The Trial of Your Faith (Part 2)

Faith that is tried by fire is a strong faith that will stand the test of time.

September 8, 2019

"That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ."

1 Peter 1:7

Part 2

Yesterday:
“That the trial of your faith,”
Count on it, your faith will be tried.

“Being much more precious than of gold that perisheth,”
Gold perishes, faith does not.

“Though it be tried with fire” (a)
We all face “fiery trials.”

Today:
“Though it be tried with fire” (b)

Why does God allow our faith to be so severely tested?

“If gold, though perishing (1 Peter 1:18), is yet tried with fire in order to remove dross and test its genuineness, how much more does your faith, which shall never perish, need to pass through a fiery trial to remove whatever is defective, and to test its genuineness and full value?” [1]

“Our faith isn’t tested because God doesn’t know how much or what kind of faith we have.  It is tested because we often are ignorant of how much or what kind of faith we have.  God’s purpose in testing is to display the enduring quality of our faith” [2] (Guzik).

“Might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.”

“That is, might be found to be genuine, and such as to meet the praise or commendation of the final judge” [3] (Barnes).

When Jesus Christ “appears” at His second coming, it will be the time He judges what every man has done.

“Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is” (1 Corinthians 3:13).

“Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him” (James 1:12).

Think about our verse for today in the light of the whole paragraph in which it is found.  How blessed we are that our faith is tried.

“Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:6-9).

 

 

 

[1]  Jamison, Fausset, and Brown.  Jamison-Fausset-Brown’s Commentary, the electronic version in eSword.
[2]  Guzik, David, David Guzik’s Enduring Word Commentary, the electronic version in eSword.
[3]  Albert Barnes, Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible, the electronic version in eSword.