1 Peter 4:12-19

12: Beloved, 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;
13: but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.
14: If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.
15: Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler;
16: but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name. 
17: 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?
18: AND IF IT IS WITH DIFFICULTY THAT THE RIGHTEOUS IS SAVED, WHAT WILL BECOME OF THE GODLESS MAN AND THE SINNER? 
19: Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.

*** 

Once again, to address the “various trials” Peter first mentioned in 1:6—the fiery ordeals which come to reveal the proof of their faith—he said not to be surprised at these things, for they come as a test. It’s an encouragement not to look at the trials that come as strange or unusual things—as things that aren’t supposed to happen—but to realize that they serve a purpose. They reveal a person’s faith. Just as the impurities of a precious metal are burned off to reveal the beauty of it, so do trials do to our faith.

Peter said to rejoice to the degree that they share in Christ’s suffering, so they may rejoice with exultation when Christ’s glory is revealed. He reiterated that if they were reviled for the name of Christ they were blessed. They very Spirit of glory and God rested on them. Yet again he stressed for them not to suffer as a wrongdoer—murderer, thief etc. as he said in 1 Peter 2:19-20, 3:9, 17. Suffering because you’re a Christian is not only to share in Christ’s suffering, but also His glory. We can rejoice in both.

Judgment begins with the household of God and then on to the unbelievers. Peter quoted from Proverbs 11:31 to ask if the righteous are saved with difficulty, what will happen to the godless and sinner. Paul said if we judge ourselves rightly, we will not be judged. But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so we will not be condemned with the world (1 Corinthians 11:31-32). This judgment is for our sanctification. It is to solidify our faith in God—to prove our faithfulness and give evidence of the reality of Christ in us.

Trials reveal our new heart, that we are a new creation in Him. If we are Christian in name only, but not in word or deed, then what is the depth of our faith? Is it really faith? We’re not to settle for just having an appearance of being a Christian—a façade—gold-plated on the outside only. The fiery trials will burn that off. Yet having a sincere faith of the heart—being the real thing—pure gold through and through will be revealed in the fire and result in glory to God.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Galatians 1:1-10

1: Paul, an apostle (not sent from men nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead), 2: and all the brethren who are with me, To the churches of Galatia: 3: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4: who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5: to whom be the glory forevermore. Amen. 6: I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; 7: which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8: But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! 9: As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed! 10: For am I now see...
Read more

2 Corinthians 7:8-16

8: For though I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it—for I see that that letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while— 9: I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us. 10: For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death. 11: For behold what earnestness this very thing, this godly sorrow, has produced in you: what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what avenging of wrong! In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter. 12: So although I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of the offender nor for the sake of the one offended, but that your earnestness on our behalf might be made known to you i...
Read more

2 Corinthians 10:1-11

1: Now I, Paul, myself urge you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am meek when face to face with you, but bold toward you when absent! 2: I ask that when I am present I need not be bold with the confidence with which I propose to be courageous against some, who regard us as if we walked according to the flesh. 3: For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, 4: for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 5: We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, 6: and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete. 7: You are looking at things as they are outwardly. If anyone is confident in himself that he is Christ’s, let him consider this again within himself, that just as he is Christ’s, so also are we. 8: For even if I boast somewh...
Read more