Now the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, will perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.
Truth to Learn
God will use our suffering to make us complete in Him.
Behind the Words
The word translated “all” is pas, which as we saw in verse seven means “all” or “the whole.”
“Perfect” is from the Greek katartidzō, meaning “to complete or repair thoroughly.”
The word translated “establish” is stēridzō, which means “to set securely” or “to turn resolutely in a certain direction.”
The word “strengthen” is from the Greek sthenoō, which means “to give bodily vigor or strength to.”
And the word, “settle” is from the Greek themelioō, which means “to place firmly on a foundation.”
Meaning Explained
Now Peter gives us a few more words of encouragement lest we think that we are fighting this battle alone. He tells us that even in the midst of our suffering, the God of all grace will do something for us. He is not simply a gracious God (the God of grace) but the God of all grace. The implication is that there is no grace which does not come from God.
Peter goes on to tell us that not only does He bestow favor on us that we don’t deserve, but he also invites us to approach His eternal glory. Approaching this glory is only possible for us because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ. This is the glory that James, John, and Peter got a glimpse of at the transfiguration:
And after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and brought them up into a high mountain apart, and was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. (Matthew 17:1,2)
God has invited us (called us) to come and see His glory! According to Peter, this same God will complete, securely set, strengthen, and firmly place us after we have suffered a little.”
God will not stop His work until He has absolutely completed what He wants to accomplish in us. God will establish our position in Christ, firmly and securely. God will make us spiritually strong. Our position in Christ will be built “on Christ” as we are used by God to build his church of which Christ is the chief cornerstone.
All of this will be done to us when? Peter says, after you have suffered a while. The word translated “a while” is oligon, which literally means “puny in degree or duration.” That is to say, our suffering here under God’s divine providence will be insignificant when compared with what is promised us in eternity.
Application
Though the suffering that you may be undergoing right now seems to be almost more than you can stand, God will use the suffering to bring you to a more Christ-like condition, and He will use it to bring glory to Himself. And … when we reach heaven, we will look back on the suffering and say, “Now, that wasn’t so bad after all!”
In God's service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved