Can you tell me what 1 Peter 4:17 means? “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God?: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of Christ” This verse has really impacted me.
The Greek word translated judgment in this verse comes from a root meaning to pick out or select. I think Peter was saying if we’re suffering persecution for our faith not to be surprised but to see it as the process by which the true believers will be separated from those who are not.
It’s not so God can tell who are his, because He already knows. It’s so we can tell. The way we tell we’re true believers is that we won’t waver in our belief even under persecution.
The persecution we face from the world is uncomfortable but proves our faith. But the judgment unbelievers will face comes from God, and the outcome of that will be devastating.