A Petrine View of Believers’ Suffering and Its Implications for the Contemporary Church: A Focus on 1 Peter 4:12–19

Abstract

The prominent theme in 1 Peter is suffering because of being a Christian. Peter instructs Christians on how to respond to the inevitable reality of suffering facing the first-century church. According to him, Christian suffering is not a strange phenomenon to believers in Christ (4:12). He, therefore, encourages Christians under persecution in the Greco-Roman world to joyfully suffer as Christians and not as a result of wrongdoing (4:15–18). In their suffering, believers profoundly share in Christ’s sufferings and anticipate the sharing of the promised glory to be revealed (4:13–14). The study uses the historical-critical method to explore the teaching of 1 Peter 4:12–19. In light of the impending judgment on all humanity, the believers are to trust God and continue to do good amidst their suffering (4:19). Peter’s message of suffering is indispensable to the church today as it faces attacks from within and without.