Standing Steadfast in the Face of Your Trials

            Let’s bring ourselves up to date historically. Recall that in 44 A.D., the Jewish king Herod Agrippa, ordered the execution of the apostle James, (brother of the apostle John). In 62 A. D., Ananus, the high priest of the Sadducees, gave the order for the killing of the other apostle James (brother of Jesus).

            According to church tradition, the apostle Peter was put to death by the Roman emperor Nero in 67 or 68, whose persecutions began in 64. And so, the approximate date of Peter’s first epistle is thought to have been written at Rome, in 65 A.D.

            Peter addressed his letter, (now known as 1 Peter), to both Jews and Gentiles dispersed throughout the region of modern-day Turkey, who, were experiencing intense persecution by the Roman forces. The purpose of his letter was to encourage his audience to stand fast in the face of their trials, in faith, and to emulate Christ and marinate in His grace.

            The apostle begins with a blessing:

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by His great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance – an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.

And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see. 1 Pt. 1:3 -5 NLT

            Jehovah is the Father of the divine nature of Jesus and the God of the human essence that Christ took upon Himself. And it was that humanness that proved to be the vehicle for His death – for purchasing our salvation.

            The resurrection of Christ resulted in His transformation, from His incarnate self, into the God-Man, according to our best finite understanding and description of a Divine realization. Jesus is now the exact Spiritual essence of Jehovah, clothed with a transcendent, transformed, glorified body – a supernatural example, similar to what will clothe our spirits, just prior to our entrance to eternal life.

            Until then, when at first, we bring our faith, we are instantly divinely altered – covered with Christ’s righteousness, which renders an incorruptibility of our souls, allowing us to remain in God’s presence. This renovation is called being ‘born again.’ It is a spiritual change that guarantees our arrival to our eternal destination, and helps us overcome whatever appears against us on earth.            

So be truly glad. There is a wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold.

So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. 1 Pt. 1:6, 7. NLT

You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls. 1 Pt. 1:8, 9. NLT

            Peter is exhorting Christ’s followers, showing them that regardless of what life throws at them, they should respond with joy – knowing that God is building their faith in Christ. When they do that, it brings a positive increase to their heavenly account – glorifying them for their endurance.

            Jehovah never said life would be easy. However, through Jesus, He fills you with His boundless love and joy, and builds a hedge surrounding you, of His mercy and protection – empowering you to transcend your trials as, you complete your earthly journey.

            It is your faith in those very promises of God, that form the bedrock of your joy. Faith reminds you that you shall come face to face with your Savior and walk hand in hand with Him into eternity.

            So, how do we keep our faith focused upon Jehovah’s promises?

So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world.

So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. 1 Pt. 1:13 – 15. NLT

And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So, you must live in reverent fear of him during your time here as “temporary residents.” 1 Pt. 1:17 NLT

For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid in mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but now in these last days he has been revealed for your sake.

Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory. 1 Pt. 1:18 – 22. NLT

            Thus, our focus is trained upon the magnanimity of Jehovah’s gift of salvation, through Christ, that no one can take away. We honor God with our obedience – displaying our gratitude for His ultimate blessing, and for the willingness of Jesus to step up and be that.

            With all that grateful love flowing out of us, we should then see dramatic changes in who we are being:

You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart. For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God. 1 Pt. 1:22, 23. NLT

            Ultimately and always, when it comes to the Father and the Son, it’s all about the love. And They expect to see that reflected in us:

So, get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech. Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. 1 Pt. 2:1, 2. NLT

You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor.

And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. 1 Pt. 2:4, 5. NLT

            As we continue to marinate in the word of God, holding tightly to His Son, we become more like Jesus – as ambassadors of love:

…for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

“Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy. 1 Pt. 2:9, 10. (See also Hos. 1:6, 9; & 2:23.)

            Peter is primarily addressing the Jews, being returned to the fold of their Creator, via the New Covenant church. (Note: some biblical translators take this to mean that there is a new  ‘church,’ representative of a new spiritual Israel, transcending both geography and genealogy. However, the apostle’s primary audience was the Jews).

            Nevertheless, we, Jews, and Gentiles alike, are to set ourselves up as behavioral examples of faith, to attract others to our church:

…I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world. 1 Pt. 2:11, 12. NLT

            The children of God are just passing through this earthly experience – exiled because we stand in opposition to the ways of the world, which in turn, brings the Holy Spirit’s conviction upon its head.

            Jehovah is telling us to render behavior so obviously godly, that it will falsify our distractor’s criticisms.

Furthermore, even though the world will vilify believers, God calls His children to rise above the world’s hostility, and coexist peacefully with it:

For the Lord’s sake, submit to all human authority – whether the king as head of state, or the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish those who do wrong and to honor those who do right.

It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you. For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom to do evil. Respect everyone, and love the family of believers. Fear God and respect the king. 1 Pt. 2:13 – 17. NLT

            Always remember the exception, however. If governing bodies / persons declare that we should act in a manner that goes against the word of God, we shall not submit to that declaration (see Acts 5:29).

            Okay, God has made everything crystal clear that He would have us do / behave / think so far. But why should that motivate us to love in the face of suffering?

For God is pleased when, conscious of his will, you will patiently endure unjust treatment. Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing something wrong. But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you.

For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps. 1 Pt. 2:19 – 21. NLT

He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone. He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly.

He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed. 1 Pt. 2:22 – 24. NLT (See also Is. 52:13 – 53:12; & Rm. 6:1 – 14.)

            The ‘why’ we can love in the face of suffering, stems from our loving gratitude that acknowledges what Christ submitted Himself to, so that we may be healed from our self-inflicted ‘sin wounds’.

            He made the ultimate sacrifice – laying down His life to ensure our righteousness before Jehovah. We are called to make our best effort to emulate Christ, so that we too, can face unrighteousness with resolve, yet doing so, with a loving example that will encourage others to make that same commitment.

            We can empathize with other sinners, because of similar behaviors that we engaged in, when we were part of the world and its ways:

Once you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls. 1 Pt. 2:25 NLT

            We received the blessings of unconditional love; our job is to pass them on…

Goodnight and God bless.