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How To Understand God’s Reasons for Believers’ Suffering

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Thirteen Reasons for Believers’ Suffering

© C.O. Bishop 02/2018 revised 2026

2nd Corinthians 1:3-11

Introduction:

We frequently wonder, “Why is this happening to me?” or “Why is this happening to our loved ones, or our church or our country?” It is good to look to God for answers:

Thirteen Biblical reasons for suffering (there may be more):

In the first place, let’s remember that God is Sovereign… He does not require our approval. His ways are just, even when we don’t like them. He defines Righteousness. The evil that is in the world came there as a result of Human sin, not “Divine caprice.”

So, Let’s Begin With the Concept of “Consequences” (Points 1-4):

  1. Consequences of Original Sin. There are bad things happening in the world, and the world got that way when Adam sinned. Romans 5:12—“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin.; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.”
    By the way, (Compare Romans 8:18-23) this sin affected the whole creation, not just humans, though the plants and animals have not sinned. But they were changed from all being herbivores to some of them being prey animals and others being ferocious, merciless predators. And all of that is the result of Human Sin.

    2. Consequences of (past) Personal Sin (or simply error, etc.:) There can be (usually are) consequences for sin, foolishness or errors. This is not “punishment,” but simple consequences. Sometimes we see the natural consequences of an error as punishment. But punishment implies wrongdoing, and some errors are not wrongdoing, but just bad judgment, or clumsiness, or ignorance—and all can have terrible consequences.

    I have a cousin who is missing an arm. He lost it because he fell out of a tree as a child and broke it: The attending physician did not realize that the bone had pierced the skin, and had plunged into the soil before pulling back into the flesh. It had thereby infected his flesh with the bacteria that nearly killed him.

    They had to amputate the arm to save his life, and even so, they nearly lost him. It truly was a deadly infection…but: Was it Punishment?
    No! It was partly original sin—there are terrible bacteria out there, as a result of the Fall of the Human race: And, infections can kill. Partly, it was a simple error on my cousin’s part—he fell out of a tree. It was also partly an error on the physician’s part: He was not careful enough in his diagnosis. But possibly, even had the surgeons known exactly what they were up against, they may have lost the arm anyway. And, no matter how you look at it, it is not punishment.

    3. Consequences of (current) Personal Sin. In a believer’s life, God may apply chastening to turn us away from error. It is still not the same as punishment. God says the wages of sin is death—eternal separation from God in the lake of fire. That is punishment. In John 3:18, Jesus said, “He that believeth in Him is not condemned; He that believeth not is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten son of God.”

    We who are believers have placed our trust in Jesus’ shed blood at the Cross. So, where is our Judgment? At the Cross. Where is our sin? At the Cross. Where is our punishment, and our condemnation? At the Cross! Jesus truly paid it all!
    But God DOES chasten believers, to correct them. Do you think, perhaps, that Jonah’s “water-taxi” ride to the beach was fun? God corrected the prophet Jonah.

    4. Consequences of Personal Righteousness. This is an odd one—we think that if we are doing right, everything ought to go well…and sometimes it does. Proverbs 16:7 states, “When a man’s ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.” That is a general truth: In general, we can expect that result.
    But if our enemies are God’s enemies, then at some point, we will be attacked for being good. 1st Peter 2:19 says, “For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.”

    “Non-Consequence” Reasons


    5. Training, or testing, in the sense of an athlete, or soldier, or student. God still refers to this as “chastening,” in Hebrews 12:3-15. But it is not punishment, nor is it even as a result of wrongdoing. It is a “workout” given so that we may profit thereby.
    When I was in high school, as a wrestler, we had brutally hard workouts, every evening. I went home with a terrible headache, every night.

    But, those workouts were by no means “punishment.” They were just because we were “on the team!” They were designed to build strength, skill, and speed, so that we could compete against wrestlers from other schools, in intermural tournaments.

    Sometimes God puts us through hard times to develop our faith. James 1:2-4 says, “Count it all Joy, my beloved Brethren, when ye fall into divers temptations, knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”
    God loves us and He subjects us to stresses to make us better able to serve, and better able to stand against the evil of the world.

    Another view of the same concept is “pruning.” John 15:2(b) states that a healthy, live, fruit-bearing branch of a vine may still be pruned to make it more fruitful.

    6. Because it is simply God’s will for us at the time. Job did NOT know what was going on in his life, nor why he suffered the loss of all his possessions, and all his children in a single day. But we were given a little “peek” into what was going on.

    God did have a purpose, and it had nothing to do with any error on Job’s part, nor, apparently, any need for correction, testing or training (though we might read that into our understanding of the result.)
    God had his own purpose in Job’s life: He was not required to explain it all to Job. (And as far as we know, He didn’t, unless Job was the writer: It doesn’t say.) If Job was the writer, then God revealed to him all that had happened “behind the scenes.”

    7. Suffering for Faith. Being subjected to threats from around us, and suffering  persecution rather than renouncing our faith. (This is closely related to #4: Consequences of personal righteousness, but is a little different.)
    Under genuine persecution, a believer may be offered a chance to recant his faith in order to escape persecution. Refusing to recant, and accepting the suffering, is part of the believer’s lot.

    During the early days of the church, many believers lost their lives for that very cause. Philippians 1:29 says, “For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake.”

    Over the centuries, thousands have been martyred for their faith, some by people who claimed to be acting on behalf of God, but, in fact, were persecuting the Church. Some were tortured and killed by people who were consciously enemies of God.
    But, even today, the believers who are actively living for Christ tend to be “outside the gate:” They are rejected by the World. (Compare Hebrews 13:10-14…this is not to be counted a “bad thing.” Jesus was rejected, too!)

    8. So that We may be a Comfort to Others. 2nd Corinthians 1:3-11 (read Verse 4.) “That we may comfort others with the same comfort wherewith we were comforted by God.” When we have suffered the same experience, we can offer encouragement to others who are going through it.

    I recently was able to offer comfort to the wife of a cousin, because, years ago, I went through open heart surgery. It was for what is called an “annuloplasty,” wherein the prolapsed mitral valve is repaired and reinforced, using Gore-Tex fabric and a thin ribbon of surgical stainless steel, wound up as a ring, supporting the inlet side of the mitral valve.

    She (Adelia Lee) had been in great anxiety for her husband (my cousin Peter Lee) and she was profoundly relieved to hear from someone who had endured exactly the same surgery and had regained full health.

    Now: Did I know, at the time I underwent that surgery, that I would thereby become a comfort to someone else? Nope! I was just glad to get well and regain some of my former strength and stamina. But I am glad that it was a help to someone else.

    9. So that our Consolation in Christ may Abound. Verse 5. As the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so may the consolation of Christ abound. We are called to join Him in the fellowship of his sufferings (Philippians 3:10 “….that I may know Him and the power of His resurr3ection, and the fellowship of His suffering…”). But we are to experience the reality of His consolation, as well. (Habakkuk 3:18 says, “Yet will I rejoice in the LORD: I will Joy in the God of my Salvation!”)

    10. So that Others’ Consolation may Abound Through Us. Verses 6-7. We can learn from the experiences of those around us. We cannot live long enough to experience everything ourselves, as individuals. But we can learn vicariously through their examples. I can learn from your example: You can learn from mine, perhaps.

    11. So that We will Learn to Trust God, and Not Ourselves (Tied to #5). Verse 9. This is an important one. At some point, we must learn that God is in control and that He is entirely trustworthy.

    Some of you have been praying for Hannah’s brother, Andrew, who is dying of cancer. He is declining rather rapidly, now: He can no longer stand and walk, and he can barely talk. But, when the Hospice nurse asked him, this week, “How are you doing?” He simply shrugged and said, “God’s got this!”

    (Amen!) The truth is, God has ALWAYS “got this!” The question is “What will it take for us to accept that truth and apply it on a daily basis?”

    12. So that We, as Christians may Learn to Pray for Each Other. Verse 11. This ties directly to Ephesians 6:18-20. We need the prayers of one another, but we are also commanded to pray for one another: Prayer is part of the Christian’s Armor in this world. And notice: Paul asked them to pray for HIM…it is not just for the weak or struggling believers: It is for all the believers.

    Ephesians 6:18-20 “18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; 19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”

    13. So that Thanksgiving may be Offered on Our Behalf. Verse 11. The result of answered prayer is thanksgiving. And, as we see God’s hand moving in the lives of others, we can be filled with thanksgiving on their behalf, as well as for ourselves.

    So, What About Us?

    If we can accept the suffering in our lives (small or great,) and respond in faith, it will glorify God, and bring eternal blessing to us. In 2nd Corinthians 12:1-10, Paul gave us an example, where he cheerfully accepted God’s Grace as sufficient in his suffering.

    But Jesus is our ultimate example: He deliberately laid aside His eternal prerogatives as God, the Creator; God, the Eternal Son, and the Living Word of God, to become a human baby, living and growing up in a poor family, in a poor village, in a small, poor country that was already enslaved by the Roman Empire.

    Finally, He voluntarily took upon Himself the weight of all the sins of all humans for all time, and He became our sin, to take upon himself the whole judgment of God for our sins. He voluntarily laid down His life. Why? So that we could become the Righteousness of God, in Him!

    2nd Corinthians 5:21 “For He who knew no sin became sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God, in Him!

    The Resurrection we celebrated last week is the reason for the rest of our faith: We are risen with Him, ascended with Him, and seated with Him. That is why we can choose to accept our suffering as something hardly worth worrying over. That is why Andrew could say in all honesty, “God’s Got This!” And we can say so, too!

    Lord Jesus, please change our vision of the life we live, so that we can see just how temporary it is, and how completely we are in Your hand, and can trust Your Wisdom and Love. Teach us to walk with You in peace, and seek to fulfil Your will in our lives.

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    That I May Know Him

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    That I May Know Him

    © C. O. Bishop 2/16/2018

    Philippian 3:9-17

    Introduction:

    We have been studying through Philippians together: When we last met, we ended on Philippians 3:9, where Paul concluded his statements as to having lost the things that were once important to him, but having found himself “In Christ.”

    9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

    Now Paul, having found himself “in Him”—in Christ—was positionally perfect. His standing with God was made forever secure. But his condition—his state—could change drastically, just as our state, or condition, changes when we sin. This difference, between the two concepts, “Position” (Where I am, and Who I am, in Christ), and “Condition” (How I am doing, and What I am doing) has been the source of much bad teaching, and misunderstanding in the church, for centuries. Paul’s old condition, from human perspective, was quite admirable. Lots of great credentials and accomplishments. But his old Position (still in his sins…still “In Adam”) was terrible—he was headed for destruction!

    When he embraced the redemption provided at the Cross, he lost his social standing, and his accomplishments were no longer respected. He lost them because of the Cross, but gained something new at the Cross, at the same moment. He gained a new Position. He is now no longer “in Adam”…he is “in Christ.” This is in keeping with 1st Corinthians 15:22 And all his own efforts do not add to that position, nor does a failure on his part detract from that position. His works can only affect his condition, not his position.

    Paul said that he counted all those things as garbage! Why? Because they could not enhance his position at all, and possibly could prove a snare to him, in terms of the practical outworking of his relationship with God. He said that those things have been willingly set aside: why? So that he could focus on growing in an experiential knowledge of Christ

    That I may Know Him

    10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

    “That I may know Him?” What can he mean by this? Didn’t he already know Jesus? He met Him on the road to Damascus… he was commissioned by Jesus for service. How could he not know Him?

    The word Paul chose to use, here (Greek “gnonai”, from “gnosko”), means to have experiential knowledge—not merely acquaintance, or knowing a fact, or even figuring something out. I may “know” something because of careful reasoning. I may “know” something as a fact about which I have been told. I may even “know” a person because I have met them once. I sometimes tell people about famous violinmakers that I happen to have met. I could say, “I know him.” But I have to qualify that remark, by saying, “He wouldn’t remember me. I only met him once.”

    To know someone in an ongoing relationship which is growing in depth and closeness is the kind of continuing knowledge Paul sought. And all the things he once took pride in would detract from that relationship if they had any affect at all. If he set them all aside in terms of value or importance, they could have no negative effect. But if he clung to any of them as being “vital to his identity”, they would surely detract from his identity in Christ, as a distraction, if nothing else.

    This can be true in our own lives as well: If it really is central to my self-view that I am part of some trade (a welder, in my case, or a violin maker, or a teacher or pastor), or that I belong to some political party, or a particular church, or even a particular nationality,  or ethnic group… then how central is my relationship with Christ? To the degree that “something else” is central to “who I am”, Jesus has been dethroned in my life.

    What do we call it when “something else” has taken the place of God in my life? The fact is, this constitutes idolatry. Perhaps Paul avoided using that word in order to underscore the relational issues, but we do tend to elevate such minutia to ridiculous levels of importance. We have our little “in” groups of people who drive a certain kind of car, drink a certain kind of beverage, follow a particular sport, or a specific team within that sport, or who are alumni of a specific school. Our society promotes this kind of thing, and says we ought to have “pride” in the school we attend, etc. We even argue over which kind of shoes to wear. Proverbs states that pride is the root of contention. And if it ruins human relationships, how much more would it limit our relationship with a holy God? We need to think clearly about what is important to us, and why…and, to what extent.

    Grammatically, Paul applied that same word for knowledge to the whole list he enumerated: To Know Christ, and (to know) the power of His resurrection, and (to know) the fellowship of his suffering, being made conformable to his death.

    To experientially know the power of the resurrection in my life is to see the new life in Christ take hold and transform me from the inside out. I began “knowing” that power the day I first trusted in Christ as my savior. But it is an ongoing transformation, and I want to see it increasing continually. We are to live “as those alive from among the dead.” We can’t have our old perspective on life anymore. We have been resurrected with Christ.

    To experientially know the fellowship of His suffering: fellowship means “sharing in”—“partnership”. How can we be partners in the suffering of Christ? He did say that we are to take up our cross and follow him. That we are to count our own life as a thing of the past, and join him in his passion for the lost world. Do we personally share in having nails driven through our flesh? No, not as a rule. But we can at least recognize that His suffering was for a purpose, a testimony, etc., and we can join him in in enduring whatever is set before us as a way to demonstrate his Love and faithfulness to others. I think that would at least be a start. Jesus poured himself out to meet the need of a lost world. We can pour ourselves out daily to serve, as He gives us opportunity.

    What does it mean to “be made conformable to His death?” Over in Hebrews 12:4, Paul commented to the believers that “ye have not yet resisted unto [the shedding of] blood, striving against sin.” In their particular case, the suffering for Christ had taken no serious turn, though it certainly had, in the lives of the many believers who had been tortured and killed for their faith. Could they have borne such a burden? Perhaps not, because these are the same believers he rebuked for having backslidden into babyhood, in Hebrews 5:12.

    Is it possible then, that the issue in becoming “conformable to His death” may have to do with becoming committed enough that, if called upon, he could follow Jesus in death? Maybe. That would be some serious growth, as a believer. But that is exactly what eventually happened to Paul. And, yes, he was ready!

    “Arriving”

    11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.

    What is he saying? Does he mean that the way to be resurrected is to do all the things he just listed? Why then, would he say, in Romans 6, that as many as have been baptized into Christ have been baptized into his death, and his resurrection? (By the way, that baptism is not in reference to water, either.) Why would he say in Ephesians 2:6 that I have already been raised up with Christ (resurrection) and have already been seated with him in the heavenlies…in fact, that I am there, now? (Not only already resurrected, but already ascended!)

    So, we can be sure that he is not saying one is to earn the resurrection from the dead. In fact, he did not say “earn”—he said “attain.” The Greek word is “katantiso”, meaning “arrive”. It is only used 13 times in the New Testament, and in all but two cases it is translated “come to”, in the sense of “arrival”. So, in what sense could Paul question his “arrival” at the resurrection? According to his comment in Ephesians 2:6, he is already there. So he cannot fail to be resurrected. Some commentators suggest that he only wants to live to see the rapture. In that case the next sentence would make absolutely no sense, as he said he “isn’t there yet”. That would be a silly statement, as the rapture, obviously, still hasn’t happened. Incidentally, the word in verse 12 for “attained” comes from yet another Greek root: “elabon”, which comes from “lambano” which is usually (133 times) translated “received,” meaning to “take for oneself.” So, whatever Paul is talking about, it is something to be received, not earned, and it is not something that everyone receives at the same time. It is individual in nature, and something at which to “arrive.”

    So, there have been a variety of possibilities suggested, each having some problems. But what if the issue is only that he wants to live out the reality of the resurrection in his own life? That he wants to live like one risen out from among the dead (the Greek word, here, for “Resurrection” is “ex-anastasin”—resurrection from out of”…and this is the only time in the New Testament where this specific word is used.)

    What if the real issue is that he wants to live in such a way that Christ’s new life will be the only thing other people see? That would be something to “attain to”, wouldn’t it? Something worth striving toward? If that is what he means, then all the following comments make plain sense, too. And, as it happens, we have another admonition from Paul that says exactly that—Romans 6:13 says that we are to live “as those alive from the dead”. I believe Paul was “leading by example, and saying that that was his goal as well.

    12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
    13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
    14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

    The Greek word translated “apprehend”, here. Is “katalambano.” It is translated several ways, but it seems to mean, in general, to “seize something, with the purpose of making it one’s own”. So, Paul knows that he himself has been “seized upon” by Jesus, and made the “personal property of Christ.” He, in turn, wants to “seize” the relationship with Christ, and make it a living reality in his life, so that Jesus is all people will see in him. And he concludes that he, personally, has chosen to “press toward the goal!”

    Paul says that his whole goal is to draw close enough to Jesus that nothing else is visible in his life. Have you ever heard a plane coming, overhead, but when you looked up, it turned out that they were so close to being lined up with the sun, that all you could see was the sun? You could still hear the plane, so you knew it was there, but all you could see was the sun, until the plane moved to a position further out of line with the sun.

    If your life is so “lined up with” the Son of God, that when people look at you, He is all they see, you are “apprehending” that for which Christ died to provide. Follow after! Press on, toward the mark of the high calling of God in Christ.

    Paul clearly says that he has not arrived at that point in his life, but that it is his goal to continually strive toward it. And there is a reward for the striving; a prize. God knows the heart…He will reward the striving, the consistent attempt to “get out of the way” and allow the resurrected Christ to live through us.

    Examples to Follow

    Paul goes on to say that we are to follow his example. This is good leadership. “Follow me!” is something you can only say from “out in front.” Paul was definitely out in front. In this passage and other similar passages, he says “follow me as I follow Christ” or “be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” (1st Corinthians 11:1) Paul was leading by example. He could literally say, “Do as I do!”

    15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.
    16 Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.

    The word for “rule” here, is “kanoni”—a standard; not a law. This is not a suggestion that we need to set up “rules to live by”. The “standard” that Paul had just erected was that he personally sought to follow Jesus closely, hoping to “arrive” at a level where only Jesus would be visible in his life. That is the standard…the living reality of Christ.

    We have the same example for us to follow, then. We are not left to wonder how we should live. We have a written command, and a living example. Paul says we can look around us, and take note of those among us who follow his example, and imitate what we see in their lives. And, we are to learn to set such an example ourselves.

    17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.

    We are not to follow blindly: we are to read our Bibles, then compare what we see with what the Bible says, and, as our leaders, pastors, teachers and fellow believers follow the example of Christ, we can also follow their living example.

    Lord Jesus, open our eyes to see you in the believers’ lives around us. Help us to learn to walk by faith, but to see the reality every day, in the lives of the men and women of God around us.

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