Peter reminded his readers of how sufferings fit into God's purposes to encourage them to persevere with the proper attitude (cf. James 1).
4:12 Some Christians feel surprised when other people misunderstand, dislike, insult, and treat them harshly when they seek to carry out God's will. Peter reminded his readers that this reaction is not a strange thing but normal Christian experience. Their persecutions were fiery (burning) ordeals in the sense that they were part of God's refining process and were uncomfortable (cf. 2:11). It was for their testing (Gr. pairasmos, proving), to manifest their faith, that God allowed their sufferings (cf. James 1:2-4).
4:13 We can also rejoice in these sufferings because when we experience them we share in Christ's sufferings. That is, we experience what Jesus did during His time on earth as He continued faithful to God's will. God will glorify us just as He will glorify Jesus. Therefore we can rejoice now at that prospect (cf. 1:6-7; 10-11; 2:21; Acts 5:41). The revelation (uncovering, Gr. apokalypsis) of Jesus Christ's glory is most likely a reference to the Second Advent that includes the Rapture and the Second Coming (cf. 1:7, 13). At both of these appearings His glory will become manifest, to the church at the Rapture and to the world at His second coming.
Our present experience as we suffer for Christ's sake is similar to a pregnant woman who feels discomfort and even pain as she anticipates her due date. When she gives birth, however, joy at the delivery of her child replaces the pain that she felt during her pregnancy. Similarly we groan now, but the hope of future joy should encourage us to hang on.
4:14 When people revile, insult, and reject us for being followers of Jesus Christ, they may curse us, but their curses are really blessings from God (Matt. 5:11-12).
"To be insulted is not simply to receive a rebuke (2:12; 3:16; 4:5), but . . . it means to be rejected by the society (or even by humanity)."171
Their curses become blessings because the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of glory, already indwells us.172Peter's thought was that the indwelling Holy Spirit is already part of our glorification, the first-fruits of our inheritance. As the Israelites enjoyed the presence of God in the fiery pillar even during their wilderness testing, so we enjoy His presence during our wilderness experience.
"The world believes that the absenceof suffering means glory, but a Christian's outlook is different. . . .
". . . suffering Christians do not have to wait for heaven in order to experience His glory. Through the Holy Spirit, they can have the glory now. This explains how martyrs could sing praises to God while bound in the midst of blazing fires. It also explains how persecuted Christians (and there are many in today's world) can go to prison and to death without complaining or resisting their captors."173
4:15-16 However, we should not take comfort in suffering that we bring on ourselves for sinning, only suffering that we experience because we take a stand with Jesus Christ (cf. 2:20). Peter felt ashamed when he denied the Lord in the high priest's courtyard, but he learned his lesson and stopped feeling ashamed and urged his readers not to feel ashamed. We glorify God as we stand up as disciples of Christ both visually, as others view our lives, and verbally, as we explain our commitment to them.
4:17 In this verse and the next Peter gave two encouragements in suffering by comparing our suffering as believers with the suffering that unbelievers will experience. This verse focuses on the time of these two experiences of suffering. Our suffering is now, but theirs will be when they stand before God in judgment. Our judgment by unbelievers now is lighter than their judgment by God will be later. Our sufferings are part of the opening scene in the last act of God's redemptive drama. More severe judgment will follow on the ungodly. It helps to see our sufferings in the context of God's end-times plan. They are not an accident but an assurance of His sovereign control.174
4:18 In this verse Peter contrasted the intensity of the two experiences of suffering, by disciples now and by unbelievers in the future. It is with difficulty that righteous people pass through this phase of our existence into the next phase because this phase involves suffering for us. "Saved"(Gr. sozetai) here means delivered in the sense of being delivered from this life into the next. Yet it will be even more difficult for godless people to pass from this phase of their lives to the next because they will have to undergo God's judgment. Their future sufferings will be more intense than our present sufferings.
The purpose of Peter's quoting Proverbs 11:18 freely was to show that the Old Testament also taught that both the righteous and the wicked will receive from the Lord. The point in the proverb is that the wicked will receive even more punishment than the righteous will receive reward. If God disciplines His own children, how much more severely will He deal with those who are not His children. Our sufferings are light compared with those the ungodly will experience in the future.
4:19 "Therefore"draws these encouragements to a conclusion and introduces a command in view of them. In view of these reasons we should respond to suffering by entrusting ourselves to the God who created us (cf. Matt. 27:50; Luke 23:46). He will bring us through our sufferings safely (cf. Phil. 1:6). God is faithful to do this. Furthermore we should keep on doing what is right (e.g., submitting to government rulers, obeying masters, submitting to husbands, loving wives, etc.) rather than doing evil (v. 15). "Souls"(Gr. psychas) again refers to our total persons (cf. 1:9, 22; 2:11, 25; 3:20).
"Peter described God as the faithful Creator'--an unusual designation because only here in the NT is God called ktistes[Creator] . . . The combination of faithful' and Creator' reminds the believer of God's love and power in the midst of trials so that they will not doubt his interest or ability."175
Peter brought together four reasons for suffering in this section.
"The most striking feature of this section is its bold emphasis on the sovereignty and initiative of God, even in the suffering of his own people."176
God allows us to suffer to demonstrate our character (v. 12). Those who identify themselves with Jesus Christ will share in the sufferings of our Savior (v. 13; cf. Phil. 3:10). Our sufferings will be an occasion of God blessing us (v. 14). In addition, our suffering will glorify God (v. 16). He then redirected our perspective on suffering by reminding us of the time and intensity of our sufferings compared with those of unbelievers (vv. 17-18). Finally he concluded with an exhortation to trust God and do right (v. 19). Peter thus encouraged his readers by revealing God's perspective on their sufferings.
