20240819

the time has come

1 Peter 4:14-19 (JDV)

1 Peter 4:14 If you are ridiculed for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Breath of glory and of God rests on you.
1 Peter 4:15 Let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or a revolutionist.
1 Peter 4:16 But if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed but let him glorify God in having that name.
1 Peter 4:17 For the time has come for judgment to begin with God’s household, and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who disobey the gospel of God?
1 Peter 4:18 And if a righteous person is saved with difficulty, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?
1 Peter 4:19 So then, let those who suffer according to God’s preference entrust themselves to a faithful Creator while doing what is good.

the time has come

Peter’s words about persecution carry a sober realism and a steadying hope. He is not speaking about general hardship or the ordinary pains of life but about the specific suffering that comes from bearing the name of Christ in a hostile world. To suffer as a Christian is not a mark of shame but a mark of belonging. It identifies the believer with the crucified and risen Lord, and for that reason Peter urges his readers to glorify God in the midst of it. Their suffering is not random; it is tied to their identity and their mission.

Peter also places this suffering within the framework of divine judgment. Judgment begins with the household of God—not because God is against his people, but because he purifies what belongs to him. The refining fire that touches believers now is not destructive; it is corrective, strengthening, and clarifying. It prepares them for the glory to come. But the same fire that purifies God’s people will ultimately consume their enemies. What begins with the church will end with the destruction of those who oppose Christ and persecute his people. The contrast is stark: temporary suffering for the faithful, final ruin for the rebellious.

This perspective reshapes how believers endure persecution. Instead of fear, resentment, or despair, Peter calls for entrustment. Entrust the soul to the Creator—the One who made, sustains, and guards. Entrusting oneself to God is not passive resignation but active confidence. It is the settled conviction that the Creator is faithful, that he sees, that he judges rightly, and that he will vindicate his people. The persecuted believer does not need to secure personal victory; final victory belongs to God.

Peter’s exhortation therefore becomes a call to steadfastness. Suffering for Christ is not a sign of defeat but a sign that the believer stands on the right side of history. The world may mock, threaten, or harm, but its power is temporary. God’s verdict is final. The persecuted church is not abandoned; it is being refined. The persecutors are not triumphant; they are heading toward judgment.

In that light, glorifying God in suffering becomes not only possible but fitting. The Creator holds the future. Christ will return in glory. The enemies of the gospel will fall. And those who entrust themselves to God will share in the victory that is already secured.