A Quick Reference Guide to Suffering

In last week’s blog I took a close look at one particular type of suffering that Paul spoke of in Romans chapter eight. But as I was thinking about that one type, it got me thinking about the other distinct categories of suffering that Scripture speaks about. As I did that, I found it incredibly helpful to think about the variety and number of categories that suffering comes dressed in when it pulls up a chair in your life. Having this framework is helpful because it addresses the ever present “why” of suffering. Asking “why” is not wrong, and there are biblical reasons why you should have a basic framework for answering the “why” of suffering. Two verses bring this out.

1 Peter 4:12 (NASB95) — 12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;
1 Thessalonians 3:3–4 (NASB95) — 3 so that no one would be disturbed by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we have been destined for this. 4 For indeed when we were with you, we kept telling you in advance that we were going to suffer affliction; and so it came to pass, as you know.

Several things are clear from these two verses; suffering is not strange, it should not be surprising, it should not be disturbing, and it is going to happen because we are destined for it in the good plans of God.

Now you might want to read those verses and that summary statement again, because most people do the exact opposite. When suffering comes they are surprised, they are disturbed, and they think this shouldn’t be happening.

How can this be corrected? Very simply, you need to know your Bible. To the dismay of many, this is a sure fix but it is not a quick fix. Knowing your Bible means committing to and longing for the regular reading and meditation of God’s word week after week, month after month, and year after year with the teaching and involvement of God’s church.

But to help that process along there are also little blogs like this one. So the goal of this post is to give you a quick-reference guide to suffering. This can be like a grid you can think through when suffering is especially difficult.

Here are key categories of suffering that Christians will experience.

1) Fatherly Chastisement (Hebrews 12)
2) Growing Pains and Proving Pains (Romans 5:3-4; Hebrews 5:8; James 1:3; 1 Peter 1:7; 4:12)
3) Sin Mortification (Matt. 16:24; Rom. 8:13,17)
4) Loving sacrifice for the good of others (Rom. 12:1; Col. 1:24; 2 Cor. 1:6; 4:11)
5) Persecution (2 Timothy 3:12)
6) The groanings of being broken people in a fallen world (Romans 8:17-25)

There are several points I want to address regarding these categories.

First, these are categories that each can contain a variety of outworkings. For instance, there are many different ways God grows a person through suffering. God was advancing humility and grace-dependence in Paul with the thorn in his flesh (2 Cor. 12:7-9). God may produce endurance at another time (James 1:3). God may be building up an eternal reward of glory through some other tribulation (2 Cor. 4:16). These are all specific outworkings the Bible speaks about, but each falls into category #2. So I am focusing on the categorical nature of suffering, not the detailed specifics, so that the Christian can have a quick and easily framework to think about suffering when it comes.

Second, I didn’t include a category of for God’s divine orchestration and I did that for a reason. The reason is that God works all things for good for his children, and so his wise, divine orchestrations are behind every category and reason of suffering. Think about this concerning Job. We are given a special peek behind the heavenly curtain and we find out God had orchestrated a situation using Job to prove to Satan that truly saved people will love and fear God no matter what. Yet, the precise way this was carried out was through category #6: living in a fallen world full of evil people and demons who inflict much pain. A combination of category #1 and #2 also became a factor as we see later on in Job. Another example would be Joseph. Joseph experienced the suffering of category #5 and #6, but God had hidden purposes for all of it. So, God always has good and wise plans that he is orchestrating behind the scenes. This is the case for every moment and every category of suffering. For this reason, God’s wise plans are really on a different level. They stand above it all and control every category we are talking about here.

Third, seeing these six different categories made me realize afresh that there is simply no way I am going to avoid suffering as a Christian. Unbelievers only have to deal category #6. It can be an exceedingly fearful category, especially when you have no worldview to explain it or make sense of it. But Christians also have to deal with #6 just as much as unbelievers, however we do so minus the confusion of living in the dark. As those who live in the light, we need to see that we are always going to be in at least one, and probably several categories of suffering at once. In fact, if you are not experiencing one of those categories of suffering, you are assuredly living in sin. This is not to say that you can’t or won’t have true delight in this world. But it will always be mitigated happiness. Why is that you might ask. Well, at the very least you will be weeping with those who weep in obedience to Romans 12:15, and there are always Christians weeping around the world, if not nearby to you. This is an out-working of category #4 and #6.

Additionally, you should be regularly mortifying sin (#3) and that will be painful. If that is not a sufficient answer, you should be praying for God to grow you (#2) and that will always include the sting of pruning and uncomfortable stretching. Truly, Paul was evidencing his maturity in 2 Cor. 6:10 when he categorically described himself “as sorrowful.”

So, with at least six categories of suffering, you are always going to be suffering in some way. Those Christians who try to avoid suffering are in sin. We should not try to avoid it absolutely, nor be surprised by it. This gives even greater weight to Paul’s follow-on statement in 2 Corinthians 6:10. While “sorrowful” did describe him, it was not all he had to say. Paul said he was “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.” Now this is remarkable! In all this suffering, there was an abiding joy that was as real and deep and true as the suffering was. He knew the gospel in such a way that in all these various categories of suffering he could count it as joy as James called for (James 1:2). He knew that, “In all these thing we overwhelmingly conquer through him who loved us.” (Romans 8:37) God was at work in each one and so joy is not only justified, it will be the response of true believing faith. His inner man was being renewed day by day in joy and encouragement, even though the groanings of category #6 were also happening day by day (2 Cor. 4:16-17).

So don’t be surprised by suffering my friend. There are too many categories for you to avoid, and God is too good and too committed to you to let you slip out of all of them at the same time.