In Jesus’ announcements of suffering the Christian understanding of suffering is clearly expressed: suffering is not the final aim and end in itself in the realization of human destiny; it is the gateway to resurrection, to rebirth, to new creation. Suffering is a tool God uses to get our attention and to accomplish His purposes in our lives. To me, there is no doubt that it is the superior religion in addressing the problem of human suffering. But Christ has made suffering the firmest basis of the definitive good, namely the good of eternal salvation. Christianity teaches that everyone is equally prone to sin and so it focuses not only on human behavior, but also on human nature. 1. 90 Ibid. Suffering can be the result of God's discipline, which He does out of love (Hebrews 12:6–11). Jesus tells us, wear my yoke-for it fits perfectly-and let me teach you; for I am gentle and humble, and you shall find rest for your souls; for I … This idea receives its clarification from the Christian understanding of sin. Indeed, the experience of suffering and the need to respond to it unite Christians with people of every other religious faith and with those of no religious faith at all. And that is how we, as Christians, can find meaning and purpose in suffering, what before we might have thought was totally useless. The Psalmist said, “Before I was afflicted, I went astray; but now have I kept thy word” (Psalm 119:67). All of our resources exist to guide you toward everlasting joy in Jesus Christ. Read Page 1 of Letter To A Christian Nation: A Response. Any Christian understanding of human suffering draws from a Judeo-Christian doctrine of creation. The Bible doesn’t whitewash our experience of suffering by saying that it’s all of one stripe. When a member is hurting, the church applies the bandages; when a member is down, the church encourages; when a member is in need, the church comes alongside to help. We have been given the privilege not only of trusting him but also of suffering for him. What you are experiencing from God, you can give away in increasing measure to others. Christianity teaches that God is not aloof from humanity’s suffering. This hope was expressed by Vladimir Solovyov: What help would the highest and greatest moral victory be for man, if the enemy, “death,” which lurks in the ultimate depth of man’s physical, somatic, material sphere, were not overcome? Firsthand experience in suffering is essential in equipping us for ministry. And neither does it mean that Scripture doesn’t tell us how to think about our suffering now. But in this article, we will limit our discussion to the benefits that suffering can provide—if we are wise enough to learn the lessons. According to the Bible, God will bring an end to the suffering of every human on the planet. A temptation to power and self-exaltation lay in the late Jewish promise of the coming of the Messiah–Son of man. Paul confronts that type of thinking when he writes, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2). The Church’s teaching about suffering witnesses to the gospel and is intended to help the faithful imitate Christ’s response to suffering. You are learning both the tenderness and the clarity necessary to help sanctify another person’s deepest distress. He conquered the author of evil, Satan, and his permanent rebellion against the Creator. By means of his heavenly Kingdom, Jehovah will drastically change the human condition —for the better. Historically, Christianity gave us hospitals, the abolition of slavery, the idea of individual human dignity and much more which has helped to alleviate (but not end) suffering in the world. The church is not meant to be a loosely bound association of functional Lone Rangers. The New Jerusalem of no tears and no pain, of no mourning and no death, hasn’t arrived yet (Revelation 21:1, 4). You have firsthand experience of both his sustaining grace and his purposeful design. Why all the suffering, we ask? human suffering constitutes one of the most crucial and perplexing problems in human history. Indeed, for the God of supernatural theism, the God of traditional Christianity (the “God in the sky”), the God who is both external to the universe and independent of human beings, this is an insuperable problem. God sometimes allows Christians to suffer, in order that they might learn the secret of obedience. Suffering is merely an illusion in this view. Believers suffer because of the jealousy and hatred of certain people who reject the Christian faith … Suffering Has Many Faces. All Christians have or will suffer (John 16:33; Acts 14:22). Christians still suffer as we wait for Jesus to return, but none of our suffering is random or without purpose. . On the one hand, suffering is the consequence of the flawed nature of creation. The book is mainly about the variety of answers you can find in the Bible about why God allows or even causes suffering. I’ve started a short thread on the issue of how the problem of suffering affected my Christian faith. In the early church the sign of the cross was not considered a glorification of suffering but a “sign of victory” (tropaion) in the sense of the ancient triumphal sign that was set up at the place where the victorious turning point of the battle took place. When Christ gives you new life by the Spirit, you are no longer a victim under sin’s power, but a victor who has the strength to triumph. An Entry Point. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. Just as clear is the significance that lies in the Christian understanding of the resurrection. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Why now? Christians also pray for those who suffer and try to help them. The early church’s characterization of the Christian was that of Christophoros—“bearer of Christ.” Suffering was an unalterable principle in the great drama of freedom, which was identical with the drama of redemption. But how? If you would like to participate in the relief of human suffering, and help save children from difficult conditions, please consider the sponsorship programs at Compassion International. 89 Ibid., p. 161. Christianity acknowledges the reality of suffering and attributes it to the sinful nature of humanity. But while this is a laudable goal, some question whether medicine can, or should, aim for a world without pain, sadness, anxiety, despair or uncertainty. The problem of human suffering is not irreconcilable with the love of a benevolent Creator. The church is meant to be a refuge for those suffering. Suffering Prepares Us to Be the Bride of Christ. “Suffering is, in itself, an experience of evil. (1) Many Christians believe that this shows that when God initially created the universe there was no suffering in it. . The condition of “fallen” humanity is frequently characterized in the New Testament as “slavery.”. (Philippians 1:29) 29- For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, Suffering is a means of learning. Suffering, like all other human experiences, is directed by the sovereign wisdom of God. When someone in our church is hurting, the church tends to that member’s wounds. The church is also meant to be a refuge for those who are suffering. This reality is a stark reminder that we have not reached the new heavens and new earth. Suffering happens in community. The Apostle Paul experienced various faces of suffering (2 Corinthians 4:8-10). The apostle Paul wrote, “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8–9). The starting point for the Christian understanding of suffering is the messianic self-understanding of Jesus himself. Suffering Is a Reminder of Our Infirmity. In the opening chapters of Genesis God presides over creation and repeatedly says that what he has made is 'good', even 'very good'. (Suffering and the Sovereignty of God, 166). In this view human beings — with the exception of the first man and woman are victims, exposed constantly to the perils of a created order gone away. Some Christians believe that God disciplines us just as a human father might discipline his children. On the other hand, a person's suffering is the direct consequence of his or her violation of God's laws. So we can conclude humanity was not at the mercy of natural disasters such as erupting volcanoes or epidemics of disease. It is the slavery of human willfulness that wants to have and enjoy all things for itself: the slavery of alienated love, which is no longer turned toward God but toward one’s own self and the things of this world and which also degrades one’s fellows into the means for egoism and exploitation. John Oakes It was not until after great sorrow and much affliction that David learned obedience to God. “For the Christian, our encounter with suffering and death can take on a positive and distinctive meaning through the redemptive power of Jesus’ suffering and death. Wherever there is suffering, there is a battle — a battle for your soul. God will end all human suffering. The Bible regards suffering as normal. When asked why, the answer usually has something to do with the problem of human suffering. . What is God doing? Suffering forces us to turn from trust in our own resources to living by faith in God’s resources. But just because we experience suffering as we await the redemption of our bodies, it doesn’t mean that our suffering is random or without purpose. Many believe that human suffering began in the Garden of Eden. Because of the rebellion of Adam and Eve against God, the physical world itself was subject to … In these two verses, Paul lists several types of suffering — mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual. Either you have, you are, or you will — “through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). The Bible teaches that the Earth was perfect at first: there was no death and no suffering. The prevention and relief of suffering has long been a core medical concern. As St. Paul says, we are “always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body (2 Cor 4:10). Part of this suffering comes from the fact that we live in a fallen world, and this kind of suffering falls on Christians and non-Christians alike. 1 Arguments address different kinds of suffering, from suffering caused by human sin (e.g., Nadia Murad’s rape) to suffering by natural causes (e.g., motor neuron disease), and … A dualistic understanding of what it is to be human, which assumes an essential difference between the spiritual and the material-bodily sides of human existence, necessarily leads to the idea of the immortality of the soul. That is the real answer to suffering. Please consider supporting our ministry by becoming a monthly partner. Footnotes: 87 Ibid., p. 160. Suffering is a privilege. Keep Reading! He has kept you through pain; he has reshaped you more into his image. An ancient church hymn of the cross spoke of the “cross of the beauty of the Kingdom of God.” The emperor Constantine, following his vision of a cross in the heavens, fastened to the standards of the imperial legions the cross, which was considered the victory sign for the community of Christians hitherto persecuted by the Roman Empire, and elevated it to a token of military triumph over the legions of his pagan foes that were assembled under the sign of the old gods. To explore these issues, we invited experts from six of the world’s major faith traditions to address the following question. This worldview seeks to reduce pain and acquire pleasure, at any cost. The Christian hope, however, does not aim at the immortality of the soul but at the resurrection of the body. Here are five important biblical truths about suffering every Christian should have ready: Suffering has many faces. 88 Ibid., pg. But God brings suffering in our lives for the sake of our eternal joy — yes, even glory. 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