Suffering for RIghteousness
The Ambassador's Handbook • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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3. Christlike Faith
i. Persecution is an expected part of following Jesus. (4:12)
Fiery could be literal or metaphorical. It is used literally in Re 18:9, 18. Does not appear elsewhere in Scripture.
This book was most likely written just before or just after the fire of Rome. This means that, for whatever they had been facing, a greater wave of persecution was coming. It might include literal burning at the stake or might speak of a vehement trial (with the picture of it trying their faith like a fire).
Other than the letter of Pliny, I don’t think there are any sources talking about the persecution that these churches faced.
However, it is very relevant to today. Right now, we face slander and reproach for following the name of Christ. There is more persecution on the horizon. How much, we don’t know. But if and when it does come, we should not be surprised. We should not think it is any more than what God called me to.
The word “try” speaks of a testing or examination.
examination, submit another to a test, to learn the true nature or character of
The word reveals the purpose of these trials, a purpose which is mentioned previously in the letter. Trials are meant to refine.
That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
Just like Job said, when we go through the fire, the goal is for us to come out the other side as gold. Refined, with all the impurities stripped away.
It is good for me that I have been afflicted; That I might learn thy statutes.
Sometimes the place we learn best is where all our false notions are proven false and we are left only with the option of turning to God. When he is all we have, we discover that he is all we need.
Then twice the word “strange” is used to describe what suffering is not. Strange means:
unknown, strange, foreign, alien
We should not act as though suffering is something foreign to the Christian experience. We have seen Peter argue again and again that suffering is what every Christian has been called to. Jesus suffered, and we must follow in His steps, which means we must suffer. It is only natural for a group to imitate the actions of its leader. That’s why we say we follow Jesus. He walked through some dark valleys, and there is no way to continue on the path without going through them after Him.
ii. Suffering for Christ leads to glorification with Christ. (4:13–14, Matthew 5:11–12, Philippians 4:4, Acts 5:41, 16:25, Philippians 1:29, 3:10, Revelation 19:11–16, 2 Corinthians 3:18)
We’re not supposed to be surprised at trials. So what is the alternative?
Even some worldly philosophies teach that you should embrace your fate. Whatever comes to you, you should accept as what has been ordained to come to you. And this is a Christian teaching as well. We should acknowledge God’s sovereignty and wisdom by humbly accepting whatever He gives us.
However, Peter takes it a step further here. Not only should we accept persecution and trials—we should rejoice when they come.
This is a command oft repeated.
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.
We see in Acts how Peter modeled the very teaching he is giving now. When persecution came to him, he rejoiced.
And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.
And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.
Why is this is the case? How can Christians rejoice and sing while they are being persecuted and enduring harsh trials?
It is because “ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings.”
Suffering for Christ’s sake should cause rejoicing because through suffering Christians further identify with Christ.
We all would say we want to be like Christ. Identify more with Him. But are we willing to take that desire to the extent that we rejoice in suffering? Do we want to suffer like Jesus, or only be glorified? But His suffering came before glory. And it is the same for us.
Not only is this suffering necessary; it is a gift.
The Bible Exposition Commentary (Chapter Ten: Facts about Furnaces (1 Peter 4:12–19))
“The fellowship of His sufferings” is a gift from God. Not every believer grows to the point where God can trust him with this kind of experience, so we ought to rejoice when the privilege comes to us.
For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;
That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
Being made conformable to His death means that we have deeper fellowship with Him because we suffer as He did. All of you probably know how suffering brings people closer together. It bonds family, friends, and spouses together in a deeper way than just good times can.
If all our fellowship with Jesus was only the mountaintops, the times when we actually feel like praising him because of some great thing that is happening, it might not be a very deep relationship. But when we suffer with him, we realize just how extensive his resources are and how great his love and compassion are.
In learning about biblical counseling from books and courses, I have seen stories from people about how they dealt with terrible, life-shattering problems but through biblical counseling discovered how Christ is enough even for that. And I’m sure some of you have the same testimony.
But the suffering is not all there is. That might be depressing if we just accepted and rejoiced in persecution but had no hope of things getting better in the future. On the other side of trials there is great glory.
The Bible Exposition Commentary (Chapter Ten: Facts about Furnaces (1 Peter 4:12–19))
The world believes that the absence of suffering means glory, but a Christian’s outlook is different. The trial of our faith today is the assurance of glory when Jesus returns. This was the experience of our Lord, and it shall also be our experience.
But it is necessary to understand that God is not going to replace suffering with glory; rather He will transform suffering into glory.
One example the Bible uses to illustrate this is that of a women in travail. Through the suffering a great thing happens—a new life is brought into the world. Through suffering, Christians become something more glorious—a clearer, more accurate image of Jesus.
[rest of verse 13]
This implies that Christ will be glad in that day, and that we will be glad with Him because we suffered and are partakers of His glory.
Perhaps one part of our being glad is because we are able to see and be part of the fulfillment of Christ’s labors. After His suffering on Earth, the Father gave him all things. They are His by right. However, at the end of time, He will finally come to earth and fully take control of His inheritance. He will be wed with His bride and bring in a new age of peace and flourishing. I will be glad in that day because of love for Him.
However, another reason might be that we will be part of that glory. Christ’s glory shall be revealed, but as said in the next verse, the spirit of glory rests on all those who suffer for Christ.
For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, And hast crowned him with glory and honour.
But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:
The wise shall inherit glory: But shame shall be the promotion of fools.
When His glory is revealed and He is glad, we will also receive glory and be glad. It is not our own glory, resulting in anything impressive about us. It is not self-centered or pursued just for the sake of acclaim and ego-feeding. It is glory that is won for God, won by serving God, glory that is a reflection of His glory.
That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
But, to bring this back to the topic at hand, we see that glory comes from suffering. We thank Jesus most of all because he suffered for our sins. We honor soldiers because they suffered on the battlefield. We are impressed with athletes because they train long hours and suffer in a lesser way by means of self-discipline.
It is only natural for people—especially men—to want glory. We are made in the image of God, and He is full of glory. But we must get it in the right way. And that right way—or at least one right way is by suffering for Christ.
[verse 14]
“Reproached” means insulted or denounced. It is the same word used here:
The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.
Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake.
When this happens, we should count ourselves happy, blessed, and fortunate. Why? Because the spirit of glory and of God rests on us. This is going back to the idea of obtaining glory, but it also explains that the spirit of glory is the spirit of God.
The Bible Exposition Commentary (Chapter Ten: Facts about Furnaces (1 Peter 4:12–19))
Suffering Christians do not have to wait for heaven in order to experience His glory. Through the Holy Spirit, they can have the glory now. This explains how martyrs could sing praises to God while bound in the midst of blazing fires. It also explains how persecuted Christians (and there are many in today’s world) can go to prison and to death without complaining or resisting their captors.
The more we are filled with the Holy Spirit, the more we can reflect Christ’s glory in this mortal body. And the more we are reproached and attacked, the more we identify with Christ and draw closer to Him, being purged of our sins. That is why we should be happy.
When persecution comes, God is evil spoken of—or literally, blasphemed.
Those who slander Christians for their good behavior are ultimately slandering God. They may be doing it directly or indirectly (by means of slandering Christians), but either way, their hatred of God leads them to blaspheme Him and speak evil of Him. Example: those people who say God is a murderous tyrant in the OT, or people who say Christianity is responsible for terrible actions.
It is important to note that not all will be blaspheming. The goal is that, by being happy during persecution, many will turn to God and glorify Him. But plenty will still blaspheme Him.
Though much of the world may blaspheme God, Christians standing strong despite this and counting themselves happy will bring great glory to God. He is magnified as we rely on His strength and speak the truth despite the lies.
iii. No Christian should suffer because of wrongdoing. (4:15)
This next verse invites the reader to look inside and see why they are suffering. Someone who got arrested and imprisoned for murder should not console himself by believing he is sharing in Christ’s glory. Plenty of times we can suffer because of mistakes we made, and in those cases, our suffering is justly deserved. There is no glory in that.
There are a few specific areas of sin mentioned here. A murderer, thief, and evildoer. Evildoer refers generally to a criminal. Someone who does evil. Though the pagan governments around them may hate God, in many ways, their laws were in line with God’s laws. These things were still punished.
But Peter goes even further. No one should suffer as a busybody—that is, someone who tries to govern something that they have no authority over. You could also call this person a meddler, or nosy. This isn’t a crime but it does really annoy people, which would bring needless reproach on the name of Christ. Christ’s name will be reproached, as will ours, but it should never be so because of actual sin or selfishly annoying others. Jesus is blasphemed enough that we don’t have to add logs to the fire.
The thought continues in the next verse, and this is something of an abrupt place to stop. However, there is still much to be learned.
We must change our perspective on suffering. It should not be seen as an inconvenience. Rather, we should embrace it as something that brings us in closer fellowship with God, sanctifies us and makes us more holy, and lets us share in Christ’s glory right now on this earth. It’s still not pleasant, of course, but with such results, how can we hate or try to get out of trials in our lives? Truly, we should rejoice.
