grieving in the tension of a difficult “now”

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 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 Peter 1:6-7

What is it that Peter says we rejoice in? It’s the fact that we are born again to a living hope… to an eternal inheritance kept for us that will be revealed to us in Jesus (1 Peter 1:3-5). That present salvation which confirms our future hope keeps us encouraged. And we need the encouragement because the “now” we live in will have us “grieved” by “various trials”. We have a born again, new life right now. Yet its ultimate expression is fulfilled in eternity with Jesus and this is the confident hope that must carry us. But truthfully, we should expect right now to still be hard. Right now the genuine nature of faith is being tested in us.

Living in the tension of a difficult “now” is the reality of Christian living day to day. We live in a fallen world still. It is an evil age. Christian faith and values shine in the darkness of this world and are not warmly received by it. Evil so twists the truth that God’s holiness and righteousness are regularly mocked. Life is cheapened by rampant selfishness and sin. What God values most for His people to know, this world frankly hates… and it demonizes those who only want there genuine faith to be shown. So we should not be surprised that we will continue to grieve through the trials of living in the present God-rejecting, Christless, Christian-hating, warring, death-dealing, evil age. It is what the Church has always been told to do.

So when my culture preaches a cultural narrative that glorifies immorality, minimizes innocent lives, and exalts selfish sin above life itself, I am not at all surprised. The gospel has to contrast against this to be the amazing good news that it is. A darker world makes a brighter good news in many ways. And no constructed human effort will change this truth… not laws …not amendments … not politics. We gotta keep preaching the gospel! Only reborn people remade by Jesus through gospel faith will truly change. For now we must faithfully lift up Jesus and grieve the tension of living in a difficult “now”.