The Suffering Sequence

After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 1 Peter 5:10 NASB

Perfect, confirm, strengthen, establish – What is the by-product of suffering a little while?  Notice that I did not write “the product of.”  Why?  Because it is not God’s purpose to make you suffer so that you will experience these four characteristics.  They happen as adjuncts to the goal of acting as God would act in this broken world.  The goal is to represent God.  But there are add-on extras along the way.  You can think of these as spiritual appendages.

“Perfect.”  Well, not “perfect,” the noun.  Not a state of being.  This is the verb katartízō.  It has the senses “‘to regulate’ and ‘to equip’ and ‘to confirm’ (in unity).”^[1]  This is not about making you perfect.  God will equip you and regulate what happens so that you will be conformed to His image.  Being perfect has nothing to do with it.  Broken pots always have crack lines even when they are repaired.

“Confirm” is the verb stērízō.  It means “‘to support.’ In figurative use it means ‘to confirm,’ politically ‘to pacify,’ linguistically ‘to speak out loud,’ cosmologically ‘to fix or secure,’ anatomically ‘to gain hold’ (an illness), and medically ‘to strengthen’ (of medicines).”^[2]  You can see that until Peter clarifies exactly which sense he means, we are free to interpret the verb in several different ways.  Divine support makes sense, but so does confirming, securing, and strengthening.  Perhaps Peter has all these in mind.  There is something cosmological happening here.  What God is doing through you changes the outcome of the universe.  Don’t forget it.  Your actions while you suffer for a little while have eternal consequences.  Basically, God is counting on you.  Perhaps that gives us some needed perspective.

Strength is required, and once again Peter tells us that God will provide it.  The Greek verb is sthenoō.  It comes from sthĕnŏs, a word associated with bodily vigor.  It’s not just force.  It’s energy, the dynamic of a “get up and go” attitude.  Fall down?  Yes, that’s inevitable.  Get up and go again.  That’s a choice, and Peter tells us that God Himself will prod us on and provide the energy to do so.

Finally, “establish.”  themelióō.  “The verb themelióō in Mt. 7:25; Lk. 6:48; Heb. 1:10 means ‘to provide with a foundation.’ The sense is figurative in Eph. 3:17; 1 Pet. 5:10, i.e., ‘to strengthen,’ ‘to confirm,’ but with the implicit thought that when God confirms us in faith and love he establishes his house or church on its sure foundation in Christ.”^[3]

These four by-products of suffering are found throughout Scripture.  Moses, Joshua, and David flirt with them.  The prophets exhibit them.  Yeshua embraces them.  Now it’s our turn.  Even Nietzsche knew this:  Was mich nicht umbringt macht mich stärker (What does not kill me makes me stronger).

Topical Index:  perfect, katartízō, confirm, stērízō, strengthen, sthĕnŏs, establish, themelióō, 1 Peter 5:10

^[1] Kittel, G., Friedrich, G., & Bromiley, G. W. (1985). Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (p. 80). Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans.

^[2] Kittel, G., Friedrich, G., & Bromiley, G. W. (1985). Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (p. 1085). Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans.

^[3] Kittel, G., Friedrich, G., & Bromiley, G. W. (1985). Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (p. 322). Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans.