sober-minded

“I don’t really know what suffering is; I’ve never really suffered.” “We Christians in America don’t know the meaning of suffering.” “I don’t suffer…not like Christians in other countries.”

Ever heard those words or spoken them yourself? I’ve said them many times before. But that way of thinking, I’ve come to realize, stems from a lack of biblical understanding about the role of suffering in our lives. The view that we as blessed, sheltered, American Christians do not suffer doesn’t match up with Scripture. As Christians we are called to suffer; it is one of the marks of discipleship.

We see from Scripture:

“And if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him” (Hebrews 8:17)

“In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood” (Hebrews 12:4; and read the whole chapter)

“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” (2 Peter 4:1)

“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry” (Colossians 3:5)

“For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps” (1 Peter 2:21)

Suffering is a big part of what we signed on for when we received Christ; we are called to battle, and soldiers suffer. Hebrews 12:4 says that we war against a vicious enemy within: sin. Read Romans 6, 7 and 8 if you need more convincing that we are in for a life-long battle! John Owen said, “Be killing sin, or it will be killing you.” Our own sin, the persistence of it and our own coddling of it, should cause us real grief and mourning. We suffer and groan many times under the weight of it, and long for final freedom from it, if we long to be like Christ.

Another way we are called to suffer is that, as members of Christ’s body, we don’t experience anything in isolation:

“If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together” (1 Corinthians 12:26)

“Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15)

“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2)

We see that it’s not only our own pain, loss and sinfulness that bring suffering, but each other’s. Or it should; we are called to share in the infirmities and sufferings of our brothers and sisters, whether it be the grieving and afflicted we go to church with, or those who languish in Chinese prisons, or those who endure beatings, torture and rape in Muslim countries. If we really believe that we are many members, yet one body, then again, we can’t say that we don’t suffer.

And if you’d like one more biblical truth that can cure you of your lack of suffering (and you know you do!) there is this:

“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32)

The desire to put into practice (towards your husband or wife!) that one little command will teach you how to mourn over your own hard-heartedness and despair of your own goodness for pretty much the rest of your life. You won’t even try unless it springs from your love and thankfulness to the Lord who forgave you in Christ. And that’s the secret of the suffering the Lord has called us to.

This entry was posted on Friday, January 11th, 2008 at 19:22 and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.