If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. ~ 1 Peter 4:14
Today, we return to our study of 1 Peter, the book with the theme of hope in the times of suffering. In today's verse the Apostle Peter continues with the same general idea as he had written about in the past two verses. In those two verses, the Apostle mentioned the fiery trial of believers, and our participation in Christ’s sufferings. For the believer in Christ these are to be expected and actually are a point of honor.
Peter begins today's verse with, "If you are insulted because of the name of Christ."
This reminds me of Philippians 2:13 which reads, "for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose."
When our wills agree with God, we are rendered powerless and helpless to do what we need to do. This is where the Lord shows His power and His glory. As a result, we "work out" what God "works in" us. We do not work to earn "our salvation," we allow the very life of the Lord Jesus to be manifested to and through our yielded lives. As we do this, we do not oppose God's will. No, His will becomes our will.
This portion of this verse is not speaking of suffering which is a result of faith in Christ as much as it is a title of honor for bearing the name of Christ. The reproach is because of the honorable name the believer in Christ bears, and it is used as an insult by those who do not bear it. This is not a problem for the believer who is being defined by God. In fact, when we are being defined Him, the insults of others will not result in their designed intentions. Those who insult us do this in order to get us to respond in like manner. When we resist the lurings of the flesh or the evil desires that are yet within us even though we are born again, we experience the pronouncement of God's Spirit and power upon, in and through us.
We do not understand the power of God unless we see it displayed in our lives. We do not really experience God's power unless we go through suffering. Notice that I said "go through." Those who cut the process short, desiring comfort or relief over substance, miss out on the deepening of their hearts for the very pronounced presence of God. Our comfort, which is what our suffering disrupts, blinds us from the reality of God's presence being pronounced in and through our lives. It also blinds us to God's power being released into and through our lives. It is our fallenness that almost always requires us to go through suffering in order to be more intimate with God. And, we will not know the pronounced presence and power of God personally until we turn to Him in the midst of our suffering. This is the subject of the second half of this verse.
The Apostle uses the phrase "for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you" strategically in this verse. The word "glory" speaks of the shekinah glory that was visible over Mount Sinai when God gave the Law to Moses. This shining glory was visible over the tabernacle as Israel traveled through the wilderness out of Egypt. It was visible when the temple was dedicated in Jerusalem. This was the glory which Peter saw when the Lord Jesus was transfigured before him on the mountain with James and John. This cloud of glory is the outward manifestation of God's presence among His people. When the Old Testament believers saw this cloud in its various forms, they knew that God was with them, and they were assured of God's presence. Peter says believers in Christ actually have the same glory of God, in us, over us, around us, protecting us, directing us, even though we have a very difficult time seeing it. This verse is a reminder when we suffer for the name of Christ that we are sharing in His sufferings. We are put in a place to give evidence of God's blessing and presence and power as we stand tall amid the suffering.
The Apostle uses the phrase "for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you" strategically in this verse. The word "glory" speaks of the shekinah glory that was visible over Mount Sinai when God gave the Law to Moses. This shining glory was visible over the tabernacle as Israel traveled through the wilderness out of Egypt. It was visible when the temple was dedicated in Jerusalem. This was the glory which Peter saw when the Lord Jesus was transfigured before him on the mountain with James and John. This cloud of glory is the outward manifestation of God's presence among His people. When the Old Testament believers saw this cloud in its various forms, they knew that God was with them, and they were assured of God's presence. Peter says believers in Christ actually have the same glory of God, in us, over us, around us, protecting us, directing us, even though we have a very difficult time seeing it. This verse is a reminder when we suffer for the name of Christ that we are sharing in His sufferings. We are put in a place to give evidence of God's blessing and presence and power as we stand tall amid the suffering.
The blessing that the Apostle wrote about here is not a subjective happiness; it is the objective presence and power of God in our yielded lives through the Holy Spirit. When we are insulted because of our identity in Christ, we are blessed because God's presence is pronounced in, to, and through us. To know His presence is the most fulfilling experience for any believer. I find it instructive that in heaven at the end of time according to Revelation 22, believers in Christ will be the temple or the resting place of God. In that context, we will be most fulfilled. So, it makes good sense that when we are insulted because of the person of the Lord Jesus, we will experience God's presence in such a way that we will be most satisfied.
The word "rests" speaks of the refreshing that comes when we yield to the most dominant power in the midst of our suffering. Many down through the years have been martyred for their faith and they totally transcended the physical pain during the persecution. Some have been known to sing hymns while their physical lives were being taken from them. They were able to do those things because they hosted the pronounced presence and power of God in that moment. This happened because the Spirit of God had rested upon them to lift them up beyond the physical dimension.
This reminds me of Philippians 2:13 which reads, "for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose."
When our wills agree with God, we are rendered powerless and helpless to do what we need to do. This is where the Lord shows His power and His glory. As a result, we "work out" what God "works in" us. We do not work to earn "our salvation," we allow the very life of the Lord Jesus to be manifested to and through our yielded lives. As we do this, we do not oppose God's will. No, His will becomes our will.
