Patient Endurance

"Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously..." (I Peter 2: 18-23 KJV)

"For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing." (I Peter 3: 17 KJV)

"If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf." (I Peter 4: 14-16 KJV)

What is it that all these verses have in common? Besides all being written by the apostle Peter in his first letter?

Primarily they all deal with one central subject or idea, that of BEARING UP UNDER pain and suffering with the added contrast between those who patiently endure DESERVED suffering versus those who patiently endure UNDESERVED suffering.

All human beings, because of sin, experience suffering, grief, pain, and loss. It is a "fact of life." All are not equal in their sufferings, however, neither in quantity nor in quality.

Peter asks each person in suffering to ask himself one question - "is this suffering for evil doing or for well doing?"

Or, in other words - "am I suffering because of my sin or am I a victim of persecution?"

Or, perhaps, "am I being tested by God through this suffering as was Job?"

One who patiently bears his punishments and consequences for his crimes and misdemeaners, who "takes responsibility," is commendable. Society calls these people "model prisoners." They exemplify compliance with their sentence by their simply and quietly "serving their time" or "paying their debt to society." They do not grumble over their sentence, but agree with it, and have a desire to comply it, with the hopes that they can "make the best of it" till the suffering be past.

But, as commedable as is this "model prisoner" to society, and to wardens, yet it is not so commendable to God. What he values is the person who, like Jesus his Son, patiently bears up under suffering wrongfully inflicted.

"This is thankworthy," said Peter, "if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully."

A man who "out of conscience toward God," bears up under suffering that has been inflicted upon him for his well doing, is a man whom God "takes notice of," and who gets praised and rewarded by the Lord.

The natural questions for any such suffering ones are:

1) "Can I do something to stop this undeserved suffering?"

2) "Should I do anything to stop this undeserved suffering?"

3) "Should I 'not say anything about it' or 'not do anything about it'?"

4) "What does it mean to 'bear patiently' or to simply 'suffer it'"?

The best way to answer these questions is perhaps by thinking of some examples. The chief example to consider is the sufferings of Christ, all of which were "for well doing," and none were "for evil doing."

The Lord Jesus Christ did not bear "needless" pain. If there was something causing him unneccessary grief, as a man, he would have stopped the cause of it, as should every other person. But, not all, perhaps not any, of Jesus' sorrows and sufferings were "needless" or "unneccessary."

Another example is a godly Christian spouse who lives with or is married to an ungodly man. The Christian oftentimes suffers numerous ills, innocently, from the mistreatment of non-Christian spouses.

Is the Christian to do anything to stop it? Yes, and no. Yes, he should try to "overcome evil with good," and to try to talk to his or her spouse about the mistreatment and the sufferings being experienced as a result of it, but, to the degree it is not stopped, the Christian must simply "bear it patiently."

Yes, adultery or physical abuse or willful desertion, by the non Christian, is sufficient justification for the Christian to stop the suffering by divorce and separation. But, in all other cases, his only option, "for conscience sake," is to endure it without grumbling, and to realize that God sees it and that he is well pleased with how he is handling it.

And, of course, the case of the "model prisoner" is another example, as stated earlier. And, Peter gives another example in the verses above, that of a "servant" (employee or slave) who "endures grief" from his job, or who "suffers wrongfully."

Yes, it is right to legally stop employers from gross mistreatment, but the law cannot stop ALL the many ills that employees suffer at the hands of cruel bosses. Sometimes the Christian, "for conscience sake," must simply "endure" his "grief," or else find another job. If one cannot find another job, and one therefore must work under such cruel masters, then he ought to "endure it," and to always realize that

1) God is pleased in his "patient endurance," and
2) His innocent and patient suffering is praised by God, and is rewarded by him for his innocent sufferings, and
3) That his patient endurance of undeserved grief and pain is always a witness to the reality of the Christian faith and is sometimes even made a means in converting others, even of the inflicters of the grief themselves, be it a mean-spirited spouse or a cruel boss.

Peter asked - "what glory (praise) is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently?"

That is a good question. From the amount of space that Peter gave to talking about the topic (of the question), in his first letter, it was obviously a very important topic in his estimation. Why is it so important? Why is this topic overlooked in today's "chicken soup" books? In many Sunday School classes and sermons?

"When ye do well, and suffer for it, (and) ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God."

"It is better to suffer for well doing than for evil doing."

"Hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps."

These are powerful words of life saving advice for us all today!

Every Christian ought to weigh them daily as it respects his daily griefs, pains, and sufferings. Is Christ pleased with my patient bearing of my sufferings? Are they "for righteousness sake," and "for well doing?"

"Let none of you (Christians) suffer as a thief, or suffer as a murder, or suffer as a busybody." In other words, "avoid these kinds of sufferings in your life!"

"Suffering as a Christian." To suffer in this manner is to suffer because of your "well doing," of which believing in Christ and in the gospel are examples.

"Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." (II Timothy 3: 12 KJV)

If this is so, then every Christian should "handle wisely" (Proverbs 16: 20 KJV) the "matter" of persecution and unjust infliction of grief and pain, and should ponder deeply Peter's instructions.

"Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you." (Matthew 5: 10-12 KJV)

Peter says it is part of the "calling" or "profession" of the Christian to experience unjust persecution and suffering for his "well doing." When the Christian cannot escape this persecution and suffering, he must show the spirit of Christ in his sufferings, having his attitude and faith, and behaving in suffering as he behaved. Surely the Christian will receive the smiles of the Lord (or joy) in those sufferings and be greatly rewarded in the world to come.

"When they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ." (Acts 5: 40-42 KJV)