That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:7
What is your most valuable possession? Some will answer that question by pointing to their home, to their financial investments, or to a rare and treasured art object. Others will answer the question by pointing to their skills and knowledge, their experience in their field of employment, or to their many contacts in their business. Still others will answer the question by pointing to their spouse, their family members, their close circle of friends. But few, if any, would place at the top of their list of valuable possessions the trial of their faith. And yet, our text today declares it to be of paramount value. Why is the trial of our faith so precious?
‘Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen’ (Hebrews 11:1). Only by faith can we view and grasp the real and eternal while releasing the temporal and fading. If we lack faith, we have nothing, regardless of the world’s mockery of faith. But even some in the world will recognize its value. The German philosopher Wolfgang Goethe declared ‘Epochs of faith are epochs of fruitfulness, but epochs without faith are devoid of all permanent good’. If our faith is to grow and become established, it must be tested, just as a tree becomes stronger as it encounters the winds and storms. A wise person once said that unshakeable faith comes from having our faith shaken. And unshakeable faith will enable us to stand firm for God in the face of the world’s mockery and the devil’s attacks. Unshakeable faith will enable us to persevere in our service for our Lord even when others fall by the wayside or when the lack of apparent success is so discouraging. The trial of our faith is precious because it gives our faith both roots to stand and wings to soar and achieve.
The trial of our faith does not seem precious, because its value is often hidden in hard work, in drudgery and disappointment, in the world’s mocking and scorn, in sorrow and heartache, in loneliness, and in discouragement. Our text declares that it may be tried with fire. We won’t enjoy the fire. God doesn’t expect us to. But in our text He does assure us that the fire is making our faith stronger and deeper, just as the refining fire makes gold more precious by removing its impurities and its dross.
The Lord Jesus will soon appear, our text reminds us. How precious will the trial of our faith appear then! It will mean praise and honour and glory. In the words of the old hymn: It will be worth it all, when we see Jesus. Life’s trials will seem so small, when we see Christ. – Jim MacIntosh