Salvation Grounded in Suffering

“Nothing shall be impossible with God” (Luke 1:37). This is the clear teaching of Scripture. But it is important we understand it. It does not necessarily mean everything will be easy or God will immediately solve all our problems for us. Sometimes we can see God as a kind of candy man in the sky, who will make us happy and make all the pain go away. It does not always work that way. Let us look in the context to see what is being promised. God is telling the young girl that she will become miraculously pregnant without a man (Luke 1:30-35). She risked losing her fiancé, if God had not intervened (Matthew 1:18-21). She almost certainly lost her reputation (John 8:41). Also, no sooner did this miraculous Son come of age than He began to act in strange and threatening ways (Luke 2:41-52; John 2:3-5; Mark 3:31-35). Then Mary ended up standing and watching as this Son died a criminal’s death in a very painful way (John 19:25-27). Well did Simeon prophecy concerning her that pain would pierce her soul (Luke 2:34,35). But that was not the end of the story.   

That death on a cross paid the price for sin for all who put their faith in Christ (1 Peter 2:24,25; Romans 3:21-31; Ephesians 2:1-9). Further, He demonstrated that the work was accomplished and death was conquered by rising from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Romans 4:25; 8:11). Mary lived to see the situation turn around (Acts 1:14), but it was a long, difficult journey. God has a plan for our lives (Ephesians 2:10; 1:11; Romans 8:28). But that plan may require us to go through trials and difficulties (2 Corinthians 4:17,18; John 16:33; Romans 8:18). Nonetheless, God will bring us through victorious (2 Corinthians 2:14; Romans 8:37; 1 Corinthians 15:56,57). But whether or not we actually see that, we need to trust God, that He is at work in our lives and in the world (Proverbs 3:5,6; Hebrews 11:13-16; Psalms 127:1,2).

God promises us joy in the Christian life (Philippians 4:4; 1 Thessalonians 5:16; Romans 14:17), and this should be remembered. But it is also well that we remember that the salvation of the world was accomplished through suffering. The God of the universe humbled Himself and became a man to pay the price for our sins (Philippians 2:5-11; John 1:1-18; Hebrews 2:9-18). And there were other people like Mary who paid a price to bring this about. Is it therefore so surprising that God would require us today to go through sufferings to accomplish His will in our lives? But He promises to bring us through them to someday stand in His presence (Revelation 21:4; Ephesians 5:27; Philippians 3:20,21). Therefore, nothing shall be impossible with God.

Perspective on Suffering

We live in a fallen world, under sin and a curse. This explains why things happen the way they do. This is not limited to the sinfulness of human beings but involves nature as well. When God created humans, He put nature in subjection under them (Genesis 1:28-30). But when Adam and Eve fell (Genesis 3:1-6; Romans 5:12-20), they drug all nature down with them (Romans 8:19-20; Genesis 3:16-19). Therefore, not only do human beings behave badly, but nature also can be hostile. Now it is clearly not true that everyone in this life gets just what they deserve. The book of Job is written as an answer to that, as are a number of the remarks of Jesus (Luke 13:1-5; John 9:1-5). But the picture we get from Scripture is not that God pours out evil things on innocent people. Rather, He pours out good things (Matthew 5:45; Acts 14:17; Romans 2:4,5) on people who do not deserve them (Romans 3:23; Isaiah 64:6, Jeremiah 17:9). On this principle He holds back judgment even on those we feel most deserve it because of His grace and mercy. He also sometimes causes His people to go through trouble in order that they may be made better people by it (Romans 5:3-5; James 1:2-4; 1 Peter 1:6,7). While all these things are worked for our benefit by God, who is in control of our lives, if we are believers (Romans 8:28-30; Ephesians 1:11; 2:10). But also through this we can have hope (Romans 8:24,25).   

It is important to put sufferings in perspective (Romans 8:18; 2 Corinthians 4:17,18; 1 Peter 5:8-10). What we suffer now is minor in the light of eternity, when God will wipe away every tear (Revelation 21:4; Philippians 3:20,21; Psalms 16:11). Therefore, if a person trusts in Christ and Him alone for salvation (Ephesians 2:8,9; Romans 4:4,5; Titus 3:5,6), then they can be assured that God will bring them through the troubles of this life to dwell forever with Him (1 John 5:11-13; John 10:27-30; Philippians 1:6). If you do not currently have faith in Him, God invites you to trust Him (Acts 16:31; Revelation 22:17; John 3:16-18). But for those of us who have, we possess a hope that God will one day remake this fallen world to be as He originally intended it to be before sin entered (Romans 8:21-23; 2 Peter 3:10-13; Revelation 21:5-8). But it is not always easy to live in light of this truth. We have a desire to have things now and not to wait for them. But those who live for the present day will lose it all in the world to come (1 John 2:15-17; James 4:4; Philippians 3:18,19). Therefore, though we will have troubles in this life (John 16:33; 15:18-21; Acts 14:22), let us look beyond that to where our real treasure is (Matthew 6:19-21) so that we might have that abiding hope (1 Corinthians 13:13) and face the trouble in life knowing we will ultimately be victorious (Romans 8:35-37).

On the Battlefield

When we become Christians we enter into a new set of relationships. We become children of the eternal God (John 1:12,13). As such, other believers become our family (1 John 2:7-11). We also become ambassadors of Christ to those on the outside (2 Corinthians 5:20). But we obtain a new enemy, too (1 Peter 5:8,9). Far from setting the Christian in a position of safety and security, putting faith in Christ sets them in the midst of a battlefield (Ephesians 6:10-13). This is not what we want to hear. We would like to be told that once we have come to know the true God, the King of the Universe, everything from there on will be a calm and uneventful sail over placid seas into a safe harbor. Some would even try to maintain we can, on the basis of God being our Father, claim health, wealth, and a Mercedes in the color of our choice. But even those of us who reflexively shrink away from going that far can often still be guilty of painting the Christian life as some idyllic state where everything runs smoothly and we have minor bumps but no serious problems. However, Scripture leads us to expect trouble in this life (John 16:33). 

The reason is that we live in enemy-occupied territory. God is the great King, the Lord of the universe to whom all rule rightfully belongs (Psalms 47:2). But as a result of the Fall (Genesis 3:1-7), Satan has made himself god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4) and has enslaved people to his rule (Hebrews 2:15). However, Christ by His death on the cross and His resurrection was victorious over sin, death, and Satan (Colossians 2:15; Hebrews 2:14; 2 Corinthians 2:14). Further, when Christ returns He will be the absolute conqueror over all these things (1 Corinthians 15:54-57; Revelation 21:1-5; Philippians 3:20-21). But right now we are living between the accomplishment and the realization of the victory. One question sometimes asked is whether Christianity is a defender of the status quo or a rebellion against the current system. The answer is we are the resistance. We are those who oppose the usurper on behalf of the rightful King. Therefore, we are at odds with the system as it exists now (1 John 2:15-17), but we oppose it in the name of an older rule whose principles, even under the occupation, are still to some extent recognized (Romans 2:14-16).

Therefore, it is not surprising that in this situation we have trials. We need to see these trials as being minor in terms of the glory we will ultimately enjoy (Romans 8:18; 2 Corinthians 4:17,18). And we need to realize that God is using these troubles to make us into the kind of people He wants us to be (Romans 5:3,4; 8:28-30; James 1:2-4). For only then can we have the perspective to face the battle in which we will ultimately be victorious (Romans 8:37).