Believers Called to Suffering

Peter teaches us that believers are to live their lives in the context of the sufferings of Christ. Furthermore, Christians are called to sufferings after the example of Jesus.

Peter explains that Jesus suffered for us, leaving us His example, that we ought to follow in His steps.

Notice that Christ went before us in His suffering. What He expects us to follow after, He went through before us.

Throughout the New Testament, the Holy Spirit teaches us steadfastness in suffering.

Paul reminded the Thessalonians that he had told them before of the suffering that would come, and urged them not to be surprised now that he was suffering, and they were also.

Believers must learn not to be surprised when sufferings and tribulations come. But here in the West, we have grown soft, expecting the good times of acceptance by society of Christianity to continue indefinitely.

The truth is, both Christ and the Apostles have already informed us, that we have been appointed to tribulation and suffering.

Jesus taught, the night He was betrayed, that the world hates Him, and therefore will hate His people.

Christ has chosen His people out of the world, which introduces an alienation between the world and the saints.

Not only so, but the world's hatred of our exalted Prince, the Lord Jesus, means the world will despise Christ's subjects. There is an antipathy against Christ and all His people.

The fact that the Lord's people follow Him, but the world does not, causes a parting of ways between us and the world. Having rejected the world for Jesus, the world in turn rejects the Lord's people, and the hatred against us is bitter by those who hated Jesus.