I have titled today’s message the Proof of Your Faith. It comes directly from our text today, in vs 7 in the NASB. Other translations render it “the trial of your faith,” or better, “the genuineness of your faith.” Others have called it the character of your faith. I think I could add one more, which is the evidence of your faith.
I have often found myself as a pastor, thinking of an individual who may have given a profession of faith at some point in their life, but yet I find myself wondering if in fact they really are saved. And let me quickly say that I am unable to determine whether or not a person is saved or not. I can examine their fruit, and make a deduction, but I cannot see their hearts. Only God can do that. So I dare not try to usurp God’s omniscience.
However, I think there is a deadly problem today in evangelicalism to reduce salvation to a formula by which we attempt to get people to agree to, to verbalize by some sort of prayer, and then “presto” they are saved. They instantly escape hell and are guaranteed salvation. They are set free from any possible punishment for sin. And yet, oftentimes when you consider the way their lives are lived, there is very little evidence to support that they have indeed become a new creation in Christ.
And yet, as I alluded to a couple of weeks ago in a previous message, at it’s most simplest, the gospel promises that if you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ you shall be saved. To believe is to have faith in who Christ is and what He has done. The conundrum is faith is simple enough for a child to do, but complex enough for an adult to miss it. I think that the simplest way for me to express salvation is to say, that you have faith as a child, simply believing in what God’s word says, but then a willingness to continue to believe all that God reveals. Perhaps that’s what is meant by the great number of Biblical references which say “if you continue to the end,” or something to that effect.
I’ll give you a couple of examples; John 8:31 “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, ‘If you continue in My word, [then] you are truly disciples of Mine.’”
Rom. 11:22 “Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God's kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off.”
Let’s do a couple of more from Hebrews, which should be fresh in your mind; Heb 3:14 “For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end.”
Heb. 10:38 “BUT MY RIGHTEOUS ONE SHALL LIVE BY FAITH; AND IF HE SHRINKS BACK, MY SOUL HAS NO PLEASURE IN HIM.” There are many more, but that should suffice for now.
Now to be fair, I don’t think that all cases in which we fail to see much evidence of faith is an indication that a person is not saved, but rather an indication that they are unfaithful stewards, or that their love has grown cold, or that they are what we used to call back in the day, just plain old backslidden.
But nevertheless, Peter has been addressing the reality of our salvation, and last time we looked at his salutation which was full of affirmation and the promise of a glorious inheritance. I think it is impossible to read the first 5 verses and not be uplifted and encouraged by the promise of what God has planned for those who have faith in Him.
But now starting in vs 6, there is introduced a new aspect of our salvation, which while still finding reason to rejoice, is nevertheless one that involves suffering. Peter indicates that suffering and trials are a part of our journey of faith, and you might even go so far as to say it is a necessary part of our salvation. Peter says that suffering or trials is the proof, or evidence of our salvation. It is the fire that results in the purified gold. And so let’s look at how Peter delineates this evidence of faith.
First note that in vs6, there is a continuation of thought from the previous passage. He says “In this you greatly rejoice…” And of course we must ask what is referred to in the phrase, “in this…” I would suggest that it is our salvation which is stated in vs 5; “you who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” So “in this” refers to our salvation.
Peter indicates without a lot of argument, that faith results in salvation. And as I alluded to earlier, faith at it’s most basic is simply believing in Jesus Christ. Believing that He can help you, believing that He was who He said He was, and believing in what He came to do. You may not initially understand all of it, but you believe in Him. You trust in Him. And then you continue to believe and trust as you follow Him and as He reveals truth to you through His word.
So Peter says, in this salvation you greatly rejoice. I think we have already amply examined the reasons for rejoicing in our salvation most thoroughly in our last study covering vs 1-5; i.e., because we have been elected by God, sanctified by the Spirit, and purified through the blood of Jesus, our inheritance reserved in heaven which cannot decay, or erode, or be taken away, promised the hope of resurrection, our entry into the kingdom paid for by Christ and secured by the deposit of the Holy Spirit. That’s something to rejoice about.
But now he introduces another element of our salvation which is usually viewed as antagonistic to rejoicing, and that is suffering. He says, “In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials.” There is a great error today in some regions of evangelicalism which want to say that suffering never has to be a part of the Christian experience. That kind of theology obviously appeals to a lot of people, but that flies in the face of what the Bible says. Jesus said, “In this world you will have tribulation.”
In fact, Peter uses this word translated “trials” in two other places in his epistles. Look at 1Peter 4:12 “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing (which is the same word in the Greek as trials) as though some strange thing were happening to you.”
And then the other is 2Peter 2:9, which says, “ [then] the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, (that’s the same word rendered trials elsewhere) and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment.”
So just from Peter’s writings, we can learn that trials can be interpreted as suffering, or temptations, or testing. All types of trials are permitted by God, though not all trials are produced by God. Notice Peter describes them as various trials. Some trials may come from Satan, some may come from just the cares of this world, some may come from the weakness of our flesh. They may cover a wide range of difficulties. But God superintends all of our troubles and uses them for His glory. Rom. 8:28 says, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to [His] purpose.” And it goes on to say in the next verse that His purpose is to conform us to the image of Jesus Christ. So all things, all trials, are used to make us like Jesus Christ.
And He has another purpose in our trials. And that purpose is to reveal our faith. Now God knows the extent of our faith, so it’s not that He allows trials to reveal our faith to Him, but to reveal our faith to ourselves and to others. Peter says He allows trials in our lives “so that the proof, or evidence, or character, or genuineness of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
In other words, our trials reveal the nature of our faith to us and to others. You may have heard the expression, the test of a man’s character is what he does when no one is looking. Well, perhaps you could add to that, the test of a man’s faith reveals what he is to himself and to those who are watching.
So suffering in trials through faith that doesn’t waver, that doesn’t buckle, that doesn’t give in, that doesn’t give way, that doesn’t give up trusting in Jesus, is evidence of saving faith. It’s indicative that your salvation is genuine. And it’s proof to yourself, and proof to a watching world. And it’s a testimony that results in praise and glory to God. We make much of praise in the church nowadays. But all too often it is only the empty praise of the lips. It’s praise that costs us nothing, that’s offered without sacrifice. But to be steadfast in faith in the midst of suffering or trials will bring praise to God from others who see your steadfastness. And it will produce praise in your own life as you see the faithfulness of God in your trials.
Peter also makes the point that trials are the refining fire that purifies your faith. In the hymn, How Firm a Foundation, the writer says “the flames shall not hurt thee, I only design, thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.” I’m sure he was thinking of this very text when he wrote that line.
Peter says that this proof or evidence of your faith is more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire. This tested faith has more value than gold. I would suggest that faith through the fire is a means of laying up treasure in heaven. Our steadfast faith in the midst of trials will result in eternal rewards in heaven. And just as fire refines gold by burning out the impurities, so does testing refine our faith by revealing that which is true and burning up that which is impure.
Now regardless of what type of trial we go through, the evidence of our faith will be seen in three ways. Peter says, 1, you will love Him who is unseen, 2, you believe in Him who is not seen now, and 3, you greatly rejoice. Now let’s look at each of those evidences briefly.
First, the evidence of your faith is that you love Him who is unseen. What does it mean to love Jesus? Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” Now that’s a Biblical definition of love. Obedience is a manifestation of love. Love isn’t just an emotion, or a sentiment, but a commitment. In fact, to love God is a commandment, which Jesus said is the foremost commandment. Furthermore, Jesus said in Luke 6:46 "Why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?”
I will tell you this. When the Devil comes to tempt you, to try your faith, the area in which he will most likely tempt you is in the area of loving God. He will try to get you to love the world more, to love money more, to love your family more, to love your grandchildren more, to love your freedom more. And I’m sure all of us, even if caught in the act of putting others before Christ, would still protest, even as Peter protested, “Oh Lord, you know that I love you.”
But the Lord knows the hearts. And if you love Him, then you will obey Him and put Him first in your life. Three times when Peter protested to Jesus “I love you,” Jesus responded with “Then feed My sheep.” The church is His sheep. And I think Jesus was saying that one way our faith is evidenced is by our love for Christ’s church.
Even more to the point though our love for Christ is evidenced by obedience. When temptations seem to offer a better, more natural, more rational option, but it’s not in accordance to God’s word, then I must choose obedience. When it would be easier to fold to the world’s expectations than to remain faithful to God, I must choose obedience. Obedience is the evidence that I love the Lord. Not by my singing, not even my praises, but my obedience.
In this verse, Peter gives us such a great description of what faith is. He says, “and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him.” That really hits the same notes as Hebrews 11:1, which says, “Now faith is the evidence of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
Listen, the problem with the word of faith movement is that they are attempting to make faith the evidence of things seen. They proclaim that if you just have enough faith, you can see God evidenced in your life by giving your what you want; the so called blessings of God, such as health and prosperity. But it’s evident in these verses that the faith that God desires is a faith in Him despite the fact that we don’t see what we want to see. It’s a faith that is obedient despite the fact that it might even include suffering through trials.
The second evidence of faith, Peter says, is you believe in Christ, even though you don’t see Him now. I think the idea of believing here is speaking of trusting God in the midst of trials. When grief strikes, when calamity comes, when the prognosis of the doctor is exactly what you didn’t want to hear, when your spouse leaves you, when your children desert the faith, whatever happens, you still trust the Lord. That’s the hardest part of trials, is believing that God sees, when we can’t see God. Believing that God cares, when circumstances would seem to indicate the opposite. But faith endures to the end. Faith keeps on believing, keeps on trusting our souls to a faithful creator.
And the third evidence of faith, Peter says, is to greatly rejoice in spite of trials. Notice how twice in this passage he uses the phrase, “greatly rejoice.” The first is in vs 6, and now again in vs 8; “you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory.” To be honest, I don’t think I often do that. I think it must be a supernatural gift of God that comes to us in our trials. Maybe it comes in the midst of trials, maybe it comes after the outcome of our trials, I don’t know. I would imagine that it varies, just as the trials are varied. But Peter is emphatic about the idea that we can rejoice in trials.
In chapter 4 which is another text which Peter talks about these fiery trials, he has some things to say which may help us know more precisely what he’s talking about. 1Peter 4:12 says “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.”
First he says, to the degree that you are sharing in the sufferings of Christ. That qualifies our suffering. Not all suffering may be joyful. Heb 12:11 says “All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”
But it is possible to have joy when you share in the sufferings of Christ. How? I think it’s because as we come to suffer with Him, we come to know Him and have fellowship with Him in a more intimate way. Paul spoke of this in Phil. 3:10 “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.”
Listen, to know Him is to love Him. And to love Him is to come to know the kind of joy that is inexpressible. And we come to know Him most intimately when we are conformed to His sufferings, and conformed to His death, when we die to sin and die to the world. In that way, we become conformed to His image. In other words, we live for what He lived for. We die for what He died for. We suffer for what He suffered for. And when we do those things, we will we also share in His glory.
Now these proofs of our faith, Peter says, results in “obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.” I think that when he says this, he is referring to more than just the moment that you are born again. Salvation speaks of more than that. In fact, I think vs 8 is speaking of this, there are three phases of our salvation. There is the point at which you believe, which is justification. Then there is the process by which you are sanctified, or being conformed to the image of Jesus Christ, that is called sanctification. And then there is the final stage of salvation which is when we are translated into glory, what is called glorification. And all three phases can be referred to as salvation. But I think that the Bible teaches that all three are essential components of salvation.
We are justified by faith as indicated in vs 3. We are sanctified by obedience through the Holy Spirit according to vs 2. And we are glorified to our inheritance according to vs 5. And all of this results in the outcome; the salvation of our souls as promised in vs 9. That is indeed something to rejoice in. No matter the depth of the trial, or the heat of the refiner’s fire, it will be worth it all in the end.
It is said about Jesus in Hebrews 12:2 who for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. The suffering of the cross may not have been something at that moment of crucifixion to rejoice about, but He considered the joy set before Him, and willingly went through it knowing what was in store on the other side. The same promise is for us as well who endure to the end, who endure the suffering, who persevere through the trials of life, who are not ashamed of Him, but willing to forsake all to be with Him. There is laid up for us a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge will award to us on that day.
I don’t want in any way to trivialize whatever suffering or trial you may be going through today. But I do want to assure you that God sees your trials, and He has promised to be with you to the end. I want to encourage you to be faithful, to trust Him, to obey Him, to love Him, and I can assure you that in that process, you will find His presence and power to be with you in an intimate way that is able to sustain you and give you strength to endure. May you be found faithful when He comes. God’s purpose in all of our trials is multifaceted beyond our comprehension sometimes. But though we can’t see His purposes, we love Him and believe in Him. And one thing is clear from this scripture; God uses such trials to refine our faith, so that we may come forth like gold. But this gold is not just precious to man, but also to God. And He will be faithful to perform His promises to you as well, when He comes to receive His own.
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