Suffering Well
30 Days in 1st Peter - day 24
Peter never gets away from the reason he wrote this letter – to help Christians deal with suffering, particularly the suffering of persecution. While suffering as a push back from the world on their faith is the primary type of suffering Peter has in mind, the principles he puts forth here can apply to Christians for all kinds of suffering.
First, it is helpful to realize that suffering isn’t abnormal. We shouldn’t “think it strange.” There is good reason to not fall into the trap of believing that becoming a Christian immunizes you against all trouble. For starters, if you believe that you will likely start thinking that if you suffer it must be because you aren’t being a good enough Christian. You’ll be convinced that your faith isn’t strong enough or you have let God down in some way. In other words, you will abandon a theology of gospel grace for one of performative works.
Then – and especially if your are suffering because of your faith – we must learn to rejoice in our trials. We don’t have to rejoice for them, but we can rejoice in them. If it is a trial of persecution, we can “rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings.”
Whatever the nature of our troubles, as a Christian we can be assured that we are blessed “for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you...and on your part He is glorified.” Too many people are convinced that a good witness for Christ depends upon everything going well in life. The logic is that people will only believe Jesus is good for them if they see that Christians have it easy.
That is an unbiblical and flawed way of thinking. Yes, the blessings of God can glorify Christ. But what the New Testament consistently tells us is that suffering well reveals Christ to the world in ways that a life of ease can’t.
And should we be surprised by this? Christ set the example for us in His own sufferings. And it was at the end of His life that a centurion soldier looked at Jesus’ dying, bleeding body and expressed his faith in Him. It was after being nailed to the cross that the thief hanging next to Him asked to be remembered by Jesus when He came into His kingdom.
This is why Peter keeps tying our suffering to Jesus’ suffering. We are “partaking of Christ’s sufferings” when we suffer for Him. And though the world might be blaspheming Him through that trial, “on your part He is glorified.”
“Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.”
