Living for Jesus
This is the kind of life you’ve been invited into, the kind of life Christ lived. He suffered everything that came his way so you would know that it could be done, and also know how to do it, step-by-step. – 1 Peter 2:21, MSG Paraphrase
“It is not a stoic self-motivated tenacity which holds out against all opposition but rather the opposite, the trusting awareness of God’s presence and never-failing care, which is the key to righteous suffering. It is the confidence that God will ultimately right all wrongs which enables a Christian to submit to an unjust master without resentment, rebelliousness, self-pity, or despair.” – Wayne Grudem
Suffering, in other words, is not a detour by which believers receive the inheritance to which they were called. It is God’s appointed means for receiving the inheritance.”- Thomas R. Schreiner
“The Christology of 1 Peter is a Christology of suffering….By focusing on the sufferings of Christ, 1 Peter shows the intimate relationship between Christology and the Christian life: the past suffering of Christ is the present condition of believers, while the present glory of Christ is the future glory of those who follow in the steps of the suffering Christ. While the Christology of 1 Peter may not be the most developed of the New Testament, it is among the most pastorally sensitive.” -Matera
“Peter lets Isaiah speak directly to their situation. Don’t be afraid of the unjust suffering you are experiencing. It is not evidence that God has forsaken you; to the contrary, it is evidence that God has chosen you. Do not wander off from Christ, for God will strengthen you to face life as a Christian. God has made you secure because Jesus has suffered the ultimate injustice and yet he lives. You have been born again into that living hope.” – Karen H. Jobes
It is no mistake that as Peter addresses suffering for Jesus (v18-20), he addresses both the suffering of Jesus(v21-24), and the care of Jesus (v25). The thought process here is vital to understanding and application. Suffering is painful and unpleasant. As a result, we avoid it. Sometimes, we avoid it by compromise. We think it better to give away a bit of who Jesus calls us to be than to suffer for His sake. This is one of the ways that the flesh lies to us. It throws a fit when pain comes into our lives. It whines and begs and pleads for us to choose an easier path, one which won’t require suffering. This path is closed to the follower of Jesus because, it was not the path He chose to walk. No, Jesus chose the way of suffering. And in His suffering, which was God-ordained, He won salvation for us. The conclusion we should draw then is twofold. First, we must be assured that suffering for Jesus is worthwhile. Second, we must not count on the flesh to get us down the path in following a suffering Master. The only power we can count on is the power of the Holy Spirit. He allows us to walk as Jesus walked, to live as Jesus lived, to suffer for Jesus’ sake. How do we experience this power for living in the way of suffering? By sticking close to Jesus. His care for the soul is sufficient for suffering. He is our Shepherd and Guardian. He has left us the example. Our lives must trace out the letters He wrote bold and plain by the cross.
Blog Bonus: Living for Jesus
As I was preparing for the message on 1 Peter 2:18-25, I had this old hymn on repeat in my head; maybe the lyrics of Thomas O. Chislom, will become a portable theology of this text, as you work it out in your life:
Living for Jesus, a life that is true,
Striving to please Him in all that I do;
Yielding allegiance, glad-hearted and free,
This is the pathway of blessing for me.
Living for Jesus Who died in my place,
Bearing on Calv’ry my sin and disgrace;
Such love constrains me to answer His call,
Follow His leading and give Him my all.
Living for Jesus, wherever I am,
Doing each duty in His holy Name;
Willing to suffer affliction and loss,
Deeming each trial a part of my cross.
Living for Jesus through earth’s little while,
My dearest treasure, the light of His smile;
Seeking the lost ones He died to redeem,
Bringing the weary to find rest in Him.
Refrain:
O Jesus, Lord and Savior, I give myself to Thee,
For Thou, in Thy atonement, didst give Thyself for me;
I own no other Master, my heart shall be Thy throne;
My life I give, henceforth to live, O Christ, for Thee alone.