Rejoicing and trials
1 Peter 1:6-7 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: 7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
Condition of the Christian life
Some have the idea that once they are saved and begin the Christian walk that there will never be any troubles to bother them. Some preachers even preach this to gullible people and it brings distress and problems for many. Jesus never promised us a life without problem (Jn 16:33). Cults often lure people into them by promising utopia after their experience and many follow their teaching because they cannot overcome in the world.
The Christian paradox is that we can at one in the same time experience rejoicing and heaviness, yet Peter says this be the case. Heaviness means to be grieved, troubled. It is not just suffering but the suffering brings us grief and pain. Paul tells of his and those with him and their experience (2 Cor 4:8, 9). Some may say, “Well, if that is true, where is the problem?” The problem would lay in the fact that sometimes we fail to maintain a balance and allow the heaviness to overwhelm us and this grief becomes part of our mood and eventually we become discouraged and fall away from our faith. Too often before that happens others will see in us only the grievousness and not the rejoicing that should characterize the believers.
Christians are still human and we are affected by what goes on and happens around us. There are situations in which if we are not affected by things we are not natural to Christianity. The stoics are those who are unaffected by anything – we should be passionate people and enhanced by the Holy Spirit. The Scriptures speak of those who knew sorrow, grief, loneliness and disappointment and make them known to us. Yet, they still rejoiced in Christ and their walk with Him. We must never regard our self as one who is exempt from feeling or emotions, but one who is able to rise above these things though we feel them deeply.
Manifold
These temptations were trials or tests not to do evil but situations that arose because of their faith. The word manifold means “many colored”. We experience many trails in varied ways and colors and shapes and forms. Persecution is an area of trials as Peter speaks of (1 Pet 2:11,12). The world cannot understand the experience of the new birth because they are unregenerate and know nothing but things of the world. They see religion that gets in the way of fun and pleasure. Therefore, the new believer is not understood by those around him/her – even members of their own household. Peter was wronged by Jews as well as Gentiles and other Jews could not understand the Jewish believers and their changed life. This type of thing happens in a family where only one person is a believer and the others are not – the believer would experience a certain amount of persecution (2 Tim 3:12). The closer we draw to the Lord, the more likely we are to experience trouble in this world. Jesus went about healing and doing good yet experienced many trials. (1 Pet 4:3, 4).
Principles of trials
When trials come we should ask our self the question: “Why are they happening?” The danger is to endure them with a groan, grumble or complaint and not seek the reason for them. Peter suggests that they may be given to us by God for a purpose for he says, “if need be”. This tells us that they may be necessary for us in our Christin life. It is not accidental; it is ordained of God for our good – part of our discipline.
It could be also that the trial is come to us to prepare us for a work God has planned for us. The more important the task, the more severe the trials we will go through. Throughout history and in the Bible God has taken chosen vessels through trials hard to endure to prepare them for the purpose He has for them.
Again trials we experience may be preparation for greater trials ahead of us. God often allows us to go through smaller trials to prepare us for greater ones in the future.
Strengthening of faith
Peter says that the trials of our faith are more precious than gold – gold will perish one day but our faith is eternal. God desires to make our faith complete for it is faith that keeps the soul from hell and grants him entrance into heaven. There seems to be degrees of faith in our walk with the Lord. When we enter the faith a babes our faith is not complete in trust. We may be faithful when the sun shines and we experience good, but when dark clouds hide the sun and His face, we experience lack of faith. The ire of trials will burn out the flesh in our new and young faith.
God has done this with others throughout history – Abraham was brought through the trials until it says, “he hoped against hope”.
Also, these trials are to increase our endurance – patience. This is the staying power that keeps us on the way when things look dark and like we should give up. When he says the “trial of our faith” carries the idea of attestation of faith. The trials prove whether our faith is real of not – is it 18 carat gold or fake. The way we endure certifies our faith whether it is spiritual of psychological. All that glitters is not gold and the fire proves it.
Peter’s encouragement
Peter offers encouragement to those he is writing to by telling that it is for a season – not permanent. They come and go as God deems fit for us.
He also tells them to not dwell on the trials but on the end of our life and endurance. Our end is heaven and glory and the trails are for the glory and praise of God.