How do we rejoice through hard times? It is a topic covered in both the Old and New Testaments. I think it is a real key to the Christian life. Real joy in the midst of terrible circumstances can only come through the indwelling of the Spirit and a heart and mind focused on the hopes we have of salvation and inheritance granted us by a merciful God. If you have read my studies on James, the theme below will seem familiar.
6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 1:6-7
Affliction and prosperity are mercies of God
Yea, the truth is the afflictions of God’s people come from the same eternal love that Jesus Christ did come from…The ways of God, the ways of affliction, as well as the ways of prosperity are a mercy and love to him. Grace gives a man an eye, a piercing eye, to pierce into the counsels of God, and those eternal counsels of God for good unto him, even in his afflictions to see the love of God in every affliction as well as in prosperity. Now , this is a mystery to carnal hearts, they can see no such thing…But grace instructs men in that mystery, grace enables them to see love in the very frowns of God’s face, and so come to receive contentment.
Jeremiah Burroughs, The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment (Cannon Press, 2020) 61
A recap
Yesterday (Day 21.0: Mercy) we covered 1 Peter 1:3-5. I am not sure I did it justice. The passage is so rich, and I barely scratched the surface. All the same, it was getting lengthy and, being honest here, I am not sure I fully grasped the usage of the prepositions employed by Peter. Maybe toward the end of 1 Peter we can have a review of the use of prepositions by Peter, and how they can be confusing and enlightening. Maybe by immersing myself in this book for some weeks, I can get a better understanding of Peter’s syntax.
Rejoicing despite trials
It is necessary to take a look back at the previous verses, so that you can see what Peter refers to as the reason for rejoicing despite trials.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
1 Peter 1:3-5
Reason to rejoice
Briefly then, regardless of the difficulties these brothers are facing, Peter knows they rejoice in the fact of the living hope they have due to God’s great mercy. For, God has granted them a new life and a life to come as heirs in an eternal kingdom. If that summary seems too brief, or exaggerated, I think I made a solid case for it on Day 21.0: Mercy.
The great eight
In the quote from Burroughs at top, we see a perspective not shared by those who lack the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Christians who submit their will to God, need not ask, “Why is this happening to me?” when they face afflictions. Instead they can be thankful for the gifts they have received and the promises of those gifts to come. What’s more, they can rejoice knowing whether in prosperity or in trial, God is working it all for their sanctification.
I’ll quote Romans 8:28-30 again here to support my claim. I know I quote it in probably two-thirds of my studies, but it is a great and wonderful insight which I believe we must grasp firmly hold of if we are to humbly accept every circumstance with joy.
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
Romans 8:28-30
Rejoicing in grief
So, Peter says that because of the great gifts of God’s mercy we can rejoice despite any sadness brought on from trials. Before we move on, we should note that rejoicing in promises when suffering afflictions does not mean we should never feel sadness. When a loved one dies, when we are desperately ill, when we suffer an injury, or go through a period of oppression, we experience grief.
Peter makes this plain. He says you rejoice in this though…you have been grieved. I didn’t include it in the quote, as it was getting long enough anyway, but Burroughs says that the carnal man – that is the man without faith in Christ – sees in affliction the absence of God’s favor. To those who have a living hope they can grieve and still have joy. They know there is a life to come. The promises of God are alive within them. They do not despair.
The crown of life
Peter says this is a test of faith. He is not alone. We covered very similar verse in James. They are worth looking at again.
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.
James 1:2-4; James 1:12
Both Peter and James affirm the immeasurable value of trials. James says that joy in trials, practiced over long years (my definition here of steadfastness) will lead to perfection. Peter compares the trials over long years to a refining fire, resulting in something far more precious than purified gold.
Three Apostles walk into a bar…
I love how the scriptures reinforce one another. Peter says the gifts of God – salvation, resurrection, and inheritance – are the reason we can rejoice in affliction. Paul says that God works all things – Burroughs would say both prosperity and affliction – for our good, our sanctification. James, coming at the same concept from the opposite direction of Peter commands us to rejoice in affliction in order to receive the inheritance, what he calls the crown of life.
Lastly, I want to touch on Peter’s last statement in today’s verses, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. But, before I do…
An autobiographical aside
For a long time I have avoided giving any thought to the second coming, the judgment to come, etc. This is because I was raised in a wacky Charismatic church which always believed The End was around the corner. I can’t even tell you how many dozens of people they told us were the antichrist, how many Doomsday scenarios they preached. For years I had a recurring nightmare that a man, dressed like a ninja, dropped off the front porch roof of my grandparents house, just as I was waling outside, and tagged me with the mark of the beast. I was not able to rejoice amid the terror of such dreams.
End-times fatigue
Even now, when I hear people speaking in hushed tones about the signs of the times, I get dismissive. In truth, I am uninterested in predictions or portents. I honestly have no interest in figuring it out.
That said, I am very interested in the actual second coming and judgment, at least in one sense. I pray that I will hear the words, Well done, good and faithful servant. (Matthew 25:21) Conversely, I pray that I will not hear the words, I never knew you; depart from me, you worker of lawlessness. (Matthew 7:21-23)
What really matters
I believe that Christ will return and I rejoice. Whether or not he does so in my lifetime doesn’t even matter to me. I only pray that I continue in faithfulness each day, that I be clothed in his righteousness, and that I will have brought my children and, Lord willing, grandchildren up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:4)
With James, Peter, and Paul, I pray that I will trust in God’s great promises and embrace His gifts. I pray that I will remain steadfast through many trials, and rejoice in the living hope I have in Christ. I pray I will trust in God to work all things – whether prosperity or affliction – together for my sanctification.
Where were we?
Oh, yes. So, Peter mentions that we are to be refined in the testing of our faith like gold. The dross of sin all burned away through various trials. James says we will receive the crown of life. Paul says we will be glorified. Peter says it will result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. What can he mean by that?
Remember, Christ said it himself
In a very real sense all praise, glory, and honor is due to, and will be presented to, God alone. All who will stand in the judgment and after be brought rejoicing into the inheritance – the kingdom of God – as adopted sons and daughters and joint heirs in the kingdom, will do so because of the will and mercy of God and the mediation of Christ. It is to God’s glory from start to finish.
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
Matthew 25:31-34
So, it was all God’s design from the dawn of creation. That said, it is clear that unlike the imagined free-love and nickle-beer hippy commune so many people envision heaven to be, there will be greater and lessor sons and daughters.
Brace yourself, Christian. There will be hierarchy.
The glory of hierarchy
We see glimpses of glory being bestowed to those who have stored up for themselves treasures in heaven. Jesus’ parable of the talents (Matthew 25) is a solid example. Paul has an interesting passage in 1 Corinthians. It is a metaphor explaining this mystery I am getting at.
10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. 11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— 13 each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. 14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.
1 Corinthians 3:10-15
Smouldering clothes and a couple rhinestones
Maybe this isn’t a mystery to you. I was raised with the notion that in the life to come all Christians would be identical. There would be no hierarchy, all would be equal before God. But, this doesn’t seem to align with scripture. I do believe in equality before God, but not in that sense. You want equality? I think before we are redeemed we are all equally damned. But, in Christ’s kingdom it is clear that some will be glorified more than others. To be sure, their glory will only be the reflection of God’s own glory back toward His throne in praise. But, you have to recognize that the man adorned with precious metals and priceless jewels will reflect God’s glory to a much greater degree, than the man stumbling out of a burning building with nothing but smoldering clothes and a couple rhinestones.
Equality is not the highest moral good
C.S. Lewis addressed this idea when discussing his grandfather’s off-handed remarks about the Apostle Paul. I admit, this is a perfect illustration of how I used to view heaven. Everyone would be “the same.” The more I have read scripture, however, the more I have come to admit this was a major error – a result of my American values which place equality at the highest rung of morality.
Closing with Lewis
I think the “low” church milieu that I grew up in did tend to be too cozily at ease in Zion. My grandfather, I’m told, used to say that he “looked forward to having some very interesting conversations with St. Paul when he got to heaven.” Two clerical gentlemen talking at ease in a club! It never seemed to cross his mind that an encounter with St. Paul might be rather an overwhelming experience even for an Evangelical clergyman of good family. But when Dante saw the great apostles in heaven they affected him like mountains. There’s lots to be said against devotions to saints; but at least they keep on reminding us that we are very small people compared with them. How much smaller before their Master?
C. S. Lewis, Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer
Regardless, we rejoice
In the final moments, whether we stumble out of our flame-engulfed shack or are crowned with splendor for a life of bearing fruit for the kingdom while persevering through trials, we will all rejoice. Nevertheless, let’s strive to be one of the latter, reflecting all the more glory of God.
