Bottom line up front: Tested Genuineness

Historical Context: Part of the reason I love Peter’s two New Testament letters is because Peter was so very human and yet God used him mightily. Peter was the apostle who denied the Lord Jesus three times on the night of His betrayal by Judas and arrest by the Sanhedrin and Roman soldiers. I am teaching through that passage currently to a group of believers each Sunday. It’s heartbreaking to see how fickle the crowds were in Jesus’s day. People have not changed, of course. Human nature’s a constant. Jesus told Peter to his face that he would deny the Lord Jesus three times before the rooster crowed and that is exactly what happened. Peter denied the Lord three times, the rooster crowed, and Peter wept. Bitterly (see Mt 26, e.g.).

Segue: But Peter was the real deal, nonetheless. Did he fail that night and at other times? Yes, absolutely. But he repented and was restored. He kept short accounts with God. And Peter made his theology visible by enduring, by sticking with it, by persevering in the faith. That’s why Peter wrote in the style he did in his two New Testament letters. When the various Ceasars and emperors persecuted Christians for their witness, Peter says it was “so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Pt 1:7).

Connection to Our Day: I had a mentor and professor way back in my seminary days who taught me often about the disappointments and ups and downs in ministry. When I would go to him about people whom I thought were Christians who ended up being fakes, he’d tell me again and again in his gentle way, “Jon, there will be surprises. Not all who said they were believers are. And many we may’ve thought were genuine were in fact unbelievers. Again, there will be surprises. Just be faithful. Leave the results to God.” Yes and amen, Dr. C., you were so right.

Encouragement: I’ve been in ministry a long time now. My hair’s now gray. I’ve seen some people that I’ve mentored, purchased books for, discipled, and even baptized seemingly fall away. Perhaps they were not believers after all. I’ve seen still others blossom and stick and persevere in the truth. Some have even gone on to enter the ministry themselves. It is a special joy when that has happened. I thank God for it. And I think that’s what Peter is driving at when he writes of “tested genuineness.” It will be tested; that’s the thing. Pressures come and we learn who the real are and who the pretenders were, eventually. So, be encouraged, Christian pilgrim. Learn to embrace the challenges as they are part of revealing our tested genuineness that is “more precious than gold.”