The bible’s teaching on suffering is one of the most mis-understood subjects of scripture in the United States today. All you need to do is turn on the TV on Sunday morning and listen as many televangelists will make the claim that living the Christian life well will ultimately result in health and prosperity in this life. Along with this comes the notion that if a Christian encounters real suffering it is because of some sin in their life. This sort of teaching on Christian suffering which claims that health & wealth are evidence of holiness is one of the most prevalent heresies of our day.
One of the issues with this view of the suffering is that it takes away from the reality that Christianity is rooted in the sufferings of Christ. Hear the words of Isaiah on the suffering of Christ: “He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities.” (Isaiah 53:4-5a) If Christ suffered the full extent of human suffering in the wrath of God on our behalf, are we to presume that we are exempt from suffering? In being like Christ, are we to hate all affliction for the sake worldly comfort? Should we prioritize our personal desires while neglecting to serve others so we won’t have to suffer? Certainly not! We are not exempt from suffering, although we as believers will never experience it in its fullness, as that penalty has been paid, we will experience temporal forms of it here on earth. Paul even went as far as to say he longed to share in the sufferings of Christ! (Phil 3:10)
It is true that we will endure suffering, such as that which you may be enduring right now due to COVID-19. But friends rest assured that God does not allow suffering to no reason, suffering comes with a purpose! We can trust full-well that the suffering we encounter serves a greater purpose and an ultimate good. Clearly when we are in the midst of suffering, we cannot always see the greater good, but we can certainly trust the Lord’s purposes. Commentating on Romans 8, Dr. Timothy Keller writes, “Although bad things happen, God works them for good. This verse does not promise that those who love God will have better circumstances. Nor does this verse say that bad things are actually good things. Rather, it acknowledges that these are bad things, but it promises that they’re working for good. That means God will work them to good effect in your life.”