Suffering in my life

One of the strongest personal arguments for the Christian faith comes from those who themselves suffer. Many people have been entirely resistant to the philosophical, moral, evidential and theological arguments for Christianity, but have been bowled over when they have seen and heard the testimony of Christians who face overwhelming difficulties.

Suffering comes in many forms. For the early church, the most obvious and pressing kind of suffering was from persecution. Christians were arrested, beaten, killed by mobs, tried by corrupt courts, deprived of all human rights, executed. But the early Christians suffered in other ways. In the life of Paul we read of disease (he had an eye problem), ridicule and mockery, intense worry for others, hunger, thirst, shipwreck, threats against his life, beatings, and the personal anguish of wrong choices he had made earlier in his life and their consequences.

The testimony of Christians who suffer is powerful — but what about the Christians themselves? How does God comfort me in my suffering?

The cause of all suffering

Ultimately, the cause of all suffering is sin. In the world we live in, we suffer — the Bible says — as a result of the general curse of the fall in Genesis chapter 3. But a very direct part of that curse is that the person who sins is not necessarily the one who suffers. If a thief steals my hat, then, at least for the time being, the thief has gained a hat, and I suffer from not having one.

Nonetheless, we need to recognise that, grievous as suffering is, it is not worse than we deserve. This might seem a hard teaching, but the Bible is quite clear. Ultimately, the penalty for sin is the ultimate suffering. As Romans 6:23 puts it: "The wages of sin is death.", and in case any of us think that we are somehow too good for suffering, romans 3:23 says: "Everyone has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God."

Beyond that, though, Jesus Christ offers real answers to real suffering for the Christian in this world and in the one beyond. But only for the Christian. There is a fundamental distinction in the universe here, not based on 'having a faith' or 'adhering to a religion'. The Bible makes it clear that those who have been born-again, who have begun a new life in Jesus Christ, have a completely different cosmic situation from those who do not. Jesus does not offer any hope for the non-Christian, except for this: if they come to Him, he will accept them and give them new life. From there, all things change. But, for those who do not wish to live a new life in Jesus Christ, the Bible has nothing to offer.

Come to me all you who are heavy laden
In Matthew 11:28, Jesus says: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." In John 14:27 he says to his disciples: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. "

People who have gone through terrible suffering often point out that there were two parts to it. There was the direct suffering — a physical illness, and imprisonment, being without food, or perhaps suffering taunts and bullying. But, often more  testing was the psychological or emotional suffering. A mother suffering a terminal illness can be more wracked with the worry of "What will become of my children when I am gone" than with the physical pain. Bullies — at school, in the workplace, or in the home — know that they don't need to physically harm someone: if they make them miserable with fear, or a sense of worthlessness, they have done what they set out to do. This state of misery is often described as "inner turmoil" or "a storm inside my head."

When a Christian suffers, there is an ultimate promise of deliverance from the direct suffering. But there is also a period — long or short — when the Christian faces the direct suffering. In that time, Jesus Christ offers peace from the turmoil.

First and foremost, this is the peace of knowing that you are at peace with God. In the book of Job, Job suffers a series of terrible events, culminating in a long-term illness. His so-called 'comforters' try to suggest to him that either he must have somehow offended God, or that God does not care about Job either way. Eventually, the book ends as God comes to set the record straight. For Christians, the Bible makes it clear that we do have peace with God. God does permit suffering, but not because we have offended him. Suffering is not God's judgement. Rather, it is part of our calling as Christians. We'll look at that more in a moment.

Second, there is the peace of assurance of personal value. Suffering of many kinds causes us to lose a sense of self-worth. We may lose our appearance, or we may face public humiliation, our friends or family may tell us (or, worse, show by their actions) that they no longer think very much of us. Most people's sense of self-worth depends, rather shakily, on a combination of our achievements, our possessions, our relationships, and how other people talk about us. For the Christian, true self-worth comes from knowing that God prizes us highly. First, we are made in his image, giving us enormous worth. Second, we have been bought back by Jesus Christ. Christ reckoned it to be worth while to give his life so that we can live. If our value depends on the price that has been paid for us, then our value is infinite, because that is the price Christ paid. Finally, we are now adopted as daughters and sons of God. We are co-heirs with Christ. Therefore, the Christian can put aside thoughts of worthlessness.

Third, there is the peace of certainty in the future. Christians know that God is able to rescue them from whatever situation they are in — be it illness, or poverty, or perseuction, or whatever other situation. Non-Christians also have the hope that things will improve. Christians also know that ultimately they will die. This could be a direct result of the current suffering, or perhaps many years later. Non-Christians also know this. But the difference for the Christian is that after death is the certainty of eternal life. A non-Christian can look at the facts solidly and say: "what's the worst that can happen" and answer themselves "I could die". A Christian can ask the same question, and get the same answer, and then say "In that case, I have nothing to be afraid of." In the words of the New Testament writer Paul, "to live is Christ, to die is gain". Christians have been put to death for their faith, and many Christians have died as a result of illnesses. Someone looking from the outside could say "their faith failed them, because God did not rescue them". But they can only say this because they do not see beyond death. The Christian can know for certain that to die is to be rescued. Equally, many Christians have seen remarkable, impossible or even miraculous answers to prayer which have released them from suffering. There are, of course, many accounts of non-Christians who have defeated illness, or escaped from torture,  or overcome fantastic odds. But, for all of these, there is still the grim certainty that 'we will die in the end', despite a temporary improvement in their situation. For the Christian, there is the certainty of eternal life.

Discipline — not pleasant but painful

There is another aspect to suffering which is important for the Christian. God uses suffering in training his children. This is not the same as saying "Pain is Good", as Silas in Dan Brown's conspiracy-theory novel, The Da Vinci Code, keeps saying. For Christians, there is nothing intrinsically 'good' about suffering. In the new heaven and the new earth, that is to say, after death in eternal life, there will be no suffering. But, in the meantime, suffering is part of the training God takes us through. This is explained in the New Testament book of Hebrews, in chapter 12: "Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?" Recognising that there is a purpose to suffering completely changes its effect on us. An athlete will put himself through all kinds of hardships in order to win a prize. Every year, millions of people take part across the world in marathons and other physical challenges in order to raise money for charity— and to gain the satisfaction of having completed the event. A student determined to pass a difficult exam will spend days in the library studying while friends are out enjoying the sunshine. At the time this is all self-inflicted pain. But afterwards the athlete, the marathon runner and the student all forget the pain in the knowledge that the completed what they set out to do. However, this is still not the same as saying "pain is good". For the athlete, and for the Christian, there are kinds of suffering which help to build skill, strength, speed and stamina (for the athlete) or faith, patience, graciousness and compassion (for the Christian). But the athlete will avoid things which tear muscles, develop bad habits, or lower the body's fucntions. In the same way, the Christian must avoid putting himself or herself in the way of suffering which is caused by their own sin. Peter, one of the original twelve disciples, explains this in his first letter: 1Peter 4:15-16 "If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name."

Filling up the sufferings of Christ

This brings us to a deep truth: although suffering is not in itself good, Christians should rejoice when they suffer because in doing so they share in Christ's suffering. Christ chose to suffer for the wrong others had done (including for the wrong we had done). We should therefore be glad if we suffer for the good of another person. This is not just about taking somone else's punishment, or giving up things in order to help someone else who is in need. Suffering through illness can also be sharing in Christ's sufferings, and a Christian's testimony through illness can often open the hearts of people who were otherwise completely resistant to Christ's message.

The final answer

God is at work in us for our good. In fact, Paul writes in his letter Romans, "God works all things together for the good of those who love him." (Romans 8:28). But 'good' is not the same as 'freedom from suffering'. Our ultimate good is to know God more, love him more deeply, and to become in our character like Jesus Christ.  There will be no suffering in heaven, but heaven is much, much more than simply a place where there is no suffering. Heaven is a place where we will be with God, and this, above all, will fulfill our deepest needs — not because God is running some kind of need-fulfilment programme in heaven, but because knowing God is written into the fabric of our being as our most fundamental and profound need. In 2 Corinthians 4:17, Paul writes "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. " The current body we inhabit is really only 'temporary accommodation'. It is like a tent compared to the house we will live in in heaven. Our current life is just a short span of time — heaven will be for ever. The final answer for suffering is that it comes to an end, and, for the Christian, glory begins.

Stechford Baptist Church • Victoria Road • Stechford • Birmingham B33 8AH. Map. Stechford is in the Stechford and Yardley North Ward, and is close to Hodge Hill.