1 Peter 1:7

1 Peter 1:7 ‘that the proof 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'

“that” -Such trials can be used for. good end. The Christian must reject the idea that. certain trial is completely useless or that no good can come from. hardship. (Psalms 119:71; Romans 5:3; James 1:2).

“proof of your faith” -In the word “proof” lies the idea of proving or testing. thing to see if it be worthy to be received or not. ‘As the assayer takes the gold ore and runs. test on it to determine the quality and quantity of the precious metal, so the trials through which the saints were passing constituted. crucible which tested their faith and reveals its true character..' (Woods p. 30) ‘genuine, without alloy, the genuineness of your faith' (Arndt p. 203). The “proof” of one's faith-were the results of passing through trial-i.e. what was really left after. person passed through this trial. Hardship and suffering has. testing quality: It will determine whether your faith is genuine or all-talk. And this is good. Better to fall on your face now-then be exposed at the judgment day, with no time left to change. Suffering also has. refining quality: Priorities all of. sudden become very clear and well organized (Matthew 6:33). What doesn't really matter is cast aside. Peter had found his faith ‘proven' on numerous occasions.

“being more precious than gold which is perishable” -1. Even Christians need to be reminded that ‘gold' isn't the ultimate protection. Gold will be worthless at the judgment day. 2.. faith which has come through trial, still intact, is worth more than all the gold in the world. If you have. faith that cannot be shaken-then you are one of the wealthiest individuals in the world!

“even though tested by fire” -Possibly two ideas here: 1.. proven faith is more valuable than even refined gold. 2.. genuine faith is more valuable than gold, even though the path to such. faith includes enduring some fiery trials (1 Peter 4:12)

“may be found to result in” -If suffering can be used to refine my faith, if suffering can used like. refining fire which can presently assess the true condition of my conviction and trust in God, then suffering is something to rejoice about! Sadly, even some Christians have made it their goal to avoid any kind of suffering or personal discomfort at all cost. ‘I want to be comfortable' is the motto for too many. People don't end up saved by accident. It is an approved faith which results in eternal life. Which infers that some professed believers may fail the test (2 Corinthians 13:5). In addition, we need to be very careful about envying the person who has every comfort this life can afford and who goes through life seemingly untouched by hardship. One is at. disadvantage if they have never been tested. Or, if they have avoided all the tests made available to them.

“praise and glory and honor” -‘Praise'-commendation, approval, recognition (Matthew 25:21 ‘Well done, good and faithful servant'). ‘Glory'-a condition or state of glory, including. glorious resurrected body (1 Corinthians 15:43; 1 Peter 3:21). “Honor”-(Romans 2:7). Be impressed that God wants to bestow such things upon us. God isn't against us, rather, God is hoping that we will make the right and noble choices. God wants to share heavenly glory with us (Revelation 3:21). Unfortunately, many people in our time are wanting to sacrifice real and eternal self-esteem, for. temporary, meaningless, and often falsely acquired sense of self worth. Let it be noted that praise isn't given to the person who quit or gave up.

“at the revelation of Jesus Christ” -i.e. when Jesus comes again (1 Peter 1:13; 2 Thessalonians 1:7; Romans 2:5). Thus the Christian should never stand in dread of the Second Coming, but eagerly await its fulfillment (1 John 3:1). The world may ridicule or ignore the Christian. The world may even view the Christian as involved in. very unimportant and meaningless endeavor. But never despair, the only praise that matters, for it is the only praise which is lasting and 100% true, is the praise that will come from God. For the faithful Christian, the return of Christ means praise, honor and glory. If you are looking for. good sense of self worth-it doesn't get any better than this.