Preparing for Persecution

1 Peter 4:12-19

Most of our failures in life come as the result of our not being properly prepared for some situation. There was a problem that we had not considered. Something broke that we had thought to be unbreakable. Perhaps we were overconfident in our abilities, but when the true test came we were not really prepared like we thought we would be. There is perhaps nothing more frightening than coming to the moment of crisis and realizing that you do not have the answer. There are some moments we cannot do over again and the failure is something we must live with for the rest of our lives.

The Lord does not reveal to us what will happen tomorrow and what kind of trouble we will face. We do not know what a day will bring! It is nearly impossible to prepare for every scenario or situation that life may bring our way. And we should not sit and worry about tomorrow, letting our imaginations run wild.

But there are some situations that are known ahead of time, and for these we must be prepared. To fail to prepare for these situations is foolish and slothful.

This is especially true if the Scriptures warn us about the possibility of facing a certain situation, test, or trial. To fail to prepare for these things is evidence of unbelief – we don’t prepare because we don’t believe the Word of God applies to our situation.

Many Christians in the Western World think this way about persecution. That could never happen to us here! We are protected by the freedom of religion. Stories of persecution belong either to the distant past or to some Third World country.

But the times are changing. The West is Christian no longer. In fact, our society is growing more and more hostile to Biblical Christianity. And the freedom that man gives men can take away.

I do not think that most professed Christians in our society would stand up under the heat of persecution. The kind of Christianity we are seeing today does not prepare people for persecution.

But we must also give some thought to our own faith. How can we prepare for persecution?

The Theme of First Peter

The epistle of First Peter was written for this very purpose. The theme of suffering as a Christian runs through every chapter. Peter was writing at a time when the Roman government was beginning to be hostile toward Christians. Nero was Caesar, ruling with absolute power, and he would make many politicians today seem like shining lights of virtue. Most secular historians think that Nero was literally insane. He wanted to do some building in Rome, but there were some structures already standing where he wanted to build. So, he simply set them on fire. Legend has it that he played his violin while he watched the city burn. He then blamed the Christians for starting the fire. This began one of the very first systematic persecutions against Christians conducted by Rome.

This persecution would eventually claim the lives of both Peter and Paul. It is said that Paul died by beheading, because he was a Roman citizen. But Peter was to be crucified. Peter did not want to die exactly as Jesus had died, feeling unworthy, so he requested that they crucify him upside-down.

One of the last things Jesus had said to Peter was concerning how Peter would die.

Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me” (John 21:18-19).

And Peter did follow the Lord, even unto death! That is the man writing this epistle to prepare believers to endure persecution.

How does Peter go about this task?

Believers are Exiles and Sojourners

He reminds believers that they are not at home in this world. Peter addresses his letter to the elect exiles (1.1), and then refers to them as sojourners and exiles (1 Pet 2.11). An exile or a sojourner is someone who is not in his home country, but is just a visitor. Being an exile means that we prefer our true homeland. And being a sojourner means that we are on a journey to that true home. God’s people have always been exiles and sojourners in the world. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob lived in tents in the Promised Land, depicting the sojourning of the Faithful through this world (Hebrews 11:9-10, 13).

Our physical bodies are like tents – temporary dwellings that we will one day fold up and trade in for a permanent, heavenly body. The people of God recognize that they have no lasting city here that they can call home. The City of Man is not our home. We are waiting for the City of God. There are two different societies of people in this world. We are out of place here in this world and are waiting for a New World that is to come, wherein dwells righteousness (2 Pet 3.13).

Believers must begin to think of themselves this way, which will clarify many of our trials. We should reason that if this is not our true home, then we cannot expect to always be happy here. We should not expect our desires to be fulfilled here. Exiles and sojourners are not always welcomed or treated well by the inhabitants of the land. Our customs, values, and lifestyle are not the same as those of the City of Man. We should not expect peace and welcome in this world because it is not our home.

If we do not think this way then we will not understand persecution when it comes.

Believers are to be Holy

Or, we may be tempted to just blend in with the City of Man and avoid the persecution entirely. But the Apostle has also told believers to be holy or separate from the world:

As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile (1 Peter 1:14-17). 

Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation (1 Peter 2:11-12).

. . . but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame (1 Peter 3:15-16).

This is to be done so that we are above reproach and our enemies will have nothing to say against us. Being holy does not mean you will not have enemies. In fact, you may have even more! But we should be like Daniel, whose enemies had nothing against him unless they invented a charge.

Believers have a Powerful Enemy

Behind all of our suffering in the world is the Enemy of our souls! Satan is pursuing God’s people while we are in his domain seeking to tempt us to sin, to overthrow our faith, or even to destroy us if he can.

So Peter exhorts us to

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. (1 Peter 5:8-11).

Men are really not our enemies. We wrestle not against flesh and blood. Behind all of the world’s opposition to the people of God is Satan Himself who is making war on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus (Revelation 12:17).

Believers Participate in the Sufferings of Christ

In preparing for persecution we should think about how Christ also suffered while in the world. We serve and follow a Savior who was rejected by men (1 Peter 2:4).

In other words, if Jesus suffered persecution and rejection there is no reason to think we will escape suffering while we sojourn through this world. And if they opposed Jesus, who never did anything wrong, we can expect the world to oppose us who follow the Lord.

We should not let this make us bitter, even against those who persecute us. Jesus prayed for the men nailing Him to the cross. And the Lord told us to bless those who curse us and pray for those who persecute us.

Suffering as a Christian is a participation in the sufferings of Christ (1 Pet. 4.13). This is not saying that we have to pay for part of our sins. Christ’s suffering has completely paid for sin so there is no need for us to suffer for our sin. That is why the Catholic doctrine of Purgatory is so wrong. The sufferings of Christ are referring to how the world treated Jesus. Hundreds of years before Jesus was born the prophet Isaiah predicted that He would be

despised and rejected by men;
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not. (Isaiah 53:3)

And the apostle John wrote that “He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him” (John 1:10-11). Jesus was God in the flesh, but they did not recognize Him. And the world is hostile to God. So they were hostile to Jesus.

Even the large crowds that came to see Jesus and hear His teaching mostly came for the wrong reasons and did not understand the things He said. At the end, when Jesus was delivered over to Pilate, there were no crowds coming to Jesus’ defense.

The Jewish leaders hated Jesus, being threatened by Him. The Romans just wanted to get rid of a nuisance and Pilate simply washed his hands of the matter.

Jesus was not just killed, He was mocked, beaten, humiliated, and tortured. Jesus died as a criminal, hanging exposed between two criminals. There was nothing dignified about how the world treated Jesus.

So how do we participate in that kind of suffering? Does this mean we will be tortured and die? Maybe. Many believers have been, including Peter and the rest of the Apostles. The world has treated Jesus’ people like it treated Jesus, and that is how we participate in His suffering. The world rejected Jesus and it will do the same to us if we are like Him. “The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him” (1 John 3:1).

When the world rejects and mistreats you because of Jesus, you are participating in a little of His sufferings.

This is what Paul also had in mind when he said “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church” (Colossians 1:24). Paul must have never forgotten what Jesus said to him on the road to Damascus: “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” When people persecute the Church, they are persecuting Christ because the Church is the Body of Christ. The world can no longer persecute Jesus, so the world’s hatred falls on the Body of Christ. And so we get to participate in Christ’s sufferings.

Someone might ask why God allows His people to experience suffering. The most obvious answer is that we are still in the world, which means we will suffer like Jesus did while He was here. If Jesus was not spared from this suffering, we should not think that we will be. When we get saved, the Lord leaves us in the world and does not immediately take us to heaven. The reason for this is so that we can be made like Christ, being conformed to His image. Suffering is part of this process.

That is the blessing for enduring these kinds of sufferings: we know that we are part of God’s purpose to make us like His Son. The suffering confirms that this process is actually taking place. So in this way the rejection of the world is evidence of Divine blessing. (The Health and Wealth Gospel preachers need to take note of this!) If the world accepted us then that would be evidence of Divine rejection. And so Jesus told His disciples:

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:10-12).

Practical Instructions

To help us prepare for persecution, the Apostle Peter gives us some very practical instructions. There are some things we should not do, and then there are some things we should do.

First, what we should not do:

• Believers should not be surprised by suffering ( 1 Pet. 4.12). Being surprised by suffering betrays a woeful lack of understanding of what it means to be a Christian. And yet there may be people who think they want to follow Christ because He will give them some kind of earthly advantage. This may be the case for many people in our time when religion, wearing the name of Christ, is actually fashionable or trendy. But following the real Jesus will not make you popular with the world. And Jesus does not underwrite the American Dream.

• Believers should not suffer because of doing evil (1 Pet. 4.15). We cannot do foolish or wicked things and then when we suffer the inevitable consequences think we are suffering for Christ. Being persecuted for your faith and being punished for needlessly breaking the law is not the same. There may be times when we must obey God rather than man. But Christians should not be known as rebels who disregard the laws of society. Under normal circumstances Christians are to be obedient citizens of the nation: submitting to its laws, honoring its rulers, and even paying taxes.

• Believers should not be ashamed when suffering for Christ (1 Pet. 4.16). Peter knew something about this from personal experience. When Jesus was arrested, Peter was too ashamed to even admit that he knew Christ, but denied Him three different times. That was a moment of weakness from which Peter recovered. What about you? Have you actually been embarrassed to be known as a Christian? Did you try to keep it a secret that you follow Jesus, fearing what people might do or say? Don’t be ashamed of the Lord. Jesus died for you publicly and you need to confess Him before men. If you continue to be ashamed of Jesus, then Jesus will be ashamed of you when He comes again (Mk 8.38).

Peter also gives us some practical things we should do when preparing for persecution:

• Believers should rejoice in suffering for Christ (1 Pet. 4.13). We do not rejoice in the pain and suffering but in the reason for it. There is no reason to intentionally seek suffering, it will come to you naturally if you are busy serving Christ! We rejoice because this is our confirmation that we belong to Christ and that He will reward us when He comes again. When Peter and the other disciples were beaten for their preaching, they rejoiced that they had been counted worthy of suffering for the Name of Jesus (Acts 5.41).

• Believers should entrust themselves to God and do what is right (1 Pet. 4.19). We might shrink back from doing or saying certain things for Jesus because we fear the repercussions. The antidote to this fear is faith. We “let the chips fall where they may” and do what we know is right. Our job is to do what is right. It is God’s job to take care of us when there is fallout for doing the right thing. The best example of this kind of thinking is found in Daniel and his three friends, who all refused to obey the King’s edict even though they knew there would be deadly consequences. These men put their lives into God’s hands, knowing that He could deliver them. God does not always deliver His people. In that case we will be ushered into the presence of the Lord! We are not to fear those who can only kill the body. Fear God and do what is right, knowing that your life is in His hands.

Is This Worth Dying For?

But I suppose it is part of our nature to ask if such a sacrifice is really worth it? If I lay down my life and give everything up for Jesus, what am I going to get in return?

Some people might actually say this is the wrong question. They might say that we should do the right thing for its own sake and not for any reward. It should be enough that Jesus told us to lay down our lives and we should just do that because He said so. We should not be mercenaries, they say, just serving the Lord for some kind of payout.

I both agree and disagree with this kind of thinking. First, I agree that we should do what the Lord says just because He says it. We don’t really need any other reason.

But the Lord has told us what the rewards will be for laying down our lives and suffering for His sake. Can you imagine entering a race that has no finish line and no prize to be won? How long would you run in such a race? People who enter athletic competitions suffer. And they do so because there is a prize to be won. Perhaps they should just compete for the love of the game, but even that love is a kind of reward.

Human beings are wired to work toward a goal. God made us to desire something. Unfortunately, many people desire things that will perish. But God means for us to desire what only He can give to us.

This thing that God wants to give us is what the New Testament calls “glory.” This glory from God is worth whatever suffering we might have to endure in this world. As Paul said, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18).

Wait for His Appearing

To get this glory we must wait on the Lord and His appearing. In this world we should expect suffering. The glory is not going to come until the Lord comes. So don’t expect too much while you are still in the world. If you are the kind of person who insists on having it all now, you will find it difficult to persevere during tribulation.

The Devil will offer you instant gratification. Remember how he even tempted Jesus with this?

“The devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me” (Matthew 4:8-9). 

The Devil was saying to Jesus “You can have it all right now!” Satan will tempt us in much the same way. Does it not seem like the Devil takes better care of his servants than God does of His? There are the Devil’s people all fat, rich, and happy while the servants of God are poor and suffering! Satan’s offer is to have it all now.

It is possible to avoid suffering for Christ. (Perhaps we should examine ourselves to see if we are even being persecuted for anything!) You can take the easy way and just enjoy life, finding all of your pleasure and satisfaction in this world. On the Day of Judgment many people will hear the words “remember that you in your lifetime received your good things” (Luke 16:25).

But I would rather it be said of me that I, like Moses, opted “to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward” (Hebrews 11:25-26).

Being ready to suffer persecution really comes from believing God and His promises. It will be impossible for you to let go of this world and your own life unless you believe there is something greater and better that is worth such a sacrifice. If this world and this life are all that we have in our vision, then we will hang onto it as long as we possibly can.

But faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen (Heb. 11.1). Faith cuts our ties with this world and anchors our hope in God. Our hope beyond this world is based on God's promise of a New World. If we believe that God is going to make a New Creation then it will be our goal to make it into that New Creation at all costs – even if that means losing our lives in this world.