Again Peter speaks about going through trials, indeed this is a continual emphasis in the letter. Our natural reaction is to want to avoid trials, and sometimes we see Christ as a means of avoiding trials, but this is not the message that the Bible gives. The message of the Bible, and 1 Peter in particular, about trials has many aspects, but two of the key ones are:
- We are sharing in Christ's suffering
- God uses them to make us more Christlike.
Peter tells them that there is nothing unusual about going through trials, instead they are to rejoice that they are sharing in Christ's sufferings. This implies that the trials were a direct result of their faith in Christ. If we share in His sufferings, we will also share in His glory (Romans 8:17).
Jesus Himself taught that we are blessed if we suffer for His sake (Matthew 5:11).
Everyone suffers, we might as well suffer for something worthwhile! We can suffer for doing things that are plainly wrong, such as murder or theft, or we can suffer for just being a nuisance, a meddler as Peter puts it here. We need to distinguish between suffering which is our fault, and which can be avoided by changing our ways, and suffering for Christ's sake. Needless suffering is nothing to be proud of, but if we do suffer for Christ's sake we should rejoice, rather than being ashamed, for it shows that we are identified with Christ.
Peter then talks about judgement. Now it might seem a little odd to do so here, for he has been talking about suffering as a Christian, and how this is good. The truth is that when we suffer there will usually be a mixture of good and bad things. As well as making us more Christlike, it will also bring to the surface the unChristlike features of us. God uses trials to purify and refine us.
So suffering is not something to be avoided at all costs, instead we are to commit ourselves to God and do good.
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