1st Peter 1:6-12 Series

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1In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, 8 whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.

After talking about the hope we live with – the hope of living with God forever (eternal life), Peter then goes on to tell his readers (and us), that between now and the time that we possess that eternal life, we will be grieved with various kinds of trials. The first thing he encourages us to do during those tough times is to rejoice greatly in them. Now that’s not something most of us can relate with easily, or find ourselves doing when we are grieved by various trials. We hardly find ourselves rejoicing in trials, let alone rejoicing greatly in trials. Let’s see why and how Peter has this perspective of trials.

Before we look at his reasons to have this perspective of trials, let’s not forget that Peter is perhaps writing from his own experience of facing trials of various kinds, and rejoicing in them himself. Remember the time all the apostles were beaten for preaching Christ in Acts 5:40? In verse 41 it says, “So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.” He is preaching only what he has already practiced.

The reason he gives as to why we need to rejoice greatly in our trials has something to do with the perspective with which we look at our trials. Firstly, he says that trials serve as a test of the genuineness our faith. One can profess to have genuine faith in Jesus when everything’s going well in their lives, and there’s not even a glimpse of trials, but when the same person is faced with trials, and they can still greatly rejoice in it, then that’s evidence of genuine faith. There seems to be a difference between faith and genuine faith, and we are called to possess and live with genuine faith. Faith believes when life is free of any trials, but genuine faith believes, and goes further to rejoice greatly in trials. These trials don’t come to test our faith as much as they do to test the genuineness of our faith, and our response to trials proves whether or not our faith is genuine.

Abraham believed God even when God asked him to sacrifice his one and only son on the altar, and he proved beyond doubt that his faith was genuine. Read what the angel of the Lord said to Abraham just at the point when he was about to sacrifice Isaac on the altar. “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” One of the best ways we can truly demonstrate our faith in Christ, is when we hold on to Him no matter what trials we face in life. God has an amazing way of turning things around in our lives, but until then, let’s hold on, and let our faith grow to become genuine and strong.

Peter goes on to compare the genuineness of our faith with gold. He says that it’s because gold is refined of all it’s impurities in the fire, that it comes out pure, and is therefore so precious. He then says that more precious than gold, is the genuineness of our faith. He’s not comparing gold with our faith, but rather with the genuineness of our faith. He seems to be saying that its trials can serve to transform our faith from mere faith to genuine faith. But for that process to take place, we need to remain faithful to the Lord in our trials, and not quit, just like gold needs to remain in the fire to be purified. Let’ not miss the point. He’s not talking about trials purifying us, as much as he’s talking about trials proving the genuineness of our faith.

He adds a small detail regarding gold – though it is refined in the fire, and is so precious, gold will eventually perish. But that’s not so with genuine faith. Nothing can destroy genuine faith – not the worst of trials in life. Fake faith will wear off at the slightest glimpse of trials, but not genuine faith.