“Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.”
let him not be ashamed
It is an honor to suffer for our testimony for Christ.
Php 1:20, “According to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.”
“Ashamed” is the sense of dishonor that prevents us from having a proper sense of self or doing something constructive (2 Cor. 10:8; Php. 1:20; 1 John 2:28). This term is used for being ashamed before the Lord Jesus at His Judgment Seat. The Judgment Seat is where the Lord will evaluate the lives of Christians, not non-Christians.
We can translate “Let him not be ashamed” as “Don’t be embarrassed.” This is a challenge toward poise. If others reject us for sharing our faith, there is no reason to feel that we have failed. Some Christians live in the sense of failure. They are frequently upset and full of self-pity.
In this verse, there is no shame if we suffer in a Christian manner rather than as a lawbreaker (1 Pe 4:15).
Ro 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.”
2 Ti 1:8, “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God.”
PRINCIPLE:
A strong Christian develops poise in the face of suffering.
APPLICATION:
Does shame keep you from sharing your faith? If so, you have lost your poise as a Christian. He is a strong Christian who shares his faith. The grip of our position in him is so powerful that nothing or no one intimidates us. We can fly in the face of fear because our identity is in Christ.
