WHY DOES GOD ALLOW SUFFERING?
Part II: WHY DO THE RIGHTEOUS SUFFER?
Prosperity theology, sometimes referred to as the prosperity gospel, health and wealth gospel, gospel of success, et al, teaches that poverty and sickness are curses resulting from a lack of faith. In fact, the scriptures teach just the opposite. Christian suffering is a blessing which increases faith! Let’s understand how.
The ancient patriarch Job was one of the most righteous—faithful—servants of God who ever lived (Job. 1:1; 29:12-16; Ezek. 14:14-20). And yet we read in the book of Job that he lost all of his wealth, all of his children, fell grievously ill, and was left with nothing but a scornful wife. Job’s three friends, following the logic of prosperity theology, tried to convince him that his suffering was the result of some secret sin. In other words, he lacked faith. But as we read further in the story, we find that Job’s suffering proved to be a blessing because it taught him vital spiritual lessons which he otherwise could not have learned.
Suffering is a major part of our calling to be disciples of Jesus. The apostle Peter wrote, “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow his steps” (I Pet. 2:21). Everyone hates suffering, in any form and for any reason. In Part I we saw why there is suffering in the world, but why do the righteous suffer? How can it possibly be a blessing?
Suffering plays a major part in the process by which God is molding His children into His own character image and likeness. “But may the God of all grace, who called us to his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you” (I Pet. 5:10). “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (Jas. 1:2-4). James referred to the “patience of Job” (5:11), which resulted from his suffering.
Suffering triggers the learning mechanism. We are given what might be strange advice in Ecclesiastes,
“It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for that is the end of all men; and the living will take it to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, for by a sad countenance the heart is made better. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise than for a man to hear the song of fools” (7:2-5).
We have often heard that funerals are for the living. Why? Because mourners may be compelled to consider the meaning of life for the first time in their life. They are confronted with their mortality. What are they doing with their life? Could they be better people than they have been? When we are made sorrowful through suffering, we may be forced to consider the decisions and mistakes we have made and change. The alcoholic or drug addict who finally reaches rock bottom may finally be ready to change after experiencing the pain and suffering of losing everything important in life.
One of the traits of human nature is that most people are blind to their own nature. We read, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9). This describes how all of us really are inside. Yet we also read, “All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes” (Prov. 16:2). One cannot be deceitful and wicked and also pure. There can be no greater discrepancy between perception and reality when it comes to human nature.
As faithful and full of good works as Job was, one still cannot fail to also see that he had an enormous opinion of himself, an out-sized ego. Job’s suffering compelled a self-examination which led him to ask God, “Teach me what I do not see; if I have done iniquity, I will do no more” (Job. 34:32). God opened Job’s eyes to his self-righteousness by comparing His omnipotence to Job’s impotence. The result? “Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer you? I lay my hand over my mouth….I have heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you. Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (Job. 40:4, 42:5,6). Suffering brought Job to the point where he saw his true nature and changed. His self-righteousness was replaced with humility.
King David suffered a tremendous amount throughout his life, but he was able to look back and say, “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word….It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn your statutes….I know, O Lord, that your judgments are right, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me” (Psa. 119:67,71,75). David’s suffering turned out to be a blessing which increased his faith.
It is typical of human nature to be self-reliant. But when trials take us beyond our ability to control our lives, suffering may cause us to turn to God in prayer, relying on His grace. The apostle Paul wrote about a personal experience which illustrates this dynamic,
“For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead, who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that he will still deliver us, you also helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the gift granted to us through many” (II Cor. 1:8-11).
God allowed Paul and his companions to suffer the threat of death so that they would turn to him for deliverance. And as an added blessing, many others turned to God in prayer on their behalf.
The scriptures teach us that trials and suffering refine our character into the image of God’s. Job understood this principle when he said, “…When he [God] has tested me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job. 23:10). Peter wrote, “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it be tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (I Pet. 1:6,7). Perhaps Paul said it best, “…Problems and trials help us to learn to be patient, and patience develops strength of character…” (Rom. 5:3,4, Living Bible).
Have you ever talked to someone who was suffering through some trial only to have them say, You just don’t understand? Or have you ever said the same? The truth is, we cannot understand what we have never experienced. But through our own suffering we may learn how to show compassion and love for others in the midst of their suffering. Paul wrote,
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ” (II Cor. 1:3-5).
Paul’s conclusion is remarkable: the more one suffers, the more one can show love and compassion. This principle even applied to God in the flesh. In Hebrews we read, “Therefore, in all things he [Jesus] had to be made like his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself has suffered, being tempted, he is able to aid those who are tempted” (Heb. 2:17,18). Incredible! God had to become a man and suffer, terribly, so that when we suffer we could never say, God you just don’t understand.
In I Corinthians 12 Paul compared the collection of the saints to a human body with many different “members.” And further, he wrote, “Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually” (v27). “…The members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it…” (v25,26). Elsewhere, Paul wrote “weep with those who weep” (Rom. 12:15). Why is this important? We have all seen or experienced many examples of where suffering and hardship united a nation, a group, a family, and even just two people. And when we are united we are blessed with greater strength and determination.
Paul explained that as God’s children, when we suffer, “we suffer with him [Christ]” (Rom. 8:16,17). What did he mean? Paul said he had “suffered the loss of all things” (Phil. 3:8) for following Jesus. He said that his suffering put him in a special place, whereby he could enter into the closest relationship with his Lord, which he called “the fellowship of his [Jesus’] sufferings” (v10). The conclusion is, when we are suffering, if we bear it patiently, we can be closer to God than at any other time. What greater blessing is there?