Peter Encourages Suffering Christians

I Peter 4:12-19; 5:6-11

GOLDEN TEXT: “But if a man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God in this name.”—I Peter 4:16

IN this epistle the Apostle Peter has much to say about faith, and of trials and suffering in the development and strengthening of Christian character. In the first chapter he addresses those who have obtained like precious faith, and exhorts, “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 honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.”—I Peter 1:7

Faith has in it the two elements of intellectual assurance and heart reliance. The former is faith in the abstract; the latter is its concrete form. It is in this latter, fullest sense we read that, “With the heart man believeth unto righteousness.” (Rom. 10:10) Both the head and the heart—the intellect and the affections—are necessary to that faith without which it is “impossible to please God.”—Hebrews 11:6

An intellectual grasp of the fundamental principles of divine truth is necessary as the foundation of faith. Trust and reliance to the extent of His promises upon the personal God who is the author of our being and who, as a Father, invites the implicit confidence and love of His children, make up the superstructure of our faith. The trial of our faith to which the Lord and the apostle refer is therefore a trial, not only of our intellectual recognition of divine truth, but also of our heart reliance upon God. In both respects every true child of God will find his faith severely tried, and, as a soldier of Christ, let him not fail to be armed for the conflict.

If an attack is made upon the intellectual foundation of our faith we should see to it that we have a “Thus saith the Lord,” for every item of our belief. Let the Word of God settle every question, and let no human philosophy, however ingenious, lead us into the labyrinth of error; for if the foundations of faith become unsettled, the superstructure cannot stand when the winds and floods of adversity and temptation beat against it. Doubt and fear will cause it to tremble, and when it is thus weakened the vigilant adversary will surely send a blast of temptation against it, and great will be the soul’s peril.

Let us, therefore, look well to the foundations of our faith—study the doctrine and get a clear intellectual conception of every element of divine truth the inspired Word presents to the people of God. Let us become rooted in the faith, the doctrines of God, and hold fast. They are the divine credentials; and let us give earnest heed to them, lest at any time we should let them slip.—Heb. 2:1

We need also to look well to the superstructure of heart reliance, which is really in greater danger from storms and floods than are the foundations, being even more constantly exposed. The Apostle Peter tells us that a tried, proved faith—a faith that has stood the tests of fiery ordeal and come off victorious—is very precious in the sight of God,

The apostle exhorts, “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you. But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.” It is worthy of notice here that special reference is made, not to the tests of intellectual belief brought about by the presentation of false doctrine, but to reproaches and persecutions for Christ’s sake, either for adherence to His doctrines or conformity to His righteousness. The apostle adds: “If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the Spirit of glory and, of God resteth upon you.” He warns us to take heed that we suffer not as evil doers. “Yet,” He says, “If any man suffer as a Christian [that is, either for Christian principles or Christian doctrine], let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God on this behalf.”

QUESTIONS:

Why is the trial of Christian faith much more precious than gold?

Along what two lines particularly does the adversary attack the Christian’s faith? How should we be prepared to resist these attacks?

Is there any suffering in which the Christian should not rejoice?

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