Why do Christians suffer? This question could seem to tie closely with the question of why there is suffering in the world, in general. However, it’s actually quite a different question with quite a different answer.
Suffering in the world is due to the free will granted to us by a loving God. Our God could force us to worship Him, but he gives us the choice instead. We can be with Him, or not. The result of this free will though, is that we live in a fallen world with fallen people. Fallen people sin, and that sin affects others. Reasonably, then, sometimes suffering in our lives is because of someone else’s sin, and sometimes it’s because of our own. The choices other people make, and the choices that we make, can lead to suffering in our lives. I would argue that there’s not as much random suffering in life as people think. We may not understand, or get to see in this life, how our actions or the actions of others have led to our suffering, but that doesn’t negate the validity of the matter.
If you are a Christian who walks closely with God, following His will and serving Him faithfully, the Bible is clear that you will face additional hardships: “And indeed, all those who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12). The Bible also says, “Many who are first will be last, and the last first” (Matthew 19:30). It is safe to say that you aren’t going to be last in this life without a decent amount of suffering. Paul and Apollos wrote, “Even to this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty, are naked, and are roughly treated, and have no home” (1 Corinthians 4:9-11), explaining that they were a spectacle for the world and “fools for Christ’s sake.” Likewise, the disciples counted it as joy when they were put in jail and beaten because they were worthy to suffer for their savior, as he did (Acts 5:40-41). In addition, Paul expressed joy in “suffering the loss of all things” for Christ, and in knowing the “fellowship of His sufferings” (Philippians 3:7-10). We all know that our Christ’s suffering was unwarranted and unjust, and the Bible tells us that we are called to follow in his footsteps, suffering in this way (1 Peter 2:20-21, Philippians 1:29). In fact, we are told in Acts 14:22 that “…we cannot avoid going through many hardships on our way into the Kingdom of God.”
Jesus explained, “If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23). To clarify, to follow after Jesus, we have to first deny ourselves and then expect to take up our cross, or suffer, daily. To deny yourself is to feed the spirit rather than the flesh. It is to stop serving yourself and start serving God. When we give our time to God and do His will, when we make the decision to do things God’s way and not our own, then we are denying ourselves. Denying yourself is giving up all of those things that take God’s place. If you are playing video games 30 hours a week or more, and not giving any of that time to God, you are feeding your flesh rather than your spirit. What could you do for God in those 30 hours? Denying yourself is also turning away from (or repenting of) your sin, more and more each day. If you are watching porn, stealing, or lying, you are feeding your flesh rather than your spirit. Realistically though, most people aren’t going to drop everything that they are doing to become radical followers of the Messiah overnight. It often takes time and dedicated effort. For example, giving five of those 30 hours to God, then 10, then 20. Stopping one sin, and then another, over a period of time. These are progressions made through consistently choosing the path of righteousness, little by little, day after day, and it is how we grow closer to God. Once we have gotten to a place where we are consistently choosing the spirit over the flesh, we are no longer “newborns in Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:1-3). It is then that we are ready to start stepping out in faith and really serving God.
This is the point where the Devil gets really interested in us, and this is where we start to see that additional hardship in our lives. We are not only no longer walking on the same path as the Devil, now we are actively trying to further God’s Kingdom, and the Devil wants to put a quick stop to that. He often starts to attack from every angle. If you are a fortress, putting on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:11), the Devil will attack you through the people around you in the world, your spouse or other family members or friends, who are not as impenetrable (Ephesians 6:12). The resulting suffering can become unbearable over time. Many of God’s servants felt this level of suffering and felt like Yahweh wasn’t listening to their cries for help (Psalm 13:1-3, Job 30:20, Habakkuk 1:2). It is David who gives us insight on this topic. At first he says, “How long, O Yahweh, will you go on forgetting me? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I be anxious in my soul, having sorrow in my heart every day?” (Psalm 13:1-2). Later, in Psalm 28:6-7, he says, “Blessed be Yahweh, because he has heard the voice of my petitions. Yahweh is my strength and my shield. My heart has trusted in him, and I am helped. Therefore my heart rejoices. I will praise him with my song.” Although things were not going as David thought they should for a time, and he was suffering in this period of waiting, he was able to see in the end that Yahweh was in control the whole time and David was rescued according to His perfect timing (2 Peter 2:9, 2 Timothy 3:11). That is the assurance that we have in serving the only true God, who is righteous and just. We don’t suffer for nothing, because although we suffer for a time, in the end, Yahweh promises to work all things for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28).
The best example of the way in which we are delivered from our suffering can be seen in the prophets and Job. James 5:10 explains, “Brothers (and sisters), take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord as an example of suffering and of patience. Look! We consider those who have endured to be blessed. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome from the Lord, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.” Job had a period of suffering and then a period of redemption where he was blessed abundantly by Yahweh for going through the trials he did. We tend to go through seasons like this in life where we face many trials and our suffering can be great, to the point where we want to give up or can even lose the will to live, but we have to remember that there is light at the end of the tunnel and we are going through these trials for a reason. Through our trials, we learn perseverance, patience, endurance, and other fruits of the spirit; we even learn obedience through our suffering (Hebrews 5:8). Additionally, we are earning rewards in the next life (1 Corinthians 3:12-15, Revelation 22:12, Matthew 5:10-12, Luke 6:22-23), as well as becoming better people who can love the way the Father loves us, but that process can be painful. As we walk with God, it is as if we are clay and He is the potter shaping us and putting us through the fire, and we are being molded into who we are called to be (Jeremiah 18:6, Romans 9:20-21).
As the Scriptures say, “My brothers and sisters, count it all joy when you encounter trials of various kinds, knowing that the testing of your faith (trust) produces endurance” (James 1:2-3). Just like in a marriage or any other close relationship, our true colors show when times are hard. Do we turn to God and do things his way when we are suffering? Are we able to still have love for others and serve others, even though our own physical or emotional needs are not being met? Do we rely on His strength to pick us up and finish the task he’s called us to when the fear or stress seem impossible to overcome, as Paul modeled for us in 2 Corinthians 7:5? This endurance through suffering is how we demonstrate that we are servants of God (2 Corinthians 6:4-5), and if we can be joyful and find peace while suffering, we have made our trust in Him perfect and His power flows through us (2 Corinthians 12:10).
Now we know that dedicated Christians suffer attacks from the Devil, but from this suffering we grow spiritually, we demonstrate our faith, and we earn rewards in heaven. It’s a hard decision to make to dedicate your life to serving Yahweh, but the blessings that you receive in this life and the next for taking the “narrow path” (Matthew 7:13-14) are beyond comprehension. This world loves to tell us who we should be, and we can feel like failures, or like it is our fault when we are suffering in life, but there are many comforting verses that counter the mainstream thought on this topic. Consider James 1:9-10, “Now the brother in lowly circumstances should boast in his high position, and the rich brother in that he is brought low…” These verses tie into Matthew 19:30, mentioned above. It does indeed seem that those who are last will be first and the first will be last, so these verses are cause for reflection in our own lives. Each believer in the early church sold everything they owned and gave all their money to the church, which would have brought them quite low financially. Logically then, the early believers would have all been in low circumstances: either they gave everything they had and now had very little, or they were already in a low position to start with. The world would have looked down on them, but our God tells us just the opposite: that they should have been boasting in their lowly circumstances! We have to try to drown out the world and what it believes and focus on serving Yahweh with all our heart, listening to and proclaiming only His truth, “But you, be clearheaded in all circumstances, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fully carry out your ministry” (2 Timothy 4:5).
The Bible is clear, those who give up their life to follow the Messiah will save it in the end. We will be rewarded in Heaven for the suffering that we go through as a result of serving God. Jesus said, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake, he is the one who will save it” (Luke 9:24). This suggests that we will lose everything in this life, to the point where, at times, we feel like we have lost our life itself. We need to remember, and be comforted in, the promise that our suffering is only a moment in time and it, too, shall pass (2 Corinthians 4:17), and we are storing up treasure in Heaven, as well (James 1:12, Matthew 5:10-12, Matthew 16:27). I leave you with one final encouraging thought from our Savior, “I have told you these things so that, in union with me, you have peace. In the world you will have hardships, but have courage; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
