Suffering (3) follows Obedience
An authentic Christian lifestyle should produce suffering. Peter identifies the Christian life with a life of love that does not return evil for evil, but meets wrong with right , abuse with blessing, and unjust power with suffering (1 Pet 2:22, 3:8,9).
Peter expects that any Christian who lives in this spirit will receive suffering, because they are alienated from those who hold power in the world. A lifestyle of unconditional love in a sinful and hard world, can only lead to suffering. Yet this is the life to which we are called. In a hostile world, steadfast loyalty to Christ will lead to trials and trouble.
Life is a battleground where the forces of good and evil meet, so those who take Christ’s side must expect to be attacked by the forces of evil. Our struggle is against the devil, so a life of love, makes us vulnerable to his attack . For Peter, suffering is an inevitable consequence of a godly life.
No comments:
Post a Comment