I Peter 1:3-9 (NRSV)
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, 7 so that the genuineness of your faith—being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
I Peter 1:3-9, part of a segment that extends to verse 12, have the theme of thankfulness for the Christian hope of salvation. In I Peter 1:3-9, the readers, who are daily living amid suffering, are reminded of the power of God.
The passage opens with a praise of blessing to God for his merciful actions. It is significant that the letter would begin this way. By reminding these converted Gentiles of God’s mercy, the author brings to their attention that it is only by God’s mercy that they are no longer, as they once were — like the rest of the Gentiles (4:3). 3 Blessed (Εὐλογητὸς) be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! This is a blessing formula based upon the Old Testament. "Blessing" is less frequent than "thanking" God in New Testament epistles, suggesting to some scholars that the background of I Peter may be somewhat more Jewish than Hellenistic. Indeed, the Septuagint deeply influences the language and thought of the author. By his great mercy, noting the source of what will follow in this sentence, he has given us a new birth (ἀναγεννήσας, begetting again). The word used here speaks not just of being born. It may refer specifically to the Christian initiation rite of baptism. In John 3:1-5, Jesus speaks of born again by water and Spirit, clearly referring to baptism. Alternatively, it may speak more generally of the new life in Christ following conversion. The phrase is part of the new "Christian vocabulary" which appears in I Peter, which includes, for example, "Christian," "baptism," and "evangelize." So new is the new life in Christ that the author uses the infrequently used scriptural image of rebirth. Of course, within evangelical circles it has become a frequently used image. This new birth or begetting again is into a living hope. The living or lively hope is a reminder that the difficulties of the Christian in the world arise out of fellowship with the crucified and risen Christ. It reflects the eloquent rhetoric of this passage. Is there any kind of hope except a living hope? We may see here part of the luminous language of this opening doxology teetering on the edge of hyperbole and occasionally labors under a high but wordy Greek style. The slightly grand effect of the language has suggested to some scholars that the letter is or was taken from a homily or other set liturgical form. The "living hope" of the Diaspora Christians is that hope rooted in God's promises of the past, manifested in the crucible of the present, and orients itself toward the salvation of the future. They have this living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Here the hope into which the believers are born is linked not to Jesus’ suffering but to his resurrection. This hope of resurrection is a hope that is integrally associated with their new status as God’s children. Christians, contrary to any analogy in human experience, believe in the salvation that God promises them in the resurrection of Jesus and that means new life after death.[1] Suffering for the Christian acquires the character of an “ecstatic forward movement” beyond oneself to the horizon and goal of Christian life. Testimony to the Word brings the affliction. The Christian witness anticipates the penetration of the light of the fulfilled covenant of grace into the darkness that still surrounds it. The Christian witness participates in the dynamic of the Word even when surrounded by darkness. True, the witness may occur in the midst of a storm, but the witness is already engaged in movement and transition toward the future of the revelation of the lively hope, carried as on a powerful wave, through and beyond all that the world can do.[2] Christian hope is not an obscure, neutral, or ambivalent future. Rather, it looks to the coming of Jesus Christ in its final form, a completion of His prophetic work and to His consummating manifestation. The Christian expectation of the future is the expectation of this event. The event is the “self-authentication” of the Word of Jesus Christ. Such witness involves thinking, speaking and action in hope. “Striding as a Christian into the future,” the witness of Jesus Christ becomes ‘works of hope,” testifying to the Lord who has not only come and is not only present but will come again in the future. The Christ in whom he witnesses and in whom he hopes is already present as the basis of this hope. Therefore, the witness offers his or her witness, giving proof of living within the Christian sphere of existence.[3] We cannot have assurance of this new birth by looking back at our personal history, but only as a promise offered through Christ.[4] We do not believe if we do not live in the neighborhood of Golgotha. We cannot live in that neighborhood without being affected by the shadow of divine judgment and allowing it to fall on us. Israel suffered in this shadow. The church suffers in this shadow. This is the answer of the church to the question of theodicy, the question of the justice of God in the sufferings inflicted on us in the world. Peter is making the point that we need to learn suffering in this shadow, both as a community and as individuals. A shadow needs a light behind it, and that light is the resurrection.[5] This new birth or begetting again is 4 into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you. God is keeping the inheritance in heaven for them. The radical break is between the old, pagan life led by the letter's readers and the new life they enjoy as Christians. The new life is the direct result of the mercy of God shown in Jesus' resurrection from the dead (v.3), which promises the imperishable, undefiled and unfading inheritance that awaits the believers in heaven (v.4). Such mercy is both protological in its basis in the past event of Jesus' resurrection, and eschatological in its orientation toward the future consummation of salvation in heaven. The inheritance is salvation, a treasure unrelated to human spirit. Those receiving new birth or begetting again are also those 5 who are being protected by the power of God. God preserves believers from dangers and they receive their inheritance. The power of God here stands in sharp relief to the finite power of those persecuting them. This God is victorious in the grand scheme. This protection occurs through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed (ἀποκαλυφθῆναι). Here is another reflection of the eloquent language of the passage. This use of revelation is related to apocalyptic statements. In this case, the future revelation of their salvation by partaking of Christ also finds expression in terms of an inheritance that has an eschatological sense.[6] Salvation is ready for its revelation in the last time (καιρῷ). The last age, the end of history, has begun. The appearance or second coming of Jesus will complete the present age. This eschatological perspective finds hope in God’s ultimate sovereignty and demands that those who are a new creation in Christ remain faithful until the full revealing of the glory of God. The point Peter is making is that the already and the even now are forms of the coming action of Jesus Christ. In the resurrection of Jesus Christ, God was already mighty, holy, merciful, and glorious. In the power of the Holy Spirit, God is so today in our time, which is the time between and the last time.[7] 6 In this, the promises stated in verses 3-5 provide a salvation history or the beginnings of a Christian view of time as foundational for securing the hope for the future, you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, Rejoicing in trials is an opportunity to demonstrate the quality of their faith. Thus, trials are not signs of God forsaking them. Rejoicing in trials is 7 so that the genuineness of your faith—being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire, another example of the eloquence of the passage. He uses the image of faith tested by fire. He compares the testing of their faith to the purification of gold. People must place gold, the most precious of all metals, into the fire in order to rid it of its impurities. If faith is even more precious than gold, then should it not also be able to withstand testing and come through trials purer than before — and even more valuable. This faith is the only factor that can enable them to endure their present suffering, and it is costly. This faith may indeed cost them their lives. In 4:12, the author returns to the metaphor of the refiner’s fire by referring to it as a fiery ordeal. If this testing happens, they may be found to result, reflecting a high but wordy Greek style, in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.The author encourages them that the hope for which they are suffering is real and worth it. 8 Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, seeing here the luminous language teetering on the edge of hyperbole and laboring under a high but wordy Greek style, 9 for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. In verses 8-9, amid their persecutions, Christians draw from their faith in Christ and their love for him the joyful certainty that God is storing up salvation for them. They are awaiting the revelation of Jesus. Therefore, this commendation of their faith acts as both praise and exhortation to continue waiting. Yet, they are not waiting in fear and trembling, but in joy. In 4:13, after revisiting the testing metaphor, the author exhorts them to rejoice as they share in the suffering of Jesus so that they can have joy in the revelation of divine glory, just as he does in verse 8. All this suffering pales in comparison to Christ’s glory, and they are going to be partakers in that glory. In this, they can rejoice. In many respects, we have here condensed exhortation that is fitting of the entire letter. The hope of salvation is their blessed assurance that these trials will not ultimately be victorious. The God who resurrected Jesus sees their suffering and guards them through faith. This is the hope that will bring them through the refiner’s fire and will allow them to trust their faithful Creator (4:19). It is appropriate that the letter ends in the manner that it began: “And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the power forever and ever. Amen” (5:10-11).
We may need to broaden our understanding of suffering. Suffering is emotional. If you live with depression or anxiety, it can feel like an emotional prison. Childhood trauma can affect your self-worth almost daily. You may have developed a food disorder with which you live. Suffering is physical. Whether temporary or long-term, sickness plagues many persons. Studies show that up to 20 percent of people deal with some form of chronic pain. The physically disabled live with a lifetime of suffering that few able-bodied people can imagine. Suffering involves family. Discontentment and hopelessness wrack many marriages. Some families have special needs children who are functionally all consuming and lifestyle controlling. Families experience miscarriages and infertility with dream-shattering pain. Suffering is spiritual. Many of us shrink away from doubts. We face unanswerable questions. We feel the rejection at work due to our faith. Some of us need to learn forgiveness. Suffering is relational. Whether newly single or in relationships that are just not working, relational status may be loneliness, hopelessness, a sense of everyone passing you over. Consider how many dysfunctions divide family and friendship circles. The point is simple: All of us suffer; life is difficult; life has no easy button. No person is immune to potential suffering in life and faith.
Suffering is always a test of meaning. Many will voluntarily suffer for an important cause, but few can tolerate suffering without perceived meaning. In the case of this passage, the suffering of this community of believers will reveal the genuineness of their faith and will result in praise, glory, and honor to God (1:7). In a sense, he seems to suggest that what one brings into being through great effort, practice, endurance, and pain also has great value.
Suffering brings transformation. Granted, we may experience a great sense of divine absence during our suffering. We must learn how to love God even though we do not see (1:8).
We may need greater perspective on suffering. Most of us have heard from the doctor or nurse “this may hurt.” Experiences in life are often like that. It may hurt, but some short-term pain prevents long-term suffering. We have heard the phrase, and maybe said the phrase, “You need to toughen up.” I hope lovingly said, it may seem harsh. Most of us would like the world to treat us softly. However, life is hard. If we focus upon living for God, life can be difficult in an additional way. Jesus suffered, so it ought not to surprise us that some suffering will arise out of following him. The goal of life is not comfort, ease, and everything just the way we like it. The goal should be to follow Christ through the good and the bad.
If we suffer the way this passage suggests, we will find God at work in our afflictions. We naturally ask the question of why suffering happens. We are creatures who question. We live with many questions. Our questions drive our attempts to understand our world and our place in it. Suffering raises the question of “Why?” I must say, however, that too often the question of why God allows my moment of suffering to happen is the question of an observer of suffering. One who truly suffers and is alert to its role in life looks healing, comfort, and strength amid the ambiguity that suffering brings into our lives. In our lives, we will find the cross: “This may hurt.” The more we reflect upon the cross, the more we can help people find God in their hurt.
[1] Pannenberg (Systematic Theology, Volume Three, 174)
[2] Barth (Church Dogmatics, IV.3 [71.5], 642)
[3] Barth, (ibid., [73.2], 929)
[4] Barth (Church Dogmatics, IV.1 [61.3], 600)
[5] Barth (Church Dogmatics, II.1 [30], 406)
[6] Pannenberg (Systematic Theology, Vol. One, 209)
[7] Barth (Church Dogmatics, IV.3 [73.1], 911)
No comments:
Post a Comment