1 Peter 4:12 – 19 Suffering
David Hume: If there is evil, then God is either not strong enough to stop it, or not good enough to will it be gone. What do you say?
V 13. How is it possible that our suffering can bring God glory?
V 14. Are you blessed when you are persecuted?
Matt 5:11-12; Ps 116:15; Rev 6:9-11;
V 17. We can all agree that there will be judgment for those who do not obey the Gospel of God. But what is this about judgment in the family of God first?
What thoughts do you have if the church is the starting point of judgement?
What does this word “judge” mean? Are Christians going to be judged?
This Greek word is κρίμα (krima) has a Latin cognate (sister-word) Crimen = Crimne = Crime. The Greek word, used in this passage, originally meant decision (neutral or slightly negative), but includes penal judgement, or penal process, like our English word does (usually negative, but a judge can also deliver and free someone wrongfully accused, and thus this word also can be positive).
Hebrews 12:4-11 = You are legitimate when it happens! Not fun, but vital and full of results.
1 Corinthians 3:10-15 = There are rewards, but no one escapes a judgment of some sort.
God says to pick the speck out of your eye before you judge someone else. Might that apply to this verse?
V 19. Whichever way you think about suffering and experiencing evil, the bottom line Peter draws is God is faithful, even when you cannot see it, so continue to do good – you will see.
So, what does it mean “to do good?”
John 14:15:
What does it mean to love God?
Love God, Love others. If we do not love, then we are judged in the negative way.
The Awaiting Judgments (Taken from NIV Essentials of the Christian Faith)
When Jesus Christ suffered on the cross, he received the judgment for sins. Salvation comes to Christians who put their faith in Christ and believe that the wrath of God was poured out on Jesus Christ in their place. Yet while those of us who put our faith in him escape eternal judgment, the Bible teaches that we are still accountable for our lives and time on earth. The salvation we receive guarantees our position, but it does not give us a free pass to live any way we like.
God disciplines us as his children (see Hebrews 12:4-11). And as stated in 1 Corinthians 3:10-15, we are to build God-honoring lives because the purifying fire of God’s power will make clear which of us have done our best in this lifetime and which of us have not. This judgment differs from the judgment when God will separate those who believe in him from those who don’t. This passage indicates that heavenly rewards await those who build their ministries and lives with eternal materials.
Your Response to David Hume: (write yours)
Mine for now: What if your position is humanistic (focused on self), and God’s view is humanity – all of it. He is SO powerful that He can create free-will, have those who understand Him deeply enough that they also can suffer as Christ did, and lead many to glory. Our sufferings due to free will and faith tests here pale in comparison to the glory of meaningful life and eternity for all.
C.S. Lewis on free will: Mere Christianity
Of course God knew what would happen if they used their freedom the wrong way: apparently He thought it worth the risk. Perhaps we feel inclined to disagree with Him. But there is a difficulty about disagreeing with God. He is the source from which all your reasoning power comes: you could not be right and He wrong any more than a stream can rise higher than its own source. When you are arguing against Him you are arguing against the very power that makes you able to argue at all: it is like cutting off the branch you are sitting on. If God thinks this state of war in the universe a price worth paying for free will—that is, for making a live world in which creatures can do real good or harm and something of real importance can happen, instead of a toy world which only moves when He pulls the strings—then we may take it it is worth paying.
When we have understood about free will, we shall see how silly it is to ask, as somebody once asked me: "Why did God make a creature of such rotten stuff that it went wrong?" The better stuff a creature is made of—the cleverer and stronger and freer it is—then the better it will be if it goes right, but also the worse it will be if it goes wrong. A cow cannot be very good or very bad; a dog can be both better and worse; a child better and worse still; an ordinary man, still more so; a man of genius, still more so; a superhuman spirit best—or worst—of all.
Summary:
I have a hard time thinking that God has orchestrated the evil stuff that comes to us in life. “God wills it” seems not fair to me. But then, what of the question, “does God allow it?” Isn’t that almost as bad? And yes, it is – unless you really believe that:
1. Sharing in Christ’s sufferings really does bring glory to God (somehow), and
2. God really does deeply care about you, and
3. The best gift God has for you is eternal blessings living with Jesus Christ, and
4. We must love our neighbors as we love ourselves.
If you believe those things, then, if God believes in you enough to allow you to go through suffering so that He can draw others into Heaven, is that fair? No, it is still not fair to you (unless there really is eternal reward that counter-balances it), but it sure is beneficial to them! And greater love has no one than this, that they lay down their life for a (eternal) friend. So, do not get punished by God for going against His kingdom, and do not fall away when God has shown great faith in you by allowing a suffering that will bring Him glory through you! Live in faith that He ultimately has your back, and start looking for those connections He has ordained that allow you to be His prized tool in Idaho and beyond.