“A Design for Our Distresses”
1 Peter 1:6-7
Review
First Peter can easily be divided into four sections: (1) the Salvation of Believers (1:1-12), (2) the Sanctification of Believers (1:13-2:12), (3) the Submission of Believers (2:13-3:12), and the Suffering of Believers (3:13-5:14). In 1 Peter 1:1-12, Peter establishes theological truths about the salvation of believers. He wants us to clearly understand what salvation means to believers. We have learned that we were chosen by God (1-2) and that we have the promise of a great future (3-5). This week we will learn that there is a design for our distresses (6-7).
I. The Salvation of Believers (1:1-12)
A. Chosen by God (1:1-2)
B. The Promise of a Great Future (1:3-5)
C. A Design for our Distresses (1:6-7)
D. A Faith that Saves (1:8-9)
E. A Much Admired Salvation (1:10-12)
Text
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, 7 that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ…”
Transition
In verse six, Peter shows us two great reasons for joy. When he writes: “…in this you greatly rejoice…”, the word “this” refers to the first reason for great joy. It refers back to what we saw last week in verses 3-5. In other words, the first reason for our joy is God’s promise of a great future. While verses 3-5 point out that…
· the inheritance out there waiting for us is imperishable and unfading,
· we are being kept for it, and
· no matter what distresses we face we can look beyond them to the sure future that is coming and take heart
…verses 6-7 teach us that the distresses themselves have a part in getting us ready to enjoy the inheritance to the fullest possible measure. Thus, the second reason for our joy is that God has a design for our distresses in this life. We don't just look beyond the distresses to the sure hope. Rather, we should look at God's design in the distresses and see how God is working the distresses together for our good. [1]
To help you understand this design, let us consider what this passage teaches us about:
- The Necessity of Suffering
- The Nature of Suffering
- The Net Result of Suffering
The Necessity of Suffering
First, the necessity of suffering. Suppose, while driving to your Community Group, you are involved in a very serious accident which leaves you permanently injured. While in the hospital, you learn that you had not gotten word that the Community Group had been canceled. How easy would it be to immediately respond: “My suffering was completely unnecessary! It could have been avoided.” Peter says more in this text than suffering is to be expected.[2] Peter says that suffering is also necessary. It is essential that we grasp that our distresses are designed by and are necessary for our good.[3]
Where do I get this idea that our distresses are designed by and are necessary for our good? I get it from the phrase "if necessary" in verse 6 and the word "that" or "so that" at the beginning of verse 7. Verse 6 says: "In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials." Who or what is making the distress of these trials "necessary"? The answer is God. Peter makes it plain that Christian distress only happens if God wills it. Peter is teaching that the sovereign will of God governs all the distresses that happen to us and, therefore the design in them is not ultimately the design of evil men or the design of Satan, but is a design of God. So when Peter says in verse 6: "…if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials," he means, "If God deems it necessary."[4]
But why would God do that? This leads us to the word "that" or "so that" at the beginning of verse 7. This gives the reason why God would deem it necessary that we be distressed by various trials: "that (or so that) the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ." What this verse does is spell out the design of our distresses. The design is that our distresses would refine the genuineness of our faith the way fire refines gold so that when Christ comes back the quality of our faith would win praise and glory and honor.[5]
Now I know that this raises a painful and troubling question. We are talking about your and my real life this very day. Does God really will the break-up of your marriage, your cancer, your homosexual orientation, the rebellion of your child, the loss of your job, the difficult boss, etc.? I will give you my answer, which I believe to be the Biblical one, based on texts like 1 Peter 3:17 and 4:19. The answer is no and yes. No, in the sense that He does not delight in pain for its own sake. He does not command sin or approve of sinning. But yes, He does will that these things be, in the sense that He could prevent any of those things but sometimes does not. He does not endorse or approve sinning, but He can and does will that sinful acts come about for His own holy designs. When Christ was murdered on the cross, it was sin, but God willed that it happen: "It was the will of the Lord to bruise him" (Isaiah 53:10). And by that will we are saved (see also Acts 2:23).[6]
The Nature of Suffering
The first thing that we can say about God’s design for our distress from this text is that it is necessary. The second thing we can say about God’s design for our distress from this text is that it is diverse, grievous, yet brief.
1. Diverse
In God's design, our distresses are made up of various trials. Verse 6b: "if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials." J. Hampton Keathley III writes: “It may be cancer or a sore throat. It may be the illness or loss of someone close to you. It may be a personal failure or disappointment in your job or school work. It may be a rumor that is circulating in your office or your church, damaging your reputation, bringing you grief and anxiety.”40 It can be anything that ranges from something as small and irritating as the bite of a mosquito or the nagging of a gnat to the charge of an elephant or having to face a lion in the lions’ den as with Daniel” (Dan. 6).[7]
The point is that the variety of ways that we experience distress is great. God's design is to use a wide range of trials. There is not just one kind of trial in view here. God paints with many colors. God uses many tools in His toolbox. God uses many types of trials. In the design of God, it is something to make us think. It is a method God uses to get our attention and to accomplish His purposes in our lives in a way that would never occur without the trial or irritation.
2. Grievous
In God’s design, our distresses are also grievous. The word in verse 6: "you have been distressed by various trials," means grieved or sorrowed. Mark this well. When Peter says -- "In this you are rejoicing, though now for a little while in this life you are grieved" -- we know this is not a mistake. In God's design for our trials there is a place for real, authentic grieving and distress.
3. Yet Brief
In God’s design, our distresses are diverse, grievous, yet brief. Verse 6 again: "In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials." Brief is very relative, isn't it? If you say, "He can hold his breath a long time," you mean two or three minutes. That's long for breath-holding. But if you say, "He's been a pastor of the church for a long time, you mean perhaps 15 or 20 years." So it is with the phrase "a little while" in this verse. Compared to others and compared to a lifetime on earth, your distresses may last a long time not a little. But compared to eternity -- compared to the inheritance imperishable, undefiled, unfading kept in heaven for you -- they are only for a little time. Peter shares James' perspective on this life: "You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away" (James 4:14). Compared to the length and greatness of the future God has planned for you, all the distresses of this life are very little in deed (cf. 5:10).[8]
The Net Result of Suffering
The first thing that we can say about God’s design for our distress from this text is that it is necessary. The second thing we can say about God’s design for our distress from this text is that they are diverse, grievous, yet brief. The final thing that we can say about God’s design for suffering from this text is that it exposes false faith and reveals genuine faith.
How does suffering expose false faith? Suffering exposes false faith by testing it through affliction or persecution. Our Lord spoke of this in the parable of the soils:
“And other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil … And in a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away” (Mark 4:5, 16-17).
The seed or the gospel that is sown in the “impulsive” heart (i.e., rocky soil) produces a “fruitless” faith. That is, when the afflictions and persecutions of life arise, the faith of these so-called believers is found to be false. They fall away from the faith – not because they lack faith – but because it was a false faith.
We should not be surprised. Peter has already stated in this very epistle that those who:
- God caused to be born again (the “elect”)
- Have an inheritance reserved in heaven because
- Their faith (true faith) is protected by the power of God
Those protected by this power, will never fall away. Thus:
- Those whose faith is not protected by this power
- Will not have an inheritance reserved in heaven because
- They were not caused by God to be born again
That is, they were never given the “salvific” faith referred to in Ephesians 2:8-10. And the afflictions and persecutions of life exposed this “false” faith.
If suffering exposes false faith, how does it reveal genuine faith? The key word is proof (see also James 1:2-4). “Proof” is the word dokimion which looks at both the concept of testing which purifies, and the results, the proof that is left after the test. In other words, the Lord uses trials to test our faith in the sense of purifying it, to bring it to the surface, so we are forced to put our faith to work.[9]
The trials and tribulations of life prove not only the genuineness of our faith, but they strengthen and purify our faith as well (see also James 1:2-4; Hebrews 12:1-13). God wants our faith to grow, and suffering is one of the best stimulants to that growth. Peter likens the purification process by which God purifies and strengthens our faith to the process by which gold is purified and made precious.[10]
This concept puzzled some women in a Bible Study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out the process of refining gold and get back to the group at their next Bible Study. That week the woman called a goldsmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining gold. As she watched the goldsmith, he held a piece of gold over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining gold, one needed to hold the gold in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities. The woman thought about God holding US in such a hot spot. She asked the goldsmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the gold was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the gold, but to keep his eyes on the gold the entire time it was on fire. If the gold was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed. The woman was left silent for a moment. Then she asked the goldsmith, "How do you know when the gold is fully refined?" He smiled at her and answered, "Oh that's easy - - when I see my image on it."
Gold is purified by fire. The hotter the fire, the more impurities are burned off, and the more precious the gold becomes. So it is with our faith. The “fiery trials” (see 1 Peter 4:12) through which God puts His saints purifies our faith, so that when we stand in His presence in His kingdom, our faith will be found to be genuine and precious, resulting in praise, glory, and honor to Him.[11]
Practical Application
In closing, I want to make three additional quick points. First, Peter wants us to think of suffering in a completely different way than before we trusted in Christ. Now we should view suffering as a cause for rejoicing. To begrudgingly concede that suffering is inevitable and unavoidable for the Christian is not enough. Nor is a stoic acceptance enough when suffering comes our way. We are to rejoice in suffering, knowing it is a normal part of the Christian’s experience which God uses in our lives to bring us to faith, to prove the genuineness of our faith, and to purify our faith so that it becomes precious to the glory of God.[12]
Second, suffering itself is not the thing that produces faith or maturity. It is only a tool that God uses to bring us to Himself so we will respond to Him and His Word. It forces us to turn from trust in our own resources to living by faith in God’s resources. Ultimately, it is the Word and the Spirit of God that produces faith and mature Christ-like character (Psalm 119:67, 71).[13]
Finally, all suffering is ultimately for the glory of God, but in the context of 1 Peter we must say that the innocent suffering of the saints is to the glory of God. It is also a truth many Christians find hard to accept. It is a truth Satan and unbelievers are unable to believe or accept at all. In the early chapters of the Book of Job, we learn that Satan could not imagine a man like Job could continue to trust in God if God caused him to suffer rather than to prosper. Satan found it easy to believe Job would worship God for blessing him. But he found it impossible to believe that Job could bless God if he suffered (Job 1:9-11; 2:5). We need to learn from Scripture that God is glorified by faith, by the faith of those who trust in Him because of who He is, not because of His blessings. That is the message of verse 7: the faith of the saints will “result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”[14]
[1] John Piper, “Joy Through the Fiery Test of Genuine Faith”, By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: www.desiringGod.org. Email: mail@desiringGod.org. Toll Free: 1.888.346.4700.
[2] “No one seriously debates that suffering is a normal part of the Christian life. Jesus clearly indicated suffering would come our way (John 15:20-21), as did Paul (Acts 14:21022; 2 Tim. 3:10-12), and other New Testament writers (Heb. 10:32-35; James 1:2-4). Like other New Testament writers, Peter wants us to understand that suffering is a normal part of the Christian life. He tells us not to be surprised “at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you” (1 Peter 4:12). Since we live in a fallen world (Romans 8:18-25) among men who hate the Son of God in whom we have put our trust (John 15:20-21), we should expect suffering.” Robert Deffinbaugh, “The Glory of Suffering: A Study of 1 Peter”.
[3] Robert Deffinbaugh, “The Glory of Suffering: A Study of 1 Peter”.
[4] Adapted from material by John Piper, “Joy Through the Fiery Test of Genuine Faith”, By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: www.desiringGod.org. Email: mail@desiringGod.org. Toll Free: 1.888.346.4700.
[5] Adapted from material by John Piper, “Joy Through the Fiery Test of Genuine Faith”, By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: www.desiringGod.org. Email: mail@desiringGod.org. Toll Free: 1.888.346.4700.
[6] Adapted from material by John Piper, “Joy Through the Fiery Test of Genuine Faith”, By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: www.desiringGod.org. Email: mail@desiringGod.org. Toll Free: 1.888.346.4700.
[7] J. Hampton Keathley III, “The Doctrine of Suffering”
[8] Adapted from material by John Piper, “Joy Through the Fiery Test of Genuine Faith”, By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: www.desiringGod.org. Email: mail@desiringGod.org. Toll Free: 1.888.346.4700.
[9] J. Hampton Keathley III, “The Doctrine of Suffering”
[10] Adapted from material by John Piper, “Joy Through the Fiery Test of Genuine Faith”, By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: www.desiringGod.org. Email: mail@desiringGod.org. Toll Free: 1.888.346.4700.
[11] Some of the results of our testing may not be evident until glory. Note the “may be found” in verse 7. The preciousness of our faith which is demonstrated through suffering and trials, is referred to as being found at the revelation of Jesus Christ. This suggests that the immediate proof may not be evident. Is this not parallel with the teaching of 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 and 5:10; see also 1 Corinthians 4:1-5? Adapted from material by John Piper, “Joy Through the Fiery Test of Genuine Faith”, By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: www.desiringGod.org. Email: mail@desiringGod.org. Toll Free: 1.888.346.4700.
[12] Robert Deffinbaugh, “The Glory of Suffering: A Study of 1 Peter”.
[13] J. Hampton Keathley III, “The Doctrine of Suffering”
[14] Adapted from material by John Piper, “Joy Through the Fiery Test of Genuine Faith”, By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: www.desiringGod.org. Email: mail@desiringGod.org. Toll Free: 1.888.346.4700.
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