“Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.”
Yet if anyone suffers
The “if” recognizes in the Greek those who suffer as Christians. God designs all suffering for the Christian for blessing. If we suffer for our sin God designs that for blessing because we are blessed when we are restored to fellowship. The purpose of discipline of the Christian is to bring him back to blessing (Hebrews 12:6).
God uniquely blesses us for suffering in time because there will be no suffering in eternity. God cannot show His unique love for us in trial there because there will be no trial there. He can only show blessing in suffering in time.
as a Christian
The “as” puts the Christian in strong contrast to the four terms used to designate criminals in the previous verse. We can suffer for our sin or we can suffer representing the name of Christ.
In the entire Bible the name “Christian” occurs only here and Acts 11:26 and 26:28. Literally, the name “Christian” means “Christ ones.” We are those who belong to Christ.
“Then Agrippa said to Paul, ‘You almost persuade me to become a Christian‘” (Acts 26:28). Agrippa used this name as a term of reproach. Today “Christian” is a rather meaningless term. We call the United States or Canada “Christian” nations.
Principle:
Christians are those who belong to Christ.
Application:
Are you a Christian or just a Baptist, Presbyterian or Catholic? A Christian is not one who has been confirmed or baptized or joined a church. This is a popular misconception today. Christians are people who have invited Jesus Christ into the personal experience of their heart and life. They do this by trusting in the finished work of Christ in suffering for their sin. When they do this He changes their viewpoint on life. He gives them different desires.
If I were to ask you “Are you a Christian?” what would you say? Yes or no? You might say, “I don’t know.” Suppose I said, “Are you a citizen of the United States, yes or no?” You know for sure whether you are or not. If I say, “Do you belong to Christ?” and you answer “Well, I don’t know. I suppose I do.” That is a good sign that you are not a Christian. A genuine Christian knows that he is a Christian (1 John 5:11-13). Why not make sure today? Go to our URL site on how to become a Christian: http://www.crusade.org/fourlaws/
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