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1 Peter 4:19
“Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.”
Matthew Henry, commenting on today’s verse, writes that “it is the duty of Christians, in all their distresses, to look more to the keeping of their souls than to the preserving of their bodies. The soul is of greatest value, and yet in most danger. If suffering from without raise uneasiness, vexation, and other sinful and tormenting passions within, the soul is then the greatest sufferer. If the soul be not well kept, persecution will drive people to apostasy.” The truth that Henry’s words describe no doubt was in Peter’s mind as he wrote his first epistle. The Apostle knew from his own experience that merely the potential of suffering can lead us to deny Christ before others. After all, he denied knowing Jesus while our Lord was on trial so as to escape his own arrest (Luke 22:54–62). Later restored by Jesus, Peter wrote to prepare us to suffer well for Christ, reminding us that fiery trials will come on account of our faith, that suffering confirms the reality of our faith, and that suffering is the means by which the Lord purifies us and readies us for heaven (1 Peter 4:12–18; see John 21:15–19).
Keeping these truths in mind fortifies us to keep trusting in Jesus when we are called to suffer for His sake. Because God is sovereign over all, working out all things according to His will (Eph. 1:11), we know that any suffering we experience comes to us only by His permission and that His hand is in it. Ultimately this is comforting to the faithful, but in the moment, as Dr. R.C. Sproul comments, “the hardest time to believe that God is faithful is when His hand is heavy on your back.” Suffering will either finally build us up or break us, depending on how we respond to it. Pain will lead us to press on with endurance, clinging to God’s promises, or it will move us to permanent bitterness toward the Lord.
How do we press on in endurance when suffering? In addition to keeping in mind the truths stated in 1 Peter 4:12–18, we must follow the Apostle’s admonition for those who suffer according to God’s will to entrust ourselves to the faithful Creator while doing good (v. 19). As we suffer for Jesus, we are to keep serving the Lord and trusting Him, believing that He knows what is best for us. He always fulfills His promises at just the right time, and He will finally reward His servants. Dr. Sproul comments, “If God calls us to suffer, we have to commit our souls to Him, not as to a capricious, vengeful, tyrannical deity, but as to a faithful Creator.”
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
John Calvin comments on today’s verse: “The condition of the godly in [their trials] is much happier than that of the unbelieving, who enjoy prosperity to their utmost wishes.” Eternally speaking, it is better to go through trials now for the sake of Christ than to escape them in the present because we do not believe in Him. This is because the godly have an eternal reward, and the prosperity that the wicked enjoy today will not last forever.
For further study
- Psalm 9:9–10
- Proverbs 29:25
- Jeremiah 39:15–18
- 2 Timothy 4:18
The bible in a year
- Nehemiah 4–5
- Acts 2:42–3:10