Today’s reading is 1 Peter 1.
Let’s begin with Jesus. Do you recall what happened to Jesus as soon as He was baptized? After the Father had declared Jesus His Son, the Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted or tested by Satan. He was with the wild beasts and the angels ministered to Him (Mark 1:12-13). We might expect Jesus to be baptized and then ushered to His throne to rule as God’s Son. But, first, testing, trial, temptation. His genuineness is demonstrated by what He suffered. Further, He was perfected by what He suffered (Hebrews 2:9-13).
In like manner, what happens to us after we have been baptized into Christ? As was Jesus, we will be “grieved by various trials.” Why? So the genuineness of our faith might be proven and result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed to us. And in that revelation, we might obtain the salvation of our souls which is the outcome of a tested and proven faith. That salvation is the resurrection from the dead “to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.”
The struggle, of course, is Satan wants to twist the testing. God allows us to be tested in order to prove our faith, perfect our steadfastness, and lead us to final and full salvation. Satan tests us in order to destroy our faith and separate us from the saving God. Satan wants us to face the test and decide because we are grieved by trials, we must not be saved. There must not be any home waiting for us. There must not be any salvation reserved for us. He would have us give up.
But Peter wants us to understand God is guarding us through our faith. But faith is not faith if we only hold it when it is easy to hold. Faith is only faith when it is put to the test and hangs on. It’s not saving faith unless it withstands the test. The faith that crumbles when affliction, trial, persecution, temptation arises is the rocky ground faith: quickly proclaimed, quickly abandoned. The faith that guards our souls and leads us to salvation is a tested and proven genuine faith. If we hang on to our faith through the trials, temptations, and tests, we will have the salvation which is ready to be revealed in the last time.
James teaches us the same thing. He began his brief sermon by telling us to rejoice when we face tests and trials, because when we persist in obedient faith, we gain steadfastness and steadfastness will grow us to completeness (James 1).
As gold is tested in a fire to prove its genuineness, we too will be tested in the fire. But hang on by faith. Our salvation is reserved for us in heaven.
Praise the Lord!
Tomorrow’s reading is 1 Peter 1.
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PATHS:
Discuss Today’s Meditation with Your Family
How does 1 Peter 1 admonish you?
Read the Bible 