What Does Suffering for Christ Look Like?
- Jessica Van Roekel Author of Reframing Rejection
- Published May 02, 2022
Samson, Jeremiah, Paul, Stephen, Moses, Joseph, and Jesus. What do all these have in common? They suffered. Samson suffered because of foolish choices. Jeremiah suffered because of his desire to obey God. Paul suffered because of the call of Jesus on his life. Stephen suffered persecution. Moses suffered rejection by his own people. Joseph suffered abandonment. And Jesus suffered for our salvation.
The dictionary defines suffering as pain, agony, distress, disadvantage, or loss. Suffering is a very real thing in this world. If we look at the news, we read about suffering close to home and far away. People go missing, get sick, make mistakes, and experience life-altering loss. We experience suffering in our bodies, our minds, and our hearts. We wonder if suffering has purpose or if it’s a cruel joke on weak humanity. But when we read the Bible, we discover a different perspective on suffering.
What Does the Bible Say about Suffering?
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:1-5 ESV).
“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:8-11 ESV).
“As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful” (James 5:9-11 ESV).
“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you” (1 Peter 4:12-14 ESV).
“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you (1 Peter 5:8-10 ESV).
What Does it Mean to Suffer for Christ?
Suffering for Christ can be a result of persecution. We will face trials when we stand firm for biblical values in a day and age where compromise of the Bible runs rampant. Years ago, I heard a pastor refer to a “Gillette Bible,” a Bible where someone takes a razor and cuts out the parts she disagrees with and discards them. This image of rejecting some of God’s word for the sake of fitting into the world has stuck with me and serves as a reminder that I need to base my life on the entire word of God, not just the parts that I like. We should expect persecution when we stand for the whole Bible as the inspired Word of God.
Other suffering comes through infirmity, whether it’s physical, mental, or emotional. For example, Paul suffered some type of affliction. He prayed three times for the Lord to remove this affliction from his life, but the Lord did not remove it. Instead, the Lord showed Paul how the affliction, which caused suffering, was a vehicle for God’s strength to be on display. In Paul’s weakness, God was strong. Our sufferings provide us an opportunity to trust God more, to rely on him, and provide a place for the Lord to showcase his strength through our weaknesses.
Why Do Christians Need to Suffer?
Suffering can fit into three categories: physical limitations, natural disasters, and human actions. Jesus said in John 16:33, “in this world you will have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world.” Christians suffer because our world is fallen, but God can use the suffering we experience to grow us.
As believers, we grow when we experience suffering as Christians. We learn to wrestle past our frustration with what is happening to accept what is growing in our hearts—endurance, faith, and hope. The Lord cares deeply about our hearts. Our hearts can be cold, hot, or lukewarm. Secret sin can hide in the corners. We can refuse to listen to the conviction of the Holy Spirit, or we can simply hold pieces of ourselves away from the Lord. Suffering can help to draw us near to the Lord if we let it.
Suffering teaches us how to rejoice. Rejoicing doesn’t come from a feeling, although feeling like rejoicing makes it easier to rejoice. No, rejoicing is a command. It’s a way to corral the wayward thoughts that lead us down roads that cause us to doubt God’s goodness in the face of suffering. Rejoicing trains our hearts to long for God’s presence rather than what he can do for us.
It helps align our identity in Christ. Although we are God’s chosen, treasured possession, we are not exempt from suffering. We only must look to Jesus and his time on earth to know that suffering is part of following him. Even though the Bible gives some explanations for suffering, much remains a mystery and our trust in the Lord has an opportunity to grow. Let’s let the mystery of it draw us close to God’s heart. As we suffer, we learn the depth of God’s compassion and mercy as we rely on him for help, strength, and guidance to get us through it.
How Christ Suffered for You
We call the week between Palm Sunday and Easter, Holy Week or Passion Week. One of the synonyms listed in the thesaurus for suffering is passion. Learning that passion is more than a strong desire shifts my understanding of passion from something that fills me up to something I’m willing to pour myself out for. Jesus modeled this for us. He suffered betrayal, abandonment, rejection, false accusations, arrest, mockery, beatings, and crucifixion. And for what? So that you and I would be able to be reconciled to God. God longs for relationship, but his holiness and our sinfulness cannot coexist. So, there was Jesus. He came, he healed, he revealed, and then, he suffered.
Jesus suffered brutality on the cross so that through him we might know his father. But right before Jesus was arrested, he prayed for his disciples and himself. In John 17:3-4 Jesus prayed, “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you sent. I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.” Jesus suffered for us, but also so that God would be glorified. Each time we suffer we should remember that the promises and presence of God turn our hearts toward the future glory of God revealed in our lives.
Our goal should not be to avoid suffering but rather to become reflections of God’s glory as we place our hope in the resurrection of Jesus. His suffering was redemptive for you and me. And our suffering can be redemptive as well. It can redirect our hearts so that we cling to the Lord, learning and maturing in him, knowing, with confidence, that God can redeem even the worst suffering in our lives.
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/shuang paul wang
