Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. (1 Peter 4:12-14)
Jesus is the Saving Sufferer
Before we consider Christian suffering, let’s remember that Christ’s suffering is unique and He alone accomplishes our salvation.
Surely Jesus took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered Him punished by God, stricken by Him, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way. And the Lord has laid on Jesus the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:4-6)
If you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps. “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth.” When they hurled their insults at Jesus, He did not retaliate. When He suffered, He made no threats. Instead, Christ entrusted Himself to God who judges justly. “Jesus bore our sins” in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness. “By His wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:20-24)
The foundation for all Christian suffering is Jesus’ substitutionary atonement for us. We never atone for our own sins, but imitate Christ’s self-sacrificing love. Our suffering is missional. God often uses our faithful endurance to strengthen believers, advance Jesus’ kingdom, and display Christ’s beauty to the world.
Much Afraid
Hannah Hurnard (1905–1990) was a missionary to Israel and a Christian author. She is best known for her allegorical novel, Hinds’ Feet on High Places.1 The book has helped many people, but is not consistent with Christian orthodoxy, so I can’t endorse it.2 Still, I borrow an illustration from Hurnard. Whereas John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress is an allegory that explores the Christian journey, Hinds’ Feet focuses on overcoming fear, anxiety, and worry by faith in Christ.
The main character is Much-Afraid. Her family, the Fearings, constantly criticizes her. But Much-Afraid loves the Shepherd (representing Jesus), who takes her to a pleasant land in the far mountains. For her journey, the Shepherd gives her two companions, sisters named Sorrow and Suffering. The Lord sends these partners to help her, not harm her. At one point in the journey, Much-Afraid is tempted to stop following Christ, so she calls upon Jesus, who rescues her. He gently rebukes her not to let go of the hands of Sorrow and Suffering. This echoes many Scriptures which teach that God uses pain and problems to strengthen our faith in Him and our grip on Him. Unfortunately, we often don’t want to experience hard things to be blessed by God.
The Lord’s Bigger Purposes
John Piper says: “God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them. No power in the universe can stop the Lord from fulfilling His totally good plans for you. You only see a tiny fraction of what God is doing in your life, and the part you do see may make no sense to you.” Philosopher Simone Weil (1909–1943) said: “Christianity is extremely great in that we not only seek God’s supernatural remedy for suffering, but God’s supernatural use for it.”3
Some of God’s Reasons
Elisabeth Elliot’s book, A Path Through Suffering: Discovering the Relationship Between God’s Mercy and Our Pain, is a gem! Joni Eareckson Tada said, “Next to your Bible, this treasured classic could be your best guide in cultivating genuine good for your soul, no matter how harsh the suffering.” R. C. Sproul also commends this book. In an appendix, Elliot lists some (not all) of the reasons that God ordains hardship in the lives of His repenting and believing children. She groups these into four categories. I use this list in counseling, teaching, and prison work.
Christians Suffer for Our Own Benefit
- To learn who God is — Ps 46:1,10; Dan 4:24-37; Job
- To learn to trust and obey Him — 2 Cor 1:8-9, Ps 119:67,71
- Discipline is a proof of the Father’s love and our adoption — Heb 12:5-11
- Suffering is a consequence of discipleship — Acts 14:22; Luke 14:26-27,33
- And is required of Jesus’ soldiers — 2 Tim 2:3-4
- We are “pruned” so that we may bear fruit — John 15:2
- And be shaped into Christ’s image as fellow-heirs with Christ — Rom 8:17,29
- And be shaped for God’s kingdom — 2 Thes 1:4-5
- To qualify us to reign with Christ — 2 Tim 2:12
- To strengthen our faith — James 1:3; 2 Thess 1:4-5; Acts 14:22
- To test and refine our faith — Isaiah 43:2; Dan 11:35; Mal 3:2; 1 Cor 3:13; 1 Pet 1:7
- To make us spiritually mature — James 1:4
- To produce endurance, character, hope, joy, and generosity in us — Rom 5:3-4; 2 Cor 8:2
- God’s power is demonstrated in our weakness — 2 Cor 12:9
Paul wrote: We experienced trouble in the province of Asia and were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. (2 Corinthians 1:8-9)
Christians Suffer to Benefit the Lord’s People
- So they may obtain salvation — 2 Tim 2:8-10
- So they may be encouraged — 2 Cor 1:3-7; Phil 1:14; Col 1:24
- So that grace may extend to more — 2 Cor 4:15
- So that our generosity may bless others — 2 Cor 8:2
- Because of death working in us, life may work in them — 2 Cor 4:12; Gal 4:13; 1 John 3:16
We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that His life may also be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. (2 Corinthians 4:7-12)
Christians Suffer for the World’s Benefit
- To show them love and obedience to God — Book of Job; John 14:31; Matt 27:40-43
- To make the life of Jesus visible in our ordinary human lives — 2 Cor 4:10
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven… You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden… In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven. (Matthew 5:10-16 selections)
Christians Suffer for Christ’s Reputation
- To be identified with Him in His crucifixion — Gal 2:20
- To share His suffering — 1 Pet 4:12-16; Phil 1:29, 2:17, 3:8-10; Col 1:24; 2 Tim 1:8; Heb 13:13
- To share His glory — Rom 8:17-18; Heb 2:9-10; 2 Cor 4:17
- Suffering is a consequence of faith in Jesus — Mark 8:34-35; John 15:18-21; Ps 44:22; Acts 5:40-42, 9:15-16, 14:22; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Thes 1:6, 3:4; 2 Tim 3:12; 1 John 3:16.
Now if we are God’s children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings so that we may also share in His glory. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. (Romans 8:17-18)
God’s prophet says: Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, He enables me to tread on the heights. (Habakkuk 3:17-19)
Prayer
Lord Jesus, You know Your sheep by name. Shepherd us today. When the cares of life burden us, give us rest. When we are helpless against the enemies of our souls, be our Defender. When we are hungry, feed us. When we are weary, restore us. When we are vulnerable, protect us. Guard us, keep us, and shield us, so that we may experience Your loving care today and all our lives. We pray in Your name. Amen.4
Notes: 1 Christian Literature Crusade (1955). 2 See The Problematic Theology of Hinds’ Feet on High Places, by SolaGratia1646, April 28, 2020. 3 Gravity and Grace (2002). 5 Adapted from W. David O. Taylor.