I was recently driving home from the mall when I encountered two teenage girls standing on either side of the road with buckets. They were raising money for teenage suicide prevention. I rolled down my window and handed the girl a dollar, the only cash I had on me, and in turn, she handed me a pamphlet with statistics about teenage suicide rates and a list of possible signs that someone is suicidal. At the bottom of this pamphlet was a quote: “Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.”
This got me thinking about human perspectives of suffering. We all suffer; believers and non-believers alike. Matthew 5: 45 tells us that the Lord “makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust”. No one, not even believers are immune from troubles and suffering. On this subject, C. S. Lewis explains, “The real problem is not why some pious, humble, believing people suffer, but why some do not.” So if suffering and problems are a normal aspect of living in a fallen world, how do we cope? I’ve found that this life is difficult across the board, even with God, but life without Him is hopeless. This is vastly because we have an improper perspective. Like those facing suicide, we have missed that this world, its problems and its pleasures, are only temporary.
Proper perspective is key in approaching this life with hope, integrity, and tenacity in spite of the reality of evil and suffering for us all. Christians* are often accused of being “narrow minded” by those in the world. But in reality it is those opposed to the Christian life who are narrow minded. Christians live in the context of eternity, whereas unbelievers live in the context of the here and now. For the unbeliever not walking in the freedom of Christ’s redemption there is no hope of anything better than what this life has to offer. Therefore, whatever happiness can be achieved in this life is the ultimate goal because there is nothing after death. For the believer, we know that the best things in this life are only a glimmer of what we will receive in Heaven.
It is the Hope that this world is not all there is that sustains Christians through the trials of this present life. The apostle Paul tells the Romans in chapter 8, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” the sufferings of this world are insignificant in the light of the glory we as children of God will receive on the other side of eternity. He goes on a few verses later to say, “And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us.”
This biblical perspective, unfortunately, is easily missed by some believers as well. I recently heard in a sermon that “many Christians want the crown, without bearing the cross”. This is an all too true reality. Scripture never promises that life will be all rainbows and sunshine because we are Christians; in fact, it preaches just the opposite. Many of the apostles and early believers were greatly persecuted for their faith. Christ Himself declared that those who followed Him would suffer on account of Him. "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Matthew. 5: 11-12)
Romans 8: 17 “And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.”
Philippians 1: 29 “For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him.”
1 Peter 2: 21 “For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.”
1 Peter 4: 12-13 “Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world.”
The early church and its leaders saw suffering as a privilege and opportunity to not only emulate the sufferings of Christ for their redemption but to reveal the character of Christ. By embracing and enduring suffering believers understand that they are not only being refined in their characters to become more like Christ, but they are pressing towards something even greater than anything this world has to offer. True believers endure the cross, because they know they are promised the crown. James 1: 12 supports this promise, “God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”
Salvation did not come cheap and the grace we receive with salvation is a costly gift that cost Christ His life. But the crown of righteous we have been promised will only be earned by those who endure the cross in this life. Like runners in a race, what matters most is finishing. “And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:8) The very Savior who endured suffering on the cross for our sake will run alongside us towards the finish line. For some of us, He may even carry us. But if we do not loose heart and will continue to press toward the finish line, we will achieve the glory promised us. In this life we are still influenced by sin, but those of us in Christ have the power that raised Him from death living in us. It is this power that enables us to overcome temptation and break the chains of sin in our life. No, we are not champions, but in Christ we are more than conquerors (Romans 8: 37).
*please refer to my definition of a “Christian” in the previous post
This got me thinking about human perspectives of suffering. We all suffer; believers and non-believers alike. Matthew 5: 45 tells us that the Lord “makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust”. No one, not even believers are immune from troubles and suffering. On this subject, C. S. Lewis explains, “The real problem is not why some pious, humble, believing people suffer, but why some do not.” So if suffering and problems are a normal aspect of living in a fallen world, how do we cope? I’ve found that this life is difficult across the board, even with God, but life without Him is hopeless. This is vastly because we have an improper perspective. Like those facing suicide, we have missed that this world, its problems and its pleasures, are only temporary.
Proper perspective is key in approaching this life with hope, integrity, and tenacity in spite of the reality of evil and suffering for us all. Christians* are often accused of being “narrow minded” by those in the world. But in reality it is those opposed to the Christian life who are narrow minded. Christians live in the context of eternity, whereas unbelievers live in the context of the here and now. For the unbeliever not walking in the freedom of Christ’s redemption there is no hope of anything better than what this life has to offer. Therefore, whatever happiness can be achieved in this life is the ultimate goal because there is nothing after death. For the believer, we know that the best things in this life are only a glimmer of what we will receive in Heaven.
It is the Hope that this world is not all there is that sustains Christians through the trials of this present life. The apostle Paul tells the Romans in chapter 8, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” the sufferings of this world are insignificant in the light of the glory we as children of God will receive on the other side of eternity. He goes on a few verses later to say, “And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us.”
This biblical perspective, unfortunately, is easily missed by some believers as well. I recently heard in a sermon that “many Christians want the crown, without bearing the cross”. This is an all too true reality. Scripture never promises that life will be all rainbows and sunshine because we are Christians; in fact, it preaches just the opposite. Many of the apostles and early believers were greatly persecuted for their faith. Christ Himself declared that those who followed Him would suffer on account of Him. "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Matthew. 5: 11-12)
Romans 8: 17 “And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.”
Philippians 1: 29 “For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him.”
1 Peter 2: 21 “For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.”
1 Peter 4: 12-13 “Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world.”
The early church and its leaders saw suffering as a privilege and opportunity to not only emulate the sufferings of Christ for their redemption but to reveal the character of Christ. By embracing and enduring suffering believers understand that they are not only being refined in their characters to become more like Christ, but they are pressing towards something even greater than anything this world has to offer. True believers endure the cross, because they know they are promised the crown. James 1: 12 supports this promise, “God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”
Salvation did not come cheap and the grace we receive with salvation is a costly gift that cost Christ His life. But the crown of righteous we have been promised will only be earned by those who endure the cross in this life. Like runners in a race, what matters most is finishing. “And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:8) The very Savior who endured suffering on the cross for our sake will run alongside us towards the finish line. For some of us, He may even carry us. But if we do not loose heart and will continue to press toward the finish line, we will achieve the glory promised us. In this life we are still influenced by sin, but those of us in Christ have the power that raised Him from death living in us. It is this power that enables us to overcome temptation and break the chains of sin in our life. No, we are not champions, but in Christ we are more than conquerors (Romans 8: 37).
*please refer to my definition of a “Christian” in the previous post
Comments
Post a Comment