Guest Post: Suffering and death in the Christian Life

Note: This is a guest post since presently I am overseas.  This is by “pray2christ.”  His blog be found here.

Suffering and death in the Christian Life

A wise man once said; If any gospel does not warn people of the coming struggles, but only focuses on having a blessed life, this gospel has been cheapened.  The recipients of this gospel message may not be ready for hard trials, and could fall away.

Anyone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ must be ready to both live and die for the Lord. One must be even willing to suffer for him. Now, I’m not talking about expecting only death and suffering as everything that pertains Christian living. Your faith in God and his Holy Word is much more important, everything follows after that.

There are some who affirm that suffering and death are not part of those who believe in Christ. So they preach a Gospel where only the blessing of God exists and anyone who suffers is only suffering due to lack of faith. Anyone who sees their loved one in Christ suffering or dying is perceived as not having enough faith to pray for healing. However such views and frames of thought however are not consistent with the Bible. This is because the Bible does speak about suffering and death in the Christian life. The following verses confirm this:

• By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:19)
• For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2)
• And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment (Hebrews 9:27)

Now this is not a call for weakness or cowardice but that of bravery. The Christian Life is that of an overcomer. The true Christian doesn’t fear death or suffering but believes in the holy resurrection which comes from Christ.

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin (Romans 6:5-6)

There can be no resurrection without death! Even when Lazarus died, his sister Martha acknowledged to Jesus Christ that she believed in the resurrection and also that Jesus had the power to save her brother.

And Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. ²² But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” ²³ Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”²⁴ Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”²⁵ Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, ²⁶ and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” ²⁷ She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.” (John 11:21-27)

From the above verses, we know that Jesus too affirmed that He is the resurrection and the life.

People suffer on earth. Christians do suffer as well. Sometimes it’s in the form of persecution and sometimes it’s in the form of ridicule and rejection. What matters for the believer in Jesus Christ is that their faith must not waver in such cases.

⁷ But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. ⁸ We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; ⁹ persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; ¹⁰ always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. ¹¹ For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. ¹² So death is at work in us, but life in you. (2 Corinthians 4:7-12)

The early church suffered persecution. The Apostles and the saints accepted suffering and death for the sake of Christ. They didn’t show any fear but rather radiated the life of Christ as they breathed their last while in agony. Stephen, the first martyr for Christ Jesus clearly manifested this in his living and dying for the Lord Jesus.

⁵⁵ But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand. ⁵⁶ And he told them, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand!” ⁵⁷ Then they put their hands over their ears and began shouting. They rushed at him ⁵⁸ and dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. His accusers took off their coats and laid them at the feet of a young man named Saul. ⁵⁹ As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” ⁶⁰ He fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” And with that, he died. (Acts 7:55-60)

Saul was one of the persecutors of Stephen. In fact, he persecuted many Christians. However the Lord Jesus honoured Stephen’s prayer for Saul and didn’t charge Saul with the sin of participating in the killing of Saul. And the Lord God in his special way through his Son Jesus Christ, transformed Saul from being a persecutor to becoming Paul the preacher and Apostle to the Gentiles (non Jews).

This reminds me of a quote: Beware of the Cross-less gospel. It states that Jesus picked up His cross, but you don’t have to. Sacrifice is still a major part of the Christian’s walk, but sacrifice only what the Lord commands you to. Your spiritual maturity is determined by how much you are willing to sacrifice for the Lord. (Robert Brownell)

To conclude, not everyone in his or her walk with the Lord Jesus might suffer the same things. At times suffering involves sacrifice, be it loss of a job on account of standing for the Word of God or being denied entry into other people’s houses due to your faith in Christ. Also, some might have to sacrifice a lot and some little. But whatever suffering on account of God you face, do it for the love of God, or it becomes meaningless.

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. ² And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. ³ If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.  (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)