The Importance of Suffering!

All of God’s Word is true but some passages seem to be avoided. Maybe, it is because some don’t fit God into the box imagined for Him. Maybe, some need to be re-imagined in such a way that they are more palatable. Maybe, some are too frightening. 1 Peter 4:17-19 may be a passage you have struggled to understand, or should I say, struggled to accept. Take a moment to read it again, maybe for the first time: 17, 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? 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 will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good (English Standard Version).

Peter addressed an area of the Christian life that too often raises a cry out to God, Why me? Many Christians struggle with the concept of suffering. We place our faith in Jesus Christ alone and trust Him for a blessed life on earth and in heaven. But, struggles come. Persecution from friends and family arises despite a desire to live faithfully. What has gone wrong? Nothing! Let’s take a few moments and consider suffering as a vital part of one’s Christian life. Maybe, we will come to the place of proclaiming, Why not, me? instead of Why me?

The reason for suffering is addressed by Peter in verse 17 by calling it judgment. The reason for judgment is different for believers and unbelievers. Note 1 Corinthians 11:32, But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. Judgment is for purifying believers. Charles Spurgeon, When Christ comes even to His own people, He comes to purge and purify them. I am reminded of Hebrews 12:28-29, Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.

Peter continues his comparison of judgment for the saved and unsaved in verse 18. For believers, there is discipline. Paul makes that clear in Hebrews 12:7, It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? Wayne Grudem, The fire of God’s holiness is so intense that even the righteous feel pain in its discipline. Consider the words of Basil the Great (330-379 AD), When I see Moses asking for forgiveness and not obtaining it, when I see him considered unworthy of pardon because of his few words, spoken against the rock in anger, in spite of his many good deeds, I truly realize what the severity of God is like and am persuaded that these words of the apostle are true.

For unbelievers, there is condemnation. 2 Thessalonians 1:7-8, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. David Walls, A quotation from Proverbs 11:31 reinforces this point from the perspective of the unbeliever. Unbelievers, unlike the followers of Christ, are not a part of the refining judgment of God. The judgment they face is judicial; it takes the form of punishment. When Jesus Christ returns, they will face the fire of his anger in judgment. Didymus the Blind (311-398 AD), Just think—if the examination of our lives begins with those who belong to God’s household, what will it be like by the time it gets to those who have rejected the gospel? God sends great suffering and fear on believers so that they may learn that he is the judge to whom they must answer, and on unbelievers he sends the same fear, saying that they will not escape the great punishments which are their lot.

Can I accept Peter’s view of a God Who is holy and calls His children to holiness? Verses 17-18 solemnly testify to the true nature of God. Yet, Peter doesn’t leave us without hope. Verse 19 gives two commands to believers regarding suffering. The first command is to trust God. David Walls, God created the world, and he has faithfully ordered it and sustained it since the creation. Because we know that he is faithful, we can count on him to fulfill his promises to us. If he can oversee the forces of nature, certainly he can see us through the trials we face. Warren Wiersbe, When we are suffering in the will of God, we can commit ourselves into the care of God.

The second command is to do good. Charles Swindoll, As we continue to do what is right in the midst of unjust suffering, we can entrust our lives to Him with hope even in hurtful times. Warren Wiersbe, As we return good for evil and do good even though we suffer for it, we are committing ourselves to God so that He can care for us . . . Unsaved people have a present that is controlled by their past, but Christians have a present that is controlled by the future (Phil. 3:12–21). In our very serving, we are committing ourselves to God and making investments for the future.

Consider the following comments. Wayne Grudem, . . . upon reflection no better comfort in suffering can be found than this: it is God’s good and perfect will. For therein lies the knowledge that there is a limit to the suffering, both in its intensity and in its duration, a limit set and maintained by the God who is our creator, our saviour, our sustainer, our Father. Warren Wiersbe, When a believer suffers, he experiences glory and knows that there will be greater glory in the future. But a sinner who causes that suffering is only filling up the measure of God’s wrath more and more (Matt. 23:29–33). Instead of being concerned only about ourselves, we need to be concerned about the lost sinners around us. Our present “fiery trial” is nothing compared with the “flaming fire” that shall punish the lost when Jesus returns in judgment (2 Thes. 1:7–10) . . . As Christians, we do not seek for vengeance on those who have hurt us. Rather, we pray for them and seek to lead them to Jesus Christ.

I encourage you to dig deeper into the matter of suffering by reviewing the lesson on 1 Peter 4:17-19 under the Book of the Bible tab. May we gain a clearer view of the holiness of God and a better understanding of suffering as God’s mean’s of conforming us to the image of His Son.