“Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.”
Therefore
The “therefore” indicates that this is a summary statement for Christians in suffering. This is the punch line of this section of 1 Peter. This is the application of all this teaching on trials. If Christians are not to retaliate what are they to do? Commit.
let those who suffer
Nothing that comes our way arrives by accident (1 Peter 2:20; 3:17). God processes everything in our lives. When Satan came to God to put duress on Job, God had to take down the “hedge” around Job. God has a hedge around each of us. Nothing comes into our lives without going through that hedge. No disaster comes our way without God’s permission. He must concur with any event that enters our lives.
according to the will of God
The words “according to” mean norm or standard. Our suffering must be according to the norm or standard of the will of God.”Will” means purpose, plan or design. Everything that comes into our lives come by divine design. Nothing comes into our lives that God does not process by His will. If God wills suffering then so be it. It is better to suffer in the will of God than out of it. If God wills something for our lives then He will give us sustaining grace.
Principle:
Nothing can happen to us without God concurring with it.
Application:
The doctrine of God concurring with the events of our lives is a sadly neglected doctrine today. This doctrine is part of the providence of God. In God’s providence He controls all events, all thoughts, all plans for his own glory.
It is reassuring to know life is not capricious and God controls everything in our lives.
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