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Scripture Reading: 1 Pet. 4:12-19
In this message we come to 4:12-19. This section of 1 Peter speaks of rejoicing in sharing the sufferings of Christ.
In verse 12 Peter says, “Beloved, do not think the fiery ordeal among you is strange, which is coming to you for a trial, as a strange thing happening to you.” The Greek, for fiery ordeal, purosei, means burning, signifying the burning of a smelting furnace for the purification of gold and silver (Prov. 27:21; Psa. 66:10), like the metaphor used in 1:7. Peter considered the persecution the believers suffered as such a burning furnace used by God to purify their life. This is God’s way to deal with the believers in the judgment of His governmental administration, which begins from His own household (4:17-19). The Greek word for strange in verse 12 is xenizo, the same as the word used in verse 4. Fiery persecution is common to the believers. They should not think it is strange or alien to them and be surprised and astonished by it. This persecution is a trial, a testing.
Peter’s use of the metaphor of a burning furnace in verse 12 indicates that today the Lord is using persecutions and trials as a furnace to serve a positive purpose. The positive purpose served by persecution and trial is the purification of our life. We can be compared to gold and silver. However, we still have some amount of dross. Therefore, we need purification. As gold and silver are purified through burning, we also need to be purified in this way. In verse 12 Peter tells the believers not to regard the fiery ordeal as strange. As Christians, we should realize that fiery ordeals are common. Persecutions and trials are the common experience of Christians. Such things are not strange, alien, foreign, to us. On the contrary, they are common, for we have been appointed to them. It is our destiny to suffer in this age. Of course, this is not our eternal destiny. God has not destined us to suffer in eternity, but He surely has destined us to suffer in this age.
In verse 13 Peter continues, “But according as you share the sufferings of Christ, rejoice, that at the unveiling of His glory you may also rejoice exultingly.” Although persecution is a trial that purifies us through burning, eventually Peter says that by experiencing such a fiery ordeal we share, participate in, the sufferings of Christ. Here Peter is saying that it is possible for the sufferings a Christian undergoes to be the sufferings of Christ. How can the persecutions suffered by us be the sufferings of Christ? If we were not Christians, we certainly would not suffer the kind of persecution described in verses 12 and 13. Such persecutions are due to the fact that we are Christians, men of Christ. Because we believe in Christ, love Christ, live Christ, bear testimony to Christ, witnessing of Him in this age, the world rises up against us. This age is under the hand of the evil one, and for this reason unbelieving ones persecute those who believe in Christ and witness of Him. In the sight of God this kind of suffering is regarded as the sufferings of Christ. For example, a certain brother may have had the opportunity to become rich. But because he believes in Christ, loves Christ, and follows Christ, his business may suffer, and he may lose the opportunity to become wealthy. Actually, he may even be in poverty. This kind of poverty is the suffering of Christ. Those sufferings that are for Christ are counted by God as the sufferings of Christ.
Christ lived a life of suffering, a suffering life. Now we are His partners living the same kind of life. According to the book of Hebrews, we are not only partakers of Christ but are also His partners (Heb. 3:14). We cooperate with Him in living a life of suffering. We follow Him along the way of suffering. This means that what Christ suffered, we also suffer. Therefore, when we suffer for Christ in this way, our sufferings are counted by God as the sufferings of Christ.
We should not be discouraged because we must suffer as Christians. These sufferings are positive and very precious. What a privilege it is to experience the sufferings of Christ! Paul could even say that he made up what was lacking of the sufferings of Christ for the sake of His Body, the church (Col. 1:24). He also speaks in Philippians 3:10 concerning the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings. Today we should be Christians, followers of Christ, who undergo the sufferings of Christ. We need to participate not only in the riches of Christ, but also in the sufferings of Christ. If we take this point of view, we shall be encouraged whenever we suffer for Christ. We may even welcome this kind of suffering. Yes, we may face fiery ordeals, but these are the sufferings of Christ in which we have the privilege to participate.
In verse 13 Peter says that as we share the sufferings of Christ, we should rejoice so that at the unveiling of His glory we may rejoice exultingly. In this verse Peter speaks of rejoicing exultingly. According to my understanding, this means that we shall not only be joyful inwardly, but we shall sound out our joy. At the same time, we may stretch forth our arms and also leap for joy. This is to exult and to rejoice exultingly. At the time of the unveiling of the Lord’s glory, we shall exult. I believe that we shall shout, rejoice, and perhaps even leap for joy. We shall be excited to the uttermost, beside ourselves with joy. Today we may rejoice, but when the Lord is unveiled we shall rejoice exultingly.
In verse 14 Peter goes on to say, “If you are reproached in the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.” “In the name of Christ” is actually in the person of Christ, in Christ Himself, because the name denotes the person. The believers, having believed into Christ (John 3:15), and having been baptized into His name (Acts 19:5), that is, into Himself (Gal. 3:27), are in Christ (1 Cor. 1:30) and one with Him (1 Cor. 6:17). When they are reproached in His name, they are reproached with Him, sharing His sufferings, in the fellowship of His sufferings (Phil. 3:10).
The reason the persecutions we suffer are the sufferings of Christ is that we suffer in the name of Christ. According to Peter’s word in verse 14, we are blessed if we are reproached in the name of Christ. Do not think that it is a curse to be reproached in the name of Christ. This is to be blessed. However, it may be a curse if people appreciate us too highly. Regarding this matter, we need to have a change of concept.
Today the opposers spread rumors concerning us and accuse us of teaching heresy. I can testify that I am a fundamental Christian and that I love the holy Word very much. I do not teach anything except the Bible with Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, I am accused of teaching heresy. In a sense, I welcome this kind of reproach, for it is actually a blessing, not a curse.
Peter tells us in verse 14 that if we are reproached in the name of Christ, the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon us. Literally, the Greek says “the Spirit of glory and that of God.” The Spirit of glory is the Spirit of God. The Spirit of glory is the One through whom Christ was glorified in His resurrection (Rom. 8:11). This very Spirit of glory, being the Spirit of God Himself, rests upon the suffering believers in their persecution for the glorification of the resurrected and exalted Christ, who is now in glory.
In this Epistle Peter mentions the Spirit of God four times. In 1:2 he speaks of the sanctification of the Spirit, in 1:11 he says that the Spirit of Christ was in the Old Testament prophets, and in 1:12 he speaks of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Here in 4:14 Peter says that the Spirit of glory rests upon the persecuted believers. According to what Peter says in this Epistle, the Spirit of Christ is in us, and the Spirit of glory rests upon us. The Spirit of Christ is in us to reveal all that Christ is to us for our enjoyment. The Spirit of glory rests upon us to glorify God. One aspect of this wonderful Spirit is that the Spirit is in us to reveal Christ, and another aspect of the same Spirit is that He is also the Spirit of glory resting upon us.
The more we suffer and are persecuted, the more glory there will be upon us. This is truly a blessing. I can testify that the more I am persecuted and evil spoken of, the more I am empowered. Persecution and reproach does not hold me down. On the contrary, it lifts me up. Therefore, we should rejoice when we are reproached in the name of Christ, because the Spirit of glory is resting upon us.
Verse 15 says, “For let none of you suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or an evildoer, or as a meddler into others’ affairs.” Literally, “a meddler into others’ affairs” is an overseer of others’ affairs. This denotes one who causes trouble by interfering in others’ business. If we are careless in the church life, we may interfere, meddle, with the affairs of others. To gossip about the saints is to interfere with others’ affairs. If we suffer because we do such things, that kind of suffering does not mean anything. It is part of the vain manner of life.
In verse 16 Peter continues, “But if as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this name.” In verses 14 and 16 we have two names. The first name is Christ, and the second name is Christian. If we suffer because of these two names, that is glorious. This kind of suffering is a glory to God. It glorifies God because, when we suffer in the name of Christ and as Christians, the Spirit of God, who is the Spirit of glory, rests upon us. When we suffer for Christ, glory rests upon us, and that glory is actually the Spirit of glory Himself.
The Greek word for Christian is Christianos, a word of Latin formation. The ending -ianos, denoting an adherent of someone, was applied to slaves belonging to the great families in the Roman Empire. Those who worshipped the emperor, the Caesar — Kaisar, were called Kaisarianos, which means the adherents of Kaisar, the people belonging to Kaisar. When people believed in Christ and became His followers, this caused some in the Empire to consider Christ as a rival of their Kaisar. Then at Antioch (Acts 11:26), they began to call the followers of Christ Christianos (Christians), adherents of Christ, as a nickname, a term of reproach. Hence, in this verse it says “as a Christian, let him not be ashamed”; that is, if any believer suffers from the persecutors who contemptuously call him a Christian, he should not feel ashamed but glorify God in this name.
Today the term Christian should bear a positive significance, that is, a man of Christ, one who is one with Christ, not only belonging to Him, but having His life and nature in an organic union with Him, and who is living by Him, even living Him, in his daily life. If we suffer for being such a person, we should not feel ashamed, but be bold to magnify Christ in our confession by our holy and excellent manner of life to glorify, express, God in this name. To glorify God is to express Him in glory.
In verse 17 Peter says, “Because it is time for the judgment to begin from the house of God; and if first from us, what will be the end of those who disobey the gospel of God?” This book shows the government of God especially in His dealings with His chosen people. The sufferings they undergo in fiery persecution are used by Him as a means to judge them that they may be disciplined, purified, and separated from the unbelievers and not have the same destiny as the unbelievers. Hence, such disciplinary judgment begins from His own household.
As we have pointed out, Peter’s use of the word “judgment” in verse 17 indicates that persecutions and sufferings are a kind of judgment. This judgment, however, is not for condemnation to eternal perdition. It is a judgment for discipline, a dispensational discipline to purify our life. This judgment is a fiery ordeal, a burning furnace, to purify us and remove any dross. We can be compared to gold, but we still have a certain amount of dross from which we need to be purified. No teaching or fellowship can accomplish this purification. The disciplinary judgment of the burning furnace is necessary to carry it out.
The thought of dispensational discipline is found not only in the writings of Peter, but also in the Epistles of Paul. Paul deals with this matter in 1 Corinthians 11:27-32. In verses 27 through 29 Paul says, “So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner shall be guilty of the body and of the blood of the Lord. But let a man prove himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who is eating and drinking, eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the body.” To eat the bread and drink the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner is to fail to evaluate the significance of the bread and the cup of the Lord, which signify His body broken for us and His blood shed for our sins through His death for our redemption. For anyone to be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord is to bring judgment upon himself. In verse 29 Paul uses the word judgment, saying that the one who does not discern the body eats and drinks judgment to himself. To eat the bread or drink the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner brings judgment to us. This judgment is not eternal condemnation; it is the Lord’s temporary discipline.
Paul goes on to speak of this temporary discipline in 1 Corinthians 11:30-32. In verse 30 he says, “Because of this many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep.” This is the discipline, the temporary judgment of the Lord, on the unworthy participants in the Lord’s body. The Lord first disciplined them so that they were weak physically. Then, since they would not repent of their offense, further discipline caused them to become sick. Because they still would not repent, the Lord judged them by death. To die this way is equivalent to what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:5 about being strewn along in the wilderness. This verse is a clear illustration of what we mean by God’s dispensational discipline.
In verses 31 and 32 Paul goes on to say, “But if we discerned ourselves, we should not be judged; but when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined that we may not be condemned with the world.” This indicates that if we judge ourselves, we shall not be judged. The judgment in verse 32 is not for eternal perdition. In this verse, to be judged by the Lord indicates that when we, the believers, those who love the Lord Jesus, are judged by the Lord, it is that we may not be condemned with the world. To be judged by the Lord is temporary, but to be condemned with the world is eternal. The condemnation of the world is for eternal perdition. But the judgment we suffer today is for dispensational discipline, not for eternal perdition.
We should not be ignorant of what the Bible says concerning God’s judgment. Many of today’s Christians do not know anything about God’s dispensational discipline. When they read about judgment, they may say, “Oh, we have been redeemed by the Lord, and we can never be judged. It is heretical for anyone to teach that a Christian can be judged by God.” As we have seen, this is not a heretical teaching or anyone’s personal teaching. This is the teaching of the holy Word. The matter of God’s dispensational discipline was taught by both Peter and Paul. Therefore, we need to believe and accept this teaching from the pure Word of God.
According to the Bible, God in His government carries out His universal administration by different kinds of judgment. We should not have the concept that God is not judging the world today. God’s judgment is everywhere. Every nation is under His judgment. According to the record in Matthew 25, at the time of the Lord’s coming back, all the living ones will be judged. At the end of the millennium, all the dead unbelievers will be judged by the Lord at the white throne. Thus, there will be the judgment of the living and the dead.
Between these two judgments, there will be a period of a thousand years, the millennium. Immediately before the beginning of the millennium there will be the judgment of all the living nations. At that time, the Lord will gather all the living Gentiles to His throne of glory for judgment. Many will be judged as “goats,” and will be sent to the lake of fire. Instead of passing through Hades, they will go directly to the lake of fire. Their entire being — body, soul, and spirit — will be cast into the lake of fire. After the millennium, the Lord Jesus will judge the dead unbelievers at the white throne. At that time, He will also judge the demons. Then the unbelievers and the demons will be cast into the lake of fire. This judgment will be the judgment for eternal perdition.
We, the saved ones, will not have any share in the judgment for eternal perdition. There is no need for us to be afraid of that judgment. As far as judgment for eternal perdition is concerned, God has passed over us in Christ as our Passover Lamb. However, we should not think that, because God has passed over us concerning this judgment, we could not have any problems and will not suffer the judgment of God’s dispensational discipline.
Our situation as believers in Christ can be compared to that of the children of Israel. They experienced the Passover, and they were redeemed by the Passover lamb. After they made their exodus from Egypt and crossed the Red Sea, they enjoyed the living water out of the cleft rock and the heavenly manna. They saw the miracles God did for them. Nevertheless, out of more than two million people who came out of Egypt, only two, Joshua and Caleb, escaped the judgment of God leading to death. All the remainder, including Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, died under God’s judgment. This does not mean that they were under God’s curse. It means that they were under the judgment of God’s dispensational discipline. As we have pointed out, this kind of judgment is not for eternal perdition. It is related absolutely to God’s dispensational dealing. Moses, of course, was saved. God intended to preserve his body so that Moses could appear on the mount of transfiguration to be with the Lord. But because Moses made a mistake, God apportioned to him a particular disciplinary judgment.
Because many Christians today are veiled by traditional teachings, I would urge you to come back to the clear and pure Word of God, which is unveiling and enlightening. According to the Word of God, we know that God carries out His government by different kinds of judgment. These judgments include both the judgment for eternal perdition and the judgment for dispensational discipline.
God’s judgment for dispensational discipline is absolutely different from the Catholic concept of purgatory. Many years ago, I was falsely accused of teaching a doctrine of purgatory. The teaching concerning purgatory is false and heretical. But to teach the matter of disciplinary judgment, a discipline that is dispensational, is altogether according to the Scriptures. This teaching has nothing to do with purgatory, and it certainly is not heretical.
We need to see the truth concerning God’s judgment and have a holy fear of God. As Paul indicates in 1 Corinthians 11, we need to be careful in taking the Lord’s table. It is a great blessing to partake of the Lord’s table. However, we need to take of the bread and of the cup with discernment. If we are careless in this matter, we shall eat and drink judgment upon ourselves. This judgment may involve weakness, sickness, or even death. Weakness is a warning, and sickness is a further warning. If we do not care for these warnings, we may experience the judgment of death. This judgment is God’s discipline, a discipline that is a dispensational judgment exercised over the believers who are wrong in certain matters. This is one of the basic teachings of the apostles, and it was taught by both Peter and Paul.
