Suffering Is Not the End of Your Story

“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 Pet. 2:11–12)

If you’re familiar with Peter’s story, you might not expect him to be the disciple who’d write the primary letter in the New Testament on suffering. Instead, you could assume he’d write on overcoming pride, finding forgiveness, or the dangers of sinking when taking your eyes off Jesus.

This Galilean fisherman left all to follow Jesus and supernaturally confessed him as the Christ (Matt. 16:16). But when Jesus revealed he was going to suffer and die, Peter rebuked him. In response, Jesus said, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man” (v. 23). How awkward is that? Peter got it spectacularly wrong; he failed to understand that the cross was the ordained means for the Suffering Servant to save his people from their sins.

Peter also failed when the time came for him to suffer. When his association with Jesus threatened his life, Peter denied knowing his Lord. Although he was the first disciple to follow Jesus, Peter was also the first genuine disciple to disown Jesus. So how does this man write a letter to suffering Christians?

The only explanation is the resurrection. Peter walked into Jesus’s hollow tomb, saw the linen clothes, and found his body was gone. Along with the other apostles, Peter was an eyewitness to Jesus’s resurrection from the dead. And it was the risen Lord who graciously appeared to Peter, asked him to affirm his love, and gave him the call to feed his sheep (John 21:15–19).

Through Jesus’s restoration and the Spirit’s power, Peter matured from the unpredictable firecracker of a disciple we see in the Gospels to the bold rock in the book of Acts who endured persecution. This man who collapsed under the threat of suffering now had courage to stand before authorities and testify to this Jesus whom God raised from the dead (Acts 2:32).

This is the Peter who wrote to believers in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia (1 Pet. 1:1), encouraging them to endure as elect exiles. He was no longer turned off by the idea of suffering. Since Peter knew believers would face fiery trials, he wanted them—and us—to understand that, as for Christ, suffering isn’t where our story ends.

Not Yet Home

Most commentators believe the audience of 1 Peter to be Gentile Christians. Throughout the letter, he references their former way of living. He writes, “For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you” (4:3–4).

This suggests Peter’s readers were once part of an idolatrous, unbelieving community. Since their friends are surprised at their lack of participation in debauched practices and idol worship, we assume that prior to regeneration they were living like all the other Gentiles in the empire.

Throughout the letter, Peter employs Jewish motifs to supply these Gentile Christians with a new identity. For example, he starts the letter off by calling them “elect” (1:1) and later “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation” (2:9). These same words were spoken during the exodus journey when the Israelites escaped Pharoah (Ex. 19:5–6). By using similar language, Peter connects the identity and experience of these Gentile believers under the evil rule of Rome with Israel in the wilderness having just escaped Pharoah.

He also calls his readers “exiles of the Dispersion” (1 Pet. 1:1). “Dispersion” or “Diaspora” was a term often used to refer to Jewish people scattered throughout the nations (John 7:35). But it was later used to describe Christians (James 1:1). Again, Peter connects the identity of his Gentile audience with God’s people in the old covenant. Like Israel, these exiles were sojourners and strangers, temporary residents far from home.

The life of Olaudah Equiano illustrates what this exile can look like. Equiano was born in Benin in 1745 and authored the first autobiography of an enslaved person. He was stolen in West Africa before being sold to European slavers and sent to the West Indies, eventually ending up in Virginia. Equiano indeed was a stranger in a foreign land. The larceny, land, language, and labor were all unfamiliar. Once Equiano converted to Christianity, he understood what it was to be an exile not only geographically but also spiritually, leading him to write about the blatant hypocrisy of Christians who championed chattel slavery:

O, ye nominal Christians! might not an African ask you, learned you this from your God, who says unto you, Do unto all men as you would men should do unto you? Is it not enough that we are torn from our country and friends to toil for your luxury and lust of gain?

Along with many other Africans who were abducted, sold as chattel, and forced into a life of endless slavery, Equiano knew what it was to suffer as an exile. While the circumstances in Peter’s day were different, their sufferings were similar.

These Gentile Christians were exiles spiritually. Because of their commitment to Christ and his commands, they couldn’t live with a sense of belonging in their communities. And they were exiles geographically. Perhaps some were displaced from their physical homes, but all were strangers on earth and far from heaven.

The suffering these believers faced was extensive. They endured fiery trials (1 Pet. 4:12–13, 16) and experienced grief (1:6). They suffered with sin and were tempted to return to their former behaviors (2:1–3). They were insulted (4:14) and intimidated (3:14). They had unbelieving spouses (3:1) and lived under unjust human authorities (2:13–18). On top of that, their adversary the Devil wanted to devour them (5:8).

Aren’t these the types of sufferings we experience too? Trials of the flesh, the world, and the Devil. But Peter tells them and us not to be shocked when we face these difficulties (4:12) since we know “the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by [our] brotherhood throughout the world” (5:9). All Christians face this suffering. None of us is at home. Instead, we’re living in the now-but-not-yet reality of Christ’s kingdom. While we do have the hope that when Christ returns we’ll be exiles no more, that’s not our experience now.

Living as Exiles Now

So how do we live as exiles now? If we looked for answers within ourselves or on social media, we’d have a different how-to guide than what Peter gives. Here’s how he calls us to live during our present exile.

1. Exiles should be holy.

None of us is at home. Instead, we’re living in the now-but-not-yet reality of Christ’s kingdom

Exiles should be holy because we’ve been chosen by the Father, redeemed by Christ’s blood, and filled with the Holy Spirit. The new birth we now have because of Christ’s resurrection affords us the ability not to be conformed to the passions of our former ignorance (1:14). The same power that resurrected Christ from the dead is at work inside Christians to resurrect us from our sin nature. Christians should be holy in all our conduct (v. 15) because our sacrificial Lamb is holy. His spotless sacrifice is what saves our souls and allows us to imitate him. Like Christ, we’re sons of God while strangers on earth.

Peter calls us to display our distinct nature in love, faith, and hope (v. 8). Holiness looks like loving God deeply. Even though we haven’t seen him, we love him, ultimately because he first loved us and gave us the ability to trust him. What a grace it is to have a faith in Christ that isn’t destroyed by trials but is purified and strengthened by them. By setting our hope on things above, on the future return of Christ (v. 13), we’re able to live in holiness now as we anticipate the place Christ is preparing for us. The hope of a future home is what enables exiles to be holy.

2. Exiles should do good.

Not only are Christians called to be holy, but we’re also called to do good works. We’re not to become holy hermits who segregate ourselves from the world into a Christian snow globe. Peter tells us to “turn away from evil and do good” (3:11). It’s not enough for us to reject evil. We must pursue good works, which God created in advance for us to walk in (Eph. 2:10).

These good works are to be done in the world. As Peter says, “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 Pet. 2:12, emphasis added). Believers should stand out as Good Samaritans while living among those who think differently, worship differently, and hold different values.

God calls us to love our neighbors, and he determines who those neighbors are. By the Spirit we must love and serve our Muslim neighbors, our LGBT+ neighbors, and our neighbors with no religious affiliation. Neighbors who don’t speak our language. Neighbors who post signs in their yard that we disagree with. Neighbors who irk us and do things we can’t stand.

Our good works shouldn’t be driven by partiality or comfort. As Peter says, we should never return “evil for evil or reviling for reviling” but instead bless our enemies (3:9). Of course, this requires faith for exiles who are themselves slandered and mocked. But we can do it by faith as we entrust ourselves to our faithful Creator and Judge (4:19; cf. 2:23). We recognize living a distinctly Christian life is an evangelistic tool God uses to reach those in our path. As they see our good works, it will lead some to glorify God (2:11–12).

3. Exiles should speak the truth respectfully.

When speaking the truth, we’re often focused on what we’re saying while ignoring how we say it. If someone points this out, we might accuse them of being the “tone police.” But Peter says what and how we speak both matter to God. When we share with unbelievers about the hope we have, we’re to do it respectfully and with a clear conscience (3:15–16). If we must suffer for speaking up, it should be because we’ve done good and not evil.

If we must suffer for speaking up, it should be because we’ve done good and not evil.

Peter says those who falsely accuse us will one day be silenced and put to shame (2:15; 3:16). Sadly, Christians in the public square are often the ones put to shame when they’re not speaking the truth or they’re not speaking respectfully. If what we say and how we say it is wrong, it may bring suffering, but it’s not suffering for Christ’s sake.

How many times have we felt like we’re suffering for righteousness’ sake when, in reality, it was brought on by our own sinful speech? How often has our exile been our own fault? So Peter reminds us to imitate Christ, who has no deceit in his mouth (2:22–23), rather than imitate the Gentiles, who themselves struggle with sins of the tongue when they slander (4:4).

4. Exiles should love sincerely.

There’s one passage in all of 1 Peter that references our love for God (1:8); there are four that speak of our love for other believers.

Peter says the reason we purified our souls through obedience to God’s gospel was for the purpose of loving our brothers and sisters in Christ (1:22). Peter commands us to love the brotherhood (2:17). He commands us not only to love them but to keep fervent in our love for one another because love covers a multitude of sins (4:8). To be fervent in love is to be zealous and earnest because of a shared goodwill, a supernatural affection, and an eternal bond. This bond helps us greet one another with the kiss of love (5:14), which means we accept each other with an impartial love.

This loving acceptance shouldn’t be ravaged by political parties, caste systems, cultural differences, or denominational distinctions. Because none of these is our home. America isn’t our home. No constituency, culture, or class is our home. No matter where we live, we’re not home yet. We’re just passing through. We’re making our way to an eternal home inhabited by believers from all different backgrounds—even people we disagree with.

Living in a hostile world, exiles can’t afford to fight with each other. Instead, we should fight for unifying love, laying aside secondary concerns for what’s of first importance (1 Cor. 15:1–4). As we gather around the glorious gospel of Christ, we can join hands with one another, knowing Christ’s body includes a global church that extends far beyond the eyes we peer into each Sunday. It even reaches beyond those who are alive now to a faith that has existed for thousands of years, spans a plethora of cultures, and includes people from a variety of political parties—and even some who choose not to vote. It’s a faith that tells us we can’t say we love God if we don’t love our brothers and sisters (1 John 4:20).

There’ll be times we’re tempted not to love—maybe because we’re offended or there’s a disagreement. Rather than cancel each other or question the faith of a brother, may our love be like a thick, grace-filled blanket over the saints to cover their sins, so we can truly greet one another with a genuine kiss of love (1 Pet. 5:14).

Temporary Trials, Eternal Glory

It’s interesting that Peter tells elect exiles our suffering is for a short time, only “for a little while” (1:6). Wait, what? How can Peter say that? Suffering rarely feels short. Typically, when we suffer, the days, months, and years drag on like a toddler attempting to tell a story. Job said if his grief could be weighed, it would outweigh the sand of the seas (Job 6:1–3). And anyone who’s suffered knows the temptation for it to be all-consuming.

Exiles can’t afford to fight with each other. We should fight for unifying love, laying aside secondary concerns for what’s of first importance.

So when Peter emphasizes the shortness of our suffering, it can only be understood in one way: in light of eternity. This is Peter’s point. His view of suffering had been transformed by Christ’s resurrection, and likewise, he wants exiles to rejoice in hope of their future resurrection (1 Pet. 1:3).

As we’re elect exiles, suffering isn’t the end of our story, because suffering isn’t the end of the story for Jesus. His story includes eternal glory (v. 21). And when he returns to make all things new, believers will share in his reward. If we suffer with Christ, we’ll also share in his glorious splendor and joy. With an imperishable inheritance (v. 4). With an unfading crown (5:4).

On that day, all the pain of fighting against our flesh, this world, and the Devil will be worth it when we see our Lord’s face and hear those coveted words from him: “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master” (Matt. 25:21). And what a joy it will be when we’re finally welcomed home. Never to leave his presence. Never again to experience the agony of suffering. Our identity as exiles replaced with glory. What a celebration there’ll be on that day.

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