“But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.”
My Notes
What Does 1 Peter 5:10 Mean?
Peter writes to suffering believers with a promise about God's character: he is the God of all grace. Not some grace. All grace. Every kind you need.
The promise: after you have suffered a while, God will perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. Four verbs of restoration stacked together. The suffering is temporary — "a while." The restoration is comprehensive — four dimensions of rebuilding.
"Who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus" places the suffering in context. You were called to glory. The suffering is the corridor, not the destination. And the corridor has an end.
Peter writes from experience — he suffered intensely for his faith and watched others suffer. This is not theological theory. It is a pastor writing from the trenches to people in the trenches, pointing to the God who meets them there.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Which of the four — perfected, established, strengthened, or settled — do you need most right now?
- 2.How does 'a while' change your perspective on a suffering season that feels endless?
- 3.What does it mean that God is the God of 'all' grace — not limited, not partial?
- 4.How has past suffering produced something in you that you could not have gained any other way?
Devotional
After that ye have suffered a while. Peter does not deny the suffering. He names it, acknowledges its reality, and then puts a timeline on it: a while. Not forever. A while.
The God of all grace. In the middle of suffering, the most important thing is who God is. Not the God of some grace, measured and rationed. The God of all grace — every kind you need, in unlimited supply.
Perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle. Four words for what God will do after the suffering. He will complete what is incomplete in you. He will establish you on solid ground. He will make you strong where you were weak. He will settle you — plant you so deeply that you cannot be uprooted.
The suffering is real. But it is producing something. And the God who called you into glory is the same God who will carry you through the corridor to get there.
What restoration do you need most right now — to be completed, established, strengthened, or settled?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
But the God of all grace,.... Who has riches of grace, an immense plenty of it in himself, has treasured up a fulness of…
But the God of all grace - The God who imparts all needful grace. It was proper in their anticipated trials to direct…
But the God of all grace - The Fountain of infinite compassion, mercy, and goodness. Mohammed has conveyed this fine…
We come now to the conclusion of this epistle, which,
I. The apostle begins with a most weighty prayer, which he…
But the God of all grace Rather, as there is no implied contrast, " And the God of all grace." The epithet, like "the…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture