For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel. Ezr 7:10
CALLED TO SUFFER
1 PETER 4:7-5:11
GENERAL IDEA
Even though submission and suffering is the focal point of Peter’s first letter, the book is still alive with optimism. Notice what we find in the opening chapter. Peter praised God
• for new birth – 1:3
• for a living hope – 1:3
• for an inheritance that can never perish – 1:4
• for shielding by God’s power. – 1:5
These great blessings give us joy, “even though you have to endure many trials for a little while.”(1 Pet. 1:6NLT).
Such trials are precious, because they are not intended to trip us up, but to make obvious the authenticity of our faith, so that when Jesus Christ comes He — and us — may receive praise, glory, and honor for our faithfulness.
For the here and now salvation does not promise an easy life. In place of an easy life, we can anticipate difficulties and trials (suffering). Especially since Jesus Himself was not exempt from suffering. We are summoned to travel life’s road in His steps.
While suffering is not admired, it is essential.
Not a single one of us are untouched by the pain related to the frailties of our humanity. So it’s vitally important for us to see suffering from God’s point of view so we can be strengthened in both our faith and our hope.
OBSERVATIONS
Hope prevails all through the letters of our New Testament. Because of our involvement in Christ, we have hope. Even suffering is altered when seen as the continuation of Jesus’ life on earth, as well as the life He continues to live through members of the body.
So Peter encourages us by saying, “Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in His suffering,” (1 Pet. 4:13NLT). Suffering is no reason for shame as Christians. Instead, it should to be viewed and accepted as God’s compassionate hand working in our lives to shape us and outfit us in wise discipline.
But it is also educational for us to remember as we think about our own suffering, what the writer Hebrews said about Jesus. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through the things he suffered. 5:9 And by being perfected in this way, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, (Heb. 5:8,9). For Jesus to be responsible as our sensitive High Priest, suffering was a necessity, not an option.
Even though as God, He was already perfect, He experienced human limitations by suffering in order to identify with us in becoming our High Priest.
In our day and time, the nature of weakness is very often misunderstood. More often than not, it is considered as sin or falling into temptation. In reality, our weakness is actually the reaction to life’s demands placed on us. The mistake we often make is deciding to give in to sin. Sin was not the choice Jesus made and should not be ours either. He had no fault at all, prompting Pilot to say"… I find in him no fault at all” John 18:38.
Jesus knew how it felt to be hungry and tired.
Jesus knew what the pain of rejection felt like.
Jesus knew how much ridicule could hurt.
Jesus knew what it felt like to be abandoned.
Jesus knew what the anger of hateful hearts felt like.
He knew it all because He suffered it all. And as a result of all the suffering, He experienced what being human was all about. His experiential learning, qualified Him in part to become our salvation. So, it’s very likely that we need suffering to perfect us in the same way. Because, to our High Priest, we are a royal and holy priesthood (1 Pet. 2:5, 1 Pet. 2:9).
Not only do we take part in Christ’s experiences, but we also take part in His ministry. Knowing what it really means to hurt enables us to express sympathy just like Him.
A vital consideration for us today is that our calling is not a pulling out from the world, but rather, a move forward to live the life of Jesus in the world. Rather than forget about the lost, Jesus raised them up to become sons because that was His ministry.
One of the positives that God orchestrates during our own suffering is to jog your memory about our fellowman. About the pains they are all too familiar with and the suffering they experience, with no source of joy at all. If we keep in mind who we really are, we might be stimulated to reach out just like Jesus reached out. If as Christians, instead of withdrawing from those who sin, we would reach out to them with a firm but loving grip and pull them to Jesus, we will show the world that His door is always wide open to all.
PAIN AND SUFFERING IN SCRIPTURE
In an unfriendly cosmos, suffering was considered to be the fate of man by ancient Stoic philosophers.
The issue of suffering has mystified the wisest minds throughout history, leaving many with more questions than answers. For those who have always been on the warpath with God, their arguments continue to intensify.
They argue that the reality of so much suffering in a world that was supposed to have been created by a good God shows that either there is no God or if there is a God, He is not good.
Yet, God’s powerful existence and matchless goodness is repeatedly confirmed and taught in Scripture. The pain and suffering of human beings in the framework of a personal universe is also frankly articulated in Scripture.
Pain and suffering in the Old Testament. There are many different words that communicate the thoughts of pain and suffering in the Hebrew language. Two of the more commonly used ones are:
*Ka’ab stresses pain. Although physical pain is involved, words resulting from ka’ab mostly refer to mental suffering related to being hurt.
*’Asab and words that come from it are translated as grief, sorrow, and wound. Both physical and mental pain are the issue here as well.
Instead of the painful experiences incurred, it is the affects of life’s tragedies on human beings which are the focus of attention in the Old Testament study of these words.
The feelings may be bearable if it were just a sickness, or a job loss, or an unfair lawsuit, but it’s the affects of such events inside us which really causes the actual suffering— it’s the worries, suspicions, doubts and fears as we face darkness instead of the bright outlook we anticipated.
We are reminded in the Book of Job that although there is sensitivity in Old Testament to human suffering, no easy answers are presented. Satan was allowed by God Himself to attack Job who was a really decent and godly man. But in spite of severely intense suffering, Job’s faith in God remained intact. Job was doing fine until an attempt was made to explain why he was suffering by his three friends. Job was then propelled into a vigorous effort to give an explanation for his ordeal.
The image which Job and his friends had of God was that of a righteous Judge. As a result, the conclusion of Job’s friends was that Job’s suffering had to be God’s punishment for sin in his life. They challenged him to confess.
Job refused to confess because he knew he had not sinned. But because he could not explain his dilemma along with feeling overwhelmed by what appeared to be unfaithfulness by the God he believed in, Job set out to dispute his friend’s views of about how God works in His dealings humanity.
Suffering Job was brought to the brink of depression by his finger pointing friends and his failure to explain why he was suffering so much.
All of a sudden, Job finds himself in a world, he no longer understood, disrobed of hope and afraid.
Perhaps we can identify with Job as we reflect on how we feel during our own periods of extreme private suffering.
Finally, God stepped in, re-established Job and set his friends straight, but gave no explanation to anyone. Not even Job, the sufferer got any answers. Faith in God was all he was left with because God’s reasons and plans can never be fully known to human beings.
The Old Testament, however, does reveal some interesting insights about suffering.
First, the reasons for the suffering of this good man, Job are often concealed. The lesson for us is, like Job, we must just trust God to bring about good in the end, as He did in re-establishing and blessing Job.
Second, the fact that God “does not leave the guilty unpunished, (Num. 14:18)” shows that Job’s friends were correct that sometimes suffering is related to sin. However, it can also be a way of grace through which God shows a need for repentance. This is how God makes suffering instructional. As we have seen many times the call on God for relief often comes after suffering has had an impact. (Isa. 14:3).
Third, In the Old Testament there are some words for suffering that are related with childbirth. In Hebrew expressions, the real meaning of pain is established by how a woman reacts during the pain of childbirth. Her writhing body and straining muscles provide us with an important theological picture which offers hope that the end of the pain will be the appearance into the world of new life.” In other words, it’s God’s intention that in some strange way our suffering will give birth to good. Suffering is included in the “all things that work for good” in Rom.8:28.
The prophet Isaiah anticipated the emergence of a “Suffering Servant” whose purpose for coming would involve suffering severe pain in doing God’s will. If suffering ever gave birth to good, it was so in the death of Jesus. As Isaiah said:
Isa 53:4 (NLT) Yet it was our weaknesses He carried; it was our sorrows that weighed Him down. And we thought His troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for His own sins!
5 But He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.
6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God's paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on Him the sins of us all.
Pain and suffering in the New Testament. With expansive meanings that are equivalent those of the Old Testament, the New Testament has a number of Greek words as well for pain and suffering.
However, the Greek word used most in New Testament references to suffering is pascho
What stands out most is that these words are always connected to the actions related to Jesus’ crucifixion. This means, we can learn a whole lot more about the nature of suffering by studying Jesus’ suffering, because He is the prime example of suffering.
Peter gives us numerous unique insights in his first epistle.
Suffering and sin. Without doubt, suffering and sin are linked in Scripture. As a result of the Fall, Adam and Eve, subjected all humanity to suffering. Sometimes suffering is punishment for our own actions. This means that suffering has a direct link to the sins we commit.
Suffering also has an indirect link to sin. The little girl shot in her home by a criminal suffered, because of someone else’s sin when she did nothing wrong. Many people suffer as innocent bystanders because of the sins of others. Regardless of who is at fault, sin in our world causes a lot of unfair suffering.
The ultimate example of unfair suffering is given by Peter (1 Pet.3:18). Note what says, Christ suffered “the righteous for [“on account of”] the unrighteous.” Jesus suffered on the cross for sins that did not belong to Him. At that time, it was the sins of the Jews which caused his pain and suffering. From an eternal perspective, however, Jesus’ pain and suffering was because of my sins and your sins. It was the sin of the entire human race that brought pain and suffering on Christ.
The Bible never implies that the pain and suffering we are subjected to will ever be fair. Since society itself has been deformed by sin from the shape that God intended, we, like Jesus will suffer repeatedly for the sins of others rather than our own sins.
Suffering and God. Although the Bible connects suffering with sin and views sin as the primary reason for suffering, it is the affirmation of Scripture that our Sovereign God still has a major involvement.
When as Christians we face unfair suffering, Peter says “set apart Christ as Lord” (1.Pet. 3:15). This means, make Him the Sovereign of our lives. All we do and say should be in His will, for His pleasure, and for His glory. The lordship of Christ should be dominant in every area of our lives—our possessions, our occupation, our library, our marriage, our spare time—nothing can be excluded.
It will be constant reminder that God is Sovereign, and He will not let anything to happen to us that is contrary to His will.
So, as we look at what Jesus endured, we understand that His pain and suffering was all according to “the definite plan and foreknowledge of God” (Acts 2:23).
Suffering and purpose. To reiterate, even though unfair, Jesus’ suffering shows He had a purpose. From beginning to end it was God’s intention to bring us to Him through Christ’s suffering and death (1 Pet. 3:18).
So, we are taught some vital truths by Jesus’ suffering.
• We learned that suffering can be caused both directly and indirectly by sin.
• We learned that whenever we suffer unfairly, not only is God’s Sovereignty at work, but He is also working throughout the experience, to carry out His own good purpose.
Suffering and the Christian. The New Testament is not silent on the issue of saints who suffer, but addresses it specifically.
1 Pet. 1:3-9 Peter states that our current suffering puts the realness of our faith on display and will bring us much glory when Jesus comes.
Rom. 5:3-4 Paul implies that suffering starts a chain reaction which is intended to make a deposit toward our internal conversion. “suffering produces endurance; endurance produces character, and character produces hope,
1 Pet.2:13-25 The counsel of Peter is, stand firm while suffering unfairly, and be aware of God by a commitment to live godly lives. Because He is pleased when He finds us so conscious of our relationship with Him that we are willing to endure undeserved pain without vindicating ourselves or fighting back (1 Pet. 2:19). In other words, we follow the example of Jesus and walk in His steps when we live godly lives under pressure.
Christian suffering is related to God’s plan to finish the mission of Jesus in our world, so Paul spoke of such suffering as fellowship in Christ.(Phil. 3:10).
A PRACTICAL THEOLOGY OF SUFFERING
Even though suffering in the human race will continue to be a mystery to a great extent, 1 Peter collectively brings many Old and New Testaments themes together to develop a practical theology of suffering linking God’s vision, purposes, and role in human suffering into a positive, redemptive outlook.
GENERAL IDEA
Even though submission and suffering is the focal point of Peter’s first letter, the book is still alive with optimism. Notice what we find in the opening chapter. Peter praised God
• for new birth – 1:3
• for a living hope – 1:3
• for an inheritance that can never perish – 1:4
• for shielding by God’s power. – 1:5
These great blessings give us joy, “even though you have to endure many trials for a little while.”(1 Pet. 1:6NLT).
Such trials are precious, because they are not intended to trip us up, but to make obvious the authenticity of our faith, so that when Jesus Christ comes He — and us — may receive praise, glory, and honor for our faithfulness.
For the here and now salvation does not promise an easy life. In place of an easy life, we can anticipate difficulties and trials (suffering). Especially since Jesus Himself was not exempt from suffering. We are summoned to travel life’s road in His steps.
While suffering is not admired, it is essential.
Not a single one of us are untouched by the pain related to the frailties of our humanity. So it’s vitally important for us to see suffering from God’s point of view so we can be strengthened in both our faith and our hope.
OBSERVATIONS
Hope prevails all through the letters of our New Testament. Because of our involvement in Christ, we have hope. Even suffering is altered when seen as the continuation of Jesus’ life on earth, as well as the life He continues to live through members of the body.
So Peter encourages us by saying, “Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in His suffering,” (1 Pet. 4:13NLT). Suffering is no reason for shame as Christians. Instead, it should to be viewed and accepted as God’s compassionate hand working in our lives to shape us and outfit us in wise discipline.
But it is also educational for us to remember as we think about our own suffering, what the writer Hebrews said about Jesus. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through the things he suffered. 5:9 And by being perfected in this way, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, (Heb. 5:8,9). For Jesus to be responsible as our sensitive High Priest, suffering was a necessity, not an option.
Even though as God, He was already perfect, He experienced human limitations by suffering in order to identify with us in becoming our High Priest.
In our day and time, the nature of weakness is very often misunderstood. More often than not, it is considered as sin or falling into temptation. In reality, our weakness is actually the reaction to life’s demands placed on us. The mistake we often make is deciding to give in to sin. Sin was not the choice Jesus made and should not be ours either. He had no fault at all, prompting Pilot to say"… I find in him no fault at all” John 18:38.
Jesus knew how it felt to be hungry and tired.
Jesus knew what the pain of rejection felt like.
Jesus knew how much ridicule could hurt.
Jesus knew what it felt like to be abandoned.
Jesus knew what the anger of hateful hearts felt like.
He knew it all because He suffered it all. And as a result of all the suffering, He experienced what being human was all about. His experiential learning, qualified Him in part to become our salvation. So, it’s very likely that we need suffering to perfect us in the same way. Because, to our High Priest, we are a royal and holy priesthood (1 Pet. 2:5, 1 Pet. 2:9).
Not only do we take part in Christ’s experiences, but we also take part in His ministry. Knowing what it really means to hurt enables us to express sympathy just like Him.
A vital consideration for us today is that our calling is not a pulling out from the world, but rather, a move forward to live the life of Jesus in the world. Rather than forget about the lost, Jesus raised them up to become sons because that was His ministry.
One of the positives that God orchestrates during our own suffering is to jog your memory about our fellowman. About the pains they are all too familiar with and the suffering they experience, with no source of joy at all. If we keep in mind who we really are, we might be stimulated to reach out just like Jesus reached out. If as Christians, instead of withdrawing from those who sin, we would reach out to them with a firm but loving grip and pull them to Jesus, we will show the world that His door is always wide open to all.
PAIN AND SUFFERING IN SCRIPTURE
In an unfriendly cosmos, suffering was considered to be the fate of man by ancient Stoic philosophers.
The issue of suffering has mystified the wisest minds throughout history, leaving many with more questions than answers. For those who have always been on the warpath with God, their arguments continue to intensify.
They argue that the reality of so much suffering in a world that was supposed to have been created by a good God shows that either there is no God or if there is a God, He is not good.
Yet, God’s powerful existence and matchless goodness is repeatedly confirmed and taught in Scripture. The pain and suffering of human beings in the framework of a personal universe is also frankly articulated in Scripture.
Pain and suffering in the Old Testament. There are many different words that communicate the thoughts of pain and suffering in the Hebrew language. Two of the more commonly used ones are:
*Ka’ab stresses pain. Although physical pain is involved, words resulting from ka’ab mostly refer to mental suffering related to being hurt.
*’Asab and words that come from it are translated as grief, sorrow, and wound. Both physical and mental pain are the issue here as well.
Instead of the painful experiences incurred, it is the affects of life’s tragedies on human beings which are the focus of attention in the Old Testament study of these words.
The feelings may be bearable if it were just a sickness, or a job loss, or an unfair lawsuit, but it’s the affects of such events inside us which really causes the actual suffering— it’s the worries, suspicions, doubts and fears as we face darkness instead of the bright outlook we anticipated.
We are reminded in the Book of Job that although there is sensitivity in Old Testament to human suffering, no easy answers are presented. Satan was allowed by God Himself to attack Job who was a really decent and godly man. But in spite of severely intense suffering, Job’s faith in God remained intact. Job was doing fine until an attempt was made to explain why he was suffering by his three friends. Job was then propelled into a vigorous effort to give an explanation for his ordeal.
The image which Job and his friends had of God was that of a righteous Judge. As a result, the conclusion of Job’s friends was that Job’s suffering had to be God’s punishment for sin in his life. They challenged him to confess.
Job refused to confess because he knew he had not sinned. But because he could not explain his dilemma along with feeling overwhelmed by what appeared to be unfaithfulness by the God he believed in, Job set out to dispute his friend’s views of about how God works in His dealings humanity.
Suffering Job was brought to the brink of depression by his finger pointing friends and his failure to explain why he was suffering so much.
All of a sudden, Job finds himself in a world, he no longer understood, disrobed of hope and afraid.
Perhaps we can identify with Job as we reflect on how we feel during our own periods of extreme private suffering.
Finally, God stepped in, re-established Job and set his friends straight, but gave no explanation to anyone. Not even Job, the sufferer got any answers. Faith in God was all he was left with because God’s reasons and plans can never be fully known to human beings.
The Old Testament, however, does reveal some interesting insights about suffering.
First, the reasons for the suffering of this good man, Job are often concealed. The lesson for us is, like Job, we must just trust God to bring about good in the end, as He did in re-establishing and blessing Job.
Second, the fact that God “does not leave the guilty unpunished, (Num. 14:18)” shows that Job’s friends were correct that sometimes suffering is related to sin. However, it can also be a way of grace through which God shows a need for repentance. This is how God makes suffering instructional. As we have seen many times the call on God for relief often comes after suffering has had an impact. (Isa. 14:3).
Third, In the Old Testament there are some words for suffering that are related with childbirth. In Hebrew expressions, the real meaning of pain is established by how a woman reacts during the pain of childbirth. Her writhing body and straining muscles provide us with an important theological picture which offers hope that the end of the pain will be the appearance into the world of new life.” In other words, it’s God’s intention that in some strange way our suffering will give birth to good. Suffering is included in the “all things that work for good” in Rom.8:28.
The prophet Isaiah anticipated the emergence of a “Suffering Servant” whose purpose for coming would involve suffering severe pain in doing God’s will. If suffering ever gave birth to good, it was so in the death of Jesus. As Isaiah said:
Isa 53:4 (NLT) Yet it was our weaknesses He carried; it was our sorrows that weighed Him down. And we thought His troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for His own sins!
5 But He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.
6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God's paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on Him the sins of us all.
Pain and suffering in the New Testament. With expansive meanings that are equivalent those of the Old Testament, the New Testament has a number of Greek words as well for pain and suffering.
However, the Greek word used most in New Testament references to suffering is pascho
What stands out most is that these words are always connected to the actions related to Jesus’ crucifixion. This means, we can learn a whole lot more about the nature of suffering by studying Jesus’ suffering, because He is the prime example of suffering.
Peter gives us numerous unique insights in his first epistle.
Suffering and sin. Without doubt, suffering and sin are linked in Scripture. As a result of the Fall, Adam and Eve, subjected all humanity to suffering. Sometimes suffering is punishment for our own actions. This means that suffering has a direct link to the sins we commit.
Suffering also has an indirect link to sin. The little girl shot in her home by a criminal suffered, because of someone else’s sin when she did nothing wrong. Many people suffer as innocent bystanders because of the sins of others. Regardless of who is at fault, sin in our world causes a lot of unfair suffering.
The ultimate example of unfair suffering is given by Peter (1 Pet.3:18). Note what says, Christ suffered “the righteous for [“on account of”] the unrighteous.” Jesus suffered on the cross for sins that did not belong to Him. At that time, it was the sins of the Jews which caused his pain and suffering. From an eternal perspective, however, Jesus’ pain and suffering was because of my sins and your sins. It was the sin of the entire human race that brought pain and suffering on Christ.
The Bible never implies that the pain and suffering we are subjected to will ever be fair. Since society itself has been deformed by sin from the shape that God intended, we, like Jesus will suffer repeatedly for the sins of others rather than our own sins.
Suffering and God. Although the Bible connects suffering with sin and views sin as the primary reason for suffering, it is the affirmation of Scripture that our Sovereign God still has a major involvement.
When as Christians we face unfair suffering, Peter says “set apart Christ as Lord” (1.Pet. 3:15). This means, make Him the Sovereign of our lives. All we do and say should be in His will, for His pleasure, and for His glory. The lordship of Christ should be dominant in every area of our lives—our possessions, our occupation, our library, our marriage, our spare time—nothing can be excluded.
It will be constant reminder that God is Sovereign, and He will not let anything to happen to us that is contrary to His will.
So, as we look at what Jesus endured, we understand that His pain and suffering was all according to “the definite plan and foreknowledge of God” (Acts 2:23).
Suffering and purpose. To reiterate, even though unfair, Jesus’ suffering shows He had a purpose. From beginning to end it was God’s intention to bring us to Him through Christ’s suffering and death (1 Pet. 3:18).
So, we are taught some vital truths by Jesus’ suffering.
• We learned that suffering can be caused both directly and indirectly by sin.
• We learned that whenever we suffer unfairly, not only is God’s Sovereignty at work, but He is also working throughout the experience, to carry out His own good purpose.
Suffering and the Christian. The New Testament is not silent on the issue of saints who suffer, but addresses it specifically.
1 Pet. 1:3-9 Peter states that our current suffering puts the realness of our faith on display and will bring us much glory when Jesus comes.
Rom. 5:3-4 Paul implies that suffering starts a chain reaction which is intended to make a deposit toward our internal conversion. “suffering produces endurance; endurance produces character, and character produces hope,
1 Pet.2:13-25 The counsel of Peter is, stand firm while suffering unfairly, and be aware of God by a commitment to live godly lives. Because He is pleased when He finds us so conscious of our relationship with Him that we are willing to endure undeserved pain without vindicating ourselves or fighting back (1 Pet. 2:19). In other words, we follow the example of Jesus and walk in His steps when we live godly lives under pressure.
Christian suffering is related to God’s plan to finish the mission of Jesus in our world, so Paul spoke of such suffering as fellowship in Christ.(Phil. 3:10).
A PRACTICAL THEOLOGY OF SUFFERING
Even though suffering in the human race will continue to be a mystery to a great extent, 1 Peter collectively brings many Old and New Testaments themes together to develop a practical theology of suffering linking God’s vision, purposes, and role in human suffering into a positive, redemptive outlook.
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2Ti 2:15
Glorifying the Triune God by creatively declaring the relevancy and practicality of His timeless Word..
Bible Studies
CBC- Truth For Living Class
Mar. 21 & 28, 2010 Lesson
Mar. 21 & 28, 2010 Lesson