by Sam Storms
My primary concern as I begin this brief series of articles on suffering is this: how do I communicate the biblical perspective on suffering to a people, myself included, who live in such a safe environment? I don’t mean safe in terms of a low crime rate or the absence of racial tension. I mean safe in the sense that few of us ever have or ever will experience the kind or degree of suffering that Christians in the first century endured. Needless to say, this is a challenge for all of us.
That being said, look with me at what Peter said in 1 Peter 4:12-19.
“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And “If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good”(1 Peter 4:12-19).
Let’s briefly consider why it is important for us to have a solid, Scriptural perspective on the issue of suffering.
(1) One reason why it was so important for Peter to have written this letter about suffering to the Christians in Asia Minor and why it is so important for us today to take the time to probe deeply and soberly into this issue is because all suffering that Christians endure while seeking to live godly lives for Jesus threatens our confidence in the goodness of God and poses a powerful temptation to quit and join the other side.
This is easy to understand once we think about the wrong ways we often respond to suffering: We mistakenly conclude that (1) God has forsaken me; or (2) it doesn’t pay to obey; I’ve lived for Jesus and look what it got me; or (3) if this is what it means to say that God loves me, I think I’ll check out another religion and find a “god” who’s a bit more compassionate. The result is bitterness and unbelief: “I’m not sure God can be trusted with my life,” combined with doubts about his power and his wisdom.
(2) A second reason why we need to look carefully at this theme in this text is because of how suffering serves to enhance and deepen our relationship with Christ. I realize it sounds strange to say, on the one hand, that suffering threatens to undermine our faith in God and that, on the other hand, it has the potential to deepen our intimacy with him. But such it is! Piper comments: “I have never heard anyone say, ‘The really deep lessons of life have come through times of ease and comfort.’ But I have heard strong saints say, ‘Every significant advance I have ever made in grasping the depths of God’s love and growing deep with him, has come through suffering’” (Desiring God, 222).
All that said, we are now faced with a question forced upon us by Peter and by life itself: How are we to respond to suffering?
It’s important to note that Peter doesn’t go into great detail as to the nature and extent of this suffering, but he does identify its cause. In verse 13 the fiery trial is called "sharing Christ's sufferings." In verse 14 it is called being "insulted for the name of Christ." And in verse 16 it is called suffering “as a Christian."
So the suffering that is coming is owing to the fact that the believers are living the way of Christ, identifying with him openly and being labeled "Christian." Peter sees that persecution is going to become severe simply because believers are living like Christ and being open about their allegiance to him in every arena of life.
The apostle’s counsel and exhortation to us comes in five ways. In the next article we’ll look at the first.
Don't be Surprised by Suffering
The first thing Peter tells us is that we shouldn’t be “surprised” by suffering. Here is how he put it in 1 Peter 4:12-19.
“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And “If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good” (1 Peter 4:12-19).
In other words, if you are going to respond properly to suffering and even learn to grow from it and deepen in your relationship with Christ, you have to develop a solid and Scriptural theology of what suffering is all about. Suffering, says Peter, is normal! It is standard fare for the believer. It is to be expected.
Remember: Peter is writing to a predominantly Gentile audience who would have experienced little if any suffering prior to coming to faith in Christ. Unlike a Jewish believer who knew a lot about suffering and oppression, Gentile Christians would have regarded suffering as a strange and inexplicable misfortune, wholly out of place and inconsistent with the promises and blessings of the gospel.
But if that is true, what is the point of it all? Why does God orchestrate my life in such a way that I have to endure the insults and abuse of unbelievers? It is, says Peter, “to test” us (v. 2b; see 1 Peter 1:6-7. See Psalm 66:10; Mal. 3:1-4).
Here is the NIV rendering of v. 12 – “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.” The purpose clause “to test you” is completely left out and thus fails to communicate why Christians should not be astonished or embittered with suffering.
Suffering is “not a sign of God’s absence, but of his purifying presence” (Tom Schreiner, 219)! Suffering for Christ in some form or degree is essential to the formation of Christian character.
Suffering is not an imperative. It is an indicative. We are not told to seek it or pursue it. We are simply told that it is a given.
It’s critically important that you not react with surprise when either you suffer or you hear of someone else who has. If you do not grasp this truth, your instinctive response will be to shake an angry fist in God’s face and scream out: “Where were you when that missionary in Liberia died of Ebola trying to help those who are afflicted with it? Where were you when that godly Christian man lost his job because he refused his employer’s order to cover up an illegal transaction? Don’t you care? Didn’t you see this coming?”
By all means weep with those who weep. By all means experience righteous anger at those who unjustly oppress Christian men and women. But don’t let the onset of suffering, no matter how intense or prolonged it may be, throw you into confusion or doubt or shock or uncertainty about the goodness of God.
People often ask me what practical benefit there is in affirming and believing in the absolute sovereignty of God over all of life. That’s it!
Rejoice in your Suffering
It’s one thing for Peter to tell us not to be surprised by suffering, but to insist that we “rejoice” in it is another thing altogether. But this is precisely what he says.
“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And “If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good” (1 Peter 4:12-19).
Note first of all that your ability to rejoice in the midst of your suffering is related to your recognition that you are united with Christ. You are one with him. You are sharing in the suffering he experienced when an unbelieving world vented its hatred and venomous contempt on him. If you claim exemption from suffering, you have essentially renounced your union with Christ!
We find similar language to this in Acts 5:41 where the apostles were beaten for having borne witness to Christ and the gospel: “Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name” of Christ.
This is the evidence of genuine, saving faith and a true love for Christ, when you experience greater joy in suffering with him and being persecuted for his name’s sake than you do from being honored by men and praised according to their standards of judgment.
Jesus told his disciples: “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matt. 5:11-12).
Observe carefully how he says we are to respond to such persecution: “Rejoice and be glad!” We are not to retaliate like an unbeliever would. We are not to sulk like a child. We are not to lick our wounds in self-pity like a beaten dog. We are not simply to grin and bear it like a Stoic. Still less are we to pretend that pain feels good. But even more: we are not only not to retaliate, we must not even resent it. Rather, we are to rejoice and be glad!
So keep on rejoicing. Rejoice when you are slandered for your faith. Rejoice when you are ignored at the office party. Rejoice when you are passed over for someone less competent. Rejoice when you are cut off from the “in crowd” because your mere presence makes them nervous.
This is not the power of positive thinking where you are straining to think good thoughts when life is bad. “This is an utterly radical, abnormal, supernatural way to respond to suffering. It is not in our power. It is not for the sake of our honor. It is the way spiritual aliens and exiles live on the earth for the glory of the great King” (Piper).
Joseph Tson, a Romanian pastor who stood up to Ceausescu’s repressions of Christianity, wrote,
“This union with Christ is the most beautiful subject in the Christian life. It means that I am not a lone fighter here: I am an extension of Jesus Christ. When I was beaten in Romania, He suffered in my body. It is not my suffering: I only had the honor to share His sufferings” (undated paper: "A Theology of Martyrdom").
Know that when you Suffer, you are Blessed
We’ve been exhorted by the apostle not to be surprised when we suffer, but to rejoice in it. Now he goes even further and tells us that when we suffer we are, in fact, blessed! What?
“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And “If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good” (1 Peter 4:12-19).
If you wish to avoid persecution in the world, here is what you must do: mimic the world’s standards, never criticize its values, keep quiet about the gospel, laugh at its sordid humor, smile and keep silent when God’s name is mocked and reviled, and be ashamed of Jesus Christ.
This passage seems to suggest that there is a dimension of the Spirit’s presence available to us that goes beyond what we experience when we come to Christ. He’s not talking about what many call “baptism in the Spirit” but clearly he has in view an experience of the Spirit, an anointing, an additional empowering presence of the Spirit that only comes when we respond humbly and faithfully to the suffering that following Christ incurs.
The “Spirit of glory” is probably a reference to the “glory” that will be revealed fully when Christ returns. Note that it is “the Spirit of THE glory.” In other words, Peter is telling us that when we are asked by God to humbly endure unjust suffering for Christ’s sake that the glory that has yet to be revealed in its consummate and final expression at the end of history has already entered into our experience in advance of that day. When we suffer we are promised a foretaste, as it were, of that glory of Christ that will one day be put on display in unqualified fullness.
But what is the point or purpose of the Spirit’s unique, abiding presence when we suffer? To help us endure! To keep us from turning from Christ! You wonder: “If I’m persecuted and imprisoned and tortured and made to suffer because I’m a Christian, will I be faithful? Will I deny my Lord? Will I keep my heart focused on Jesus and my mouth loudly proclaiming his glory? How can I be sure that I won’t fail in that moment of crisis?” God has promised his Spirit precisely so that what you may not be capable of now, you will be empowered to do then. The Spirit of the glory of the coming Christ will come to you and abide with you and rest upon you and he will sustain you!
Corrie ten Boom tells how she worried as a girl whether she would be able to stand against the Germans if she was threatened. She felt so weak when she thought about what might happen. Her father, I think it was, gave her a great illustration. He said, "When you are going to take a journey on the train, do I give you your ticket three weeks early or just as you get on the train?" She answered, "As I get on the train." "So God will give you the special strength you need to be strong in the face of death just when you need it, not before."
If Paul were present he would echo Peter’s promise and would point to his own experience of this truth. You may recall what Paul said as he languished in prison in Rome, facing the incessant death threats of Nero. He was exhausted, at the end of life, having been abandoned by his friends. Yet he writes:
“At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth” (2 Tim. 4:16-17).
Paul’s own testimony is a reminder to us all that when there is intense suffering on earth we can expect to receive great support from heaven.
But be certain that it is “for the name of Christ” that you are insulted and not for your own silly sins (v. 15). After all, not all suffering qualifies one for God’s blessing or the anointed of the Spirit.
“I was passed over for that promotion at work. I guess I’m just destined to suffer for Jesus.” Possibly. But you may have been passed over because you’re a lazy, incompetent jerk! Your lack of success at your job may have nothing to do with your Christian faith but rather with the fact that you’re consistently late to work, less efficient than your co-workers, or simply obnoxious. There’s a difference between being anointed and annoying.
Glorify God in your Suffering
The world may think suffering for Christ is silly and disgraceful and shameful. But not the Christian.
“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And “If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good” (1 Peter 4:12-19).
The early church did not typically call themselves “Christians.” This was a designation given to them by others. It was first given to the church by unbelievers at Antioch (Acts 11:26). King Agrippa also used the term when Paul was making his defense in Caesarea (Acts 26:28). But clearly Peter thinks of the label or the name as a good one, one that we ought to embrace with joy and passion. In fact, it is precisely “in that name,” i.e., in and for the name of “Christian”, a follower of Christ, that we are to suffer.
If you rejoice in suffering for his sake, you show that he is gloriously more valuable than the pleasures and approval of man. If you do good to your persecutors instead of retaliating, you show that he is gloriously sufficient to satisfy your longings. The one all-consuming desire of true Christians is that Christ be glorified in their bodies whether by life or death.
The greatest way to show that someone satisfies your heart is to keep on rejoicing in them when all other supports for your satisfaction are falling away. When you keep rejoicing in God in the midst of suffering, it shows that God, and not other things, is the great source of your joy.
Peter uses this moment to say something important about both the suffering of Christians within the community of faith and the suffering of those who reject the gospel. Look again with me at vv. 17-18.
“For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And ‘If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?’”
The “judgment” of God that “begins with us” is not the wrath of God. Peter is not talking about Christians being judged for their sins and cast into eternal torment. The believer is “saved” (v. 18a)! What then is this “judgment” that begins with us, the Church? It is the process of being pruned and disciplined and refined, as v. 12 so clearly states.
Here Peter argues from the lesser to the greater. If even those who are going to be finally saved are purified and judged by suffering, then the outcome or result of those who reject and disobey the gospel will surely be a greater punishment.
The word “scarcely” should probably be rendered “with difficulty”. Peter is not saying that God finds it difficult to save us, although the price required in Christ’s blood should never be underestimated. His point is that we, God’s people, must enter through the narrow gate and face opposition and endure suffering all along the pathway to glory. God’s mode of bringing his people to their final inheritance is through hard and painful discipline.
As Tom Schreiner has pointed out: “If the godly are saved through the purification of suffering, then the judgment of the ‘ungodly and sinner’ must be horrific indeed” (229).
If sin is so hateful in God’s sight that even those who through faith are his children are made to suffer discipline so as to purify their souls, what must be the fate of those who disobey the gospel?
When you Suffer, entrust your soul to a Faithful and Sovereign God
All suffering passes through God’s hands. Nothing befalls us that he does not permit or fail to use for our ultimate good. We see this especially at the close of the passage we’ve been examining.
“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And “If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good” (1 Peter 4:12-19).
People who try to solve the problem of suffering by saying it is not God's will in any sense, must take a long detour around this verse. If the fiery trial is the judgment of God beginning at the church, then it is his will that we suffer. We must not dishonor God by thinking that every time we suffer he has lost control or dropped the reins. His ways are strange, but they are his ways. And our duty is to trust that he is a faithful Creator who only has our best interest at heart.
Suffering is not outside the will of God. It is in God's will. This is true even when Satan may be the immediate cause. God is sovereign over all things, including our suffering, and including Satan. I would remind you of Paul’s thorn in the flesh in 2 Cor. 12.
God is called “Creator” in this context to emphasize his complete and comprehensive sovereignty over your life and all that you encounter. The God who called everything into existence out of nothing oversees every dimension of your life, especially your suffering for his name’s sake.
But why does Peter focus here on God’s “faithfulness”? What is he faithful to do in these circumstances? He is faithful to fulfill his promises, never to forsake you. He is faithful to work all things together for your good and his glory. He is faithful to use suffering to conform you to Christ and to bring you finally and fully into the eternal kingdom of his Son.
I love the pastoral and practical wisdom of Peter! Here at the end, it’s almost as if he looks across the spectrum of the people to whom he is writing, and to us today as well, and says:
“Hey folks, I know it’s hard. Suffering, in whatever form it takes, is discombobulating! It throws us off our pace, in ways that we often can’t anticipate. But no matter how confusing it may be, no matter how frustrating and baffling and uncomfortable it becomes, you can still entrust your souls to a faithful Creator all the while you continue to live a godly and obedient life.
I know that for some of you suffering still comes as a something of a shock. It caught you unaware and perhaps unprepared. That’s ok. Just entrust your soul to a faithful Creator and don’t give up on doing good.
For others of you, rejoicing when you suffer is a bit of a stretch right now. You’re not there yet. You want to, but it feels a bit beyond your grasp at this stage. That’s ok. Just entrust your soul to a faithful Creator and don’t give up on doing good.
And I’m sure there are some who feel anything but blessed when hard times come. You’re grateful for the promised presence of God’s Spirit, but even then you waver in your faith and you wonder if God is good. But you can still entrust your soul to a faithful Creator and not give up on doing good.
And if you had an opportunity to glorify God when suffering hit home and you blew it, God hasn’t abandoned you. Learn from the fiery trial, grow from the experience, and always and ever entrust your soul to the faithful Creator as you seek, by his grace, to do good.”