Faith & spiritual war: However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. 1 Peter 4:16

The first epistle of Peter was probably written by this apostle while in Rome and addressed to several Churches in Asia Minor. And the apostle Peter, from the very beginning, referred to Christians as foreigners, as people passing through in a world given over to error and sin: "I am writing to God's chosen people who are living as foreigners in the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia" 1 Peter 1:1.
And this affirmation has a spiritual meaning; in Peter's message, the gift of faith implies a change in lifestyle, a way of living different from that of the pagans, because living the faith is living the spiritual gifts received from above, and this way of life caused Christians to be seen as doubtful and strange people. For Peter, the spiritual war between Christians and pagans was set, because flesh and spirit are opposed to each other, like water and oil. And this teaching of Peter had its foundation. According to the book of Acts, Peter suffered imprisonment for bearing witness to the Lord after Pentecost (Acts 12:6-19), risking even his own life in the mission to spread the gospel.
This is why Peter mentions the word "suffer" several times in his letter. There is an inner suffering, that is, a suffering according to the flesh, when a believer dies to sin and accepts life according to the spirit, but there is also suffering when the gift of faith is tested in a world where the only things that are valued are money and power. According to Christian thought, the spiritual warfare then begins within the human heart and then expands into all aspects of daily life. This is why, in Peter's thinking, a faith put to the test translates into a beatitude: "If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed" 1 Peter 4:14. And so the epistle teaches that accepting this heavenly citizenship, which makes Christians live as foreigners, is quite a challenge; for this reason Peter also wrote: "However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name" 1 Peter 4:16. But for Peter, ultimately, this suffering related to a proven faith is well worth it for that call to the Glory of the Father through the Son.

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