Why do believers suffer?

Sufferings of humanity comes in different format and both believers and unbelievers suffer in this part of eternity ever since the Fall. This write up focuses on some of the Biblical explanations why believers suffer.

Believer's suffering for the benefit of others

Genesis 45: 4-7; is very clear, why Joseph suffered and it was suffering for his brothers and his family, and protect them from famine.  And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

Isaiah 53, talks about our suffering servant: God’s Spirit foretold and testified through the prophets in the Old Testament about the sufferings Christ would go through for our sake, to redeem mankind. This is an extreme and unexplainable love of God for humanity to rescue mankind from the bondage of sin and death. This chapter talks about the sufferings Isa 53: 1-3; humiliation and the exaltation of Christ Isa: 53:4-9; and the blessings to mankind because of Christ’s death Isa 53: 10-12. The authentic and the most important report of salvation, with Divine power and Christ’s sufferings for our sake are not fully appreciated by our fallen humanity. Fallen humanity has life because of Christ’s death!

Paul writes that both Priscilla and Aquilla laid down their necks with Paul’s ministry; Greet Priscilla and Aquila my helpers in Christ Jesus: Who have for my life laid down their own necks: unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles; Rom 16:3-4.

Sufferings for God’s glory:

Sufferings can be an avenue through which God reveals or glorifies Himself. Jn 9:13; explains that the healing of the blind man is for the glory of God; And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. Rom 3:25-26; taks about Jesus Christ was justified for God’s Divine justice, and through this God’s glory is revealed; Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Rom 5:8; sufferings on the Cross, demonstrates God’s love for us, and through this God is glorified; But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Suffering can be the result of persecution:

Matt 5:10-12; shows the sufferings because of persecution for God’s Word; Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. Heb 11:35-39; talks about sufferings because of persecution for God’s Word, and how they wandered about in sheep’s skin and goats’s sking, afflicted, tormented and were destitutes. Book of Hebrews says that they obtained good report through faith, and the fallen world is not worthy of them.  Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:

Peter was in Babylon, Assyria when he wrote this Epistle on Peter, and he brings the theology of suffering. 1 Peter was written shortly before the beginning of Nero’s persecution of Christians at Rome. This epistle was written mainly to bring a message of hope and encouragement during persecution for God’s Word, and especially for Christians suffering under Nero’s regime. The focus of this letter was to remind Christians of their privilege, conversion in Christ, and holy lives they ought to live.  1 Pet 3:14-17; talks about how as believers should take a stand for righteousness sake, and that will cause suffering and persecution for His Word’s sake, even within a body of Christ; But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;  But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.  For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.

Our response to suffering is learning to trust God in all situations:

LEARNING TO TRUST

Compatibilism

God is absolutely sovereign, but his sovereignty never functions in such a way that human responsibility is curtailed, minimized, or mitigated.

Human beings are morally responsible creatures – they significantly choose, rebel, obey, believe, defy, make decisions, and so forth, and they are rightly held accountable for such actions; but this characteristic never functions so as to make God absolutely contingent. (Carson, P. 179).

Sovereignty of God never functions in such a way, where the responsibility of humanity is curtailed. God is all knowing, all powerful, and all present and He cannot lie and sin and He is consistent with his Divine character; Psa:46; Jn 6: 37; Isa 10:5; Acts 18: 9-11; Phil 2:12-13; Lev 20:7-8. Our response to God is to acknowledge His presence inn all situations; Psa 46:1-2; have the peace of God; Psa: 46:2-3; accept the provision of God Psa 46:4; to understand the place of God Psa 46: 5-7; and have His protection Psa 46: 8-11. God should be exalted and we have the privilege of His protection as His children.