For if anyone endures the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God, this is to be commended.For it is commendable if someone endures pain, suffering unjustly, because of conscience toward God.For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.For this is acceptable, if for conscience toward God a man endureth griefs, suffering wrongfully.
3 sermons cite this verse
… prepare yourself for trials. But 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 19. it sums it up. He says this, he says, when a person can suffer injustice and endure hardships through an awareness of God's presence, this is the work of God's grace in him. Once again, when a person can suffer injustice and endure hardships through an awareness of God's presence, this is the work of God's grace in him. Reminds me of something I came across recently, Fr. Dan Rehill. Fr. Dan is a priest, and he noted about what it is to have a good day, what it is to have a bad day. He said this, he said, you ever have a day when you wake up and you're rested and the coffee's waiting for you and your children say, good morning, mommy, good morning, daddy, and we love you so much, and you're at work and all things, you hit all the green lights and your boss is waiting for you and he's got a promotion for you and a big raise. …
… the death of someone you love. That's appropriate. It's good sorrow. Or grief over unjust suffering because of Jesus. This is 1 Peter 2, verse 19. This is a gracious thing when mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. It's a good thing. It's a gracious thing to endure suffering for Jesus' sake, mindful of God, and endure those sorrows. And there's grief over our sin, the kind of grief, Paul says, that leads to repentance. In 2 Corinthians 7, I rejoice, he says, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you. So godly grief, holy sorrow is not like the world's grief. So very memorably in 1 Thessalonians 4, Paul talks about Christians not grieving like those who have no hope. It's a different grief. And Paul doesn't say to Christians, don't grieve. …
Take, for instance, the case of the young, on (what is called) entering into life. Very many, indeed, there are, whether in a higher or lower station, who enter into the mixed society of others early; so early, that it might be thought they had hardly had time to acquire any previous knowledge of right and wrong, any standard of right and wrong, other than the world gives, any principles by which to fight against the world. And yet it cannot quite be so. Whatever is the first time persons hear evil, it is quite certain that good has been beforehand with them, and they have a something within them which tells them it is evil. And much more, if they have been blessed, as most men are, with the protection of parents, or the kind offices of teachers or of God's ministers, they generally have principles of duty more or less strongly imprinted on their minds; and on their first intercourse with strangers they are shocked or frighted at seeing the improprieties and sins, which are openly countenanced. Alas! there are persons, doubtless (though God forbid it should be the case with any here present!), whose consciences have been so early trained into forgetfulness of religious duties, that they can hardly, or cannot at all, recollect the time I speak of; the time when they acted with the secret feeling that God saw them, saw all they did and thought. I will not fancy this to be the case with any who hear me. Rather, there are many of you, in different ranks and circumstances, who have, and ever have had, general impressions on your minds of the claims which religion has on you, but, at the same time, have been afraid of acting upon them, afraid of the opinion of the world, of what others would say if you set about obeying your conscience. Ridicule is a most powerful instrument in the hands of Satan, and it is most vividly felt by the young. If any one wishes to do his duty, it is most easy for the cold, the heartless, and the thoughtless, to find out harsh, or provoking, or ridiculous names to fix upon him. My brethren, so many of you as are sensitive of the laughter or contempt of the world, this is your cross; you must wear it, you must endure it patiently; it is the mark of your conformity to Christ; He despised the shame: you must learn to endure it, from the example and by the aid of your Saviour. You must love the praise of God more than the praise of men. It is the very trial suited to you, appointed for you, to establish you in the faith. You are not tempted with gain or ambition, but with ridicule. And be sure, that unless you withstand it, you cannot endure hardships as good soldiers of Jesus Christ, you will not endure other temptations which are to follow. How can you advance a step in your after and more extended course till the first difficulty is overcome? You need faith, and "a double-minded man," says St. James, "is unstable in all his ways." Moreover, be not too sure that all who show an inclination to ridicule you, feel exactly as they say. They speak with the loudest speaker; speak you boldly, and they will speak with you. They have very little of definite opinion themselves, or probably they even feel with you, though they speak against you. Very likely they have uneasy, unsatisfied consciences, though they seem to sin so boldly; and are as afraid of the world as you can be, nay, more so; they join in ridiculing you, lest others should ridicule them; or they do so in a sort of self-defence against the reproaches of their own consciences. Numbers in this bad world talk loudly against religion in order to encourage each other in sin, because they need encouragement. They are cowards, and rely on each other for support against their fears. They know they ought to be other than they are, but are glad to avail themselves of any thing that looks like argument, to overcome their consciences withal. And ridicule is a kind of argument--such as it is; and numbers ridiculing together are a still stronger one--of the same kind. Any how, there are few indeed who will not feel afterwards, in times of depression or alarm, that you are right, and they themselves are wrong. Those who serve God faithfully have a friend of their own, in each man's bosom, witnessing for them; even in those who treat them ill. And I suppose no young person has been able, through God's mercy, to withstand the world's displeasure, but has felt at this time or that, that this is so, and in a little time will, with all humility, have the comfort of feeling it while he is withstanding the world. …