We may consider suffering to be anything and everything that brings us pain, but the Bible differentiates between three types of human suffering and misery: what we might call negative, neutral, and Christian suffering. In this article we will look at each of these types of suffering and what they can teach us.
1. Negative suffering – that which we bring on ourselves through sin, or foolishness. The apostle Peter talks about this kind of self-inflicted suffering in his first epistle: “If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler” (1 Peter 4:15). The causes of suffering Peter mentions are clearly a result of our own wrongful behavior – whether it is physical as in the case of alcohol or drug abuse, or spiritual through breaking the principles of God’s moral laws. It was this type of suffering that Job’s friends famously presumed that Job had brought on himself. (Job 4:7-8; etc.) Where suffering is self- caused, the Bible indicates the only benefit is that it may possibly help us or others to see the error of sin or foolishness and to avoid further or worse errors and unhappiness.
2. Neutral suffering – this is suffering that comes on us through no real fault of our own – it may be simply the result of chance – as when we happen to catch a cold or fall and injure ourselves, for instance. Jesus himself pointed out that such suffering is not necessarily a sign of our wrongdoing and God’s judgment (Luke 13:4). In most cases like these, and especially in the case of genetic health issues, it is clear that this kind of suffering is beyond the individual’s control. This was the situation when the disciples asked Jesus who was at fault, the man born blind or his parents. Jesus replied, of course, that neither had sinned, but that the suffering was allowed to happen for God’s purposes. In the case of that blind man, God used the individual’s suffering to eventually bring grace to him and to others. In our own situations, the suffering God sometimes allows to come on us can teach us – and others – compassion and the need to help those who need help. Paul speaks of God using this type of suffering when he wrote “the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God” (2 Corinthians 1:4). Nothing else teaches us as clearly as pain, and our suffering, if we let it, can teach us – and others – lessons we often could not learn any other way.
3. Christian Suffering. This may be less frequent, but it is the most important kind of suffering. After he warns against negative, self-caused suffering in his epistle, Peter then continues: “However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed … those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good” (1 Peter 4:15-19). The vital thing to see here is that this is suffering that comes about so that we may do good. As the ESV translates this same verse: “Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.” Just as Christ himself suffered so that others may be saved and helped, Christian suffering is not just a result of persecution, but is also suffering we may experience simply as a result of doing good – fulfilling an opportunity God gives us to help others despite the personal discomfort or difficulty involved for us.
That is what the apostle Paul meant when he wrote to the Colossians: “I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church” (Colossians 1:24). Many have debated what Paul meant by “filling up Christ’s afflictions,” but the apostle did not imply that Christ somehow did not suffer enough – he simply meant that the need for suffering to help others – in this case, “for the sake of … the church” – is ongoing, and that we also suffer to serve just as Christ did.
Elsewhere in his letters, Paul speaks of this kind of Christian suffering as “participating in Christ’s sufferings” (Philippians 3:10; etc.), and, as he continued in his epistle to the Corinthians: “just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation” (2 Corinthians 1:5).
Christian suffering of this kind it is not caused by our own fault, or by chance, but by our willingness to voluntarily take up Christ’s cross and suffer in the way he suffered for the sake of others. But this suffering carries the reward of seeing others being helped and served, and knowing that in such suffering we participate in the life of Christ himself.
*See also our article “Why Does God Allow Suffering?” here.
1. Negative suffering – that which we bring on ourselves through sin, or foolishness. The apostle Peter talks about this kind of self-inflicted suffering in his first epistle: “If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler” (1 Peter 4:15). The causes of suffering Peter mentions are clearly a result of our own wrongful behavior – whether it is physical as in the case of alcohol or drug abuse, or spiritual through breaking the principles of God’s moral laws. It was this type of suffering that Job’s friends famously presumed that Job had brought on himself. (Job 4:7-8; etc.) Where suffering is self- caused, the Bible indicates the only benefit is that it may possibly help us or others to see the error of sin or foolishness and to avoid further or worse errors and unhappiness.
2. Neutral suffering – this is suffering that comes on us through no real fault of our own – it may be simply the result of chance – as when we happen to catch a cold or fall and injure ourselves, for instance. Jesus himself pointed out that such suffering is not necessarily a sign of our wrongdoing and God’s judgment (Luke 13:4). In most cases like these, and especially in the case of genetic health issues, it is clear that this kind of suffering is beyond the individual’s control. This was the situation when the disciples asked Jesus who was at fault, the man born blind or his parents. Jesus replied, of course, that neither had sinned, but that the suffering was allowed to happen for God’s purposes. In the case of that blind man, God used the individual’s suffering to eventually bring grace to him and to others. In our own situations, the suffering God sometimes allows to come on us can teach us – and others – compassion and the need to help those who need help. Paul speaks of God using this type of suffering when he wrote “the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God” (2 Corinthians 1:4). Nothing else teaches us as clearly as pain, and our suffering, if we let it, can teach us – and others – lessons we often could not learn any other way.
3. Christian Suffering. This may be less frequent, but it is the most important kind of suffering. After he warns against negative, self-caused suffering in his epistle, Peter then continues: “However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed … those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good” (1 Peter 4:15-19). The vital thing to see here is that this is suffering that comes about so that we may do good. As the ESV translates this same verse: “Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.” Just as Christ himself suffered so that others may be saved and helped, Christian suffering is not just a result of persecution, but is also suffering we may experience simply as a result of doing good – fulfilling an opportunity God gives us to help others despite the personal discomfort or difficulty involved for us.
That is what the apostle Paul meant when he wrote to the Colossians: “I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church” (Colossians 1:24). Many have debated what Paul meant by “filling up Christ’s afflictions,” but the apostle did not imply that Christ somehow did not suffer enough – he simply meant that the need for suffering to help others – in this case, “for the sake of … the church” – is ongoing, and that we also suffer to serve just as Christ did.
Elsewhere in his letters, Paul speaks of this kind of Christian suffering as “participating in Christ’s sufferings” (Philippians 3:10; etc.), and, as he continued in his epistle to the Corinthians: “just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation” (2 Corinthians 1:5).
Christian suffering of this kind it is not caused by our own fault, or by chance, but by our willingness to voluntarily take up Christ’s cross and suffer in the way he suffered for the sake of others. But this suffering carries the reward of seeing others being helped and served, and knowing that in such suffering we participate in the life of Christ himself.
*See also our article “Why Does God Allow Suffering?” here.
RSS Feed
