Jesus Christ didn’t run from, resist, or complain about His fate. He accepted it, submitted to it, and suffered it because it was God’s Will. We must do the same whenever we face suffering, slander, and attacks because of our Christian beliefs. We must endure, because Christ suffered for us.
Hello Readers, hope all’s well. Time for another End Times post.
In the previous End Times post we looked at 1 Peter 2. I wrote about how this world is not our home, and we shouldn’t get comfortable here or attached to it. As you already know, this also means we shouldn’t mourn for the end of this fallen world either. When Jesus returns, soon, and this world is destroyed, it’s not something to be sad about. The end of this fallen world is the beginning of God’s new world, and God’s true vision for humanity. See Revelation 21 and 22 for more.
Today we’re going to continue with 1 Peter, looking at chapters 2 and 4. Today we’re going to learn more from Scripture about the suffering we will endure in this world for our Christian beliefs. Why does the world slander and mock us for our beliefs, or even give us worse abuse? And what do Christ and Scripture have to say about this? Let’s look at 1 Peter chapters 2 and 4, and see if we can find out.
Christ Showed Us how to Respond
In the previous post I said that when we live different than the world does, we stand out. And sometimes when we stand out, we become easy targets for slander and insults. Oftentimes people don’t like it when they see someone being different. And people living in sin hate it when they see someone living a devout life. Their own conscience convicts them, and they recognize that the devout, Faithful person is living the right way while the sinner isn’t. They understand this (even if its only subconscious), and the truth hurts.
And since they’re hurt, they get angry. And since they’re angry, they lash out at what angers them. In this case, the easy target that stands out. The devout, Faithful, Righteous person and their life.
While we’re stuck here in this fallen world that isn’t our true home, and while we live Righteously instead of how the world lives, then we will become targets like this. Again, the example of our lives will stand out, which I wrote about in the previous post. So how do we deal with these attacks?
That’s simple. We turn the other cheek as always, like Jesus taught us in Matthew 5:38-40, and like He taught us through His example. We turn the other cheek, enduring this abuse, these attacks. And then, we go on with our life. We continue living Righteously. Because who can stop us from living Righteously?
People can attack us, abuse us, and more. But can they control our life? More importantly, can they control our inner thoughts? No, they can’t, no one can if we don’t let them. People can attack and abuse us, but they can’t force us to stop living Righteously. We always have the choice and the power to obey God’s Word no matter what other people do. That choice and that power is always ours, because we are the ones in control of our thoughts and actions.
For more on this, let’s turn to Scripture. Let’s go back to 1 Peter 2 today, this time to verses 20 through 24. Let’s read:
(20) But what praise comes from enduring patiently when you have sinned and are beaten for it? But if you endure steadfastly when you’ve done good and suffer for it, this is commendable before God.
1 Peter 2:20-24 (CEB)
(21) You were called to this kind of endurance, because Christ suffered on your behalf. He left you an example so that you might follow in his footsteps. (22) He committed no sin, nor did he ever speak in ways meant to deceive. (23) When he was insulted, he did not reply with insults. When he suffered, he did not threaten revenge. Instead, he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly. (24) He carried in his own body on the cross the sins we committed. He did this so that we might live in righteousness, having nothing to do with sin. By his wounds you were healed.
Suffering for doing good is commendable before God. It honors Him. And Jesus called us to this endurance. He calls us to endure suffering and slander for doing good, for living a Righteous Christian life. He calls us to endure the abuse we receive because He suffered the ultimate pain and humiliation for us. We aren’t being called to suffer what He suffered, we aren’t being called to get crucified.
Well … not yet, anyway. As we get closer to His return, there will definitely be increased persecution of Christians. Christians will even be jailed and put to death for our beliefs. But that’s OK. We know these things will happen, and that we’ve been called to endure this suffering. Those who keep the Faith till the bitter End will be Saved and triumphant!
The important thing is that we endure this suffering. That means not running from it, fighting it, complaining about how unjust it is, or anything else. We have to endure the suffering. That’s the example that Christ showed us.
Jesus Christ didn’t run from, resist, or complain about His fate. He accepted it, submitted to it, and suffered it because it was God’s Will. We must do the same whenever we face suffering, slander, and attacks because of our Christian beliefs. We must endure, because Christ suffered for us.
And in His suffering He gave us the one example to follow. Endure it, don’t fight it. Because our suffering is part of God’s Plan for our life. If we don’t submit to this suffering and accept it, then we’re rebelling against God’s Plan by insisting on our own will. We’re saying “my will be done” instead of “Thy Will [God’s Will] be done.” And that’s the essence of satanism. See Part 40 for more on that.
Verse 23 tells us more about Jesus’ example. He never fought back against those who abused Him. He endured insults without replying. He never tried to get revenge on any who hurt Him. Instead, He left vengeance, payback, and judgment up to the LORD, the Just Judge, like Romans 12:19 commands us to do.
(23) When he was insulted, he did not reply with insults. When he suffered, he did not threaten revenge. Instead, he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly.
1 Peter 2:23 (CEB)
So, we must never fight fire with fire. Evil can’t defeat evil, only love and Righteousness can do that. So if we’re insulted, we have to endure it. If we’re attacked, we have to give up on payback. We have to accept and endure our suffering in obedience to God.
Jesus’ example is so much more incredible when we realize how much power Jesus had for fighting back. He had God’s Power, He had the Ultimate Power. But He never chose to use it to fight anyone, because that wasn’t God’s Plan. And Jesus submitted to God’s Plan in Faith, despite the suffering He had to endure.
To me, nothing does a better job of showing this than Matthew 26:53. When the Romans came to arrest Jesus, He didn’t resist them. He told the Disciple who resorted to violence that if He wanted, He could ask His Father the LORD for more than twelve legions of angels, and they would come right away! Even one angel could have killed all the Romans in a heartbeat, and Jesus could have done the same. But He didn’t choose to do that, because the path of vengeance and fighting was not God’s Plan. Jesus did not fight God’s Plan, or His suffering.
(52) Then Jesus said to him, “Put the sword back into its place. All those who use the sword will die by the sword. (53) Or do you think that I’m not able to ask my Father and he will send to me more than twelve battle groups of angels right away? (54) But if I did that, how would the scriptures be fulfilled that say this must happen?”
Matthew 26:52-54 (CEB)
Remember the example Jesus showed us. Think about it often. He endured horrible abuse, but never lifted a finger to resist or fight back. And He never opened His mouth to complain about it. He submitted to God’s Will, even at the end when it meant His own painful death.
And now He calls us to endure our share of suffering too. That means the suffering and slander we endure right now, for praising His name and living Righteously in obedience to His Word. But it also means the future suffering, persecution, and death we’re going to face in the future, as the End grows closer. In every circumstance, we must accept and endure the suffering we receive for loving Jesus.
But there’s good news in all this! When we suffer for Jesus’ sake, when we suffer for our beliefs, we please and glorify God.
Share His Suffering, Share His Glory
Moving on to 1 Peter 4, first we learn more about why the world persecutes us for our beliefs. Then, we learn about what happens to us Spiritually when we endure our suffering.
First let’s start with 1 Peter 4:1-5. Here we once again see that the world finds our ways strange, because as Christians we don’t live like them. What the world finds strange, it attacks. Let’s read:
(1) Therefore, since Christ suffered as a human, you should also arm yourselves with his way of thinking. This is because whoever suffers is finished with sin. (2) As a result, they don’t live the rest of their human lives in ways determined by human desires but in ways determined by God’s will. (3) You have wasted enough time doing what unbelievers desire—living in their unrestrained immorality and lust, their drunkenness and excessive feasting and wild parties, and their forbidden worship of idols. (4) They think it’s strange that you don’t join in these activities with the same flood of unrestrained wickedness. So they slander you. (5) They will have to reckon with the one who is ready to judge the living and the dead.
1 Peter 4:1-5 (CEB)
So we must arm ourselves with Christ’s way of thinking. As Christians, we’re meant to be done with sin. Sure, we still have sins of our own to overcome. I’ve written about that battle against our own sins many times on this blog. But we’re done living in sin once we accept Christ.
We don’t follow the desires of the flesh anymore, indulging in whatever short-lived worldly pleasure our body craves at the moment. We’ve wasted enough time doing that in our lives before we accepted Jesus as our LORD and Savior, like verse 3 describes. So now that we don’t live like that anymore, the world finds it strange, like verse 4 explains. And that’s why they slander us.
But as verse 5 says, those who abuse us for our Christian beliefs will have to answer to the LORD, who judges the living and the dead. We must not be pleased with their eventual fate because of what they did to us. No, we must do all we can to love them, show them our love, and try to wake them up from their life of sin. We have to do what we can to warn them that their judgment is coming. It’s on them to act, but we have to warn them all the same. See Part 52 for more on that.
Moving on, in verses 12-14 we learn about what happens to us Spiritually when we endure our suffering. Let’s read:
(12) Dear friends, don’t be surprised about the fiery trials that have come among you to test you. These are not strange happenings. (13) Instead, rejoice as you share Christ’s suffering. You share his suffering now so that you may also have overwhelming joy when his glory is revealed. (14) If you are mocked because of Christ’s name, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory—indeed, the Spirit of God—rests on you.
1 Peter 4:12-14 (CEB)
First, we shouldn’t be surprised to suffer any of this abuse, or any other trial. We know suffering is a part of life here on this fallen world that isn’t our home. We’ll never be free of suffering until we reunite with our LORD in Heaven.
Instead we must rejoice to share Christ’s suffering! If we share His suffering now, enduring all the abuse we receive for evangelizing, living a Christian life, and obeying God’s Word, we will have overwhelming joy when Jesus returns in all His glory! Amen!
We honor Christ by enduring our suffering, like He endured His. We glorify His name by not fighting back against those who slander us, but instead continuing on in Righteousness. We glorify our LORD by following His example, especially when it means suffering or even death for us. If we can keep enduring this till the end, then we will also share in Christ’s Glory. Our suffering will be rewarded.
And Spiritually speaking, verse 14 explains that when we’re mocked for being Christians, we’re blessed. The Spirit of God rests on us when we’re mocked and slandered for being Christians. Remember, Jesus told us that the world would hate us because of His name (Matthew 10:22). This should be no surprise to us. Instead, let’s rejoice that God’s Spirit rests on us when we are slandered and ridiculed for our Christianity.
Continue on in Righteousness
To finish up, let’s look at the last verses of 1 Peter 4. These verses teach us how to handle this suffering we endure.
In verses 15 through 19, we learn what to do when we suffer because we obey God’s Word and follow His Will. And that’s simple … Keep Calm and Carry On!
(15) Now none of you should suffer as a murderer or thief or evildoer or rebel. (16) But don’t be ashamed if you suffer as one who belongs to Christ. Rather, honor God as you bear Christ’s name. Give honor to God, (17) because it’s time for judgment to begin with God’s own household. But if judgment starts with us, what will happen to those who refuse to believe God’s good news? (18) If the righteous are barely rescued, what will happen to the godless and sinful? (19) So then, those who suffer because they follow God’s will should commit their lives to a trustworthy creator by doing what is right.
1 Peter 2:15-19 (CEB)
So it starts out saying we should never be targeted for this suffering because we’re sinning. If we’re murderers or thieves then we deserve the suffering the world gives us in return. God won’t bless us for enduring that kind of suffering.
But if we suffer because we love Christ, confess Him as our LORD and Savior, and obey His Will, then we must never be ashamed of that suffering. This is a part of what we signed up for. So let’s grin and bear it, standing firm in our belief in Christ despite the pain of the abuse.
In the same way Jesus gave up on vengeance and instead trusted to the LORD, who judges all, so must we. Verses 17 and 18 give a dire warning for those who mock us for our Christianity. If the Righteous will only barely be rescued, because of their Faith, then what will happen to the faithless? How will the godless and sinful people be judged? It won’t go well for them, that much is for sure. If they were Wise they would change their ways and stop their slander and abuse. We must never delight in anyone being condemned in judgment like them. Which is why we must love even those who abuse us, and do all we can to warn them of what will happen to them. Even they deserve a chance to change their ways and reform.
As for us, we must continue on in Righteousness, as we were. What else is there to do? If we suffer for living as a Christian, obeying God’s Word and confessing Him as our LORD and Savior, then we suffer for the right reasons. All we need to do is keep having Faith and living Righteously then. All we need to do is continue doing right, like verse 19 says.
The abuse we suffer for our Christianity is never pleasant, but it’s also to be expected. We have to suffer through and endure it, because Jesus suffered for us. Any abuse we suffer for living Righteously and confessing Jesus is no reason for us to get off track with our Christian path.. And none of this abuse has the power to knock us off our Christian path. Only we can choose to do that.
So let’s make the right choice: Endure obediently, as Christ calls us to do, and carry on in Righteousness.
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Until next time, be strong and do good!
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