Tag: Hope of the Resurrection

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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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    How To Understand The Hope of the Resurrection

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    The Hope of the Resurrection

    © 2026 by C. O. Bishop

    1st Corinthians 15; 1st Thessalonians 4:13-19; 2nd Corinthians 5:1-10

    Introduction:

    We were in 1st Corinthians 14, and we were nearly (but not quite) ready to begin 1st Corinthians 15. (People sometimes call Chapter 15 “the Resurrection Chapter.”) However, we recently lost our beloved Jan Larsen. It seems good to me to address the “Blessed Hope” of Believers today, rather than waiting.

    First, I want to point out that the “Blessed Hope” in Titus 2:12, 13 is the returning Person of Christ. He is the Person of our Salvation. Furthermore, God describes Him, the indwelling Christ, as our “Hope of Glory,” in Colossians 1:27 “…Christ in You, the Hope of Glory.”

    So, regarding our current “Hope of Glory:” Each of us has embraced that Hope, by believing the Gospel. Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”

    Notice that this is the ONLY thing God describes as being His power to save sinners. This is THE power of God unto salvation, “to every one who believes.” The choice is there for everyone. He does not offer His Grace by any other means but through the Person of Christ. Jesus said so. He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: No man cometh unto the Father but by Me.” (John 14:6)

    Does that sounds “exclusive?” Well, the fact is, our sins excluded us from the presence of God. This is Him offering us restoration: we can be INcluded in the Family of God.

    So, What Is The Gospel? What is the Good News?

    1  Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

    Here is the Gospel in outline form:

    3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

    4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

    5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:

    6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.

    7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.

    8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.

    Point by Point

    If you want to see it “point by point,” notice the first three points, in verses 3, 4. Together, they complete the Gospel…the GOOD News!

    1. The death of Jesus, for our sins, in accordance with the Scriptures, fulfilling Prophecy,
    2. His Burial, also in accordance with prophecy (Jonah 1:17 and Matthew 12:39-42), and
    3. His Resurrection, on the third day, also confirming the scriptures, fulfilling Prophecy,

    And, the next few comments are simply the confirmation of the many eye-witnesses, most of whom were still living at the time of that writing.

    Paul goes on to emphasize the importance of the Resurrection. There were people present (especially including the Sadducees, but possibly the Gnostics and others) who denied that the resurrection was possible. He points out in verses 12-19, that if there “is no resurrection,” then Jesus is not resurrected, which would mean He was not the Savior, as that was a requirement, as part of His Credentials.

    And that would mean that those who believed in Jesus had a vain faith: a vain hope in a false Messiah. And that would mean that they were still in their sins, and still headed for Hell!

    But in verse 20, he answers that doubt with finality: “But now, Christ IS risen from the dead and IS become the firstfruits of them that slept!”

    So, we should address some questions regarding the Resurrection:

    Why Will We Be Raised?

    In verses 21-22, we see that, in the wisdom of God, He saw it fitting that “… since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”

    And then He spells out that the result that there are only two places we can be. You are either “still in Adam,” and thus, dead in your sins, or: You are “in Christ” as we read in Ephesians 1 & 2, and eternally alive!

    Thus, those who can say with confidence that they will spend eternity with Jesus can only do so because He shed His blood for their sins… and they have trusted Him as their Savior. They plead the Blood of Jesus as their only Hope.

    When Will We Be Raised?

    The resurrection of these bodies (in which we now live) will be completed at what we call the Rapture. 1st Thessalonians 4:13-18 tells us in detail how that will happen, in what order, and (in connection with the next chapter) we can see it will happen just before the Tribulation begins.

    13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

    15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

    But there is an obvious question that arises when we affirm these things: “In the meantime, between now and the Rapture, Where are our loved ones?”  Where are all of our believing friends and family? (Where is our precious sister, Jan??)

    2nd Corinthians 5:1-10 is our answer:

    1 For we know that if our earthly house (Our physical body in which we live) of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: 3 If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. 4 For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.

    5 Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. 6 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: 7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) 8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

    9 Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

    Resurrected or Replaced?

    The passage in 1st Thessalonians 4 teaches us about when our physical bodies will be resurrected. The one here, in 2nd Corinthians 5, tells us how it will be temporarily replaced with an immortal body until our old bodies are raised immortal. Then he says, we will be like Him and see Him as He truly is! If we die before His return, then we will see Him that way from the moment we leave our old body behind, But after the Rapture, every believer will see Him as He is, and we will all have our old bodies raised immortal.

    How Will We Be Raised?

    1st Corinthians 15:50-53 tells us that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. then He tells us that the day will come, when the last trumpet will sound and the Dead shall be raised incorruptible. He specifically says that “this mortal shall put on immortality.” He says “we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.

    50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

    53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

    Collectively, the scriptures clearly teach that Jan is with the Lord today, even though her worn-out, little, old body is in a morgue, somewhere: She is with Him, face-to-face, and completely wrapped in His Joy and His Peace.

    At the Rapture, when that trumpet blows, she will have her body back, perfect and immortal, and we will all recognize one another, just as James, Peter, and John recognized Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration.

    After that we will all face the Bema seat: the Awards ceremony: the Judgment Seat of Christ. God says so. But right this moment, Jan is completely focused on the reality of the Risen Christ, and she worshipping Him in person.

    What Will Our New Bodies Look Like?

    The short answer is: “I don’t know!” When we all get our new bodies, will Jan still be the shortest person in the room? I seriously doubt it. She may be nine feet tall, with fire in her eyes! Or, maybe we will all be the same height. We simply are not told.

    However, God does address the broader question, in 1st Corinthians 15:35-38

    35 But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?

    36 Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:

    37 And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain:

    38 But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.

    Paul’s Reply

    He points out that when we plant wheat, we do not expect wheat seeds to come springing up out of the ground: We expect something that first resembles grass, but which eventually bears a seed head with many wheat seeds.

    Then He answers the question in verses 42-49:

    42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:

    43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:

    44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

    Fulfilling the Pattern

    45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. 46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. 47 The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven. 48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. 49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

    Does that really “satisfy us?” Maybe not, but we choose to rest in that promise. None of us have seen the immortal, so we cannot accurately imagine it, and it is fruitless to try. We know that we will be like Him. That is the best we can say. And until then, all we can say for sure is that all our believing loved ones, those whom we have lost, are with Him now, and are safe in Him.

    Lord Jesus, give us the faith to simply trust You and to believe Your Voice above all others: Help us to cling to Your Voice and Your Promise alone. As sheep follow their Shepherd, let us follow You and be safe in Your care.

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