“But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.”
to His eternal glory
“To” means with a view to; God has a purpose in His call. His objective is that we will be with him eternally. He desires our fellowship. Suffering is temporary (v. 9) because God has an eternal plan.
“That you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory” (1 Thessalonians 2:12).
“Glory” is another name for heaven. God calls Christians to the presence of his very own glory in eternity.
“To which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 2:14).
“Eternal” means endless but endless quality time, the quality of life with God. Eternal life is not just long life but a life of glory shared with God. There will be no cessation or end to our share in the glory of God.
“Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels'”… 46 “And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Matthew 25:41, 46).
Eternal punishment lasts as long as eternal life, but without the quality of God’s eternal life.
“In flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power” (2 Thessalonians 1:8).
Some people try to air-condition hell. We cannot reduce the duration of time in hell that God establishes for the lost without diminishing God’s Word.
“Eternal glory” brings out the full range and objective of suffering. This puts suffering in perspective. The world is full of suffering, and the world is also full of triumph over despair.
PRINCIPLE:
God calls believers to a life that transcends suffering.
APPLICATION:
This prayer in 1 Peter 5:10 first reminds believers God calls them into a life that transcends the suffering of this life. It acknowledges suffering is real but puts pain in eternal perspective.
When you face disaster, put it in the context of God’s eternal call for your life. We handle disasters by understanding God’s plan. To fear, fret or fall apart will do no good.
