4:16a–b
If a believer suffers because of his faith, he should not be ashamed but make sure that his behavior as a follower of Christ brings honor to God.
4:16a
But: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as But introduces a contrast between suffering for doing something bad in 4:15 and suffering for being a Christian. Introduce this contrast in a way that is natural for your language.
if you suffer as a Christian: The phrase if you suffer as a Christian means “if you are punished for being a Christian” or “if you have to endure suffering because you are a Christian.”
as a Christian: People started called the believers Christians because they were followers of Christ (see Acts 11:26).
do not be ashamed: In some languages it may be natural to say of what the believers should not be ashamed. For example:
do not be ashamed ⌊of it/that⌋
-or-
do not feel disgrace ⌊that you received such punishment⌋
4:16b
but: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as but introduces what the believers should do instead of feeling ashamed. Another way to translate this is:
instead
glorify God that you bear that name: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as glorify God that you bear that name is literally “glorify God by this name.”
glorify: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as glorify, that is, “give honor to,” means to bring God glory by the way you live, as in John 21:19 and 1 Corinthians. 6:20.
bear that name: the phrase bear that name refers to being called a “Christian” in 4:16a.
Some other ways to translate this clause are:
Praise God for the privilege of being called by his name! (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
thank God that you bear Christ’s name. (Good News Translation)
-or-
Praise God that you belong to him. (Contemporary English Version)
A literal translation may give the wrong meaning that the believers were calling themselves “Christ.” They were called “Christ-followers” or “Christians” by others. When this term was initially used, it was said as an insult. So you may need to translate this as:
praise God that they/people call you “Christians”
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