Suffering and Growth

Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does. I Peter 4:1-6

Christ suffered in the flesh. Indeed, that was the only way He could suffer, and the reason He became flesh—in order to suffer for the penalty of our sins. A spirit cannot suffer or die. As we grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and His work, we become more like Him in our attitude of grace and love. Our suffering as Christians will be because of our identification with Him. He clearly warned of this.

John 15:18-25 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.  Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.  If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.  Whoever hates me hates my Father also.  If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.'

Christian suffering is suffering BECAUSE I am a Christian. It is persecution by the world, who hate and distrust what they cannot understand. All humans have common adversities; believers, unbelievers, all categories of people; illnesses, economic distresses, taxes and death. But only born-again believers in the Lord Jesus Christ suffer for His sake, because of our identification with Him and His cross. Now, if I am suffering because of my identification with Jesus, that indicates that the world can see Him in me. If the world is seeing Him in me, it means I am no longer thinking and behaving like the world. I have ceased from practicing sin as my way of life! No, not living a totally sinless life; that is not possible in these bodies, but less worldly and more spirit-filled; more like my Lord. I have outgrown those former indulgences of the flesh.

That behavior is in the past, when we were unregenerate Gentiles. We actually thought that lascivious behavior was fun! Our former friends still think so, and wonder why we don’t want to join in the partying anymore. They ridicule us as stuffed-shirt, religious fanatics who are afraid to relax and enjoy the feasts, orgies and merry-making. They have no concept of the pure pleasure we have in our fellowship with God and with like-minded believers who love God’s word. The world has nothing to offer that can compare to the life of grace and peace.

Even those who have lived and died in previous generations have had opportunity to hear the gospel, for every unbeliever will meet a judgment and give an account of his rejection of God’s grace. Even our idolatrous former friends.

Christians suffer in many ways and for many reasons. The sufferings we endure which are common to all mankind enable us to proclaim our faith in the perfect provision of Jesus Christ in all circumstances of life. Even when facing the death of our loved ones, “we sorrow not as others (unbelievers), which have no hope (no confidence of eternal life).” I Thessalonians 4:13. Those human adversities, as painfully intense as they are, give opportunity for the Christian and his family to demonstrate the stability and assurance we have in God’s perfect plan of grace, knowing nothing can affect our lives unless God allows it for a reason. When unbelievers suffer these same adversities, they do not have that assurance to comfort them through it.

Our sufferings, therefore, are opportunity to present our testimony to the world, and they are tests that confirm and strengthen our own faith. We don’t know what we know or how we will apply what we know until we are tested by fire. We are not proving anything to God in these trials, He is proving something to us, about ourselves.

I have to mention that there are ways Christians suffer that are absolutely invisible and unknown to anyone but that individual, God, and Satan himself. There is an anguish of soul that can be almost unbearable, when a believer lives with and loves someone who has contempt for his faith. When the thing you love most in the universe—Bible doctrine—is despised, resented and ridiculed by the humans you love most, your heart breaks daily. Remember you are not alone. Jesus knows. And the one who is causing your pain knows not.

“…but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” I Corinthians 10:13

Jesus knows exactly what you are enduring. He endured it, too, in His humanity and He endures it in His glory, because many He died to save reject His atonement and despise His Word. The Apostle Paul endured it, because his people, the Jews, hated everything he stood for as a preacher of the gospel, which was his very life. We can escape into the comfort of God's perfect Word of Truth, claiming this promise and others that tell us there will be relief. Our Lord is walking with us. We must remain steadfast. What else can we do? To whom shall we go? No one else has these words of eternal life.

Those words of life carry us through and give us a reason for being. Our purpose, our destiny is in those words. Psalm 119:49-51:

Remember your word to your servant, in which you have made me hope.
This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life.
The insolent utterly deride me, but I do not turn away from your law.