To Encourage You

1 Peter 2:19 “For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. “

The definition of the word grace with which I’m most familiar is “unmerited favor.”  We think of it throughout the Scriptures in reference to God’s grace towards sinners as He forgives us, not because we deserve to be forgiven, but because grace is one of the many wonderful attributes of God.  One of the most well-known passages that describes this is Ephesians 2:8-9, which says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”  It’s all unmerited.  It’s the goodness of God poured out on unworthy sinners. And it happens all the time in every aspect of life. 

Well, in the passage above we get some further insight into this word “grace.”  Here it’s used in the context of “unmerited suffering” rather than “unmerited favor.” Have you ever thought of grace in this way? We are told that it is a gracious thing in God’s eyes when we endure suffering that we don’t deserve. Peter uses the example of an unjust master of a servant. He tells those servants that to “be subject to your masters with all respect, not only when to the good and gentle but also the unjust” (1 Peter 2:18).  He follows this with the verse above and then follows that verse with this: “For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.” 

Earlier in 1 Peter 2 he tells believers that as they come to Christ, who is a type of “living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” Using this analogy of “living stones” we are being told that as we come to Christ and follow Him, we are becoming more and more like Him. One of the most Christ-like attributes we can demonstrate is this quality of grace.  And how do we do this? We follow His example. You see, God’s unmerited favor that he poured out on us came by way of Jesus’ unmerited suffering.  The most incredible example of God’s grace is that His perfectly righteous Son endured the wicked treatment of sinners, unjustly, and in that very act, provided His gracious forgiveness for those very sins.  And so, every time we are treated unjustly and respond by returning good for evil (Romans 12:17-21) this is a very gracious thing in the eyes of God.

So is that how you think about such things?  Or are you constantly seeking to uphold your “rights?” Are you thankful for God’s incredible grace that has been poured out on you, but hesitant to show such grace to others?  For you see, if Jesus Christ is the one you are truly following, the grace that He has poured out on your life won’t stop with you. Rather, you will seek to show that same grace to sinners who are part of your life by the sovereign hand of God. It is as you and I demonstrate grace towards them – unmerited favor in return for unmerited suffering – that they just might begin to really believe in the love of Jesus because they see it demonstrated in our lives.  And it might just be this kind of thing that God uses to open their hearts so that they turn and follow Him.