Have you ever created something of value? Something that you were genuinely proud of and took great care of. Whether it was a project, a presentation, a piece of art, or even your child. After creating it you want to make sure that nothing bad happens to it. Or at least ensure it doesn’t get destroyed. Hold on to that feeling as we move forward.
“Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.”
1 Peter 4:19
Context
The immediate context of this passage has to do with Christians suffering reproach for the name of Jesus. Peter is comforting the believers to stand fast in the faith and see their suffering as “exceeding joy”. He ends the passage with the above verse as an appeal that Christians recognize who created them.
You may not be suffering as much as the early church did or maybe you are from a different country and are suffering just as much. Either way the verse above applies to all of our lives as a principal for our edification.
Commit the Keeping of Our Souls
Who keeps your soul? What does that even mean? The fact that we have to ask that question clearly indicates that it is not ourselves who do the keeping. It certainly is not anyone else on this earth either. So then back to the intro. After making a precious piece of Art, who keeps it in great condition? The piece itself? Certainly not. The museum? Not if it’s the most precious piece the artist has ever made. Then we know the answer: the Artist. It is the Artist that is responsible for caring for it, covering it, dusting it, and ensuring it is not ripped or tampered with.
That is similar to the idea of the keeping of our souls. We certainly can’t be responsible for it. If we can’t protect our flesh most of the time then we certainly can’t protect our souls. Our souls are MUCH MORE important than our flesh. Our flesh can suffer, grow old, and get diseased and yet all of us will dissolve back into the dust. But our souls have eternal value to them. Therefore it is vital we understand who keeps our souls. But we also must understand that, unlike the piece of Art, it is our duty to “commit the keeping” to someone else. This is not a passive work on our parts where we just sit, do nothing, and twiddle our thumbs and our Creator makes sure we are kept for. It is an active response of our souls. Surrendering the protection and care of our souls to Him.
Our Creator
This is why the verbiage of this verse is so important. Ask yourself: “Why did Peter not say ‘King’, ‘Lord’, ‘God’, ‘Saviour’, etc?” Instead he particularly chose a certain word: “Creator”. This is for the readers to understand why we are committing our souls to Him. It’s simple: because He MADE THEM. And if He made them then He surely will take care of them as His own. But how can we be so sure?
Our Faithful Creator
Another important word: “faithful”. To say it completely: “faithful Creator”. What good is a Creator who is not faithful? What good is an artist if directly after making a painting they are content to see it collect dust, get ripped, and never bring it out. That is not the God we serve. Excuse me – that is not the “Creator” we serve. He creates us each uniquely. No one person on this earth is exactly the same. And the moment He creates us we are the most precious thing to Him. He loves us with an infinite love that we can’t comprehend.
Now why would we not commit our souls to Him? First, because we do not know Him as we ought. We do not fear Him as we ought. We do not love Him as we ought. If you only had a greater revelation of how great of a Creator He is you would effortlessly give Him your soul. Second, because we do not know ourselves as we ought. We do not understand how wicked we are on our own. We do not understand how incapable we are. We tend to think we can do this whole “life” thing alone and without a Creator. Let me save you a world of trouble: You can’t. But He can. And He said He would.
Now there is only one response that is needed from you. Literally one thing you must consciously do at all times. When you wake up, when you walk about, when you lie down. One thing you must do: “Commit the keeping of [your] souls to him…as unto a faithful Creator” You may be going through a trial in your life. Let this be a reminder that the best thing for you to do is surrender your soul to your Creator. Accept the fact that all your external circumstances are placed there by the Sovereign Creator for your benefit. But you WILL NOT see that unless you surrender the keeping of your soul to Him.
Action
- Praise God for being a faithful Creator of your soul
- Confess to God your want to keep your own soul
- Ask God to give you a bigger revelation of who He is and what you are
- Listen to this post’s song: Creator