Is God against me when I suffer unfairly?

Every single person here suffers unfairly.

In your workplace. In your marriage. In your singleness.
With your parents. With your kids. With your friends.

All of you, at some point, have done the right thing, only to seemingly be punished for it.

In this part of Peter’s letter, he is talking about our everyday lives. He’s talked about the church as a kingdom of priests.

Then citizens submitting to civil authorities—even when they’re unreasonable.

Then servants submitting to their masters—even when they treat you unfairly.

And he will go on to talk about marriage, and then circle back to suffering unfairly again.

So, Peter obviously thinks suffering unfairly is normal. It’s a regular part of a regular life. Just like government. Work. Marriage.

But just because this is universal, doesn’t mean it makes sense. When you do what is right—and you suffer for it—what is happening?

Is God against you? Is he punishing you for something else? Have you fallen out of his favour?

Is God against me when I suffer unfairly?

Peter gives three answers:

1) Christians are called to suffer unjustly (vv. 21-23a)
2) God will judge justly (v. 23b)
3) God is only for you—because Christ bore your sins (vv. 24-25)

So, first 1) Christians are called to suffer unjustly

Please look at vv. 21-23

²¹ For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. ²² He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. ²³ When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten,

Suffering unfairly is a calling—a vocation. You may be a data engineer, a martial arts teacher, or a retail worker. — these are all vocations. But so is being a husband, father, son, wife, mother, daughter, a single man, a close friend, a citizen of the UK. All the roles and stations we have in life are our vocations.

But one vocation we all share: is the call to sometimes suffer unjustly.

Why? Because Christ suffered unjustly for you, and you are called to be like him. In this behaviour—as bizarre as it looks—is the heart of God himself.

v. 22 again:

He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.

When we suffer, we so often immediately think: “What did I do to deserve this?” Well—Jesus did nothing to deserve it. Not in his actions. Not in his words.

This is a high calling—in fact an impossible calling for selfish people who want nothing more than to prove ourselves right.

v. 23:

 ²³ When he was reviled, he did not revile in return;

when he suffered, he did not threaten

What does this mean? When people attacked and accused Jesus with a false narrative …he didn’t try to justify himself. When people stole his rights and attacked his autonomy …he didn’t seize control to save himself.

Jesus avoided a self-justifying reversal of the situation he was in.

Because that’s what reviling in return and threatening amount to …trying to wrest the narrative back …trying to take control of the situation.

When you’re accused unfairly—you want to correct the record:
The false accusation at work.
The barbed comment from your spouse.
—everything inside you screams: “That’s not right! Here’s the real details!”

And when you’re made to suffer unfairly—you want power back:
Something you cherish is wrongly taken away.
—everything in you wants to assert power to retake it.
That’s why Peter talks of threatening… …exercises power to dominate and control.

And you don’t just want to say and do that—you feel you have to.

Because if you don’t correct it—you lose. You lose your name. Your standing. Your identity.

But, Jesus did none of this. Because he didn’t need to self-justify.
Reviled, accused, lied about, abused—he did not retaliate.
Robbed, defeated, beaten, murdered—he made no threat.
He let go of his narrative. He didn’t retaliate in power.

Jesus suffered unjustly—with no need to prove himself right. And so: Christians are called to suffer unjustly

How is that even possible? Why would I even want to do this, when everything within me resists it?

Peter’s answer—point 2—God will judge justly

Look at the end of v. 23:

but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.

Because… in this is the Christian Gospel, …in this is the Word of God: God is good. God is right. God is just. You can trust him to judge justly—you don’t need to justify yourself.

That is the truth that Peter used to open his letter:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1:3-5)

God is at work. And God’s work has an end goal. That end goal is good—and one day you’ll see it.

Right now, we live with suffering, but one day Jesus will be revealed:

⁸ Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, (1:8)

There is a reality behind what we see. And there is a just God behind the injustice we experience.

And Peter doesn’t just tell us this is true. He tells us this truth is the thing that Jesus himself clung to:

continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly

It may feel like nobody knows the narrative as it truly is: God knows.

It may feel like nobody cares about the unjust wrong you’re facing: God cares.

There is one whose job is to bring justice—so you don’t need to.

Jesus didn’t just entrust himself once to this God. Jesus didn’t “make a decision” and then everything was wonderful.
—he “continued entrusting himself”
—day by day, hour by hour, moment by moment.

He woke up. Prayed. Cried. Rested.
Then woke up. Prayed. Cried. Rested.
Until the Garden, when he prayed. He sweated blood. He cried. He begged.

And facing the pressure and hatred of the courts, the crowds, the curses and the cusses.

Blow by blow—he entrusted himself… “God is my Father.” “God is the judge.” “God has his purposes.” “He is a God of love.”

God hasn’t told us how our individual sufferings will unfold. Nor exactly what justice will look like on the final day. But he has told you this: He is God. He sees all. He is judge. And he will handle it rightly.

God will judge justly.

Trust him.

Don’t correct the narrative—trust your Father, the just judge.
Don’t take control—trust your Father, the just judge.

Because it all hangs on this: Who God is. And that’s why it’s crucial that Peter concludes with point 3:

3) God is only for you—because Christ bore your sins

Please look at vv. 24-25

²⁴ He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. ²⁵ For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Why are you suffering? Why is that false narrative being told? Why are those afflictions being thrown at you?

We don’t know—because God is the judge, not us. But what we do know is this:
—that God is only for you
—he is never punishing you
—he is only positive toward you
—your suffering does not reveal his heart for you

Jesus faced everything he did for you. The lies. The stress. The sweating blood. The betrayal. The hatred. The whips. The accusations. The nails.

By his wounds—you have been healed. And this fact—that he bore your sins—is your rock solid, iron-clad, guarantee that nothing you face—no matter how unjust now—is because the God of justice is against you.

Why would Jesus suffer all that, just to throw you under the bus?

Because everything that happens to you now—no matter how insane it seems as we experience it—is under Jesus’ pastoral, shepherding, care:

you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls Peter says

Why would Jesus tolerate the lies, accusations, falsehoods told about him in country, city and court… …why would he tolerate that to shepherd you… …only to allow you to be snatched from the pen by lies told by that colleague at work?

Why would Jesus suffer in silence while he’s slapped, whipped and nailed bearing every one of your sins, and the weight of God’s wrath …why would he suffer that in oversight of you… …only to lose sight of you when that bully hurts you?

No. Jesus did not throw his own life away carelessly. He is your Shepherd and your Overseer. He gave his life precisely, deliberately, to care for you.

And Jesus put his blood, sweat and tears into bringing you back from being lost and paying the penalty for your sin: …so no false narrative, no unjust suffering can possibly be happening because of God’s anger …no accusation, no terrible event can possibly be happening outside of God’s loving care

Is God against me when I suffer unfairly?

Christians are called to suffer unjustly—without self-justification, just like Christ did for you

God will judge justly—so we don’t know why it’s happening, but you can trust him

and God is only for you—because Christ bore your sins—nothing that happens is ever because he’s angry you’re not being punished, you’re actively in his hands and care.

So don’t believe the devil’s lies
—you have no need to justify yourself
—you have no need to retake control

Because God is not against you, but only for you in Christ.

The devil is your true adversary. Not your suffering. Not the people causing it.

And he prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.