First Peter 4:5 tells us that Christ “is ready to judge the living and the dead.” When the Lord comes back, He will judge the living among the nations at His throne of glory and establish His millennial kingdom (Matt. 25:31-46), and He will judge all the dead at the great white throne after the millennium (Rev. 20:11-15). It is significant that after Peter tells us to have the same mind that Christ had in His suffering, he mentions that Christ will judge the living and the dead. When the Lord Jesus suffered in the flesh and was persecuted by men, He armed Himself with the mind to suffer because He knew that the time was coming when He would judge all human beings, including His persecutors. Likewise, while suffering persecution from others, we need to realize that we also will one day judge the world because we will be the co-kings of Christ (vv. 4-6; 22:5; 1 Cor. 6:2).
First Peter 4:11 says, “In all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.” Eventually, in both all that Christ is and has done and all that He will be and do, He will glorify God. This indicates that all our ministry of grace, whether in speaking or in serving, should be full of Christ, so that God may be glorified through Christ in all things.
First Peter 4:13 says, “Inasmuch as you share in the sufferings of Christ, rejoice, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice exultingly.” Today we rejoice when we share in the sufferings of Christ because at the unveiling of His glory we will participate in His glory (Rom. 8:17-19; 2 Thes. 1:10). At that time we will rejoice exultingly; we will be beside ourselves with joy.
In 1 Peter 4:12, Peter says, “Beloved, do not think that the fiery ordeal among you, coming to you for a trial, is strange, as if it were a strange thing happening to you.” In verse 13 Peter goes on to speak of our sharing in the sufferings of Christ. Although persecution is a trial that purifies us through burning, eventually Peter says that by experiencing such a fiery ordeal we share, participate in, the sufferings of Christ. It is possible for the sufferings that a Christian undergoes to be the sufferings of Christ. How can the persecutions suffered by us be the sufferings of Christ? If we were not Christians, we certainly would not suffer the kind of persecution described in verses 12 and 13. Such persecutions are due to the fact that we are Christians, men of Christ. Because we believe in Christ, love Christ, live Christ, and bear testimony to Christ, witnessing of Him in this age, the world rises up against us. This age is under the hand of the evil one (1 John 5:19), and for this reason unbelieving ones persecute those who believe in Christ and witness of Him. In the sight of God this kind of suffering is regarded as the sufferings of Christ.
Christ lived a life of suffering. Now we are His partners who live the same kind of life. According to the book of Hebrews, we are not only partakers of Christ but are also His partners (3:14). We cooperate with Him in living a life of suffering. We follow Him along the way of suffering. This means that what Christ suffered, we also suffer. Therefore, when we suffer for Christ in this way, our sufferings are counted by God as the sufferings of Christ.
We should not be discouraged, because we must suffer as Christians. These sufferings are positive and very precious. What a privilege it is to experience the sufferings of Christ! Paul could even say that he made up what was lacking of the sufferings of Christ for the sake of His Body, the church (Col. 1:24). He speaks also in Philippians 3:10 concerning the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings. Today we should be Christians, followers of Christ, who undergo the sufferings of Christ. We need to participate not only in the riches of Christ but also in the sufferings of Christ. If we take this point of view, we will be encouraged whenever we suffer for Christ. We may even welcome this kind of suffering. We may face fiery ordeals, but these are the sufferings of Christ in which we have the privilege to participate.
In 1 Peter 4:13 Peter speaks of rejoicing exultingly. This means that we will be joyful not only inwardly but also sound out our joy. At the time of the unveiling of the Lord’s glory, we will exult. I believe that we will shout, rejoice, and perhaps even leap for joy; we will be excited to the uttermost, beside ourselves with joy. Today we may rejoice, but when the Lord is unveiled we will rejoice exultingly.