Title: God's Will and Blessing of Suffering
13 And who will harm you if you are zealous to do good? 14 But if you suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. Fear not their fear, do not be troubled. 15 Let Christ be Lord in your hearts, and sanctify them, who are in you. Always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but with meekness and fear, 16 with a good conscience, so that those who revile your good works in Christ may be put to shame in their slander. It is better than suffering for doing evil, if it is God's will.
1. Words that begin
“How can we live according to God’s Word in a world where sin and injustice, lies and hypocrisy, injustice and corruption, luxury and pleasure, vanity and bluff, selfishness and all kinds of vainglory, drugs and promiscuity are rife?” There are times when I hear the voices of church members saying Although they don't say those words directly, there are a few church members who think the same way and follow the world's trends in moderation. If we live in this world as a human being, it may be. No, it may not be the case.
But in the second half of James 4:4, “… Anyone who wants to be friends with the world makes himself an enemy of God.” Moreover, Peter did not tell the members of the church who lived in the world of the early church, which was much more corrupt than the world today, to live in harmony with the world in a way that was also terrible and cruel persecution and persecution. Rather, he said that it is the will of God to suffer for doing good, and blessed are those who suffer for the sake of righteousness.
2. Diligently do good
Before reminding the church members that suffering because of their faith is the will and blessing of God, Peter said, “If you do good with zeal, who will harm you?” The literal meaning of “doing good with zeal” (το? ?γαθο? ζηλωτα?) is “zealous for good”. In other words, it means that people who do good deeds are accustomed to doing good.
And “who will harm you” does not mean that Christians who are zealous for doing good are not subject to slander, persecution, or bodily harm. Peter had already mentioned the suffering that church members face in ambiguous ways and suffering because they do good.
So, what does it mean to say that there is no one to harm the church members who are zealous for good deeds? As J. N. D. Kelly said, “Whatever calamity may come upon a man of faith, it cannot undermine the integrity of his character, nor in the ultimate sense detract from him. This conviction is thoroughly Jewish and runs throughout the Bible.”
Socrates said to his judges, "No harm can happen to a good man, whether alive or dead, and the gods do not disregard his cause."
3. God's Blessing of Suffering
Peter, who said that there was no one who could harm or in the ultimate sense the integrity of the character of the members of the church who are zealous for good deeds, said about the sufferings they are experiencing because of their faith, “But blessed are those who suffer for the sake of righteousness. Do not be afraid of the fear of
Jesus said in Matthew 5:10, “Blessed are they who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” It is truly a blessing that a human being who lived painfully under the control of Satan as a slave to sin became a person who believed in Christ and was saved and suffered for the sake of righteousness. So, the apostles who were scourged while preaching Jesus Christ rejoiced that God considered them worthy of being reproached for his name, and they preached and taught that Jesus is the Christ anytime and anywhere. Acts 5:40 and below.
How much have you suffered for the sake of the Lord Jesus? How many times have you been ridiculed and lost for the sake of spreading the gospel of Christ? Everyone, I hope you believe that suffering for the sake of God's righteousness is God's blessing.
All members of the church know that those who suffer for the sake of righteousness are blessed, and no matter how terribly persecuted and harshly persecuted by unbelievers, they should not be afraid or shaken. Jesus said in Matthew 10:28, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul, but fear him who can destroy both body and soul in hell.”
Peter urged the church members who are suffering God's blessing to be more active and to sanctify them with Christ as Lord in their hearts.
Everyone! Please believe that only when we have Christ as Lord and Ruler in our hearts and obey Him can we not fear any kind of persecution, but rather lead a holy personality and holy life. Also, believe that in doing so, you will receive the hope of eternal life that can overcome all things in the world through the resurrected Christ, and that you can always answer all who ask about that hope with meekness and fear of God. Also, the only way for us, saved sinners, to have a good conscience is to make Christ our Lord and Ruler.
Queen Victoria, a religious and good politician, often enjoyed leaving the palace to socialize and converse with the common people.
Once, I visited a widow's house, and the widow was also a person of good faith, so we prayed and talked about faith together. During the conversation, the queen, thinking that the woman's trust was very good, asked, "Who is the noblest guest to see you?" I asked. Naturally, I expected the answer, “It is Jesus,” and if I answered that, I was thinking, “So is it to me.” But the widow's answer was completely unexpected. “It is without a doubt the greatest honor that the Queen has found you. The best guest of my life.” Then the dismayed queen said, "Isn't Jesus looking for you?" I asked. Upon hearing this, the widow answered with a smile. “Jesus is not a guest. This is my owner. You are from the beginning. ! I am here for him.”
Everyone, are you having the Lord as your guest? Or, do you have them as the owner?
4. The purpose of submitting to Christ as Lord
The purpose of the church members and believers at that time to live a life of obedience to Christ as Lord and Ruler is to make those who vilify our good works in Christ put to shame for their slander.
We must keep two facts in mind here. First, evil is not overcome with evil, but with good. Second, the best apologetics for the truth of the gospel are not theories, but actions that are worthy of the gospel. Of course, both are difficult for us. However, if you believe and follow Jesus, who died on the cross for us who were enemies with God because of our sins, believe that you can do anything.
As we know from experience, if we do good according to the will of the Lord Jesus, suffering may follow. That's why Peter, who was well aware of this fact, said, "It is better for us to suffer for doing good than to suffer for doing evil, if it is God's will." Paul also said in Philippians 1:29, “It has been granted to you on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him”; Also, Romans 8:17 says, “If children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, for we must suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”
If we do good in the Lord, suffering may follow. But please believe that it is the suffering that will make you worthy of glory with the Lord in the future.
5. Conclusion
Because the people of the world live with distorted and contradictory thoughts and actions apart from God, believers who live by faith in the Son of God will suffer in many ways. However, suffering from realizing goodness and righteousness with Jesus Christ as Lord is God's will and blessing. Please believe that that God makes us overcome hardships, overcomes persecutors, and furthermore grants us the hope of eternal life.
(Pungseong Methodist Church. Book: Complete New Testament Commentary Series/ Interpretation of difficult scriptures/ Prosperous prayer/ Salvation Before Jesus Came/ Salvation Before Jesus Came/ Understanding Paul’s Humanity/ Sermonbook 18. 426-3051)