In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith--more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire--may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.These verses of Peter's epistle bear a striking resemblance to the opening verses of James' epistle. Both Apostles direct our eyes and our thoughts above our current struggles and provoke us to place our faith and hope in Christ. Peter, however, not only desires believers' thoughts to transcend the here and now and hope in a time and a salvation to come to full consummation in Christ, but he also desires to diminish the struggles we partake in during our Christian walks and empower us with a Spirit "more precious than gold." In the preceding verses, we saw how our salvation and inheritance is more precious than gold, how we are more precious than gold, and how we are defended and protected by God as being more precious than gold. In these verses, we will see how our rejoicing is more precious than gold, our faith is more precious than gold, our sanctification is more precious than gold, and our testing is more precious than gold.
1 Peter 1:6-9
To begin the section off, we see that we are rejoicing in what we discussed in the last section (that is, we find our salvation in Christ's work upon the cross, not by works, but by grace through faith alone). Surely, those of us who truly believe that the last verses perfectly described our spiritual state and our glorious hope and salvation in Christ are certainly rejoicing. But before I can continue, we have to consider the rejoicing we are to be taking place in. The rejoicing that Peter alludes to here is much more than just shouting "Amen" or "Hallelujah" after reading verses three through five. The word rendered "rejoice" here is a very strong expression that means to "to exult, to leap for joy" (Pulpit Commentary and Vincent's Word Studies in the New Testament) and was used by our Lord during the sermon on the mount in Matthew 5:12 ("Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you").
Undoubtedly, Peter has these very words of Christ on his mind while he writes to the exiled Jews and to us today. He seems to desire us to regather our thoughts during our trials of temptation and persecution, to remember that these are merely means to a much grander end, and to rejoice with exultation and leaping for joy! Oh, if only we could do such a thing when the world and sin desires to bear us down with burdens that we would seemingly be unable to bear if it were not for the comfort and building up of our faith that we benefit from through the work of the Holy Spirit. If only we could endure a very difficult trial at school, at work, with family, with friends, or in private. If only we would endure what anguish we must and afterwards leap and bound for joy. The Greek word that is rendered "have been grieved" in the ESV has also been translated "in heaviness" in other translations. Although the ESV translates the word more literally, I think that heaviness lends itself wonderfully to the image of leaping for joy. For, although the world and sin desires to bear us down, place a heavy burden upon our shoulders, weighing us down with shoes made of lead, we are made lighter than feathers as our faith is proved and the Holy Spirit carries us past the here and now and directs our eyes to look upon a cross and a Savior that we have not yet seen, and to see our salvation, our Heavenly inheritance, our living hope, and our glorious God! We see a picture of sin wanting to hold us down to our temporal lives on earth, but we cannot help but leap out of our shackles, free from it's bondage, and spring up to the heavens in exultation to our new master and head, the Lord Jesus Christ!
But Peter quickly follows rejoicing with sorrow. He writes, "though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials" (v. 6). Although I have briefly alluded to our sorrow, grief, and heaviness, there is more to say about these trials. First, Peter alludes to the temporary nature of these trials when he writes, "though now for a little while." We will have to endure various trials, but only for a little while. The days of trial and tribulation will be but a second when we think of the eternal salvation stored up for us in Heaven. If we can, we must bear various trials for a little while, and we most certainly can when God's power enables us to persevere.
Secondly, Peter alludes to the necessity of our trials. In his commentary on this passage, Calvin writes:
"The condition is to be taken for a cause; for he (Peter) purposed to shew, that God does not, without reason, thus try his people; for, if God afflicted us without a cause, to bear it would be grievous. Hence Peter took an argument for consolation from the design of God; not that the reason always appears to us, but that we ought to be fully persuaded that it ought to be so, because it is God’s will."We do not bear these trials unnecessarily. God has a purpose and a plan for each trial that you face. God wills trials upon us for the testing and proving of our faith. Although some trials do not lend themselves too easily to understanding the will and plan of God, we must rest assured that God has willed and purposed them to take place in our lives for the testing of our faith and the advancement of our sanctification.
Finally, in regards to our trials, Peter speaks of "various trials." However, the Greek word here alludes to types rather than number. That is to say, that Peter writes that we will have to deal with a diversity of trials rather than a large numerical amount. As Marvin Vincent writes, "The word gives a vivid picture of the diversity of the trials, emphasizing this idea rather than that of their number, which is left to be inferred." I think this is important to remember as we seem to be blindsided time and time again by problems we have never dealt with before. Certainly, our Christian walks are marked by several trials that test the object and strength of our faith, but there always seems to be something new to deal with. As we look upon our past, many of us can testify to the validity of Peter's statement, and can attest to the diverse problems, situations, trials, temptations, and tribulations that we have grieved through. But once again, looking back we can leap for joy and rejoice knowing that we are that much closer to going home to our heavenly inheritance, and to share it with our Christian brothers and sisters and Christ Himself forever!
Peter has shown us how our rejoicing is more precious than gold. Now Peter speaks about how our faith is more precious than gold (v. 7). In verse seven, Peter uses an earthly image in order to express to us how and why our faith is more precious than gold. He writes, "...so that the tested genuineness of your faith--more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire--may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ." The Greek word for "tested" here is used only one other time in the Bible, and that by James in the third verse of his first chapter. This testing is a special kind of test, and refers specifically to the purification process of gold (or metals).
Gold is the most precious metal to the world. From ancient civilizations to modern society, gold has held its fame, glory, and luster in the heart of every man. Although it is only but a mere element and but a little shinier than other precious metals when completely purified, it contains some intrinsic value in our hearts that renders it the most precious gift this earth has to offer. Gold is precious to God too. When we look back upon Solomon's Temple, we see that God desires gold to plate everything that is precious to Him (1 Kings 6) and wants man to revere as holy. We also see that gold is not only precious on earth, but it is also held in high regard in Heaven as well, for we are told by John that the streets of the new heaven are pure gold and as transparent as glass (Rev. 21:21). We can attest to how precious pure gold is in the sight of man and in the sight of God in numerous other passages of the Bible. But as we have already seen, there are many things that God holds in greater reverence and glory than gold, and as Peter tells us in verse seven, our genuine faith is far more precious than gold to both the believer and to God!
Gold is most valuable when it is at its purest state. In order to purify gold you must test it. You must test gold in the burning furnace, melting the gold, separating it from the rock and other metals, isolating the element until almost all traces of alien particles and blemish is burned out and only pure gold remains. This is the picture that Peter lays before us, here, in verse seven. As James 1:3 tells us, we are being tested and made pure for our sanctification. It is a vivid and beautiful picture that we must keep first and foremost in our minds whenever we endure struggles and trials of various kinds. Through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, faith is steadily growing within us, ever strengthening our gaze upon the cross. We are still feeble and weak, and we must endure numerous trials and various trials, but every test we pass, we are made that much purer through our sanctification. We still have our blemishes and traces of foreign metals. We are not yet pure reflections of the glory of Christ our Lord, but we are steadily being tested, conformed more and more into that holiest of images ever and anon through the work of the Holy Spirit in the strengthening of our faith through our sanctification.
Martin Vincent expresses a beautiful thought when he writes about the tests we go through. He writes, "The verb (to test) is used in classical Greek of assaying or testing metals, and means, generally, to approve or sanction upon test. It is radically akin to [the Greek word] to receive, and hence implies a proof with a view to determine whether a thing be worthy to be received." He goes on to differentiate between the Greek word for "test" and "tempt" showing how testing something generally refers to acceptance upon passing whereas tempting often refers to trying someone's foundation with an evil desire to see it crumble. Therefore, we can see that we are tested by God for His glory and for our benefit. He does not test those he does not desire to receive into His communion. Unlike gold, which can be purified and then tarnishes and wears over time, our sanctification is eternal. Peter attests to this fact when he tells us that our faith is more precious than gold because "gold...perishes though it is tested by fire." Therefore, we can conclude that one of the many reasons why our faith is more precious than gold is because test after test brings us closer and closer to an infallible reflection of our infallible Savior on that last great day.
As we endure testing, all too often, we can attest to how much more difficult our lives as Christians are compared to those of nonbelievers that have completely abandoned and forsaken their relationship with their glorious Creator. After all, this is a heavy subject upon many faithful hearts in the Bible, to include Moses, David, and Job. Why do the evil nations prosper while the church must suffer various trials? God does not test that which He has no desire to see purified. God does not put the flame to those He has no intention of setting apart as holy. Those that have rebelled will be tested by the fires too and placed into the furnace, but like weeds, they will be completely consumed by the fire while the faithful are taken out, shining like pure gold (Matthew 13:38-43). Too often, we think that God is punishing us when we meet difficult times in our lives, but Peter and James both reassure us that this testing has wonderful and glorious implications. We must endure for a short while, but we can persevere by God's great power and the indwelling of His Holy Spirit; greatly rejoicing knowing that the genuineness of our faith is being tested for the purpose of further conforming us into the perfectly righteous and holy image of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and our sanctification will be perfected in the last great day when He returns and we will be made purer than gold and whiter than snow!
Finally, Peter addresses the object of our faith, which (as we have already concluded) is far more precious than gold. In verses eight through nine, Peter writes, "Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls." Peter now addresses the object of our faith who we have not yet seen. Peter had the wonderful blessing of seeing firsthand Jesus' ministry, His miracles, His sermons, His suffering, and His death. But although he was very blessed to have witnessed all these things, he still recognizes that his physical seeing is not what has influenced his faith and belief in Christ. Although it would seem that Peter is unable to relate to our not having seen Christ and yet loving and believing in Him unto eternal life, Peter here relates that our faith and belief transcends our physical senses. Peter did see Christ's ministry firsthand, but it was not the sight of his eyes that allowed him to rest his faith upon Jesus for salvation, but rather it was the Spirit poured out for him that gave him eyes of faith. After all, we know that Peter seemed to struggle the most with wrestling with his earthly perception and expectations of what Christ's ministry would amount to, and we can see him grow through the work of the Spirit as he passes trial after trial throughout the Gospel books and Acts. It might not seem like the apostle can relate to our having not seen Christ, but he seems to be pointing to a different sight of Christ that even he has not seen: that being the glorious King of Kings, adorned in righteous splendor, coming to judge the nations of the earth, and to lead His bride, the church, to our eternal inheritance of everlasting life and perfect communion with our Heavenly Father!
Once again, Peter is calling the exiled Jews and all Christians that read his epistle to remove themselves from this world and to attend to riches and glories laid up for us in heaven above. Although no Christian today has witnessed the sufferings of Christ, the miracles of Christ, the death or the resurrection of Christ, we believe with such fervent love as if we had. Once again, we see that our faith does not come from anything in and of ourselves. Peter knew firsthand that seeing is not believing. He was there when Jesus performed miracle after miracle before unbelieving Pharisees and Sadducees that continued to ask for a sign that He was the Son of God right after witnessing a miracle. Peter knew firsthand that being a disciple of Christ and witnessing His entire earthly ministry was not enough to obtain believing faith for his fellow disciple, Judas Iscariot. Our faith is a result of God's grace and His outpouring of the Holy Spirit, who effectually calls us to hear the Word and see our risen savior through the eyes of believing faith. As Calvin writes, "Faith, indeed, has also its eyes, but they are such as penetrate into the invisible kingdom of God, and are contented with the mirror of the Word; for it is the demonstration of invisible things."
In closing, we also see, once again, that our faith should lead us to joy inexpressible. Peter cannot over emphasize this point, because it is pivotal and crucial to the Christian life to keep our faith affixed on Christ, our hope in Christ, our eyes of faith on Christ, and our joy in Christ! We must always remember that no matter what difficulties and trials we pass through in our lives, we are far richer than the riches of the world that surrounds us could ever offer. No matter what loss afflicts our lives, we have gained everything through Christ's atoning work on the cross! Calvin does a much better job of expressing the wonders of this glorious passage when he writes:
"This world holds all our affections ensnared by is allurements; this life and all things belonging to the body are great impediments, which prevent us from applying our minds to the contemplation of the future and spiritual life. Hence the Apostle sets before us this future life as a subject of deep meditation, and he indirectly intimates that the loss of all other things is to be deemed as nothing, provided our souls be saved."
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