1 Peter 4:12-19
Let’s begin by going back in the context of our passage where, in 1 Peter 4:7, Peter says,
1 Peter 4:7 (NKJV) But the end of all things is at hand…
Because we live in the last days, Peter, by the Holy Spirit, reminds us to be sound-minded and sober. We must live our lives for things that matter and not waste them on things that do not.
However, another issue confronts us in these last days. More and more, the world does not tolerate sound thinking. 2 Timothy 3:13 tells us,
2 Timothy 3:13 (NKJV) But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.
This “deceiving and being deceived” describes our world. The thought of this deception reminds me of Isaiah 44:20, where the folly of our world is described.
Isaiah 44:20 (NKJV) A deceived heart has turned him aside; And he cannot deliver his soul, Nor say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”
The world is so lost that they cannot even recognize lies. Into this darkness, we are sent as salt and light. Jesus said, “You are the light of the world.” (Matthew 5:14) And, He also said, “You are the salt of the earth.” (Matthew 5:13) Light reveals things. Light can show the truth and expose what is hidden by the dark. Salt is a preservative. Salt keeps meat and vegetables from spoiling. As salt, we slow down the inevitable corruption of the world. As light, we expose the evil deeds of the world. And, the world does not like salt and light.
The world and the devil oppose our function as salt and light. Those who do not want the truth revealed fight against us. This opposition is persecution. The more sound thinking confronts the evil of the age, the more the Church is persecuted.
Persecution is not new. Since the time of the Apostles, the world has opposed the Church. All the Apostles except for John were killed for their faith. The twentieth century saw more Christians martyred than any previous century. The world and the devil are still persecuting the Church.
Because the end of all things is at hand, we must be aware of where this world is heading. Persecution is only going to get worse. This world is not our home. As Peter continues to teach us how to live at the end of all things, he shows us that we are here for glory. We are here to glorify God, and, in turn, we will be glorified.
Grace means glory.
1 Peter 4:12-13 says,
1 Peter 4:12–13 (NKJV) 12Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; 13but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.
The word “strange” in “Do not think it strange” means foreign. From the idea of something being “foreign” or “strange,” the word also means “astonishing.” So we could say, “Do not think it astonishing…as though some astonishing thing happened to you.”
Let’s consider the idea of something being foreign. Picture with me a field of snowy white sheep with one black sheep in the middle.
The one black sheep is different, and as such, it is “foreign.” Sesame Street used to have a song, “One of these things is not like the others.”
As a tall, white person, I stood out in Japan, like this lone black sheep. When I was out and about, it was not unusual for children to stop and point, saying, “foreigner, foreigner!” To them, I was “astonishing” or “strange.”
That is what Peter means by strange, something foreign, unexpected, astonishing!
Fiery trials do not fall in this category. Suffering is not strange or astonishing. Fiery trials are to be expected. They are “normal,” white sheep among white sheep.
If we did not experience trials, that would be astonishing (strange).
Peter says these trials come to test us, and then he says they are cause for rejoicing.
We should rejoice when we encounter various trials. James 1:2 tells us to consider it pure joy when trials come, and Peter also speaks the same way about trials. In chapter one, he says,
1 Peter 1:6–7 (NKJV) 6In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
According to this, we are grieved by trials but rejoice in the benefits to our faith.
Peter says, “…you have been grieved by various trials.” We all experience many different trials. Persecution is one kind of trial, but it is not the only kind. All trials test our faith and refine us, but persecution is unique. Not only does it refine our faith, but suffering for the name of Christ allows us to partake in Christ’s sufferings. Peter says,
1 Peter 4:13 (NKJV) but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.
Peter says to rejoice to the extent that we partake in Christ’s sufferings, because when Christ is glorified, we also will experience “exceeding joy.” So far in his letter, Peter has pointed to Christ’s sufferings as our example (chapter 2), our salvation (chapter 3), and our deliverance (chapter 4). Now, he adds that Christ’s sufferings are our glory. Since we partake in Christ’s sufferings, when He is glorified, we too will partake in His glory. The Apostle Paul says this when he says,
Romans 8:17 (NKJV) …if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
Not only do our sufferings purify our faith and result in glory, but they also fill up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions. The Apostle Paul said,
Colossians 1:24 (NKJV) I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church…
Do not get the wrong idea! Christ’s afflictions are more than enough to save us. In this sense, to say something is lacking in Christ’s afflictions is heresy. However, there is still a need (a lack) for our faith to be refined. There is still a need for our generation to be reached with the gospel. Our sufferings fill this need (lack). Our sufferings are necessary because our faith is lacking, and our generation is lost. These sufferings are lacking in Christ’s suffering because we must experience them.
So, we are told to rejoice because when we partake in His suffering, we also know we will partake in His glory.
Peter makes the point that our suffering also brings God glory. 1 Peter 4:14 says,
1 Peter 4:14 (NKJV) If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part, He is glorified.
“On their part He is blasphemed.” The world and the devil hate God because their deeds are evil. In their hatred, they speak evil of God, His Son, and His children. This is how the world justifies the killing of Christians.
However, although the intention is to dismay or stop God’s work, the opposite occurs, Believers are strengthened, the work gets stronger, and God is glorified.
We must clarify. Some suffering is of our own making and not a result of our faith in God. And, not all suffering glorifies God. Peter points this out when he says that suffering as a criminal does not glorify God. 1 Peter 4:15 says,
1 Peter 4:15 (NKJV) But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters.
Suffering as an evildoer may cause a person to change his ways, but it is not done to the glory of God. Such suffering is shameful. This is why Peter tells us not to be ashamed if we suffer for the sake of Christ. 1 Peter 4:16 says,
1 Peter 4:16 (NKJV) Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.
“Glorify God in this matter” means “praise God that you bear that name.” (Taken from the NIV) The world may call us “Christian” with scorn, but we are to count it a privilege to bear that name.
However, since we bear the name of Christ (Christian), we must live in a manner that brings honor to that name. Criminal behavior is shameful, and if we as Christians suffer as criminals, we disgrace the name of Christ.
This brings us to the necessity of purification. Not only is our faith made stronger by trials, but our trials also purify us. This process of purification brings honor and glory to the name of Christ. In chapter 1, Peter compared this purification to the fire that purifies gold. Fire burns out the impurities in the gold. In the case of the Christian, the fire is aimed at specific impurities. Look at what Peter says.
1 Peter 4:17–18 (NKJV) 17For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18Now “If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?”
God loves us and does not treat us as our sins deserve. However, He does deal with our sin. Peter tells us that judgment begins with us. When we are dominated by sin, God does not ignore us. Hebrews 12 tells us that God disciplines the child He loves.
Hebrews 12:6 (NKJV) For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.
The love of God does not mean life is pain-free. God’s love means God will not leave us alone. We are His children and are far too important to be neglected. For example, Hebrews 12 also says,
Hebrews 12:8 (NKJV) But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.
If God does not correct us, then we are not His children. This is harsh, but I see no other way to understand this passage. Peter implies as much when he says, “For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God.”
In speaking of judgment, Peter directs our thoughts to the unsaved. He says,
1 Peter 4:17 (NKJV) if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?
If the unbeliever is suffering and asks, “What does God have against me?” The answer is “your sin.”
“Which sin?”
“Rejecting His Son.”
You see, Jesus died for our sins. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. (1 John 1:9) But, if we refuse His offer of salvation if for any reason we do not ask Him to save us, all our sin remains. Actually, this is not technically true. Jesus died for the sins of the whole world. What God holds against us is the rejection of His son. John 3:18-19 tells us:
John 3:18–19 (NKJV) 18He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
Condemned means judged. The person who does not believe in Jesus is condemned because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
All the suffering in the world is a result of sin. Every disease, every hospital bed, every war, and every death remind us of the horrible reality of sin and judgment. 1 Peter 4:19 tells us what our response needs to be.
1 Peter 4:19 (NKJV) Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.
We must commit our souls to God.
If we, as believers and children of God suffer, it is according to the will of God, and we must commit our souls to Him. This is what Jesus did, and He is our example. (1 Peter 2:23) We can trust Him, as our Father, to do what is best for us.
If you are an unbeliever, please commit your soul to God, who can save you. He wants to save you. He gave His only begotten Son to save you. Rejecting His Son is the only thing that you have done that He holds against you. Solve this problem by asking Jesus to save you. He promises not to reject anyone who calls on His name.
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