#DailyDevotion Judgment Begins With The House Of God
1 Peter 4:15-19 150f course, none of you should suffer as a murderer, a thief, a criminal, or one who meddles in the affairs of others. 16But if you suffer for being a Christian, don’t feel ashamed, but praise God with that name. 17It is time for the judgment to start in God’s temple. But if it is starting with us, how will it end for those who refuse to listen to God’s good news? 18If it is hard for a righteous person to be saved, what will happen to the ungodly and the sinner? 19So you, too, who suffer as God wants you to suffer, entrust yourselves to your faithful Creator and keep on doing good.
Yesterday we talked about suffering as a Christian. Sometimes we may have to suffer for bearing the name of Christ. If Jesus our Savior suffered, we who follow must bear our own cross.
Now Peter reminds us here that not every time we suffer it is because we are a Christian. Sometimes we suffer because we do sinful things. Peter enjoins us though to not suffer because of our sins or in other words don’t do sinful things that will cause you to suffer. We as Christians should not suffer because we are a murder, a thief, a criminal or meddling in the affairs of other people, i.e. a busybody. I might add, because hopefully we won’t suffer because we aren’t sinning against other people, that you suffer because you are a jerk pretending your jerkiness is you being a Christian. What I mean is people will hate you enough when you reprove their behavior with the Word of God no matter how winsome, kind, gentle and loving you try to be about it. There’s no reason to make people hate you more by being boorish about it.
However, if you do suffer as a Christian you should not feel ashamed but praise God for that name. They treated your LORD Jesus Christ that way and he despised the shame looking with joy to achieving your salvation. You too treat the shame others try to lay on you for being Christian looking with joy to the salvation won for you by Jesus Christ.
Peter reminds us judgment begins with the house of God, i.e. his Church. He purges us, tries our faith to purify it as a silver smith purifies silver with fire. Paul mentions this in 1 Cor. 3, “12If on this foundation you build anything of gold, silver, fine stones, wood, hay, or straw, 13what each one does will be known. That day will show what it is because the fire will reveal it and test it to show what kind of work everyone has done. 14If what you built on the foundation stands the test, you will get paid. 15If your work is burned, you will lose something, but you will be saved, though it will be like going through a fire.”
What will happen to those who do not have faith and the Holy Spirit who refuse to listen to God’s good news about the free gift of salvation in Jesus Christ? Peter reminds us if it is hard for the righteous to be saved what will become of the unbeliever? We need to remember daily, with man our salvation is impossible but with God all things are possible. We run into danger when we think it is our good works that make us saved and acceptable with God our Father. It is only faith in Jesus’ work that saves us. Should we suffer for Christ’s sake let us not give up hope but continue in the good works prepared for us by God. Let us entrust ourselves to God as Daniel’s three friends did and not let anything or anyone deter us from our faith and our God.
Heavenly Father, always encourage us by the good news of Jesus so we may not lose heart when we suffer for his name’s sake. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.