1 Peter 5 10

1 Peter 5:10 kjv

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.

1 Peter 5:10 nkjv

But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.

1 Peter 5:10 niv

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

1 Peter 5:10 esv

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.

1 Peter 5:10 nlt

In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.

1 Peter 5 verses

1 Peter 5 10 Meaning

1 Peter 5:10 offers profound comfort and assurance to believers facing suffering. It declares that God, the source of all multifaceted grace, who has divinely initiated our call into His eternal glory through Christ, will Himself, after we endure brief periods of suffering, fully restore us, make us resolute, fortify us, and firmly ground us. This verse acts as a powerful benediction and a cornerstone of Christian hope amidst trials, highlighting God's faithfulness to complete the work He began.

1 Peter 5 10 Context

First Peter is an epistle written to dispersed Christians, identified as "exiles" and "aliens" across various Roman provinces in Asia Minor (1 Pet 1:1). The overarching theme of the letter is how Christians should live righteously amidst persecution and suffering, maintaining hope in God's ultimate salvation and future glory. Peter emphasizes Christian identity, the living hope in Christ's resurrection, and practical Christian living in various relationships.

Chapter 5 specifically deals with the conduct of church elders, humility among all believers, and the sober reality of spiritual opposition from the devil. It warns believers to be self-controlled and alert, resisting the devil with a firm faith. This leads directly to verse 10, which acts as a profound counterpoint and source of comfort to the preceding exhortations to endure suffering and resist evil. After Peter commands vigilance and resistance (1 Pet 5:8-9), he provides this assurance that their suffering is temporary, and God's grace will ultimately establish them in His eternal glory. The verse implicitly addresses potential despair or fear, assuring the believers that their trials are not in vain, and God is sovereign over their present struggles and future destiny. It offers an antithesis to the devil's desire to "devour," emphasizing God's plan to perfect and establish.

1 Peter 5 10 Word analysis

• And the God of all grace: (Greek: Ho de Theos pasēs charitos - Ὁ δὲ Θεὸς πάσης χάριτος).
  • The God: Theos (θεός) refers to the one, true God, the ultimate Sovereign. The article "The" emphasizes His singular and supreme identity.
  • of all grace: pasēs charitos (πάσης χάριτος) - "All" (pasēs) means complete, comprehensive, diverse, universal, implying every conceivable kind of grace needed by a believer. "Grace" (charis) is undeserved favor, divine kindness, and the empowering presence of God. It's not just a general benevolence but an active, divine influence enabling one to persevere and grow. This phrase highlights God's inexhaustible supply of every specific grace necessary for believers in every situation. He provides the grace to perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish.
• who called you: (Greek: ho kalesas hymas - ὁ καλέσας ὑμᾶς).
  • called: kalesas (καλέσας) indicates God's sovereign initiative and purpose. It speaks to a divine invitation and summoning for a specific destiny, often with a sense of purpose and mission (Rom 8:30, 2 Thess 2:14). It implies a beginning to their journey with Him.
• to His eternal glory in Christ: (Greek: eis tēn aiōnion autou doxan en Christō - εἰς τὴν αἰώνιον αὐτοῦ δόξαν ἐν Χριστῷ).
  • eternal glory: aiōnion doxan (αἰώνιον δόξαν) - "Eternal" (aiōnion) emphasizes the unending and ultimate nature of this destiny. "Glory" (doxa) signifies the manifest splendor, honor, and radiant presence of God, a participation in God's own majesty. It refers to the future state of glorified existence, free from sin and suffering.
  • in Christ: en Christō (ἐν Χριστῷ) - This phrase denotes the sphere, the means, and the condition for accessing this eternal glory. It is through union with Christ that believers participate in His resurrection life and future glory (Col 1:27, Rom 8:17).
• after you have suffered a little while: (Greek: oligon pathontas - ὀλίγον παθόντας).
  • suffered: pathontas (παθόντας) from paschō, means to experience, endure, undergo, or suffer affliction. This is a core theme in 1 Peter, highlighting the reality of Christian life in a fallen world.
  • a little while: oligon (ὀλίγον) - This adjective, literally "little," minimizes the duration and significance of earthly suffering when contrasted with the vastness of eternity and the promised glory. It provides perspective and comfort, emphasizing the brevity of their present hardship.
• will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you: (Greek: autos katartisei, stērixei, sthenōsei, themeliōsei hymas - αὐτὸς καταρτίσει, στηρίξει, σθενώσει, θεμελιώσει ὑμᾶς). These are all future tense verbs, powerful promises from God.
  • will Himself: autos (αὐτὸς) - This emphatic pronoun emphasizes that God Himself, directly and personally, will perform these actions. It highlights His direct involvement and faithfulness, removing any doubt about the fulfillment of these promises.
  • perfect: katartisei (καταρτίσει) from katartizō - To make complete, to mend (like mending nets, Mt 4:21), to equip, to restore, to prepare, to make fit for purpose. It means to bring to a proper, well-ordered, and functional state, suitable for eternal glory. This implies a process of spiritual development.
  • confirm: stērixei (στηρίξει) from stērizō - To make firm, stable, resolute, to establish in purpose, to fix. It speaks to establishing steadfastness in faith and character, preventing wavering or faltering in the face of challenges (Rom 1:11, Lk 22:32).
  • strengthen: sthenōsei (σθενώσει) from sthenoō - To infuse with power, to make robust, vigorous, or mighty. It relates to inner spiritual vigor and fortitude, empowering believers to endure and serve God (Eph 3:16). This term appears only once in the NT here, highlighting Peter's strong assurance of divine power.
  • establish: themeliōsei (θεμελιώσει) from themeliōō - To lay a foundation, to make solid, to ground deeply. It implies making one utterly secure and stable, rooted in faith so that they cannot be shaken by life's storms, like a well-built structure (Eph 2:20, Col 2:7). This is the finality, security, and permanence of God's work.

Word Group Analysis:

• "The God of all grace...who called you to His eternal glory in Christ": This initial phrase establishes God's nature (full of comprehensive grace) and His divine initiative and ultimate purpose for believers (eternal glory through union with Christ). It sets the stage for His ongoing work.
• "after you have suffered a little while": This clause provides the necessary context of their current reality (suffering) and offers a crucial temporal perspective: the suffering is temporary ("a little while") in comparison to the eternal glory. It acknowledges their present pain while placing it within God's greater redemptive timeline.
• "will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you": This is the magnificent four-fold promise. "Himself" (autos) underscores divine sovereignty and certainty. The four verbs describe different facets of God's post-suffering work: perfect (restoration to wholeness), confirm (spiritual steadfastness), strengthen (inner fortitude), and establish (unshakable foundation). These promises assure the believer of ultimate spiritual completion, resilience, power, and security from God's own hand. This comprehensive spiritual equipping guarantees their perseverance to the intended eternal glory.

1 Peter 5 10 Bonus section

The future tense verbs (perfect, confirm, strengthen, establish) in 1 Peter 5:10 are prophetic and unconditional promises of God. They are not conditional on the believer's strength, but on God's character and omnipotence. This provides immense assurance that, despite present weakness or trials, God will complete what He has begun in those He has called. The Greek order emphasizes "Himself" first (autos), underscoring the divine agent behind these transforming works. This stands in direct contrast to the fleeting and futile attempts of self-reliance or worldly philosophies to cope with suffering. The promise implies that suffering is not a random occurrence but is integrated into God's sovereign plan for the believer's sanctification and ultimate glorification.

1 Peter 5 10 Commentary

1 Peter 5:10 serves as a benediction of powerful comfort and certainty, drawing Peter's instructions on suffering to a climactic conclusion. Peter elevates the focus from temporal trials to the eternal nature of God's character and plan. By calling Him "the God of all grace," Peter asserts that God is the overflowing source of every conceivable favor, strength, and enablement believers might need, precisely what is required to navigate and transcend suffering. This God has a deliberate plan: He "called" them, not just randomly, but with a divine summons to an ultimate end—"His eternal glory in Christ." This "glory" signifies their final perfected state of dwelling in God's radiant presence, fully united with Christ, a stark contrast to their present ignominious suffering.

Crucially, the verse places suffering as a temporary prelude to this glory—"after you have suffered a little while." This reframing minimizes the intensity and duration of the trial in light of eternity, offering profound perspective and hope. The emphasis then shifts to God's active, personal involvement: "will Himself" underscores that the transformative work is His alone, ensuring its success. The four-fold promise encapsulates the multifaceted results of God's post-suffering intervention: He will "perfect" (fully restore and equip for purpose), "confirm" (make steadfast in faith), "strengthen" (infuse with inner power), and "establish" (set on an unshakable foundation). These actions culminate in a believer thoroughly prepared, steadfast, vigorous, and secure in their spiritual journey towards ultimate glory, having been transformed by their trials through God's abundant grace.

Examples for practical usage:

• A Christian facing job loss can be reminded that though the suffering is "for a little while," God is the God of all grace who will perfect their faith, strengthen them through reliance on Him, and establish a new path.
• Someone battling a prolonged illness can draw comfort that this present struggle is fleeting, and God Himself will complete their healing, confirm their hope in Him, and strengthen them spiritually through the process, rooting their faith deeper than before.
• A believer facing ridicule for their faith can recall that the shame is temporary, as God has called them to eternal glory, and He will solidify their resolve ("confirm") and make them spiritually robust ("strengthen") to stand firm.