Blessed Sufferer

How can we be called a blessed sufferer? How can Christians today not just endure suffering for doing right, but continue to find joy? We look to 1 Peter 3:8-22 to find what Christians are to expected be to endure and continue finding joy despite suffering.

To be a blessed sufferer, we must be like Christ

Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. (1 Peter 3:8-9)

Verse 8 speaks of characteristics Christians should possess: like-mindedness (not being or thinking the same but being harmonious and united in spirit), sympathetic (understanding and sharing the feeling of others), loving (genuinely as Christ did), compassionate and humble (not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less). Peter encouraged the believers of the time to embody these characteristics for the sake of the church and for the sake of others who are cruel. Why? Because these characteristics ensure that for any suffering we must endure, we’ll face it with Christ-likeness for these are the traits of Jesus.

To be a blessed sufferer, we must be for Christ

Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.” But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. (1 Peter 3:13-15)

If we do good, who can fault us? Even if people harm us for doing good, Peter encourages us that our suffering is a blessing. He quotes Isaiah 8:12-13 here as he instructs the believers of the time to fear no one but God. Fear in this context is not an oppressive or authoritarian fear that scares us, but a deep and holy reverence for God. We must be for God, only fearing the one who is sovereign and Lord over all. The more we consider the lordship of Christ in our hearts, the more we revere God and in turn the less we fear what others can do to us. For Matthew 10:28 says, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. ... Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”

To be a blessed sufferer, we must be with Christ

For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. (1 Peter 3:17-18)

As Peter reminds the believers, we are also reminded that Jesus suffered for our sins. The one who was righteous suffering for the unrighteous (us). So, when it is God’s will for us to face suffering for doing good, we are encouraged by the live and acts of Jesus. In gratitude, we stand with Christ who brought us to God, restoring our relationship with him and allowing us to experience heaven here on earth.

Jesus’ victory over death gives meaning to our suffering today, should it be God’s will for our lives. We are participating in something bigger than us if we must suffer for doing what is right in God’s eyes. So, be encouraged by Peter’s message today.