Why Good Christians Suffer: PART 20
- Grantley Morris
- 2 hours ago
- 10 min read
What are the spiritual implications for us if we refuse to suffer for our enemies?
It only takes the slightest glance at Jesus agonizing in the garden to know that even the decision to suffer for one’s enemies (Romans 5:6-8, 10) can be a horrific battle. Nevertheless, it would be morally wrong (encouraging sin) for the Holy Lord to eternally forgive anyone who does not want God to deliver him from selfishness. (Hence the Bible’s emphasis on denying oneself, dying to self, crucifying the flesh, and so on.) Moral considerations aside, allowing selfish or self-righteous people into heaven would spoil its perfection. In time, in fact, such a place would probably end up with as much suffering as our planet currently has.
Moreover, what’s the point of wanting God to rescue us from the sins we hate if we refuse to let him rescue us from the sins we love? The sins we love are just as spiritually damming as the sins we hate.
I’m not referring to works but a heart-attitude – a willingness to take on board God’s values. (For more on this subject, see this short but separate webpage: Repentance: Why We Can’t be Forgiven While Refusing to Let Go of Sin – listed in the links at the end of this page.)
How can Christ live in our hearts if we are heading in opposite direction to him because we refuse to be like him? He is Isaiah’s prophesied Suffering Servant; the innocent one who so loves the guilty that he sacrificed not only his comfort but his very life for them.
Children bear the genes/likeness of their father. How can we be children of God if we have no desire to be like him? He is the one:
* who loves those we are tempted to hate
* who, because of his love, blesses both the just and the unjust with sun and rain (Matthew 5:44-45; Acts 14:16-17).
* whose goodness and mercy is intended to lead the guilty to repentance (Romans 2:4) because he wants no one to perish (1 Timothy 2:3-4; 2 Peter 3:9; Ezekiel 33:11).
The apostle Paul wrote:
Romans 9:1-4 I tell the truth in Christ. I am not lying, my conscience testifying with me in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing pain in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brothers’ sake, my relatives according to the flesh, who are Israelites . . .
I have every confidence that Paul would say the same about being willing to be spiritually dammed for non-Jews if it would bring about their salvation. Nevertheless, merely consider the suffering non-Christian Jews inflicted on him. They seem to have done actually more to persecute him than the Gentiles and often stirred up the Roman authorities to attack and, they hoped, permanently silence him (Details). Soon after his conversion, the Jews conspired to kill Paul (Acts 9:23). In another time and place, they stoned him and left him for dead (Acts 14:19). Not once or twice but on five separate occasions, Paul received “from the Jews . . . forty stripes minus one” (2 Corinthians 11:24 – Comment). And yet Paul so loved them that he was not only willing to endure all of this in the hope of them finding Christ, he would willingly suffer eternally for them, if that were possible.
Paul's Passion for Gentiles
1. Paul (and God) made much of the fact that he was called to serve Gentiles
Acts 9:15 But the Lord said to him, “ . . . he [Paul] is my chosen vessel to bear my name before the nations and kings, and the children of Israel.
Acts 13:45-48 But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with jealousy, and contradicted the things which were spoken by Paul, and blasphemed.Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, and said, “It was necessary that God’s word should be spoken to you first. Since indeed you thrust it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles. For so has the Lord commanded us, saying, ‘I have set you as a light for the Gentiles, that you should bring salvation to the uttermost parts of the earth.’ ”As the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of God. As many as were appointed to eternal life believed.
Acts 18:6 When they opposed him and blasphemed, he shook out his clothing and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am clean. From now on, I will go to the Gentiles!”
Romans 11:13 For I speak to you who are Gentiles. Since then as I am an apostle to Gentiles, I glorify my ministry.
Romans 15:15-16 But I write the more boldly to you in part, as reminding you, because of the grace that was given to me by God, that I should be a servant of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, serving as a priest of the Good News of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be made acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
Galatians 1:15-16 . . . it was the good pleasure of God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me through his grace, to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the Gentiles . . .
Galatians 2:7-8 . . . they saw that I had been entrusted with the Good News for the uncircumcision, even as Peter with the Good News for the circumcision (for he who appointed Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision [Jews] appointed me also to the Gentiles)
Ephesians 3:8 To me . . . was this grace given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.
1 Timothy 2:7 to which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth in Christ, not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
2. Paul kept insisting that there is no spiritual difference between Jews and Gentiles
Acts 22:21-22 “He said to me [Paul], ‘Depart, for I will send you out far from here to the Gentiles.’ ” They listened to him until he said that; then they lifted up their voice, and said, “Rid the earth of this fellow, for he isn’t fit to live!”
Galatians 2:3 But not even Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised.
Galatians 5:6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision amounts to anything, nor uncircumcision, but faith working through love.
Romans 10:12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, and is rich to all who call on him.
1 Corinthians 12:13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks . . . and were all given to drink into one Spirit.
Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek . . . for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 2:12-14 . . . you [Gentiles] were at that time separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off are made near in the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who made both one, and broke down the middle wall of partition.
Colossians 3:11 . . . there can’t be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision . . . but Christ is all, and in all.
3.Paul willingly sacrifices himself for Gentles
1 Corinthians 9:21-22 To those not having the law [Gentiles] I became like one not having the law . . . so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. (NIV)
Galatians 2:12-14 For before some people came from James, he ate with the Gentiles. But when they came, he drew back and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. And the rest of the Jews joined him in his hypocrisy; so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy. But when I saw that they didn’t walk uprightly according to the truth of the Good News, I said to Peter before them all, “If you, being a Jew, live as the Gentiles do, and not as the Jews do, why do you compel the Gentiles to live as the Jews do?
Galatians 5:11 But I, brothers, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? . . .
Galatians 6:12 As many as desire to look good in the flesh, they compel you to be circumcised; only that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ.
John has been called the apostle of love, and yet it takes little thought to realize that Paul has truly earned that title. In fact, I don’t know what anyone could do to display greater love than Paul:
John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
Romans 5:7-10 For one will hardly die for a righteous man. . . . But God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. . . . while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son . . .
What gives hope for us all on our path to Christlikeness is that although John and Paul ended up loving like Christ, both started off so far from it they burned with murderous rage toward those they disapproved of (Luke 9:54; Acts 9:1).
A moving display of Christlike love is powerful in winning people to Christ. Paul, who under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit wrote, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1, NIV), proved his love by his suffering.
An angel can talk about love and anyone rich and/or powerful can give impressive gifts, but it is suffering that provides by far the greatest proof of love.
Love is at the heart of the book of Job. This man’s behavior was exceptionally righteous but Satan’s argument was that Job was only that way because of what he got out of it (Job 1:8-11; 2:3-5). It was only through his suffering that Job was able to prove to the world and to anti-God powers just how genuine he was.
It is noteworthy that, as with Christians suffering little persecution, the attack on Job and his possessions and family was physical but the source was spiritual (satanic), rather than human persecution because of his beliefs. As is typically also the case among us, a significant human source of his torment was not the ungodly but his marriage partner (Job 2:9 – probably drunk with pain over her own grief) and his righteous friends with their less than helpful attempts to support and advise.
Everything mentioned in this section dovetails with Jesus’ emphasis that our forgiveness hinges on our willingness to forgive others.
We are acutely aware that the Son of God suffered horrifically, despite being perfect and innocent like no one else, and the darling of God’s heart. We know there is no way that we are greater than our crucified Lord. Nevertheless, we Christians tend to think – I certainly have – that because Christ graciously suffered on our behalf, at least those who are exceptionally close to God should be spared earthly suffering.
We have been seeing, however, that God’s precious Word is emphatic that this is not so. Through our suffering Lord, we are headed for an eternity of perfection that is completely free from pain and suffering. Despite the hopes of some, however, not even the greatest Christian, is guaranteed an easy, pain-free time in the here and now.
It is understandable that we are not instantaneously whisked away to heaven the moment we surrender to Christ. We are needed down here. The nagging question, however, is why are Christians who are currently fulfilling an earthly mission not divinely placed in some sort of protective bubble so that now that they are in spiritual union with Christ they are spared earthly suffering?
Not even the best of us deserve divine forgiveness. Jesus alone was truly innocent and suffered horrifically for you to be forgiven. We were once God’s enemies and were rescued from eternal damnation only because God loves his enemies.
The Lord, whom many of us secretly consider to be too good, makes the sun rise and life-giving rain fall both on those we consider respectable and those we look down on (Matthew 5:44-45). There are those we consider unworthy of God’s kindness, when the humiliating reality is that the only thing any of us are worthy of is death from the moment of our first sin (Romans 6:23).
We have seen that although suffering is totally contrary to the perfection of God’s will, our sins – our actions that were totally contrary to the perfection of God’s will – that God tolerated until we eventually came to our senses (and sins we have even dared commit afterward) – slander, cheating, lying, stealing, and so on – have inflicted suffering on people.
For even the best of us, the Lord had to keep enduring our rebellion against him until we eventually came to our senses and accepted divine pardon through Christ. Do we, then, have the hide to claim the Lord who wants no one to perish but all to come to repentance (Isaiah 45:22; Ezekiel 33:11; 1 Timothy 2:3-4; John 3:16; 2 Peter 3:9) should not also be patient toward those we dislike?
It’s mighty hard to read the Bible without concluding that it is possible for dynamic, faith-filled Christians to suffer devastating persecution, including not just the plundering of one’s worldly goods (Hebrews 10:34) but incarceration, torture and death. Jesus even pronounced special blessings on the persecuted. And it’s harder still to believe we are spared such suffering because we are more devout. But what of other forms of suffering?
Does anyone believe he reveres God’s Word and yet claims to have more faith and spiritual understanding that the inspired writers of the New Testament who either suffered horrific persecution or taught that others can expect it? Such arrogance would be mind-boggling but I guess some today might feel forced into that dark corner because we live in the pleasure-seeking era prophesied in Scripture in which people will turn from “sound doctrine” and only want to hear what suits them (2 Timothy 3:1-5; 4:3).
All of us have been mercifully spared most of the innumerable forms of suffering – every form of natural disaster, physical disabilities, mental afflictions, the vast number of different illnesses (even if eventually healed), rape, betrayal, not being understood, loneliness, death of loved ones, poverty, the ravages of aging, and on and on – and yet it is rare for the most impressive, Spirit-filled Christians to float through a long life without being hit by at least one or two of the possibilities. And while they are suffering, dare we accuse them of lacking faith?
Links
I have a vast number of other webpages, but the following are particularly pertinent to this topic.
A highly relevant webpage that I urge you to read, if you haven’t already, has the unlikely title Biblical Examples of Unanswered Prayer & the Implications for Us. What connects the two pages is that our natural reaction to suffering is to pray against it. If, however, suffering involves loftier purposes than we suppose, the high good and our greatest glory might be achieved by those prayers not being answered. The page contains valuable biblical insights into suffering that have not been covered above.