BBCC Bible Study Notes

1. The Reality of Suffering (v.12)

"Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you."

1. Don't be surprised by suffering
2. Suffering is normal in Christian life
3. God can use suffering like a refining fire
   
4. The Response to Suffering (v.13-14)

"But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you."

1. Three possible reactions to life’s disappointment:
2. Denial (pretending it doesn't exist)
3. Despair (being overwhelmed by it)
4. Rejoicing (the biblical response)
   
5. Participating in Christ's sufferings
6. Special blessing in suffering for Christ
   

III. The Right Kind of Suffering (v.15-18)

"If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. For it is time for judgment to begin with God's household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And, 'If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?'"

1. Not all suffering is noble
2. Distinction between persecution and consequences
3. God's purifying judgment of His household
   
4. The Path Forward (v.19)

"So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good."

1. Commit yourself to the faithful Creator
2. Continue doing good
3. Trust God's bigger plan

Key Message: Christians should expect suffering as normal, but respond by trusting God and continuing to do good, knowing that He uses suffering to refine our faith and make us more like Christ. When facing suffering, instead of asking "Why?" commit yourself to God and continue doing good, trusting that He is working through your pain for His glory and your growth.

BBCC Verse of the Week: Peter 4:19 (NIV) So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.

1 Peter 4:1-11 - Study/Discussion Guide

Presumably, the early Christians were not generally surprised by opposition to the gospel (cf. 1 John 3:13), but the actual turn of events among Peter’s audience may have caught them off guard or shocked them. They were encountering a “painful trial” (lit., “the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you,” NRSV). “Trial” denotes an experience that is either positive (God is testing you; cf. 1:6–7) or negative (it is a painful experience or an occasion for temptation). Instead of being shocked by these events and turning inward to wonder and doubt, Peter’s readers are to “rejoice.” Their lives will be tied into the patterns of Jesus’ life (2:18–25; 3:15, 16; 4:1; which should shape their fundamental attitude as they encounter persecution. Though they may now be somewhat surprised at the intensity of the heat they have stirred up by following Jesus, that very heat is an opportunity to “participate in the sufferings of Christ.” As Paul taught his own sufferings completed the sufferings of Jesus (Col. 1:24), so Peter sees the sufferings of ordinary believers as a special bond with their Lord. But this attitude is only a preparation: Being able to rejoice now in the midst of suffering prepares one for being “overjoyed when his glory is revealed.” (McKnight)

In this sense it is that Peter says that judgment begins at the house of God; for judgment includes all those punishments which the Lord inflicts on men for their sins, and whatever refers to the reformation of the world. But why does he say that it was now the time? He means, as I think, what the prophets declare concerning his own time, that it especially belonged to Christ’s kingdom, that the beginning of the reformation should be in the Church. (John Calvin)

Peter understands that it was the Spirit of Christ who spoke to the prophets, such as Isaiah, revealing the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow (1 Pet. 1:10–12). In 4:14, Peter claims that the same Spirit of God predicted to rest upon the Messiah also rests on the believer who is willing to suffer for Jesus Christ. Peter consoles his readers that because the same Spirit of glory and of God rests upon them, their current suffering is as Christ’s was, a prelude to the glory to follow. (Jobes)

"Doing good" (v. 19) is much more positive than rule keeping, keeping your nose clean, not getting into trouble. It means bringing fresh goodness, fresh love, fresh kindness, fresh wisdom into the community, into the family, to the people we meet on the street. When we do this, we are not saying, "Look at me, aren't I being good?" We are saying to God, "I trust you; this is what you have called me to do; this is what I am doing with the life you've given me; even though I am facing suffering, I will continue to be this sort of a person, to your glory." (N.T. Wright)

4:19 This verse encapsulates the message of 1 Peter: Believers suffer in accord with the will of God, for he rules over everything that happens to them. As the sovereign Creator, God is also loving and faithful, therefore they should entrust their lives entirely to him, just as Jesus did when he suffered (2:23). Such trust manifests itself in doing what is good. (ESV Study Bible)

Discussion Questions:

1. (12-19) It must have come as a great surprise to the early Christians to discover that …there was still a period of time in which intense suffering would occur to his people. Why should suffering not surprise us?
2. Judgment will begin, not with the obviously wicked, but with God's own household (v. 17). From God's perspective, the holiest, most loving person is still someone who needs to be rescued. That person is still so weighed down with sin that without the grace and mercy shown through Jesus, the rescue would not happen. This alarming reflection is not meant to produce panic, but rather gratitude.
3. What comfort and assurance can you draw from verses 17-18? (N.T. Wright)

next week – Read 1 Peter 5:1-11 Pastor Samuel Sutter // sam@BBCCOnline.org

‍