Chapter Twelve
Chapter Twelve
From Grace to Glory!
When World War II was being fought, I was a junior high school student, and the fighting seemed very far away from our northern Indiana city. But then the city began to organize Civil Defense units in each neighborhood, and officials appointed my father an assistant block captain. Often I went with him to watch the training films and listen to the speakers. (The best part of the evening was stopping for an ice cream cone!) But, no matter how many films we watched, we somehow didn’t feel that our neighborhood was in danger of being bombed. Our philosophy was “It can’t happen here.”
Peter knew that a “fiery trial” was about to occur, and he wanted the entire church family to be prepared. As he closed his letter, Peter gave the church three important admonitions to obey if they were to glorify God in this difficult experience.
1. BE HUMBLE (5:5–7)
He had already admonished the saints to be submissive to government authorities (1 Peter 2:13–17), the slaves to submit to their masters (1 Peter 2:18–25), and the wives to their husbands (1 Peter 3:1–7). Now he commanded all of the believers to submit to God and to each other.
The younger believers should submit to the older believers, not only out of respect for their age, but also out of respect for their spiritual maturity. Not every “senior saint” is a mature Christian, of course, because quantity of years is no guarantee of quality of experience. This is not to suggest that the older church members “run the church” and never listen to the younger members! Too often there is a generation war in the church, with the older people resisting change, and the younger people resisting the older people!
The solution is twofold: (1) All believers, young and old, should submit to each other; (2) all should submit to God. “Be clothed with humility” is the answer to the problem. Just as Jesus laid aside His outer garments and put on a towel to become a servant, so each of us should have a servant’s attitude and minister to each other. True humility is described in Philippians 2:1–11. Humility is not demeaning ourselves and thinking poorly of ourselves. It is simply not thinking of ourselves at all!
We can never be submissive to each other until we are first submissive to God. Peter quoted Proverbs 3:34 to defend his point, a verse that is also quoted in James 4:6. It takes grace to submit to another believer, but God can give that grace if we humble ourselves before Him.
God resists the proud because God hates the sin of pride (Prov. 6:16–17; 8:13). It was pride that turned Lucifer into Satan (Isa. 14:12–15). It was pride—a desire to be like God—that stirred Eve to take the forbidden fruit. “The pride of life” is an evidence of worldliness (1 John 2:16). The only antidote to pride is the grace of God, and we receive that grace when we yield ourselves to Him. The evidence of that grace is that we yield to one another.
Submission is an act of faith. We are trusting God to direct in our lives and to work out His purposes in His time. After all, there is a danger in submitting to others; they might take advantage of us—but not if we trust God and if we are submitted to one another! A person who is truly yielded to God, and who wants to serve his fellow Christians, would not even think of taking advantage of someone else, saved or unsaved. The “mighty hand of God” that directs our lives can also direct in the lives of others.
The key, of course, is the phrase “in due time.” God never exalts anyone until that person is ready for it. First the cross, then the crown; first the suffering, then the glory. Moses was under God’s hand for forty years before God sent him to deliver the Jews from Egypt. Joseph was under God’s hand for at least thirteen years before God lifted him to the throne. One of the evidences of our pride is our impatience with God, and one reason for suffering is that we might learn patience (James 1:1–6). Here Peter was referring to words he heard the Master say: “For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted” (Luke 14:11).
One of the benefits of this kind of relationship with God is the privilege of letting Him take care of our burdens. Unless we meet the conditions laid down in 1 Peter 5:5–6, we cannot claim the wonderful promise of 1 Peter 5:7. The word translated “care” means “anxiety, the state of being pulled apart.” When circumstances are difficult, it is easy for us to be anxious and worried, but if we are, we will miss God’s blessing and become poor witnesses to the lost. We need His inward peace if we are going to triumph in the fiery trial and bring glory to His name. Dr. George Morrison said, “God does not make His children carefree in order that they be careless.”
According to 1 Peter 5:7, we must once and for all give all of our cares—past, present, and future—to the Lord. We must not hand them to Him piecemeal, keeping those cares that we think we can handle ourselves. If we keep “the little cares” for ourselves, they will soon become big problems! Each time a new burden arises, we must by faith remind the Lord (and ourselves) that we have already turned it over to Him.
If anybody knew from experience that God cares for His own, it was Peter! When you read the four gospels, you discover that Peter shared in some wonderful miracles. Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law (Mark 1:29–31), gave him a great catch of fish (Luke 5:1–11), helped him pay his temple tax (Matt. 17:24–27), helped him walk on the water (Matt. 14:22–33), repaired the damage he did to the ear of Malchus (Luke 22:50–51; John 18:10–11), and even delivered Peter from prison (Acts 12).
How does God show His love and care for us when we give our cares to Him? I believe that He performs four wonderful ministries on our behalf: (1) He gives us the courage to face our cares honestly and not run away (Isa. 41:10); (2) He gives us the wisdom to understand the situation (James 1:5); (3) He gives us the strength to do what we must do (Phil. 4:13); and (4) He gives us the faith to trust Him to do the rest (Ps. 37:5).
Some people give God their burdens and expect Him to do everything! It is important that we let Him work in us as well as work for us, so that we will be prepared when the answer comes. “Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee” (Ps. 55:22).
2. BE WATCHFUL (5:8–9)
One reason we have cares is because we have an enemy. As the serpent, Satan deceives (2 Cor. 11:3), and as the lion, Satan devours. The word Satan means “adversary,” and the word devil means “the accuser, the slanderer.” The recipients of this letter had already experienced the attacks of the slanderer (1 Peter 4:4, 14), and now they would meet “the lion” in their fiery trial. Peter gave them several practical instructions to help them get victory over their adversary.
Respect him—he is dangerous. Since I have no mechanical ability, I admire people who can build and repair things. During a church building program, I was watching an electrician install a complex control panel. I said to the man, “It just amazes me how you fellows can calmly work on those lines with all of that power there. How do you do it?” The electrician smiled and said, “Well, the first thing you have to do is respect it. Then you can handle it.”
Satan is a dangerous enemy. He is a serpent who can bite us when we least expect it. He is a destroyer (Abaddon and Apollyon both mean “destruction”) and an accuser (Zech. 3:1–5; Rev. 12:9–11). He has great power and intelligence, and a host of demons who assist him in his attacks against God’s people (Eph. 6:10ff.). He is a formidable enemy; we must never joke about him, ignore him, or underestimate his ability. We must “be sober” and have our minds under control when it comes to our conflict with Satan.
A part of this soberness includes not blaming everything on the Devil. Some people see a demon behind every bush and blame Satan for their headaches, flat tires, and high rent. While it is true that Satan can inflict physical sickness and pain (Luke 13:16; and the book of Job), we have no biblical authority for casting out “demons of headache” or “demons of backache.” One lady phoned me long distance to inform me that Satan had caused her to shrink seven and a half inches. While I have great respect for the wiles and powers of the Devil, I still feel we must get our information about him from the Bible and not from our own interpretation of experiences.
Recognize him—he is a great pretender (John 8:44; 2 Cor. 11:13–15). Because he is a subtle foe, we must “be vigilant” and always on guard. His strategy is to counterfeit whatever God does. According to the parable of the tares, wherever God plants a true Christian, Satan seeks to plant a counterfeit (Matt. 13:24–30, 36–43). He would deceive us were it not for the Word of God and the Spirit of God (1 John 2:18–27). The better we know God’s Word, the keener our spiritual senses will be to detect Satan at work. We must be able to “try the spirits” and know the true from the false (1 John 4:1–6).
Resist him. This means that we take our stand on the Word of God and refuse to be moved. Ephesians 6:10–13 instructs us to “stand … withstand … stand.” Unless we stand, we cannot withstand. Our weapons are the Word of God and prayer (Eph. 6:17–18), and our protection is the complete armor God has provided. We resist him “in the faith,” that is, our faith in God. Just as David took his stand against Goliath and trusted in the name of Jehovah, so we take our stand against Satan in the victorious name of Jesus Christ.
A word of caution here: Never discuss things with Satan or his associates. Eve made this mistake, and we all know the sad consequences. Also, never try to fight Satan in your own way. Resist him the way Jesus did, with the Word of God (Matt. 4:1–11). Never get the idea that you are the only one going through these battles, because “your brethren that are in the world” are facing the same trials. We must pray for one another and encourage each other in the Lord. And we must remember that our personal victories will help others, just as their victories will help us.
Had Peter obeyed these three instructions the night Jesus was arrested, he would not have gone to sleep in the garden of Gethsemane, attacked Malchus, or denied the Lord. He did not take the Lord’s warning seriously; in fact, he argued with Him! Nor did he recognize Satan when the adversary inflated his ego with pride, told him he did not have to “watch and pray,” and then incited him to use his sword. Had Peter listened to the Lord and resisted the enemy, he would have escaped all those failures.
Both Peter and James gave us the same formula for success: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). Before we can stand before Satan, we must bow before God. Peter resisted the Lord and ended up submitting to Satan!
3. BE HOPEFUL (5:10–14)
Peter closed on a positive note and reminded his readers that God knew what He was doing and was in complete control. No matter how difficult the fiery trial may become, a Christian always has hope. Peter gave several reasons for this hopeful attitude.
We have God’s grace. Our salvation is because of His grace (1 Peter 1:10). He called us before we called on Him (1 Peter 1:2). We have “tasted that the Lord is gracious” (1 Peter 2:3), so we are not afraid of anything that He purposes for us. His grace is “manifold” (1 Peter 4:10) and meets every situation of life. As we submit to Him, He gives us the grace that we need. In fact. He is “the God of all grace.” He has grace to help in every time of need (Heb. 4:16). “He giveth more grace” (James 4:6), and we must stand in that grace (1 Peter 5:12; see Rom. 5:2).
We know we are going to glory. He has “called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus.” This is the wonderful inheritance into which we were born (1 Peter 1:4). Whatever begins with God’s grace will always lead to God’s glory (Ps. 84:11). If we depend on God’s grace when we suffer, that suffering will result in glory (1 Peter 4:13–16). The road may be difficult, but it leads to glory, and that is all that really counts.
Our present suffering is only for a while. Our various trials are only “for a season” (1 Peter 1:6), but the glory that results is eternal. Paul had this same thought in mind when he wrote 2 Corinthians 4:17: “These little troubles (which are really so transitory) are winning for us a permanent, glorious and solid reward out of all proportion to our pain” (PH).
We know that our trials are building Christian character. The Greek word translated “make you perfect” means “to equip, to adjust, to fit together.” It is translated “mending nets” in Matthew 4:21. God has several tools that He uses to equip His people for life and service, and suffering is one of them. The Word of God is another tool (2 Tim. 3:16–17, where “thoroughly furnished” means “fully equipped”). He also uses the fellowship and ministry of the church (Eph. 4:11–16). Our Savior in heaven is perfecting His children so that they will do His will and His work (Heb. 13:20–21).
Peter used three words to describe the kind of character God wants us to have.
Establish means “to fix firmly, to set fast.” Christians must not be unsteady in their stand for Christ. Our hearts need to be established (1 Thess. 3:13; James 5:8), and this is accomplished by God’s truth (2 Peter 1:12). The believer who is established will not be moved by persecution or led away by false doctrine (2 Peter 3:17).
Strengthen means just that: God’s strength given to us to meet the demands of life. What good is it to stand on a firm foundation if we do not have power to act?
Settle is the translation of a word that means “to lay a foundation.” It is used this way in Hebrews 1:10. The house founded on the rock withstood the storm (Matt. 7:24–27). A believer who is equipped by God will “continue in the faith grounded and settled” (Col. 1:23). He will not be “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine” (Eph. 4:14).
When an unbeliever goes through suffering, he loses his hope; but for a believer, suffering only increases his hope. “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope” (Rom. 5:3–4 NIV). God builds character and brightens hope when a believer trusts Him and depends on His grace. The result is that God receives the glory forever and ever.
We have already considered 1 Peter 5:12–13 in our introductory chapter.
Paul always ended his letters with a benediction of grace (2 Thess. 3:17–18). Peter closed this epistle with a benediction of peace. He opened the letter with a greeting of peace (1 Peter 1:2), so the entire epistle points to “God’s peace” from beginning to end. What a wonderful way to end a letter that announced the coming of a fiery trial!
Four times in the New Testament we will find the admonition about “a holy kiss” (Rom. 16:16; 1 Cor. 16:20; 2 Cor. 13:12; and 1 Thess. 5:26). Peter called it “a kiss of love” (NIV). Keep in mind that the men kissed the men and the women kissed the women. It was a standard form of greeting or farewell in that part of the world at that time, just as it is in many Latin countries today. How wonderful that Christian slaves and masters would so greet each other “in Jesus Christ”!
Peter has given to us a precious letter that encourages us to hope in the Lord no matter how trying the times may be. Down through the centuries, the church has experienced various fiery trials, and yet Satan has not been able to destroy it. The church today is facing a fiery trial, and we must be prepared.
But, whatever may come, Peter is still saying to each of us: “Be hopeful!” The glory is soon to come!
QUESTIONS FOR PERSONAL REFLECTION
OR GROUP DISCUSSION
1. If you had to articulate your philosophy about persecution, what would it be?
2. Read 1 Peter 5:5–11. What admonitions did Peter give for glorifying God in difficult experiences?
3. What practical steps can believers take to close the generation gap that exists in many churches?
4. Why does God view pride as such a destructive sin?
5. How is submission an act of faith?
6. What does it mean in practical terms to cast our anxieties on God (5:7)? Give an example.
7. What helps you believe that God cares for you? What hinders you from fully believing this?
8. What are our enemy’s tactics that cause many of our worries?
9. How can we have victory over Satan?
10. What specific worries are you carrying instead of letting God take them?
11. What steps of obedience will you take this week to live what you learned in this letter?