Is Suffering Good For Christians?

In this regular feature, Dave and Tom address questions from listeners and readers of The Berean Call, here’s this week’s question:Dear Dave and TA, I haven’t been a committed Christian very long so I am continually learning what Christianity is all about.Some things are difficult to understand, for example, the role of suffering is perplexing.I grew up Roman Catholic and suffering was a way to expiate one’s sins.I now know that’s impossible, no one could do anything to take away his own sins because the penalty for just one sin is eternal separation from God.Temporal suffering can neither satisfy the penalty nor the perfect justice God’s character demands.So, what is the value of suffering, which the apostle Paul tells us over and over that it is something good for believers to experience?

Tom:

Dave, like this person who gave us this question, you know, I grew up Roman Catholic, and that’s what we believed.I mean, the saints, the most exalted saints, highly esteemed saints were those who suffered the most.We had cards, devotional cards with those saints on them.We collected them like baseball cards, well not exactly, but I had my stack, and as I said, the most honored saints were those who suffered the most.Yet, when we look at the Scripture, Paul doesn’t back away from suffering, over and over and over again he talks about the value of suffering, so can you comment on that?

Dave:

Well, Tom, of course you were speaking from a Catholic’s perspective there for a few moments, and when you said, saints, you meant Catholic saints.

Tom:

Right.

Dave:

You get voted in.

Tom:

Canonized.

Dave:

Right and you get the approval of the church, you know, and they check you out and here and there, and so forth, that is not a saint.

Tom:

Well, they can always check you out; some of them have lost their positions.

Dave:

O, yeah, well, a few of them have fallen.

Tom:

How do you explain that, because they never existed?One would be Saint Christopher, the Christ-bearer who lost his position.

Dave:

Saint Christopher fell right off the dashboard, didn’t he?

Tom:

I guess, he was in elevators all over the place, although that’s still popular among surfers today.Seriously, I was in Hawaii earlier in the year and it’s a very popular medal, a little side track.

Dave:

Yeah, but what does the Bible say?Well, if we take a look at Ephesians, to the saints of Ephesus. The Bible says saints are living people.Why are we called saints?Because saint means set apart, sanctified, different from everyone else, and the Christian is supposed to live a sanctified, holy—be ye holy for I am holy, God said.We are supposed to live holy lives, saintly lives, but you don’t get voted in for this.Every Christian, no matter what kind of a life he lives, if he is truly saved, if he is born again—we get that in 1 Corinthians Chapter 3, for example.Your works, everyone’s works are going to be tested.And here’s a man (it’s hard to imagine), we know by their fruits we shall know them.It seems that we should examine their deeds to know is this person a real Christian?And yet, Paul tells us there could be some people when you examine their works they are all burned, and nothing of any value because they have wrong motive, or there is pride at the time, or who know what—sin was in their heart.And yet Paul writes, “…yet he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire…” if he is really, truly built on the foundation, which is Christ alone.Well, what is the value of suffering? It doesn’t make a saint out of me, I become a saint when I am born again.The value of suffering, Tom, I think you’ve been through quite a bit here recently, I’ve been through quite a bit, although, mygracious, when it comes to Paul’s suffering, we don’t even come close.What does suffering do?You’ve gone through this Tom, ever tempted to complain?God why?Why me?Why is this—and it doesn’t make sense.So suffering brings you closer to the Lord, it causes you to appreciate His suffering, it has a purifying effect.Lord—well, let me examine my heart, Lord, why am I here?Well, maybe, you know, it doesn’t mean that every time you suffer that that means you must have sinned.But I’ll tell you, it causes me, and I’m sure you, to examine my heart.Lord, I thought I was doing pretty well, but now I can see pride where I didn’t see pride, I can see problems where I didn’t see problems, and it gives us time to reflect and it puts us in God’s hands.Lord, whatever happens, as Job said, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.”It’s a time when we can make a fresh surrender.We talked about surrender. Lord, whatever happens I surrender to you.

Tom:

Dave, I know one of the things that I have learned, and then you were referring to, for those people who don’t know, I’ve had major surgeries, I’ve got another one coming up.I tell you my empathy, my sympathy for people who are going through physical issues, afflictions, illnesses and so on, I mean, it’s just huge now.It’s been a comfort to me, I mean, this is hard to say, it’s not like misery loves company, but as I think about them I’m thinking I can be thankful for where I am in the Lord with regard to—I call mine discomfort. But I see people in real pain, and my heart and my sympathy and my wanting to comfort them as the Lord as comforted me. I’ll tell you, it’s right there.

Dave:

It also makes you thankful.God, you have been so good to me.I thought this was I had a problem.No, this is nothing, and You have been so merciful.