Shining Faith through Fiery Trials

First Peter 1:6–9 speaks about shining faith in the midst of fiery trials. True believers in Jesus Christ are a joyful people. They can rejoice even in the midst of troubles. They rejoice with a supernatural joy that is produced within them by the Holy Spirit. True believers are indwelt by the triune God. God is with them, in them, and all around them as a wall of fire. God is in them, and they are in God.

God and his people are always together. Jesus said, “I will be with you always, even to the very end of the age” (Matt. 28:20). Thus, Paul could declare, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom. 8:31). And the psalmist wrote, “In his presence, there is fullness of joy, and on his right hand, there are eternal pleasures” (Ps. 16:11).

Unbelievers are always unhappy, even when they appear happy, as they practice the sin of idolatry.  They are happy in the pleasures of sin. They drink from the well of sin only to remain thirsty. Do not envy unbelievers, even if they are successful in the eyes of the world. Such people are miserable. Paul tells us they are without hope and without the true and living God in the world (Eph. 2:12).

Many in today’s evangelical churches are trying to make more money. They themselves are serving money more than God. But Jesus said we cannot serve both God and Mammon (Matt. 6:24). Mammon is an Aramaic word for money.

In This We Are Rejoicing

Peter begins this passage, “In this you greatly rejoice” (v. 6). In what are we rejoicing? We are rejoicing in what Peter wrote about in verses 3 through 5.

1. We are rejoicing continually in the living hope we have as a result of our heavenly Father regenerating us. Now we are God’s children; we are no longer children of the devil. Paul writes, “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of his dear Son” (Col. 1:13).
2. We are rejoicing in our heavenly inheritance, which is incorruptible, pure, and fresh. We are rejoicing in God and in the new creation that we will inherit. Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Matt. 5:5). We rejoice that we are not unbelievers who will be sent to hell to suffer everlasting destruction.
3. We are rejoicing because we will inherit the full salvation of our bodies and souls. This salvation has already been prepared by God and is being kept in heaven for us. God is also keeping us by his omnipotence through our faith, which is the gift of God. We have real reason to be happy: we have God and his eternal salvation.

This does not mean as Christians we will not experience suffering in this life. Peter writes, “though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials” (v. 6). Jesus told us in Matthew 16:24, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me” to death, which is the cost of discipleship. Peter says, “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps,” steps of suffering, death, and resurrection (1 Pet. 2:21). Peter also tells us, “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.” In other words, it is the norm. He continues, “But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you” (1 Pet. 4:12–14). It proves the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. Peter continues, “However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name” (1 Pet. 4:16).

Our suffering is only for a little while, Peter says. It may even last our entire lives in this world. But compared to the joy that lasts throughout endless eternity, our suffering is only for a moment. Paul says, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Rom. 8:18).

This suffering we endure is beneficial to us because it is in accordance with God’s will. God will never tempt us. Satan tempts us that we may sin. But God tests us through fiery trials to remove the impurities from our faith so that we may obey God.

Joseph was tested severely, yet his faith never failed. God helped him to remain faithful. God was with Joseph. God was with him in his father’s house and God was with him in the pit into which he was thrown by his own brothers. God was with him in Potiphar’s house where he worked as a slave. God was with him in prison when he was accused falsely. God was with him when he finally exalted him to be the prime minister of Egypt, so that through him the Israelites would be preserved and multiplied.

God was also with the three Hebrew children when they were thrown into the fiery furnace because of their flaming faith in God. God was with Daniel when he was thrown into the lions’ den because of his true faith in the God of Abraham.

As believers in Jesus, we will at times experience severe stress tests to remove the impurity of our self-confidence, so that our faith may shine with the purity of God-confidence. In Zechariah’s prophecy, the Lord himself speaks of such people: “This third part I will bring into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God’” (Zech. 13:9).

God tested Job, and the devil tempted Job. So we read, “The Lord said to Satan, ‘Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger’” (Job 1:12). We also read, “The Lord said to Satan, ‘Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life’” (Job 2:6). And the Lord himself prevented Job from committing the sin of cursing God.

Satan asked Jesus for permission to tempt Peter. Jesus said, “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:31–32). Later, Peter denied Jesus three times. But God restored him to faith, and he wrote this epistle to strengthen us.

God tested Abraham when he commanded him to sacrifice his son Isaac. Abraham obeyed because of his great faith in God: “By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, ‘It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.’” Consider his reasoning: “Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death” (Heb. 11:17–19).

In the sixteenth century, thousands of French Calvinists, called Huguenots, were murdered, beginning on the eve of St. Bartholomew’s Day, August 23–24, 1572, for their faith in Jesus Christ. Even today Christians are being murdered in the Middle East, in Africa, and other places for their faith, while so-called Christian countries turn a blind eye.

Throughout history, true believers have been brought to experience grief through various kinds of fiery trials. They experience these “trials of various kinds” for a good purpose, so that they may share in God’s holiness. Paul writes, “Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead” (2 Cor. 1:9). That is pure faith. He also says, “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings.” Note the plural. Paul continues, “because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us” (Rom. 5:3–5). So we are not spared sufferings, because they produce character, holiness, in us. Yet how many of us just go through trials without reflecting, “Why did God give me this pain and this suffering?”

In James 1:2–4 we read, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever your face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” God uses our troubles to bring us to maturity in him. There is a revolt against maturity in today’s world. How many people want to remain infants to be taken care of by others! But if we grow up, we will experience pain and trouble, which are all designed by God to bring us to maturity and completeness, so that we may lack nothing.

The Hebrews writer wrote of this also, saying, “Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it” (Heb. 12:10–11).

In Matthew 13:46 Jesus said of a merchant, “When he found [a pearl] of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.” Paul writes, “But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ” (Phil. 3:7). We are to give everything for our salvation. But today’s preachers will say, “Believe in Jesus, and you will get everything.” They are lying to take people’s money.

Jesus told us, “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matt. 16:26).

Purpose of Suffering

Peter says, “These [trials] have come that your faith—of even great worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed” (v. 7). What is the purpose of our suffering? It is to make us holy; it is to make us like God. The shining faith of God’s suffering people is God’s purpose. This true genuine faith in Jesus is more precious than all the pure, tried-in-the-fire gold of the whole world put together. The authentic faith of one Christian is of greater value than trillions of dollars’ worth of gold. The most valuable thing in the world is to believe in Jesus Christ by the faith he gives us.

As we are tested by God in the fire of affliction, God will be with us to bring us through the trial in triumph, whether it is the trial of stoning or burning or being thrown to the lions or being beheaded or being sawn asunder or crucifixion. Paul writes, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it” (1 Cor. 10:13). Many times the “way out” is death. Christian martyrs die in shining faith and enter the heavenly Jerusalem to dwell with God in eternal happiness. There is another world, where God is, and we see it by the eyes of faith as we read the Scriptures. And Peter himself, the author of this epistle, suffered crucifixion according to the word of Jesus, proving his love for Jesus and his faith in Jesus.

Yet there is more. Jesus Christ is coming again, as he promised, to give us full salvation. We are waiting for his apokalupsis, his being revealed, in great power and glory. At that time, he will raise up all people from the dead. He will save his people and send others to eternal punishment.

Jesus is coming again. He told his disciples, “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:3). The Hebrews writer tells us, “Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him” (Heb. 9:28).

God’s people are waiting for him, and he is going to come. Paul declares, “God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed” (2 Thess. 1:6–10).

Christ is coming with power and great glory to judge the living and the dead. Then his people of true shining faith shall receive from King Jesus praise, glory, and honor.

Peter says, “Rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed” (1 Pet. 4:13). Jesus said in the parable of the talents, “The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’ His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’” (Matt. 25:20–21). In the account of the sheep and the goats, Jesus said, “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me’” (Matt. 25:34–36).

We will receive praise, glory, and honor when Christ comes again. Paul writes, “Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God” (1 Cor. 4:5). Paul also says God will give “glory, honor and peace [to] everyone who does good. . . . Such [people’s] praise is not from man but from God.” (Rom. 2:10, 29c).  Peter says, “To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ’s sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed. . . . And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away” (1 Pet. 5:1, 4). What are you looking for? What is your ambition—to please God, or something else? Our hope is in Christ, who is coming again, and who will give us praise, glory, and honor.

We Believe in and Love Jesus though We Do Not See Him

Then Peter writes, “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him” (v. 8). We believe in and love Jesus, even though we have never seen him. How can we do this? Our love and faith are not based on irrationality. We love and believe in Jesus—in his person and his redemptive work—because of the apostolic eyewitness report in the Bible, which is the very word of God (1 Cor. 15:3–8; 2 Tim. 3:16–17; Luke 1:1–4).

Thomas the apostle refused to believe the apostolic report of Christ’s resurrection. So Christ appeared to him, and he believed. But consider what Jesus told him: “Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.’ Thomas said to him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Then Jesus told him, ‘Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’  Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:27–31).

We must not doubt; we must believe the apostolic eyewitness report of the historical reality of the gospel as recorded in the Bible.  (PGM) We love Jesus and believe in Jesus without seeing him. Jesus himself said, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Peter was with Jesus when Jesus spoke these words to Thomas.

Thank God for the Bible which tells us about God’s dealings with man, especially in Jesus Christ. Do you believe the Bible as you read it and hear it preached? Do you love Jesus and believe “into Jesus,” as the Greek text says, entrusting your life to him now and forevermore? Have you confessed, “Jesus is Lord”? Do not expect him to appear to you personally. Blessed are those who love and believe in Jesus, based on the gospel record. It is this Lord Jesus who will purify our faith through trials.

Saul, Judas, Demas, Ananias, Sapphira were not true believers. The visible church is a mixture of believers and unbelievers. Of such unbelievers, John writes, “They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us” (1 John 2:19). Such people are second-soil, third-soil, fruitless “believers.” They are, in fact, children of the devil.

Paul says, “If anyone does not love the Lord, a curse on them” (see 1 Cor. 16:22). All who will not believe in Jesus are cursed. But of those who believe in Christ, Paul writes, “Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love” (Eph. 6:24). John writes, “Everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God” (1 John 5:4–5). About Moses we read, “By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible” (Heb. 11:27). By faith we see Jesus Christ of history as recorded in the Bible.

So Paul writes, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Cor. 5:17). A Christian has a new mind, new will, and new affections; therefore, he can see Jesus, the invisible One. Paul also says, “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6).

We must be born again. Peter himself wrote elsewhere, “Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure” (2 Pet. 1:10).

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 2:12–16 that we are pneumatikoi, Spirit-controlled and Spirit-indwelt people of God who believe in Jesus. He also says we have the mind of Christ and we make judgments about all things as the Spirit teaches us from the Scripture. And the proof of true faith is obedience to Jesus Christ. As born-again new creatures, we are united with Christ, the vine, by living faith so that we may produce much fruit. And, thank God, he prunes us through suffering so that we may produce more fruit. Suffering for a Christian is profitable and productive.

Various Trials but Great Joy in the People of God

Then Peter says, “You . . . are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy” (v. 8). Paul told the early disciples, “We must go through many troubles to enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). Elsewhere, Paul told the Thessalonian church, “In spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the gospel with all joy given by the Holy Spirit” (1 Thess. 1:6). He also sent Timothy to encourage them “so that no one would be unsettled by these trials. You know quite well that we are destined for them” (1 Thess. 3:3).

The Christian life includes troubles. Let me disabuse you of the modern idea that Christianity means good times, more money, great power, and a trouble-free life. Consider what the apostle Paul experienced:

Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. (2 Cor. 11:23–27)

The Hebrews writer also speaks of the experiences of true believers: “Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection.  Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison.  They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated—the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground” (Heb. 11:35b–38).

Our faith is constantly being refined through the various trials we experience. So we can rejoice with a glorious and unspeakable joy. This joy is not self-generated; it is produced within us by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. That is why we must be filled with the Holy Spirit. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 6:10 that we are “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.” We rejoice in Jesus, who died for our sins and was raised for our justification. He is coming to glorify us.

In Jude 24 we read, “To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy.” In Acts 5:40–41 we read, “[Gamaliel’s] speech persuaded [the Sanhedrin]. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.”

Paul writes, “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Cor. 4:17–18). We see the unseen through faith in the Scriptures. We will go through various troubles. Yet we will have great joy produced within us by the Spirit.

Our Full Salvation Is Coming

Finally, Peter says, “You are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (v. 9). Even in our suffering, we are receiving the goal of our faith, our salvation. But for the fullness of it, we must wait for Christ to come. We are saved, we are being saved, and we will be saved.  Even now, we are filled with the Holy Spirit and rejoice greatly in Jesus. And the fruit of the Spirit is “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Gal. 5:22–23a). The Spirit produces this fruit within us.

Jesus promised us trouble. He said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Paul speaks of Christ’s victory on our behalf: “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross” (Col 2:15). The Hebrews writer explains, “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death” (Heb. 2:14–15).

How, then, should we react when we experience troubles? Paul writes, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God” (2 Cor. 1:3–4). Instead of complaining and looking for sympathy, let us look to Jesus and be comforted.

In this world, we have trouble. But in Jesus Christ, we receive peace, joy, and happiness. Paul asks, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?” (Rom. 8:35). What is the answer? Nothing can separate us. Then he says, “In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Rom. 8:37). This is serious Christianity.

Our full soul and body salvation is coming soon. When Jesus comes again, then we will inherit it in full. We will be glorified to live with him forever. John writes about this: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away’” (Rev. 21:1–4).

We are all going to die. But Jesus said, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish” (John 10:28). May the Holy Spirit help us all to understand and believe in Jesus Christ with authentic faith, that we may be saved and be the people of great hope, overcoming the world in and through our Lord Jesus Christ.