In Kyle Farran’s article entitled “10 Reasons Why God Entrusts Us with Trials”, Missionary Life, Vol. 67, Issue 1 (2019) [10 Reasons God Entrusts Us With Trials | ABWE], the eighth reason is Trials Are an Opportunity for Reward . This post looks at 1 Peter 1:6-7 cited by Kyle in support of the eighth reason. Kyle writes:
God entrusts me with trials as a gift. If I respond to the trials in faith and holiness, I can have joy in the fact that I am storing up rewards in heaven. If I respond to the trials with fear or complaining, I miss the opportunity for reward.
Steve’s comments now follow.
The relevant Scripture is 1 Peter 1:6–7 (NET), which reads:
6 This brings you great joy, although you may have to suffer for a short time in various trials. 7 Such trials show the proven character of your faith, which is much more valuable than gold—gold that is tested by fire, even though it is passing away—and will bring praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
1 Peter 1:6–7 (NLT)
6 So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. 7 These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
The more expansive Wuest translation reads 1 Peter 1:6–7 (WUESTNT)
6 In which last season you are to be constantly rejoicing with a joy that expresses itself in a triumphant exuberance, although for a little while at the present time if perchance there is need for it, you have been made sorrowful in the midst of many different kinds of testings in order that the approval of your faith, which faith was examined by testing for the purpose of being approved, that approval being much more precious than the approval of gold which perishes, even though that gold be approved by fire-testing, may be discovered after scrutiny to result in praise and glory and honor at the time of the revelation of Jesus Christ;
Joy is mingled with grief. Peter’s audience suffered a wide variety of trials. The term “short time” MAY include a believer’s lifetime. A believer’s earthly life is short as compared to eternity.
God designs these sufferings to show or establish the genuineness of a believer’s faith. ESV Study Bible on p. 2405-6. There is a reward at the revelation of Jesus Christ. MacArthur says that the revelation is the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). The ESB (on p. 2152) agrees that the revelation is at the Rapture.
On a personal note, this passage gives me strength as I look forward to the day when I receive my rewards for staying the course. Will I stay the course? My expectation is that I will.
What about those believers who do not stay the course? A definite answer to that question is beyond the scope of this short post. I realize that some disagree with this position, but I believe that a believer is always saved, i.e., cannot lose their salvation. Therefore, even though they may lose rewards, they will not lose their salvation if they do not stay the course.
I hope what I write is helpful to the reader.
IF YOU ARE UNSURE ABOUT YOUR SALVATION
If you are unsure about your salvation, you need to check out my book The Salvation Meter: Biblical Self-Diagnostic Tests to Examine Your Salvation and Spiritual Growth (book link at Xulon Press: https://www.xulonpress.com/bookstore/bookdetail.php?PB_ISBN=9781662828638 ). At Amazon the book link is https://www.amazon.com/Salavation-Meter-Biblical-Self-Diagnostic-Spiritual/dp/1662828632 . I also have a website in which I am updating the content in the book. The link to my website for the book is https://thesalvationmeter.com .
IF YOU ARE NOT A CHRISTIAN
… please (1) read through “God’s Plan of Salvation” so you can understand what God did for you through His only unique Son, Jesus Christ, and (2), from the bottom of your heart, pray the “Sinner’s Prayer” meaning every word. If you do, you will be reconciled to God – saved – through Jesus Christ.
God’s Plan of Salvation
In the beginning, God, who is holy, created the entire universe. As a part of His creative actions, He made humans (male and female) in His image to know Him. For a while, everything was right between God and our ancestors, Adam and Eve. But Adam and Eve sinned, whereby sin was passed down to all of humankind so that we became sinners separated from God. Nothing we could do on our own could bridge that separation so that without God’s intervention, hell would be our eternal destination.
Fortunately for us, in His great love and mercy God provided humankind with the only means of salvation, which is through Jesus Christ who is God’s only unique Son. While retaining His deity, God the Son became a man in Jesus, lived a perfect life, and died a substitutionary atoning death on the cross, thus fulfilling the law Himself and taking on Himself the punishment for the sins of all those who would ever repent and trust in Him for their salvation. Jesus rose from the dead, showing that God the Father accepted Christ’s sacrifice and exhausted God’s wrath against every believer. He now calls all unbelievers to repent of their sins and trust alone in what Christ did to save them.
If we repent of our sins and completely trust in Christ alone that He died for our sins and rose to life from the dead, we are born again into a new life, an eternal life with God.
Scripture References: Genesis 1:1, 26, 31; Habakkuk 1:13; Genesis 2:7-25; Genesis 3:1-7, 22-24; Isaiah 59:2; Romans 3:19-20, 23; 5:17-19; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 6:23; John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Colossians 1:15; 2:9; Matthew 1:18, 20, 24-25; Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter 2:24; Hebrews 2:17; 9:25-26; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; 1 John 4:10; John 3:16-18; Mark 1:15; Acts 17:30; 26:20; Romans 1:4; 4:25; John 3:5-8; 1 Peter 1:3.
“Sinner’s Prayer”
Lord, Jesus Christ, the only unique Son of God, thank You for Your free gift of eternal life. I know I’m a sinner who cannot save myself no matter what I do, and I deserve to spend eternity in hell. But, I know that because You loved me so much, You voluntarily died on the cross for me taking my sins upon Yourself, and You physically bodily rose from the grave showing that Your sacrificial death was sufficient payment to give me eternal life in Heaven. I now repent of my sins and completely trust alone in what You did for my eternal salvation. Please take control of my life as I now receive You as my Lord and Savior. Thank You so much for saving me. I am now Yours forever!
(Scripture references: John 1:1-4, 11-14; John 3:16; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 3:21-26; Isaiah 53:4-6; Mark 1:15; Acts 16:31; Acts 4:12; Romans 10:9-10, 13; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; John 10:27-29).
RESOURCES
NET Bible, Full Notes Edition (1996, 2019), Biblical Studies Press, LLC
NIV Cultural Background Study Bible, (2016), Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI
ESV Study Bible, (2008), Crossway Bibles, Wheaton, IL
The MacArthur Study Bible, (1997), Thomas Nelson, Nashville, TN
The NIV Study Bible, (1985), Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI
ESV Thompson Chain Reference Bible, (2016), Zondervan, MI
Expositor’s Study Bible, Crossfire Edition, (2013), Jimmy Swaggert Ministries, Baton Rouge, LA
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