(1 Peter)

The First Epistle of Peter is the "Suffering Epis-I tie." Nearly twenty times, in its five chapters, the thought of suffering comes before us. And in each of these sections our Lord is seen as the suffering Christ. With profit we may occupy ourselves with what the Holy Spirit presents concerning our glorious, gracious Saviour.

Chapter one tells of the Spirit of Christ in the prophets of old testifying of the sufferings of Christ and of the glories that should follow. Today we stand between these. The sufferings of Christ are past, and we! rejoice that they are. The glories of Christ in His millennial majesty are yet to be revealed. Christ Himself was ever the great subject of the prophetic writings. The rejected Messiah and the reigning Messiah are one. Centuries rolled their course before He came to be the Sufferer. Other centuries have rolled their course while He waits to come to be the Sovereign. But the Coming One "mil come and will not delay. In "His own times" He will be revealed to reign, just as when the fulness of the time was come He was sent forth to redeem. God is the unhurried God, and waits in longsuffering grace over His rebellious creatures. "Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem" (Luke 24:46,47).

Chapter two speaks of those same sufferings, adding faith's appropriation of them. "For us," were those sufferings endured. It was on our behalf, for our sake, that He, who "did no sin" and in whose mouth guile was never found, bore the righteous judgment of God for our sins, in His own body on the tree. "By whose stripes ye were healed." Isaiah 53, one of the clearest of the prophetic Scriptures concerning the sufferings of Christ (giving as it has been said, "The Gospel according to Isaiah"), is quoted here most evidently. There in verse five we find "He was wounded"; "He was bruised;" He was chastised; He was striped; "we are healed." Blessed result "for us!" We are healed. But never shall it be forgotten that it is thus with us because He was wounded. The first words of that verse are joined with the last words, "But HE WAS WOUNDED," "WE ARE HEALED." God has put these realities together in holy union. Let not man put these asunder. Viewing our Lord in His measureless sorrows upon Calvary's tree we may say, "Wounded for my sins." While He, looking upon us who believe, might say, "Healed by My stripes."

In His sufferings in atonement we can never share. The cross stands alone in solitary dignity. None can share that glory in propitiation with Him. That mighty work is; finished. But in His pathway of purity and patience He has left us an example that we should follow His steps. May it be ours to obey the Shepherd's voice and walk where He leads in the paths of righteousness, as those who have died to sins in His death.

Chapter three emphasizes the fact of His "once" suffering. This may recall for us the ninth and tenth chapters of the Epistle to the Hebrews where the words "one" and "once" are used again and again with respect to our Lord's offering of His body. Ponder well the words, "Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God."

There; can be no repetition of that sacrifice. No repetition is necessary. The Son of God, the Mighty One, in the greatness and glory of His holy Person has accomplished the awful, atoning work, and is risen again to die no more. It is a sacrifice of ever-abiding efficacy, all-sufficient and sufficient for all who will by it draw nigh to God.

No repetition is possible therefore. Any attempt to repeat it is but to cast -a slight and a slur upon the completeness of that offering. That "ONCE" turns the eye to Christ and Calvary and away from any professed priest who pretends to offer Christ upon the altar in the so-called sacrifice of the mass. "Once" our holy Lord has suffered-suffered for sins. Words and thoughts fail to express or to measure what those sufferings were.

"What it meant to Thee, the Holy One, To put away our sin,"

we can never, never tell. We bow and worship in the presence of Him, the Just One, who for us, the unjust ones, endured the wrath and woe in order to bring us to God. He was forsaken of God in righteousness, in order that in righteousness we might be received according to the will of God. "To bring us to God." Removing in His death everything which was contrary to God's glory and to our blessing, He can say in triumph as the Risen One, My Father, your Father; My God, your God, and place us in the eternal sunshine of the favor and love of God without a spot upon us.

Chapter four exhorts us. "Forasmuch then as Christ has suffered for us in, the flesh, arm yourselves with the same mind" (ver. 1). We are to apply the truth of the sufferings of Christ to matters in our everyday life. We are to judge all in ourselves that is unsuitable to us as Christian believers. We are called to live in sight of Calvary. To walk in newness of life reckoning ourselves to be "dead indeed unto sin,, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus," as the truth is presented in Romans 6:11. This the apostle Paul did in his daily life. "Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body" (2 Cor. 4:10). The time past of our sinful, selfish life should suffice. Now the will of God should be our object, and for this we are empowered by the Holy Spirit.

This is "the world of the cross," as it has been termed. And where our Lord and Master has suffered, His servants should expect to suffer also, and rejoice, inasmuch as they are "partakers of Christ's sufferings that when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy" (4:13). How little we know of this, each one of us may testify. But if we miss the reproach now we shall miss the reward in the coming day.

In chapter five Peter speaks of himself as "a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed." We are called, as he was, to stand in testimony for the rejected Christ in the very world of His rejection. He has suffered here, here He has died.

Both Christian baptism and the supper of the Lord carry our thoughts to our Saviour's death here. We are baptized to His death. In partaking of the holy emblems we "show the Lord's death." The witness is borne in these ordinances to His holy passion. And we should seek to be true to both in our lives and testimony. Let us witness to His| having suffered here, and accept the path of suffering for His sake while we wait for His revelation in glory at His coming again. "Partaker of the glory"-wonderful prospect!

The sufferings are only for a while. God, the God of all grace, measures them out for our good, and He has called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus.

HIS GLORY AND OUR CARE

It is a true saying:"Make His glory your one concern, and He will make your wants His care." The outcome of glory to God in our trial is instanced even in the sickness and death of Lazarus (John 11:4, 40). The "preciousness" of faith's trial 1 Peter 1:7 declares; for trials will re-appear as honors, sufferings as crowns, in the coming day of glory. Let us ponder how glory to( God and relief from care are intertwined. In this day of general adversity and perplexing conditions, who amongst saints has not felt what a hindrance is a heart over-burdened by care?

Anxiety (Matt. 6:30), Fear (Matt. 8:26), Doubt (Matt. 14:31), Reasoning (Matt, 16:8), are all met by the words of our blessed Lord, "O ye of little faith!" This we may interpret as His tender appeal that we should rely on Him-on Him alone. In Matt. 6:19-34 we may surely find the sweetest assurance that we are lovingly cared for. Five times in these few verses He says, "Take no thought," and "Your Father knoweth ye have need," surely to encourage "little faith" to rest upon His word of cheer. Will not He who has numbered the very hairs of our heads do exceedingly more for us than we would ever do for ourselves? Even "birds" and "lilies" shame our lack of confidence! But the marvelous care, of which our Lord here speaks, He has joined to verse 24, "Ye cannot serve God and mammon," intimating that single-eyed service to God is needed; and the promise of ver. 33 is consequent on obedience to, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God." Although generally ignored, these are indispensable requirements for the removal of the burden of care, and for soul-rest regarding all circumstances. It is well to ponder the solemn words of James 1:7, "Let not this man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord" -the one affected by "wavering," and "double-minded-ness," both characteristics under divine disapproval.

May His grace produce in us that which He approves in heartiest terms of appreciation, "Strong in faith, giving glory to God" (Rom. 4:20), and that confidence in His readiness and power to bless that earned the expression of His gratified love, "O woman, great is thy faith Be it unto thee even as thou wilt" (Matt. 15:28).

How generally relief from the pressure of trial is expected, with little or no exercise as to the Lord's word, "Take My yoke upon you" (Matt. 11:29). Only as subject to Him, will we find the soul-rest He promises.

In the absence of "exercise" through which we learn lessons which make us "partakers of His holiness" (Heb. '12:10,11), we are robbed of the promised peaceable fruit. But with purpose of heart we are still permitted, inj humble subjection, to lay all cares upon the heart of Him who gave His Son for us. "He careth for you" (1 Pet. 5:7); "Your Father knoweth that ye have need" (Luke 12:30); "It is your Father's good pleasure to give you"-not only creature needs, but-"the kingdom" (Luke 12:32).

Divine love assures us that our God will take our every care and give to us His peace (Phil. 4:6). Blessed exchange! The heart and mind are quieted about the thousand cares we otherwise would find intolerable. He is above all, Hd sees the glorious end, and has unbroken peace which He seeks to impart to trusting hearts. Oh, for purpose of heart, intent upon living "unto Him who died for us" (2 Cor. 5:15), excluding selfish motives and forbidding the thought that we should be given help to enjoy the world; all that is in it, being "not of the Father" (1 John 2:16), must be judged.

If we turn from worldly plans and means to trust God with simple wholehearted confidence, we shall discover how tenderly He ministers relief to those whose hearts are perfect toward Him (2 Chron. 16:9).

"Our times are in Thy hand;
Father, we wish them there;
Our life, our soul, our all, we leave
Entirely to Thy care."

E. J. Checkley