Why Christians suffer

Christians suffer because of the following reasons:

• Christ suffered for our sake, thus leaving us an example (1 Peter 2:21; 1 Peter 1:10–11; Hebrews 2:9–14, 17–18; Isaiah 53:3–12; Matthew 16:21-23)
• We suffer for the sake of Christ (Philippians 1:29; Philippians 3:7–11; revelation 2:10)
• We live in a world corrupted by sin (Romans 5:12; Romans 8:18–21)
• We are not of this world (John 15:18–21)
• God wants us to become “perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (James 1:2–4)
• God uses suffering to train us to become partakers of His holiness (Hebrews 12:7–11)
• So that we can comfort those experiencing the sufferings we have gone through (2 Corinthians 1:3–4)
• In order for “the works of God to be revealed in us (John 9:1-3),
• To focus our attention on the heavenly hope (Hebrews 11:13–16)
• Presence of unconfessed sin in our lives (children of Israel suffered every time they disobeyed God’s commandments)

Let us dig deeper in order to get a better understanding of the identified points.

1. Christians suffer because Christ suffered for our sake, thus leaving us an example

According to the Bible, Christ Jesus suffered for our sake so that we could get saved. He forsook his heavenly glory to come on earth and die for our sins so that we could partake of the heavenly glory.

Therefore, Christians suffer to emulate the example set by Christ Jesus himself. The following are scriptures to show the sufferings of Christ, as our example:

1 Peter 2:18–21, which says

“Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle but also to the harsh. This is commendable if, because of conscience toward God, one endures grief and suffers wrongfully. What credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take them up patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps.”

1 Peter 1:10–11, which says

“Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.”

Hebrews 2:9, which says

“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.”

Hebrews 2:17–18, which says

“Therefore, in all things, He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.”

Isaiah 53:3–12, which says

“He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.”

2. Christians suffer for the sake of Christ

Christians also go through suffering for the sake of Christ. We have two scriptures to support this position

Philippians 1:29, which says

“For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him but also to suffer for His sake, having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me.”

Another scripture to cement this point is Philippians 3:7–11, which says

“But what things were gained to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.”

In the book of Revelation 2:10, we see Christ encouraging the church in Smyrna to endure suffering till the end with a promise of a crown of life to the overcomers. This is what it says:

“Do not fear any of those things that you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

It is important to note that Jesus is urging those in this church to be faithful until ‘death!’ That means that sometimes, our sufferings as Christians may continue till the day we depart from planet Earth! Thus, we need to remain strong and focused on our reward in eternity.

3. Christians suffer because they live in a world corrupted by sin

Christians suffer, just like everyone else, because they live in a world corrupted by sin, which came through the disobedience of Adam. When Adam rebelled against God and ate the forbidden fruit, sin entered the world. As a result, all creation has been subjected to corruption since then. It is for this reason that Christ Jesus came, so that He could redeem mankind and make everything new. We read this in Romans 5:12, 8:18–21.

The book of Romans 5:12 says

“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned…”

The book of Romans 8:18–21 says

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. The earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.”

4. Christians suffer because they are not of this world

Another reason Christians suffer is because they are not of this world. This is what Jesus told His disciples while still here on earth, as recorded in John 15:18–21. It says

“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, 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 would keep yours too. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me.”

In this passage, Jesus was preparing His disciples to expect persecution from the world just as it had persecuted Him. By being followers of Christ, the disciples denounced Satan and all that he represents in this world. As such, Satan retaliated by subjecting them to a lot of pain and suffering with the aim of getting them discouraged to the point of denouncing their faith. However, they remained steadfast till the end.

Likewise, the present-day Christian is faced with the same pain and suffering because he professes Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior. Once a person becomes a born-again Christian, he or she immediately sets himself or herself on a collision course with the kingdom of darkness. As a result, the person becomes a target of the enemy, who is determined to make him or her fall.

The Bible compares it to a continuous wrestling match, pitting the believer against Satan and his kingdom. We read this in Ephesians 6:12–13, which says

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”

The only way you can overcome the enemy as a believer is by putting on the whole armor of God outlined in Ephesians 6:14–18. So, as born-again Christians, the enemy will relentlessly cause us untold suffering to drive us into giving up, but we shouldn’t. Instead, we should strive to stick to the faith till the end, for He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4).

5. Christians suffer because God wants them to become “perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”

According to James 1:2–4, another reason why we suffer as Christians is because God wants us to become ‘perfect and complete, lacking nothing.’ This scripture says:

“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”

The word perfect used here can be compared to what Jesus used in Matthew 5:48, which says

“Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

What does perfection mean as used in these scriptures? To get the answer to this question, we must read Matthew 5:43–48, which says

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

So how do you attain perfection as a believer? From the passage we have just read, a Christian can attain perfection by doing these four things:

• Loving their enemies,
• Blessing those who curse them,
• Doing good to those who hate them, and
• Praying for those who spitefully use and persecute them!

So another reason why God allows Christians to suffer is so that they can learn to love their enemies, bless those who curse them, do good to those who hate them, and pray for those who spitefully use and persecute them! Lol! That ain’t an easy task, but it is nevertheless a task that we must commit to undertaking as born-again Christians!

6. God uses suffering to train Christians to become partakers of His holiness

The Scriptures teach that suffering is a form of training used by God to enable Christians to partake of His holiness. We read this in Hebrews 12:7–11, which says

“If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed chastened us for a few days as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”

7. Christians suffer so that they can gain the necessary experience to comfort others going through similar challenges

Sometimes, Christians suffer so that they can gain the necessary ‘experience’ to comfort those who may undergo similar trials. For instance, when, as a Christian, you lose your job, the experience may be quite painful and cause you and your family a lot of heartache. After a month, or several months, or even one year or more, God may open another door for you for employment. Consequently, when you come across a brother who has lost their job and is thus going through a difficult time, you will be the right person to encourage and comfort such a brother.

The words found in the book of 2 Corinthians 1:3–4 help to drive this point home as follows:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

8. Christians suffer in order for “the works of God to be revealed in their lives.

According to John 9:1–3, we learn that Christians experience suffering so that ‘the works of God may be manifested in their lives. This is what the scripture says

“Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’

Jesus answered, ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.’”

Having said this, Jesus spat on the ground and mixed his saliva with clay. Then, using the clay, Jesus anointed the blind man’s eyes and told him to go wash in a pool known as Siloam. The blind man was then led to the pool, and after washing his eyes, his sight was restored (John 9:6-7).

Thus, we can say that this man suffered all these years, waiting for the day when Jesus would come by and bring him healing. This essentially led to God being glorified at the end of it all.

The suffering of Job is another good example of how God uses our sufferings to manifest His works through us. Job was doing very well until that day when God allowed Satan to attack his health, kill his children, and dispossess him of all that he had, leaving him as good as dead! In all this, Job never cursed God in order to die. Instead, he stuck his neck in there while encouraging his wife and friends to follow suit. At the end of it all, God restored all that Job had lost in the days of his suffering (The Book of Job, NKJV).

9. Suffering enables Christians to focus on their heavenly hope

Most often than not, when we go through suffering that is beyond man’s comprehension and help, we usually turn our focus on God. For example, it may be a case of a terminal illness. In such situations, we call on God like never before, aiming to draw His attention. It is during such desperate moments that we completely ‘throw ourselves upon the mercies of God, asking Him to come through for us.

As we do this day in and day out, we begin to develop intimacy with God. Before we know it, the sickness becomes immaterial, and we begin to yearn for our heavenly home, as recorded in Hebrews 11:13–16, as follows:

“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, they were assured of them, embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. Those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly, if they had called to mind the country from which they had come, they would have had an opportunity to return. But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.”

This point is also qualified by Romans 8:24–25, which says

“For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees?” But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.”

When we begin to see ourselves as pilgrims on this earth, regardless of our social status, we will easily overcome the suffering and pain that come our way as Christians. So instead of murmuring and complaining about our sufferings, we will always cast our burdens and fears upon God, who will lift us up in due season.

10. Christians suffer when they sin and rebel against God’s word

When we sin, we open ourselves to attacks from the devil, which leads to suffering. When King David committed adultery with Bathsheba, who was Uriah’s wife, the resulting child died. This happened in spite of David’s pleading with God to spare the life of the child. We read this in the book of 2 Samuel 12:13–16, 18, as follows:

“So David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the LORD.’ And Nathan said to David, ‘The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die. However, because by this deed you given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die.’

And the LORD struck the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, and it became ill. David therefore pleaded with God for the child, and David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground.”

“Then on the seventh day, it came to pass that the child died.”

The Bible also teaches that whenever the children of Israel rebelled against God by committing harlotry with foreign gods, He handed them over to their enemies, who oppressed them until they returned to God.

Therefore, whenever we fall short of God’s statutes and go astray, we should readily confess our sins to obtain His forgiveness.

Conclusion

This article discussed the reasons why Christians suffer. Consequently, it was stated that Christians suffer because

• Christ suffered for our sake, thus leaving us an example
• We are to suffer for the sake of Christ
• We are living in a corrupted world due to Adam’s sin
• We are not of this world
• God wants us to become “perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”
• God uses suffering to train us to become partakers of His holiness
• God wants us to comfort those experiencing the suffering we have gone through
• God wants to reveal His work through us
• It helps us to focus on our heavenly hope
• Of unconfessed sin in our lives

These scriptures clearly indicate that Christians have been called to suffer. Some people teach the false doctrine that when you get born again, you “kiss trouble goodbye!” However, this is erroneous teaching because it contradicts what the Bible tells us. According to the Bible, the life of any believer comprises seasons of happiness occasioned by seasons of suffering. That is just the way it is, whether we accept it or not! But all is not lost because Jesus tells us to be of good cheer because He has overcome the world. Consequently, through faith, we can also be overcomers just like Him. I leave you with the following sentiments echoed by the Apostle Paul in Romans 8:18–20:

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.”

I hope the information was helpful. Thank you.

Related Post: Why God allows trials in our lives

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Prayer to become a born-again Christian

“Lord Jesus, I confess that I am a sinner and hereby ask for your forgiveness;

I believe in my heart and confess with my mouth that you are the only begotten Son of the living God.

I believe that you were sent by your Father to the earth to save sinners like me.

I now accept you as my personal Lord and Savior.

Come into my heart and baptize me with The Holy Spirit.

Thank you for saving me.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,

Amen!”

Congratulations friend! You are now a born-again Christian!

Welcome to the Family of God!

Benediction

“The LORD bless you and keep you;

The Lord make His face shine upon you,

And be gracious to you;

The LORD lift up His countenance upon you,

And give you peace.”

(Numbers 6:24-26)

Shalom.

Source: https://www.biblegateway.com/