One House : 1 PeterSample

Suffering as a Christian

But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And ‘If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?’ Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.

1 Peter 4:15–19 ESV

“For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God.” The judgment Peter refers to here isn’t the judgment of condemnation. Instead, it’s the kind of judgment that weighs bad and good behaviours, resulting in God’s approval or discipline. This kind of judgment begins in the house of God, which is why some in the church are suffering. God’s judgment of their lives has caused him to lovingly discipline them so that they would be purified and strengthened.

Peter then makes the point in verse 18 that if God’s own people suffer fiery trials and need divine help in order to endure, how much greater will his judgment be on the sinner who rejects him? Peter ends this passage with a call for all those who suffer according to God’s will to “entrust their souls to a faithful creator.” The word entrust here doesn’t simply mean ‘to trust God,’ but to ‘give over for safekeeping.’ Those who endure trials can give their souls over to a faithful God who will watch over them with care.