Sir Walter Scott, famous inspector of Scotland Yard said, “There is a simplicity on this side of complexity for which I wouldn’t give a wit. But there is a simplicity on the other side of complexity for which I would give my right arm.” What he meant is that we can be simple minded about complex issues. We can spout off clichés and trite sayings without having any real answers. Or having fully looked into something we come to a place where we find it to be really quite simple indeed but only because we now have thought through all the difficulties and see them in a new light.
Peter does not want us to think of suffering in Christian clichés or in the simplicity on this side of complexity but he wants us to deal with the difficulties of suffering, having experienced them (with the faith of a Christian). And having come out on the other side of complexity with a simple understanding no longer borne from clichés or trite sayings but with the growing faith of a believer who has seen for himself the truth of Peter’s statements on suffering.
As we have seen last week, 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. First, we will briefly look at the highlights of the first two that we covered last week and then plunge into the final two.
1. The Reason for Suffering (v. 12)
The first aspect that Peter marks concerning suffering in this passage is the reason for suffering. We saw this in verse 12 and we noticed 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. 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.
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.” What 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. 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.”
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. 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.
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.
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.
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.
3. The Contrast in Suffering (v. 17-18)
The third aspect that Peter marks concerning our suffering is the contrast in suffering. Peter covers this in verses 17-18. “For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless man and the sinner?” There is a contrast in the suffering that the believer experiences and the suffering that the unbeliever will experience.
A. The judgment upon believers
First, let’s look at the judgment upon believers. Peter says, “For it is time for judgment to begin with (or from) the household of God.” Peter gives the indication that there is a judgment that starts with believers and moves out to those who are unbelievers later. However, this is not a judgment upon the believer for condemnation but a judgment for sanctification (to make the believer conformed to the image of Christ. Peter does not use the word for condemnation here but a word speaking of a general kind of judgment. In this way Peter can describe it as something good for believers and at the same time use it to speak of the great terror it will be for unbelievers. One author says, “The refining fire of judgment is leaving no one untouched, but Christians are being purified and strengthened by it – sins are being eliminated (or overcome) and trust in God and holiness of life are growing” (Grudem, 181).
Peter seems to give the time frame for this judgment upon believers as the present while relegating the judgment for unbelievers to the eternal future. Yes now believers will experience trials and difficulties for Jesus Christ. Living for Christ may cost us something in terms of comfort and earthly benefit. Yes this judgment is to begin with us. We may, because of Satan’s hatred of us, suffer for the sake of living righteously but we are blessed and we are to rejoice. Yet these trials and sufferings can cause us to become more like the Lord Jesus Christ. And though they begin now, they will not last forever. As Peter’s theme has been suffering now but glory later we can understand that as we share in suffering for Christ now we will in a greater way share in His glory later. And we have to understand that the suffering we experience in living for Christ is of a different character and duration than what those who do not trust in Christ will receive. We see this contrast next as we look at the judgment upon unbelievers.
B. The judgment upon unbelievers
We see this judgment upon unbelievers in Peter’s statement, “If this judgment begins first with us what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?” If those loved and chosen by God are going to experience fiery trials then what about those who reject the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Again in verse 18, as Peter quotes from Proverbs 11:31, this ground upon which the unsaved person is standing is tenuous, very tenuous indeed. Verse 18 could be understood this way, “If it is only by the Lord’s grace that the righteous is saved, how will the ungodly and sinner appear before Him?”
This contrast also hearkens back to Psalm 1 where the David contrasts the way of the righteous with the sinner. And Peter picks up the two names for the unsaved person that David uses in verse 5. The Psalm says, “Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.” The judgment laid against unsaved will be so severe that they will not be able to stand up against the pure gaze of God. The torment that they will experience will cause our own present trials and suffering to look like nothing in comparison.
Now this judgment that Peter is speaking about is the negative side of judgment. There is no helpful aspect in this suffering of the unbeliever. There is no purging or pruning as happens in the life of the believer who experiences suffering. No this judgment upon unbelievers is completely punitive. Peter says, if living for Christ costs us something in terms of comfort and earthly benefit now, how awful will the eternal fate of the unsaved be?
Listen, if you have been rejecting the Gospel as God’s only way of salvation then the wrath of God rests upon you. The weight of your sin is still on your back. And if you were to die today the weight of that sin would cause you to plummet into the judgment of hell. If this judgment begins with us what will be the outcome for you who reject the Gospel of God?
There is final vindication for the believer and final and complete punishment for those who refuse to believe God and His Word. If you do not believe and act on God’s Word to be saved, Peter says that your end is a fearful and terrible judgment.
4. The ultimate purpose of our suffering for Christ (v. 19)
The fourth aspect that Peter marks concerning our suffering is the ultimate purpose of our suffering. This Peter describes in verse 19. “Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator.” The reason that God allows this suffering to come into the life of a believer is so that we can learn to entrust ourselves into His care in every situation in which we find ourselves.
There are a couple of characteristics to this suffering that Peter mentions here. These are not new to Peter he has mentioned them before. But they are characteristics of which we need to be aware.
A. It is according to the will of God
The first characteristic of this suffering of which Peter speaks is that it is to be according to the will of God. This suffering that we undergo is not to be self-induced. We are not to cause ourselves to suffer. If God so chooses to allow us the privilege to suffer shame for His name then this is proper. But we must not seek suffering. The call to suffering is merely that we do not retreat from this God ordained suffering. Our suffering needs to be according to the will of God.
B. It causes us to recognize God as a Faithful Creator
The second characteristic of this suffering of which Peter speaks is that it causes us to recognize God as a Faithful Creator. Peter says this here, “Entrusting our souls to a faithful Creator.” This is a recognition on our part that in the midst of our suffering, God knows what He is doing. Though we may not understand why such suffering is taking place we can see that God will faithfully lead us along and will not forsake us. A noted gospel song has the words, “When you don’t understand, when you can’t find His plan, When you don’t see His hand, trust His heart.” We can know, Peter says, that God’s thoughts toward us are for peace and not calamity that we might have an expected end. He is a Faithful Creator. In all the trials through which we pass, God is the Faithful Creator. Jonathan Edwards and his wife, Sarah understood this in clear terms. As Edwards lay dying due to smallpox he called for his daughter to give her his last words. His throat had become so inflamed that he could no longer drink fluids. As his end approached, Edwards knew that he was in the hands of a Faithful Creator when he said to his daughter, “Lucy, it seems to me to be the will of God that I must shortly leave you; therefore give my kindest love to my dear wife, and tell her . . . I hope that she will be supported under so great a trial, and submit cheerfully to the will of God. And as to my children you are now to be left fatherless, which I hope will be an encouragement to you all to seek a father who will never fail you.”
When Edwards’ wife received the news she wrote to her daughter Esther, “What shall I say . . . The Lord has done it, he has made me adore his goodness that we had your father for so long. But my God lives; and he has my heart. O what a legacy my husband, and your father, has left to us! We are all given to God; and there I am and love to be.” What a strength it is in life and death to see God as a Faithful Creator.
As we see God cradle us in the midst of our trials for His name’s sake, we recognize that He is a Faithful Creator. And if we recognize that He is a Faithful Creator then we also recognize that He knows what is best for us. As we seek His perfect will, He will not allow that into our lives which will harm us spiritually. There has no temptation taken you except what is common to mankind, but God is faithful. There may things that are detrimental to our lives because we refuse to follow God’s will but nothing will harm us spiritually if we steadfastly cling to His will. O we will reap the consequences of our disobedience (for God is not mocked, that which a man sows he will also reap). But that suffering which God allows in our lives when we follow Him will cause us to recognize His faithfulness to us.
C. It causes us to seek to do good
The third characteristic of this suffering of which Peter speaks is that it causes us to seek to do good in serving Christ. This is what the end of verse 19 says. “Entrusting our souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.”
Why does Peter end with this? Why is he so diligent to continue to speak about doing right? I think the reason is that when we recognize that living our lives for Jesus Christ is going to cause us some discomfort, some pain or ridicule or even worse our death we tend to shy away from continuing to do right. As a matter of fact we are such comfort driven (fill in the word self-centered) creatures that though we might completely understand God’s worth and His worthiness to be served that we still shy away from doing anything for Christ that would make us vulnerable. And because of that we continue to miss opportunities to serve Christ and His coming kingdom.
Peter is not simply talking about doing good for the sake of doing good. Peter, as we have seen throughout the letter, is specifically speaking about living our lives for Jesus Christ and speaking of His saving power to others. This isn’t some generic good to help the society as a whole like some massive habitat for humanity project. But this is talking about seeking to do good with the intention of clearly presenting Jesus Christ as Lord. Because if all we do is give aid to people in our community but never share Christ with them then we are merely giving them temporary relief while failing to protect them from an everlasting fire. What kind of help is that? What kind of friend are you? By all means do good. But do it with the intention of bringing people to Jesus Christ.
And so he says, don’t fail to good though it may cost you your comfort or even your very lives. Today’s society is so self-centered that even we as Christians don’t see what is good as being good unless it benefits us in some way. Peter says that good is doing the will of God even if it means our personal suffering.
Can we truly be bold in our God so that we are willing to suffer for Him in doing what is right? Can we recognize that suffering for the name of Jesus Christ brings greater glory to God because it shows that we trust Him enough to do what is right regardless of the outcome?
I received an email from Chansamone Siyasak, our missionary in Thailand this week. He detailed for me the suffering of some pastors in the Laos area. One man had been imprisoned 54 times for the sake of Christ. Yet he continued to serve him. He bore in his body scars for the sake of Jesus. Are we willing to live that kind of life? Or are we afraid of not being politically correct in declaring that there is only one way of salvation and only one Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ? Do we avoid telling others about Christ because of persecution and ridicule? Are you going to be bold in your God and entrust yourself to a Faithful Creator in doing what is right to bring the Gospel to others.
From this passage, Peter wants us to recognize that there is a contrast between the suffering we may experience and the eternal suffering those who reject the Gospel will experience. We need to be sensitive to that so that we do not become discouraged in thinking that somehow we are being cheated. As a matter of fact if we recognize God’s special presence in the midst of our suffering we can rejoice in a way that will shock the entire watching world and bring glory to God’s name.
Next Peter wants us to realize that we can entrust our very lives to God’s care because He is a Faithful Creator. The God of the universe will not let you slip between the cracks. He doesn’t have too much to handle that He forgets about us. Because He is all powerful He can expend all His power on us without using up any of His power to work with anyone else. God is that powerful. He is faithful. The Apostle Paul said, “if we are faithless, yet He remains faithful because He cannot deny Himself.”