SUFFERING IS PASSED…ALIVE IN CHRIST. 1st Peter 4:6 People who believed the Gospel while they were alive on earth suffered at the hands of men and were judged by men, but are now vindicated by God. They were not dead when the Gospel was preached to them, but are now, as far as their bodies are concerned. Many believers in the early church likely wondered about life after death. The Thessalonians were probably not the only ones who worried about their loved ones who had died before the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Peter made it clear that those who had received the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior during their lifetime, when the Gospel was preached, are alive and will be judged like everyone else. Because they believed in the Lord Jesus, they have eternal life and are alive. He was referring to those who had died after hearing and believing the Gospel. They had suffered for their testimony and stood for the truth. Some were put to death for their faith.
Those people were judged by wicked men in the flesh, but they were accepted and vindicated by God and were enjoying eternal, spiritual life with God, free from the restrictions of sinful human flesh. Their bodies were in the grave, but their spirits were alive in heaven. Motivated by the future: the certainty of the coming judgment keeps us from being shortsighted. The future for believers is glorious. Life is not futile, and the grave is not the end.
Not only around here but both near and far, the Gospel is preached to all men. Sometimes, in plain words, a message is heard, telling plainly of the Savior from sin. But there are other ways the Holy
Spirit says, “Repent of your sin and seek salvation earnestly.” Whether it is through one’s conscience, creation, or experience, the Gospel is preached in every nation. When the Gospel is preached, there are two results. Men will blame them and reject the message they preach, and God approves them. They are alive unto God, which is what really matters. For believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, physical death leads to eternal life, not judgment. Living according to God in the spirit, with the attitude of our Lord Jesus Christ, means they will forever live for Him.
Some will ask, “What about those in the past? Are those people saved or lost?” The answer is that God is a righteous Lord who has personally paid sin’s cost and will do what is right, for He sends the light needed to reach the soul of each man. Each person is able, through that light made available, to know God and His grace during life’s span.
The proof of life is seen in each redeemed human being when their life is controlled by God’s Spirit. There will be evidence of love from God above, and those who look on – maybe even mock – will see it. There will be a change in behavior, born of love for the Savior, that will be hard for those who mock to refute. Evidence of reality is seen when appreciation for God is keen. Such people not only talk the talk but also walk the walk.
When we consider the people who died for the sake of the Gospel, we see that they accomplished the purpose for which God saved them. Those still alive who judge according to the flesh may have thought they didn’t accomplish much. Because of their faith, their lives seemed to be cut short. Human perspective can be shortsighted if we measure human value by years lived. Life in the flesh is uncertain and transient.
Life in the spirit is sure and eternal. Those who have gone to heaven are there in their personhood as a new creation in Christ Jesus, and their spirit is alive and thriving in the presence of the Lord. There, their spirit is unhindered by frail, feeble, failing, mortal human flesh. A glorious future is ahead for those who know and love the Lord, even though they may suffer in their bodies here.