1 Peter 5:10 After you have suffered for a little while, thea God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. These four verbs describe God"s working, not after, but during the suffering. But its double mention in these verses emphasises how much Peter also saw us as ‘in Christ’. Take heart when you are suffering. The ‘stablish’ means to plant firmly, to make fast, so that there shall be no tossing or overturning. Thus He will firmly and strongly renew, refresh, establish, make sure, and strengthen them for what lies ahead. 1 Peter 5:13-14. At the same time, the Apostle, by praying God, confirms those to whom he was writing, for when he calls God the author of all grace, and reminds them that they were called to eternal glory, his purpose no doubt was, to confirm them in the conviction, that the work of their salvation, which he had begun, would be completed. Hence the opening ‘but,’ or ‘moreover’ (not ‘and’). #2 “who called you…” To be human is to be a divine image-bearer. ‘strengthen’-‘Shall perfect, that no defect remain in you: shall establish, that nothing may shake you: shall strengthen, that you may overcome every adverse force. The final encouragement amid suffering, 1 Peter 5:10-11 a. ‘perfect’-‘strengthen, complete, make one what he ought to be’ (Thayer p. 336). Compare in this regard 1 Peter 1:4-5; 1 Peter 1:9; 1 Peter 1:13; 1 Peter 1:11; 1 Peter 1:21; 1 Peter 3:15; 1 Peter 4:13. II. It occurs for example in Psalms 18:33 LXX, ‘Heestablishesmy feet like hind’s feet’, in other words gives me a sure footing (compare also Psalms 17:5; Psalms 29:9); in Psalms 40:6 LXX, ‘a body have youpreparedfor me’; in Psalms 68:9 LXX, ‘O God, you will grant to your inheritance a gracious rain, for it was weary, but yourefreshedit’; in Psalms 74:16 LXX, ‘The day is yours, and the night is yours; you haveprepared(made ready, set in place) the sun and the moon’; in Psalms 80:15 LXX, ‘restorewhat your right hand has planted’ (restore because it has been devastated); in Psalms 89:37 LXX, ‘and as the moon which isestablishedfor ever, and as the faithful witness in heaven’. But the Apostle was not referring to the retributive punishment that follows upon sin. The climax requires rather a verb of completing the work of grace, than founding it. St. Peter seems, therefore, to contemplate the passing off of the persecution before the end of the world; for these verbs could hardly be so naturally used to express our education in the world to come. They assure their audience that Christ’s death on Calvary means the end of suffering and of Satan—for all who have sufficient faith. Of all grace - (cf. 10But the God of all grace After having sufficiently dwelt on admonitions, he now turns to prayer; for doctrine is in vain poured forth into the air, unless God works by his Spirit. Note fourthly how this ties in with their being sojourners in 1 Peter 1:1; 1 Peter 2:13. Both these things serve to give perpetual confidence, for if our calling is founded on Christ, and refers to the celestial kingdom of God and a blessed immortality, it follows that it is not transient nor fading. He is strengthening his brethren.’ (Vincent p. 672). The God of all grace — Of all mercy, compassion, and free, unmerited goodness; and the source of all those influences of the Holy Spirit, by which alone true spiritual light and life, peace, purity, and consolation, can be attained; who hath called — Invited; us unto his eternal glory — And not merely to behold, but to possess it; and hath sent us the invitation by Christ Jesus — His Word made flesh; that is, not only through him, as Mediator, who hath procured the inestimable blessing for us by his obedience unto death, but by him as a Divine Messenger, the greatest that ever appeared among men, confirming and enforcing his message by a most holy life, by extreme sufferings, by mighty miracles, by an ignominious, painful death, and a most glorious resurrection. Peter is writing to Christians who have been undergoing a large amount of persecution. He makes the amazing statement in chapter four that “it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God” (1 Pt 4:17)? (; 4:10; 5:5) The God who gives ‘grace’ for every situation, the God who ensures that there never exists a hardship which is beyond our ability to endure (1 Corinthians 10:13; 2 Corinthians 12:9). [ Steerixei (Greek #4741)] "Stablish" (so as to be "stedfast in the faith," 1 Peter 5:9) is the same as "strengthen," Luke 22:32. Grudem notes, ‘and we should add…that he will settle…them in any rightful place from which the suffering has wrongfully removed them. 1 Peter 5:1-14—Read the Bible online or download free. Both our calling and our glory are in Christ. His exhortation accords with his name (Matthew 16:18). Neither Peter (2 Peter 1:16-18) nor John (John 1:14; Revelation 1:13-16) could ever forget the vision of glory that they had been privileged to see, and they wanted to pass it on to others. ‘suffered for a little while’-Eternity always places everything in the right perspective. But - only do you watch and resist the foe: God will perform the rest (Bengel). 1. accept the call, and faithfully use the grace. For the believer, it is meant to refine us and prepare us for glory and reward at the Final Judgment. In sum: all loss will soon be made right, and that for eternity.’ (p. 198) 3. Perfect ... 'Aleph (') A B, Vulgate; Coptic versions read 'Shall Himself perfect (so that there shall be nothing defective in you), stablish, strengthen.'. 1 Peter (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament) (p. 314). For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. By the first, I understand that God will knit you together; one part with another. The four are fitly conjoined: the call; the glory to which we are called; the way (suffering); the ground of the calling, namely, the grace of God in [ en (Greek #1722)] Christ. II. Browse Sermons on 1 Peter 5:10. (56) And he mentions expressly all grace, first that they might learn that every blessing is to be ascribed to God; and secondly, that one grace is connected with another, so that they might hope in future for the addition of those graces in which they were hitherto wanting. Probably, as Beza observes, Peter omitted it as being a word of common use, which, in such a connection, would be easily supplied in the reader’s mind. Since this is after suffering a little while, it must be speaking of his eternal glory which Christians expect to share in Eternity. The same contrast between temporary affliction and the eternal glory is drawn by St. Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:17, ’ , where in addition to the antithesis between eternal glory and temporary suffering the weight of glory (play on meanings of root ) is opposed to the lightness of tribulation.— has the force of (1 Thessalonians 5:24).— , shall perfect. Our salvation is purely a gift from God, to be received gratefully. Christ saw his death and resurrection as his “glorification” (Jn 12:23). If the former, how short the suffering prelude to the eternity of glow; if the latter, how light the affliction in view of the “far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory!” 2 Corinthians 4:17. NIV And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. The ‘strengthen’ recalls Christ’s commission to Peter himself, the commission which he was discharging by this very writing, ‘When thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren’ (Luke 22:32).