Why do Christians suffer?
Without warning, something can happen that will change your life forever. • A loved one is disabled by an accident or illness. • A promising career is cut short by an injury. • A child is born disabled or sick, or dies. • A marriage crumbles; children choose not to follow Christ. • A fire, flood, or earthquake destroys your home or business. • A loved one is killed in battle, by terrorists, a gang, or by thieves. How do you react? Do you fall apart? Do you become bitter? Do you question God? Life is filled with suffering because we live in a world that has been corrupted by sin. Each of us will experience some measure of agony during our lifetime. Its form and duration will vary, but it will come. At times, you may feel overpowered by seeming tidal waves of adversity. You may find yourself flailing in an ocean of pain, anguish, or despair. In the midst of such difficulties, your mind may scream questions like, Why did this happen to me? or God, where are You? A dear friend, at age 17,
Before we can answer that, we have to answer why there is suffering in the first place. Suffering is a result of sin. Sin brought death and suffering to all of mankind. So, sin is the result of mans disobedience, and does not exist because God is unloving or indifferent. But why does he allow us to continue to suffer? Especially after we have been saved? First, we must turn to Hebrews 12:2 where it states, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith.” This tells us that Christ not only creates faith in us, but he also sticks around to complete it. But how does he finish or complete our faith? This is answered in James 1:2-4, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, [3] because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. [4] Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” How does this verse say our faith is completed? Through facing trials of many kinds, which
We’ve probably all listed to preachers tell us that God wants us to prosper. They say God wants to heal you. And they claim we have to speak our desires into existence. And, we might think that Christians should not suffer like other people. So, if we can become wealthy, healthy, and have our desires by speaking them into existence, why do we feel lonely, rejected, and depressed? Why are we injured and sick? Why are we pinching pennies and hoping our pay gets credited to our account before the checks we’ve written clear? Why do we Christians suffer so? Practically everywhere you look you can see Christians who are poor. You don’t have to look very far to see Christians who are afflicted with cancer, diabetes, or other chronic illness. It seems that God allows Christians to suffer without coming to their aid.
