1st Peter 4:12-19
Peter is recognising the reality of faith for many of the new Christian community who were Gentiles (non-Jewish). Those Christians, unlike those from a Jewish background, would have had little experience of persecution because of the nature of their society where many different gods, cults or philosophies competed for attention, but Christianity, because of its challenge to “kingship” the rule of the emperors (who claimed to be divine) was a different matter. They are to see that persecution as a mark of what they are doing right in the world – standing out against the world’s norms in the name of Christ. All will be judged, and the Christian first, but by living the faith as we should we need not fear that judgement.
Persecution takes many forms and for some in the world today it is physical and mental torture: for Christians in the rich first world it is abuse, quite often indifference and all too often ridicule. Peter to us says, keep the faith.
Peter is recognising the reality of faith for many of the new Christian community who were Gentiles (non-Jewish). Those Christians, unlike those from a Jewish background, would have had little experience of persecution because of the nature of their society where many different gods, cults or philosophies competed for attention, but Christianity, because of its challenge to “kingship” the rule of the emperors (who claimed to be divine) was a different matter. They are to see that persecution as a mark of what they are doing right in the world – standing out against the world’s norms in the name of Christ. All will be judged, and the Christian first, but by living the faith as we should we need not fear that judgement.
Persecution takes many forms and for some in the world today it is physical and mental torture: for Christians in the rich first world it is abuse, quite often indifference and all too often ridicule. Peter to us says, keep the faith.