WHAT IS THE POINT
OF SUFFERING?
A Christian
Perspective on Painful Trials
Recently, the Supreme Court of Canada determined by a
vote of 9-0 that a total ban on all forms of assisted suicide is
unconstitutional. Given a year to rewrite federal and provincial law, and under
special circumstances, Canadians will be able to ask their doctors to end their
lives. The court did not specify what kind of illnesses qualify for this
decision, but it would include both physical and psychological pain. If I may
be blunt, you can ask your doctor to murder you if you feel like life’s not
worth living.
Belgium
has long had this legislation in place. On April 19, 2012, an attractive
64-year-old woman checked herself into a hospital in Brussels, where she was
killed, at her own request, by lethal injection. The retired schoolteacher did
not have an incurable disease, nor was she in chronic pain. She wanted to die
because she suffered from chronic depression. She found a psychiatrist who
agreed. Her family was not informed in advance. Her son found out about her
death the next day when he was summoned to deal with the paperwork.[i]
Our
Canadian society is creeping towards an individual rights-oriented mentality of
thinking that will ultimately destroy itself. Pain and suffering are the great
enemies of our culture.
In the
church at large too, we find a false teaching that says, “If you’re in the
center of God’s will, you’ll be free from trials.” But the Bible teaches that
being in the center of God’s will may mean that you are in the center of
suffering.
Another
false understanding of pain and suffering is that it is unpredictable and
unavoidable and meaningless. We can only accept it and hope it goes away soon.
Christians
must disagree with all of these philosophies. First, we confess that while God
does not cause all suffering, He does allow it. God may not cause our suffering
but he does “cause all things to work together for good, to those who love God
and are called according to his purpose,” (Ro. 8:28). Christians do not view
suffering as a negative experience but as something positive. Suffering is not
random and senseless; it is part of God’s plan. And, if you can imagine,
suffering is not something we merely endure as Christians, it is something we
experience and in which we rejoice.[ii]
Rejoice?
That is counter-cultural. Peter has spoken a great deal about suffering in this
letter. He returns to the theme one more time to offer us six reasons to
rejoice in suffering in verses 12-19.
1. Suffering is to be expected
Peter writes, “Dear
friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though
something strange were happening to you,” (4:12). Peter’s readers struggled
with the presence of suffering too. “Why do we have to suffer?” they wondered.
Peter’s
answer is that suffering is to be expected, both in this world of sin and
especially as a follower of Christ. Please note, it is not normal but it is to
be expected. Suffering is not God’s original plan but he uses it for his
purposes.
One translation
calls “the painful trial” a “fiery ordeal.” Another adds “which comes upon you
for your testing.”[iii]
Fire and testing could suggest that the Christians were being burned at the
stake for their faith. More likely, however, is that Peter is using the imagery
of a refiner’s furnace. Precious metals (gold, silver) must be subjected to the
heat of a fire in order to remove the impurities. (see 1:7).
It isn’t
strange. It isn’t meaningless. There is a purpose to pain and suffering in the
Christian’s life. As we read in v. 19, we are “those who suffer according to
God’s will.” God is refining our faith through pain for his purposes. The fire
of trial tests our faith and reveals to us that which does not belong in the
holy person. It might be pride, wrong-thinking, or outright sin. It is not a
surprise to suffer, it is expected.
2. Suffering is our Participation with Christ
Not only is our suffering the refinement of our faith, it
is also evidence of our union with Christ. We rejoice in suffering because it shows
we belong to Jesus. “But rejoice that you
participate in the sufferings of Christ…” (13a).
Joseph
Tson, Romanian pastor who stood up to Ceausescu’s repressions of Christianity,
wrote, “This union with Christ is the most beautiful subject in the Christian
life. It means that I am not a lone fighter here: I am an extension of Jesus
Christ. When I was beaten in Romania, He suffered in my body. It is not my
suffering: I only had the honor to share His sufferings.”[iv]
Our
suffering does not save us; only Christ’s suffering is effective for our
salvation. He died for sins once for all (3:18). But Paul speaks of the
fellowship of sharing in his sufferings and becoming like him in every way
(Phil. 3:10). This was his great passion; it is the passion of every Christian
to suffer for his name if only to be like him.
3. Suffering now means joy later
We rejoice in suffering because this joy will explode in
greater joy later when Jesus comes again. Suffering for Christ is the expected
experience of the believer, but rather than despair in our pain or feel bitter,
Peter tells us it is a cause for joy.
This
does not mean that the believer should enjoy suffering. That would be a form of
pious sado-masochism and not at all Christlike. Suffering for Christ now will
bring joy in the future. The reason, Peter teaches, is that it is better to
stand by one’s faith now, even though it means suffering, rejection,
loneliness, ridicule and the like, than to deny Christ and suffer the judgment
that is surely coming for those who reject Christ.
Peter
expands this thought in verses 17-18 where he indicates that judgment is taking
place now already. “For it is time for
judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the
outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And if it is hard for
the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”
(17-18).
This is
not the judgment that sends people to hell. Peter refers to the gospel message
that reveals with light the dark places and sends people scattering for fear of
the light. Humans don’t like to be told that they need saving; the gospel is
that message. The gospel does not condemn, but those who reject it condemn
themselves. At the same time, we who believe the gospel suffer for believing it
from those who have rejected it. Though we suffer now, we will know the joy of
what we have believed in later.
4. Suffering comes with a blessing
We rejoice in suffering because as we suffer the Spirit
of glory and of God rests upon us. “If
you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit
of glory and of God rests on you,” (14).
In the
hour of your greatest trial, God is there. In our great suffering we have the
consolation of the Holy Spirit working for our comfort. Just when you think you
cannot bear it anymore, the Holy Spirit gives you peace.
Paul
Brand, the missionary surgeon to India wrote in his book: Pain: The Gift Nobody
Wants, “I have come to see that pain and pleasure come to us not as opposites
but as Siamese twins, strangely joined and intertwined. Nearly all my memories
of acute happiness, in fact, involve some element of pain or struggle.”[v]
Only the
Holy Spirit can help us to see the difference between pointless suffering and
suffering with meaning. No one says, “The greatest joys I have experienced are
those when I have been most comfortable.” It isn’t true. Cozying up on the
couch doesn’t teach you anything. But the Holy Spirit shows us that in
suffering there is a blessing. And the first blessing is his unending presence
throughout all of the pain.
5. Suffering Glorifies God
As we rejoice in our suffering we bring glory to God.
Peter wrote, “If you suffer as a
Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name,”
(16).
Glorifying
God in suffering means showing by your actions and attitudes that God is more
valuable, more desirable, and more satisfying than what this world offers. And
the best way to show that God means more to you is to rejoice in Him when
everything else that satisfies falls away. If everything is gone, your health,
your friends, your family, your comforts, your wealth, and all you have left is
God, He is enough to rejoice over.
One of
the Psalmists wrote, “As the deer pants
for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for the
living God…” (Ps. 42:1-2a). This deer isn’t just thirsty; this deer is
being pursued by some Kleefeld hunters and is desperate for a drink. In the
midst of turmoil and pursuit and danger and trouble, our thoughts turn to the
Lord who is our life, our everything. We are desperate for God. We pursue God.
And when we so pursue Him in life and struggle we bring glory to God while
others marvel at our steadfast trust in God.
6. Suffering is an Opportunity to Trust God
Finally, we rejoice in suffering because it reminds us to
go to God and put our trust in him.
I am
prone to grow spiritually lazy when things are going good. In those times of
rest I begin to feel like I have drifted from the passion I have for God.
Suddenly, a prickly situation arises and I am cast down, struggling, grasping
for a foothold for my self-concept and for deliverance from this trial. What do
I do? Where do I go? I am thankful that my default mode is turn to God and
pray, even if I am crying out to him and asking “why,” I am surprised to find
myself in prayer. It’s a revelation really, to discover that our cries are
really prayers. Then I pour out my heart to God.
“So then,” Peter writes, “those who suffer according to God’s will should
commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good,” (19).
“Entrust”
or “commit” is a banking term Peter uses which means to deposit one’s valuables
to another for safekeeping. Paul used the same term when he told Timothy, “…I know whom I have believed, and am
convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day,”
(2 Ti. 1:12). It is the same word that Jesus spoke from the cross when He said,
“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”
Suffering
is an opportunity to entrust ourselves again into the hands of our Creator. He
has made us and has a purpose for us, even in suffering…or especially.
Malcolm Muggeridge, the British journalist once said, “As
an old man, looking back on one’s life, it’s one of the things that strikes you
most forcibly—that the only thing that’s taught one anything is suffering. Not
success, not happiness, not anything like that. The only thing that really
teaches one what life’s about … is suffering.”
Why is suffering so integral to the
Christian life? Paul said it well, as was said before, “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the
fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so
somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead,” (Phil.3:10).
I am the last person who wants to
suffer. Suffering is neither pleasurable nor comfortable. Like most North
Americans I seek the comforts of health and home. But Peter makes a valid
argument:
1. We should not expect life to be comfortable.
Suffering is to be expected.
2. Suffering unites us to Christ
like no other experience on earth.
3. Suffering is temporary as an
experience linked to our this-worldly existence.
4. When we suffer we know that the
Holy Spirit moves in swiftly to comfort us and to encourage us in our pain.
5. When we suffer with the right
attitude we bring glory to God through our rejoicing.
6. Suffering is an opportunity to be
brought back to the truth that our most valuable possession – life itself – is
best left in God’s hands.
I know that suffering brings us
closer to God. Christ has brought us near to God through the cross, when we
were far away. Nothing can change that truth.
On the other hand, our experience of
Christ’s power is best illustrated with a diagram:
Us……………………………………….Christ
How do we grow in
relationship with Christ, to be where Christ is, to know him more fully, as
Paul says?
We can read the Bible, pray,
worship, sing, praise, share our faith, give our money to those who need it,
listen to sermons, use our gifts, fellowship with other Christians, and many
other very important activities. But even after we do all these things we may
still feel like this:
…………………..Us…………………Christ
What Peter has taught us today is
that nothing moves us closer to Christ than going through hard times. Suffering
alone does not bring us to Christ; it’s what we do with suffering that brings
us to Christ. In suffering we become desperate for the Lord and for nothing
else but intimacy with the Lord…if we are devoted to him…and we cry out to Him.
And after the trial is over, the suffering is done, we see in hindsight, that
this has happened:
………………………………………..UsChrist
Will you rejoice in your suffering?
If you trust in your Creator, our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ who
saved you from your sins, you will entrust your life to His keeping.
So we keep rejoicing. Rejoice in the
Lord always.
AMEN
You began your sermon with a reference to the Supreme Court’s decision to allow Canadians to receive help to end their life legally (assisted suicide) in order to avoid suffering.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that no one can avoid suffering, not even faithful Christians. We cannot avoid suffering but we should not seek it as a way to holiness either. I do agree that suffering is useful in that according to James trials ultimately build character. Suffering can definitely bring us closer to Christ if we have the right attitude, realizing that suffering is part of God’s plan. Joy, love and contentment can also bring us closer to God through our attitude of submission to God, who knows what is best for us.
I do not believe that it is helpful to speak against the ruling of the Supreme Court of Canada. I believe it is more helpful to look at the need for the ruling as a call for us to carry out our role as Christians in light of the court’s ruling. Enough Canadians are asking for assistance to end their own lives that Christians should ask themselves how we can support those people to such an extent that they no longer want to end their own lives. These people need freedom from pain, freedom from loneliness, a purpose to their life, a feeling that they are worth something, the deep awareness that they are loved by us and by God.
By speaking against the Supreme Court’s ruling we are setting ourselves up to be “better than” the rest of society. A better comparison is to Christ. When we compare our conduct to that of Christ we can only think about trying to improve. When we compare ourselves to “non-Christians” we are in danger of thinking we are good enough.