“So then...”

Read 1 Peter 4:19

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Peter’s long section about suffering as a Christian comes to a conclusion in this verse. Christians are God’s people, a holy priesthood in his service (2;5,9) and this inevitably means that we are “aliens and strangers in this world” (2:11), just as Jesus was. And like him, this will result in unjust suffering, in which we must follow his example (2:21).

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But such suffering is “according to God’s will”, to fulfil his saving purpose (1:19) and for our own eternal good (5:4,10). “So then”, when we “suffer grief in all kinds of trials” (1:6), there are two things we should do. Firstly, we should put our trust in God, committing ourselves to him just as Jesus did on the cross (Lk.23:46). And secondly, we should keep on doing all the good we can, both to our unbelieving neighbours (2:12) and especially to our enemies (3:9).

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To do that, we must rely on “the strength God provides” (4:11), through each person of the Trinity. God is our faithful Creator on whom we can depend (19; Ps.146:5-6). It is the sufferings of Christ that we are participating in, so he can help us (4:13; Heb.4:15-16). And the Holy Spirit – the Spirit of glory – rests upon us in our weakness (4:14; Rom.8:26-27).