Theology of Christian Suffering

What are things that we need to remind ourselves about suffering as Christians?

v. 12 - Beloved; showed his care for the people and the church

Do not be surprised; we should expect it(when it comes, not if); so we should prepare for it; prepare our hearts for what is to come

preparing to cook; make sure you have what you need; same way we prepare for suffering

expect it; it is not something that should be strange;

surprised that we do not suffer vs. when we do suffer (something is wrong)

If we aren’t suffering, maybe we are blending in a little too well with the world

2 Timothy 3:12 “12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,”

James 1:2 “2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,”

Persecution and suffering should not be strange to us; The bible promises it to the Christian

Hebrews 11:36–38 “36 Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— 38 of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.”

Don’t be surprised; there is a reality to it that he is trying to get across to us

v. 13; Don’t think it strange, but rejoice(read v. 13)

Rejoice because we are sharing in Christ’s sufferings; the ridicule that he faced, we face too.

I think we can go back to whether or not we are suffering; this is a hard pill to swallow for me; if we are not suffering, who are we following?

We also rejoice and are glad when his glory is revealed; we can look forward to the last day

What are some ways that we know that we are blessed?

read v. 14

If you have ever questioned salvation or whether or not you belong to God, you can look at your suffering.

If we dig into this verse and where it talks about the spirit of glory and of God resting on us, this is a reference back to Isaiah 11 where the Messiah was promised the Spirit of God for his mission. Now, let’s fast forward to the NT, where we have been promised the Holy Spirit at the moment of justification(salvation). So the same spirit that Jesus had, we have.

We often wonder where God is in the midst of us suffering when in reality, it is an indication that we truly belong to him

But, what we don’t need to do is to try to think that all suffering is because we are walking close with God. Because oftentimes, we bring it upon ourselves in our flesh. (elaborate)

Read v. 15

Our sin is not “christian suffering” the same as our sin is not a “blessing”

Sinful suffering is shameful; Peter tells us in the next verse not to be ashamed

Read v. 16

Peter knew shame; what is Peter known for in the gospels? denying Jesus

This is very shameful, to know that you are a child of God, be approached by someone, and deny the faith

Here in this verse, Peter is encouraging that suffering should not bring shame. We should know that when we follow Christ, and we come to a point where we are suffering, that we will not be shamed for it. The person in front of us might shame us, but ultimately, God’s name is glorified.

And isn’t that our motive for all that we do, to glorify God?

Glorify God in “that name”. The name of being a Christian. Being a Christian is not something to be ashamed of. Because of this, God is going to use suffering in the church.

Read v. 17

God is going to use suffering within the church. We know that God is going to use it in the life of us as individuals as a means of showing us faithful and building our faith. But what does this have to do with the whole church?

Suffering in the life of the individual will bring to light things within the church.

This will be a test for those inside the church. When suffering comes to those who claim to be our brothers and sisters in Christ, we will know if they truly are by how they react. Will they obey the word of God?

This is the test in suffering. Obedience. This is the test of who is a sinner and who is righteous. Yes, we are all sinners. But when we stand before the lord, will he see the sinner or the righteous. For those who are saved, he will see the righteous. So Peter takes us back to Proverbs 11 here.

Read v. 18

1 Peter for You God Is Judging His Church

The word scarcely would be better translated “with difficulty.” Christians are saved “with difficulty” through Christian suffering. And if this suffering is hard for us who are being saved, imagine what judgment will be like for “the ungodly and the sinner” when Christ is revealed.

This should come as an encouragement for us. 1) to continue to endure faithfully 2) to make sure we are killing sin to be more and more like Christ so that we can endure faithfully

V. 19

We need to trust, in the midst of suffering, that God is faithful to us.

questions

Why is it unloving for Peter or us to give a sugar-coated view of suffering as a Christian?

How has this book helped change the way that you view suffering as a Christian?