Verse 12 ‘Dear Christian friends’. Peter loves and cares about the people to whom he is writing. Again, he says that Christians should not be surprised when they have painful troubles. The *Greek word for ‘painful’ means ‘burning’. Painful troubles are like the fire that tests the gold of *faith (see chapter 1:7). Difficulties are an opportunity for a Christian to show real trust in God. Verse 13 When people suffer because they are Christians, they can have joy. They know what will happen in the future. They suffer as Christ did when he was in the world. When he returns, they will have a share in his *glory. Then they will be full of joy. Verse 14 God blesses Christians when people curse them. Peter calls the Holy Spirit ‘the Spirit of *glory and of God’. All Christians have the Holy Spirit in their lives. When Jesus returns, all Christians will have a share of God’s *glory. But those who suffer because they are Christians have special help from the Holy Spirit now. Verse 15 Christians know that it is wrong to murder or to steal. These are among the 10 commands that God gave to Moses (Exodus 20). It is also wrong to ‘make trouble in other people’s lives’. That means being too interested in someone’s personal affairs. Verse 16 Not everyone will suffer as a Christian. If you do, that is no reason to be ashamed. Philippians 2:9-11 says that, in the end, everyone will have to agree that Jesus Christ is *Lord. Christians can thank God now that Jesus Christ died to forgive their *sins and to give them new life. They are happy to know that he is their *Lord. Verses 17-18 ‘Judgement’ is the act of judging. God will judge people by his standards of what is right and wrong. Then he will reward or punish each person. It is not easy to live a Christian life. God wants Christians to be pure. He allows them to have troubles. These troubles test their trust in God and make it more pure. But many people do not trust Jesus or obey him. Their lives are full of what is bad. They are wicked people. If they do not accept Jesus, it will be awful for them when God comes to judge them. God will not forgive them. In Matthew 18:9 Jesus says they will go to ‘the fire of hell’. This describes their terrible fate. Verse 19 Christians cannot always understand what God allows to happen. However, they must continue to trust him and to do what is right. God created the whole world and everything and everybody in it. So he has very great power. God is ‘loyal’. This means that he will use his power to care for all who put their trust in him. He will never fail them. He will always do what is good for them.
Posted on: Wed, 12 Jun 2013 02:45:20 +0000
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