1 Peter 1:6Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

He adds, “if need be,” teaching that not every believer and not every sinner is tested by sorrows. Neither the one nor the other is left in them forever.

The righteous who suffer sorrows endure them in order to receive crowns. Sinners suffer them as punishment for sins.

Not all the righteous undergo sorrows, lest you consider malice praiseworthy and come to hate virtue.

Not all sinners undergo sorrows, lest the truth of the resurrection be called into doubt if everyone already received what was due here.

“Unto praise and honor and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” By these words the Apostle indicates why the righteous endure evil here.

He partly consoles them by saying that through sorrows they become more glorious. He partly encourages them by adding “at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” Then, by making their labors manifest, He will grant great glory to the athletes.

Scholion: He says that sensual pleasure ends in grief of soul, for from this pleasure grief arises for the soul. Similarly, pleasure of soul ends in grief of the flesh, for what is joy to the soul is grief to the flesh.

One occurs because of the sensual passions voluntarily chosen by the soul. The other arises as the consequence of the action of these passions apart from the soul’s will.

For grief, as it seems to me, is the state of a soul deprived of pleasures.

Scholion: The following successive definitions of grief are given in relation to their cause, and this cause conditions these definitions.

This deprivation of pleasures appears when a man is tormented by illnesses. Illness clearly arises when the healthy condition of nature is deficient or absent.

This deficiency, in turn, is a passion of the natural power that determines the state of nature. This passion is the misuse of a natural activity.

Such misuse of the mode of natural activity appears when the movement proper to some power of nature is directed toward what is contrary to nature.

Since the Word of Truth, as I have said, knows two kinds of grief, this Word also knows two modes in which trials exist. There is the mode of voluntarily chosen trials and the mode of trials that occur against the will.

The first is the maker of voluntary pleasures, and the second is the cause of involuntary sufferings.

Scholion: He says that there are two kinds of grief. There is grief related to sensation, which arises from deprivation of bodily pleasures. There is also grief related to the mind, which comes from the loss of the soul’s good things.

He also says that there are two kinds of trials, voluntary and involuntary. Voluntary trials are the fathers of bodily pleasure according to sensation, from which grief is born in the soul.

Only sin carried out in action causes grief to the soul. Involuntary trials, which appear in painful illnesses occurring against the will, are the fathers of pleasure in the soul and also the parents of bodily suffering in sensation.

For it is clear that the trial that occurs according to the will produces voluntary and freely chosen pleasures. The trial that occurs against the will gives birth to painful and involuntary illnesses apart from a man’s choice.

The first serves as the cause of grief in the soul, and the second as the cause of grief in sensation.

Scholion: He says that the trial occurring according to the will leads to the emergence of grief in the soul, whose maker is sensual pleasure. The trial occurring against the will gives birth to pleasure in the soul, which is the ground of the flesh’s grief.

For this reason, I think, our Lord and God, teaching His disciples how they should pray, speaks of the kind of voluntary trials and says: “And lead us not into temptation” (Mt 6:13).

Instructing His disciples concerning voluntary, freely chosen, and pleasure-bearing trials, He persuades them to pray that they may not experience such a kind of trial.

But the great James, called the brother of the Lord, instructs those who struggle for the Truth not to diminish involuntary trials. He says: “Count it all joy, my brethren, when you fall into various trials” (Jas 1:2).

Scholion: He says that the Lord teaches us to pray for the prevention of voluntary trials, which create fleshly pleasure and torment of soul. The great James exhorts us to rejoice in involuntary trials, which remove fleshly pleasure and torment of soul.

It is clear that he means trials that are involuntary and do not happen by choice of the will, but produce painful illnesses.

It is also clear why the Lord adds to the words already cited: “But deliver us from the evil one.” And the great James adds: “Knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.

But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (Jas 1:3-4).

The perfect Christian is the one who, through self-control, battles against voluntary trials and, through patience, courageously endures involuntary trials. The complete Christian is the one who successfully advances in spiritual practice accompanied by knowledge, and whose contemplation is not inactive.

The question and answer is not given to the end.

This is the same lofty teaching on temptations that is set forth by the Apostle James (Jas 1:2ff.; see note).

Temptations sent or permitted by God as tests of faith and rules of life cause sorrows to the outer man. Yet through them the inner man is purified and exalted.

For this inner man they are a cause of joy. Temptations are understood here in the same broad and comprehensive sense as in the cited passage of the Apostle James.

“A little, if need be.” Temptations cause sorrow, but this sorrow is so slight compared with joy over eternal blessings that it is felt only a little, when their significance for moral perfection is rightly understood.

Moreover, this sorrow from temptations is so brief compared with the eternal blessedness prepared for the Christian that, however much he grieves from them, it is still only a little sorrow.

“The connection of the speech is this: having been grieved now a little, if need be, you will rejoice in the last time.

As the Teacher in His promise (Jn 16:33) announces not only joy, but also sorrow, so the Apostle adds ‘a little’ to the word about joy.

But since even this is sorrowful, he adds ‘now.’ Or the word ‘now’ should be referred to joy, since future joy will follow it, not brief, but lasting and endless.

Or the word ‘little’ should be understood with respect to sorrow in this way: if need be now, then it is only to grieve a little from various temptations” (Theophylact).

“If need be” means if God is pleased to permit such temptations to come upon believers.

The expression assumes that sorrows from temptations are not continuous and are not permitted beyond the strength of those tempted. Their time and measure are precisely determined by divine wisdom.

They can neither continue beyond that measure nor exceed it.

“And moreover he adds, ‘if need be,’ teaching that not every believer and not every sinner is tested by sorrows. Neither the one nor the other is left in them forever.

The righteous who suffer sorrows endure them in order to receive crowns, while sinners endure them to undergo punishment for sins.

Not all the righteous undergo sorrows, lest you consider malice praiseworthy and come to hate virtue.

And not all sinners undergo sorrows, lest the truth of the resurrection be called into doubt if everyone already received what was due here” (Theophylact).