Consolation (1 Peter 5:10-11)

Peter closes his letter with words of encouragement for the suffering Christians to whom he wrote. In his brief consolation he says a great deal to them. We can focus on five matters, four of which concern God – his resources, purpose, action and praise. But before considering them, we can think about the apostle’s assessment of time.

 

Peter says that their sufferings will not last long, even if they should last for the rest of their lives. This perspective is not unique to Peter. Paul reminded the Corinthians: ‘For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison’ (2 Cor. 4:17). He regarded his difficult circumstances as momentary. 

John, also writing in circumstances of suffering, stated: ‘I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus’ (Rev. 1:9). He regarded tribulation as a common experience of believers now as they looked ahead to the arrival of the One who said he was coming soon.

 

The fact is that life in this world is short, even if it lasts for several decades. This does not mean that there is not plenty time, although for some Christians it will be painful time. Obviously, it should be a purifying time, and sanctification should be the focus of their lives. And we have to recall that whatever time we have, it is God’s providential time. Maybe we think this is a hard call that Peter is making, but it would be much better for us to see that it is a call to realism. And it is not the only thing that he has to say to them for their consolation, although it is part of his consolation.

 

God’s resources

It usually helps us when we speak about the Lord or to the Lord to add some details to reveal or clarify what we want to express about him. One word that covers everything is his grace. Since he is the God of all grace, he is the only source of grace. He is also the source of all types of grace, be it forgiving grace, reviving grace, restoring grace, comforting grace, strengthening grace etc. It means he has ample grace for every situation. We can never find ourselves in a situation that is unsuitable for his grace to operate. 

 

God’s purpose

God’s purpose was revealed when he called Peter’s readers to eternal glory. Here we are reminded that it is the Father who calls, and he does so through the gospel, but at a specific moment through the gospel. The call here does not refer to the general call of the gospel, or to an external call that does not enter the hearts of people. Rather it refers to a call that is accompanied by divine enlightening and divine power, which illumines our spiritual darkness and overcomes our natural spiritual resistance to the gospel, although those responding do so through being persuaded as well as enabled.

 

The destiny of those so called by the Father is his eternal glory. What is meant by his eternal glory? It could refer to the location, it could refer to participation, and it could refer to duration. The last point is obvious given that it is eternal, but when one lives in a world where nothing lasts, it is very comforting to know that glory lasts forever. Location is very comforting too, but it is not the ultimate. For example, we can watch someone obtaining glory, may even be related to him or her, express our delight for him or her, but yet fall short of the fullness of what has happened. What will be fully good is participation in which we experience the meaning of glory.

 

This participation will be communal (it will be enjoyed by all the people of God), constant (never-ending) and Christ-centred. It is not clear to which part of the clause ‘in Christ’ refers, or if it covers everything in the clause. Were we called ‘in Christ’, were we led to glory ‘in Christ’ and will we participate in glory by being ‘in Christ’? I would say that all are true. If we want to put it this way, for eternity, the Father is the source, the Son is the administrator, and the Spirit is the conveyor of the glory. And it is communal and constant for all on whom it will be bestowed. The people of God will never be without it, and they will increase in it, and never come to the end of it.

 

God’s actions

Peter mentions four actions by God – restore, confirm, strengthen and establish. He also mentions that the Father will be personally involved (God does not delegate divine actions to someone else) and that it will certainly happen to all of them. One question is, when will this take place? Peter is reminding his readers not to judge things by their circumstances or their weaknesses.

 

The word ‘restore’ points not so much to restoration after sinning, but to the restoration of something to its former glory, like when we speak of restoring a house or a car to what it used to be. It is the verb that is used when the disciples were mending their nets (Mark 1:19). God is going to restore his people in the sense that he will make them holy. 

God is also going to confirm their identity as his sons, a status that is often denied to them by the world. Also, he will strengthen them for life in the eternal world (even in this life we need divine strength in order to enjoy a taste of Christ’s love, as Paul indicates in his prayer recorded in Ephesians 3). And he will establish them in the sense of giving them permanent security.

 

God’s praise

Peter has a brief doxology in verse 11. A doxology is an expression of rejoicing in what God has planned and which proclaims it with wonder and awe. God will reign over all things forever. It will be part of the eternal glory that his people will experience and enjoy.