Devotions—I Peter
I Peter 4:17-18
Beloved, do not be surprised atthe fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.13 But rejoiceinsofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be gladwhen his glory is revealed.14 If you are insultedfor the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of gloryand of God rests upon you.15 Butlet none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer oras a meddler.16 Yetif anyone suffers as aChristian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify Godin that name.17 For it is time for judgmentto begin at the household of God; andif it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those whodo not obey the gospel of God?18 And
“If the righteous is scarcely saved,what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”
19 Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s willentrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.
Recently I was talking to a young adult who is not walking with the Lord, nor pretending to, because after many difficulties and tragedies in her life she, “had lost her faith” as she put it. I listened for a while and then told her how difficult it is to be a Christian. It is easy, natural and nothing that takes much effort to live for one’s self, to manipulate, lie and use people to get ahead. But to be loved and love purely, and to live a virtuous and holy life, that is almost impossible, but for the Lord Jesus. There was some silence in the room and then she said that no one has ever told her that…no one has ever been that honest about how hard it is to live the way the Bible says.
Brothers and sisters, we all know this, don’t we? The life of the godly is filled with joy, peace, rest, hope and love…but that doesn’t mean it is easy. Peter at the end of chapter 4 in essence says the same thing. This is not something that we hear about much today and perhaps there are many reasons why: We live in a shallow, superficial, self-oriented, “I deserve to be happy” age and verses like Peter’s here, speaking about the difficulty of salvation, do not play well.
Christians nowadays are very likely to think that salvation was difficult for Jesus to acquire for us, but it is a free gift, therefore it is not difficult for us to acquire for ourselves. Ministers are more likely to tell a congregation today how Christ can make them happy; few will add that following him is invariably going to prove a costly and very difficult thing. And how many Christians nowadays will be warned, and warned again, that judgment begins with the family of God as Peter so explicitly says in verse 17? Martin Marty, the Lutheran historian of American Christianity and American religious trends, wrote back in 1985, “Hell has disappeared and no one noticed.” The reality of divine judgment must alter one’s perspective about everything. What willbecome of the ungodly?
What does Peter mean that the righteous is scarcely saved, or as other translations put it, “it is hard for the righteous to be saved”? Peter isn’t the only one who says this, for it is everywhere in the Bible and even on the lips of Jesus Himself. Paul says that he beats his body to make it his slave, lest having preached to others, he might be disqualified. He recognized that the life of holiness, without which no one will see the Lord, requires sacrifice, discipline and an intentional pursuit daily of conformity to the Savior. Praying sincerely and fervently…daily, saying no to temptation, not allowing self to be at the center of your thoughts let alone your actions, loving others…these things are not easy work as anyone knows who has actually tried to live in such a manner!
All that being true, it seems that Peter’s emphasis in his letter is a bit more specifically nuanced. Remember, he’s in the midst of talking to these Christians about the trials, sorrows and tribulations they are facing. These were difficulties not of their own making, but were being visited upon them from others. In other words, these were not the trials and difficulties that came to them because they were beating their bodies and making them their slaves; they were enduring trials imposed on them from outside by the enemies of the gospel.
That has been his theme for the last chapter and a half, a theme introduced at the very beginning of the letter. What he is saying here is that these Christians are part of God’s house, a point he made earlier in chapter 2, and that their faith is being refined by fire, that is by the afflictions that they are suffering, the point he made in 1:7. There must be for Christians a cleansing to test us, to prepare us and to make us ready for the great judgment at the end of the world.
Christians suffer now, from the outside and the inside, that is our own fighting of sin and temptation, so that we will not suffer then. Because, (and this is the inevitable truth that every serious Christian knows and yet so many what to ignore), it is by this suffering that their faith is not only tested (v.12) but strengthened and purified. This is why it is hard for Christians to be saved: our faith and so our salvationrequires testing by fire. Paul says the same thing in I Corinthians 11:31-32 “When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.”
You know this and the longer you live the more real it becomes: You suffer loss, pain, grief…you watch as the world around you is consumed with sin, malevolence, and despair as folks run after answers and pursue temporary remedies that disappoint over and over again. And it seems more and more that what you really love, what you really want, desire and that which brings rest and peace to your mind is not found in any of man’s pursuits or the tainted affections around you…
…Rather, everything that is truly good is found in Christ, in the promises of a new heavens and a new earth, in the certain hope of a world free from sin, temptation, suffering and pain. When we humbly and firmly stand contrary to the winds of this world, mighty though they be at times, holding fast to the Lord our faith unto a living hope becomes stronger and stronger and our desire to be with the Lord is our greatest desire.
Peter is not a“Polly-Ann” preacher. Peter demands that we look at life through the prospect of divine judgment and the possibility of being condemned in that judgment, no matter that you thought you would be vindicated.That changes everything!Isn’t it true that anyone who really believes in the judgment day will welcome with open arms anything and everything that serves to test and strengthen the faith that connects us to Jesus?
What Peter is saying is, “Of course salvation and the Christian life is hard for us, He is protecting us from hell. No wonder he batters us as He does! Our God is saving us from a false faith, a sentimental and unreal faith, a faith too weak to withstand the Day of Judgment.”
We must be tested and purified; it is evidence of God’s love for us, that He will deliver us into His kingdom. Let’s face the facts, for the apostles were certainly willing to face them: if there is no Day of Judgment then, by all means eat, drink, and be merry. Live for your selfish pleasures and set your love only on your desires, happiness and pursuits. But if there is a day of judgment, would you not agree that we must look at life and the experiences of life in an entirely different way? The reality of divine judgment changes everything, it alters one’s perspective on life and in the case of the faithful, it prepares us, even if we have to suffer and fight in the meantime, for unending joy in the presence of perfection!
Prayer: Father, give me grace to live with the reality of the end of all things but also grace to endure. Help me to endure the world’s hatred for Christ and the church, for the virtues that accompany salvation and the preaching of Jesus Christ as the world’s only hope. I also pray that you would help me to endure the onslaught of sin that daily reproaches me and seeks to convince me that I belong to transgression and the ways of death. Help me see clearly and give me gospel courage to stand my ground in holiness for the honor and glory of Jesus Christ in whose name I pray. Amen.
Hymn: Christian Dost Thou See Them