blessed are you when people shall insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.” This statement from Jesus must certainly have been echoing in Peter’s ears as he wrote this because both the word “blessed” and “reviled” (or insulted) that Peter uses here are the same words that Jesus used.
The truth that both Jesus and Peter were trying to get across is that though you are suffering you don’t have to miserable. As a matter of fact you are blessed if you can only understand from God’s perspective.
Peter goes onto explain why it is that we are blessed when we are suffering for the name of Christ. He says, “Because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.” Peter is making a clear allusion to Isaiah 11:2. In that passage Isaiah is describing how the Messiah is going to have the Spirit resting upon Him. Let me read a few verses from that chapter. “Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.” And I think the point that Peter is making is that as we endure being reviled for the name of the Messiah, the same Spirit that rested upon the Messiah in a special way rests upon us in order to be able to rejoice in the midst of that persecution. In other words while we are suffering for Christ, God gives us a special measure of grace in His Spirit to live for Him and rejoice in Him. And not in a way to merely survive through this persecution but to flourish in the midst of this persecution.
I can remember soon after my conversion being persecuted for my faith. I can remember being made fun of by other students in college. But I can remember that God gave me grace not to lash back in anger which would have been my natural response not too long before that. Instead of lashing back I merely smiled in return to their persecution. O that the Lord would give all of us such a measure of the Spirit to endure suffering for His name’s sake. Let us not shy away from persecution. Let us not be silent when we should speak for the Lord, let us not be afraid to live righteously and turn from our former lifestyle not fearing what others will say or do to us.
In Acts 5, when Peter and John were beaten by the Jewish leaders for telling of Christ’s saving power to people, the passage says that they went on their way rejoicing because they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. We have to remember that we ought to see it as a privilege when we suffer shame for the name of Christ. When others say or do evil against us because of Christ then we have a great blessing. Peter says that we are blessed when we are reviled for the name of Christ, because His glorious Spirit rests upon us. When I went through persecution I had such a wonderful fellowship with Christ and His Spirit. May we allow God to complete His perfect work in us when He chooses to allow us to suffer shame for the name of Jesus.
C. We are not to suffer for doing wrong
The third way that Peter says we should conduct ourselves as believers is that we are not to suffer for doing wrong. He describes this in verses 15 and 16. He says here, ” Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or as a troublesome meddler. Peter makes sure that we know that our lives as believers should not bring reproach to the name of Christ.
Therefore Peter lists three criminal offenses first. Don’t murder or steal. And if there are any other things that the law says you shouldn’t be doing don’t do them as a general evildoer. As a Christian you don’t have the right to murder people whoever they are. Whether they just killed your friend or your friend’s unborn baby. Peter says do not murder. As a Christian you do not have a right to steal even if you don’t think something is fair. You cannot put down a false claim in your insurance. You cannot falsify your taxes just because the government isn’t spending the money where you think it should be. And if there is any other opportunity for you to do wrong don’t do it.
Next Peter differentiates this last term with another “as” which you may not see in your translation. But this last word, “troublesome meddler” does not refer to any kind of criminal activity by which we might shame the name of Christ. This word refers to behavior that may cause the unsaved to have negative thoughts about us. Literally the word is translated, “One who oversees other people’s business.” Peter says, “Don’t be a busybody. Keep your nose where it belongs.” Do you know people who are constantly seeking to find out what other people are doing with a view to supervising their activity? If, as a Christian, you constantly meddle in other people’s matters at work or in your neighborhood, you will cause others to look down upon the name of Christ. We can’t expect those who do not know Christ to stop their swearing and drunkenness and immorality. You can’t change someone’s outside until Christ has changed their inside. Stop nosing in other people’s business. Our business is to diligently attend to our business and share Christ with people but not to look to see what dirt we can find on them and boycott them to change. “I won’t speak to you until you clean up your language.” Where is the grace of God in that? If God wouldn’t have spoken to us until we cleaned up our language or our thoughts or our lives, where would we be? We’d be on our way to hell. We need to share Christ with others and let the Spirit do the convicting work in their inner person.
Paul makes a similar statement about minding our business in 1 Corinthians 5:12 & 13. In discussing the discipline of church members who are refusing to repent concerning their sin he tells the church at Corinth, “What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church. Judge those inside. God will judge those outside. Expel the wicked man from among you.” We have the obligation to look after one another in the body but not to meddle in the business of those outside the church.
Now Peter contrasts this with the beginning of verse 16. He says that if any suffers as a Christian. There should a clear and decisive gap in suffering as a Christian and suffering as an evildoer. Some people claim that they’re being persecuted at work because they are a Christian when the truth is that they are being persecuted because they are lazy or because they spend their time talking about the Lord when they should be working. There is a time and place to talk about the Lord but it should not distract us from accomplishing our work that our employer is paying us to do. Nor does suffering as a Christian mean that we suffer because we are rude to people. The way we conduct ourselves and the manner in which we conduct ourselves speaks a lot about our Lord. Don’t have an attitude that the unsaved should treat you a certain way or be cross with them when they don’t do what you think they should be doing. Paul says that our speech should always be with grace, seasoned as it were with salt so that we would know how to answer every person.
We are to be servants to those around us not lords, expecting them to act a certain way. “Well if you keep doing that don’t think I’m going to help you.” If that’s you, you need a new attitude. Paul says in Philippians 2, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be used for His own advantage, but made Himself of no reputation and took upon Him the form of a servant, and being made in the likeness of men, being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” God Himself, in Jesus Christ was not rude or high and mighty, why are you?
Peter says that if we are going to suffer, let be as a Christian. Let it be humbly and in all the gentleness of the Holy Spirit and not in the attitude that seeks to power and manipulate the world over to our way of thinking. Peter says, let us suffer, not as an evildoer or even as a busybody but as a Christian.
D. We are to glorify God
The fourth way that we are to conduct ourselves as believers in suffering is that we are to glorify God. Peter says in verse 16, “But if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed but is to glorify God in this name.” What does Peter mean that the person who suffers is to glorify God in this name (the name of Christ) under which he suffers?
The word “glory” means to ascribe weight or importance to someone or something. Literally the word means to be heavy. If we glorify God we are describing God to a watching world as having great worth. In this case we do so by how we live and think. God is worth rejoicing over even in the midst of suffering. God is worth living for even if it means continued persecution by those who do not love Jesus Christ.
How do we glorify God in suffering for Jesus Christ? We rejoice with exceeding gladness, ecstatic gladness because one day soon we will see Him face to face. One day soon we will embrace our Lord and Savior and all our tears will be wiped away by His loving hand. How else do we glorify God in suffering for Jesus Christ? We recognize that we are blessed and that God’s glorious Spirit rests upon us and can refresh us in the midst of difficulties. We can also glorify God by avoiding everything that people would perceive as wrongdoing.
Our ultimate goal in living for Christ and suffering for His sake is to bring glory and honor to the one who has given us eternal life when we deserved eternal punishment. Others should see our lives in the midst of suffering and realize that we have a hope that is greater than merely seeking comfort in this life. If all we do is seek comfort in this life then we are no different than anyone else. If our lives are the same as our neighbors and we do not live out this hope then we are merely practicing atheists who live, not for God but for ourselves. Biblical faith places its focus on that which is to come, not what we can see and feel and touch. The author of Hebrews says that by faith, “those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.” We need to have the proper vision of suffering lest we fail to live out all that God has for us to accomplish for Him now.