The Doctrine of Suffering

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Lesson #15

• The Doctrine of Suffering
  • The theme of suffering is embedded in the entire Bible from the beginning of the Old Testament to the end of the New Testament.
  • Because of this pervasive theme, a suffering mankind can find comfort and understanding in the pages of scripture.
    • While man frequently asks, “Why me?” the Biblical answer is clear, “Why not you, because all suffer at some time or another in life.”
    • Suffering is a part of life on this planet.
  • The Bible speaks about physical suffering, emotional suffering, and spiritual suffering.
  • From where does suffering come?
    • There are three Biblical answers to this question:
    • =1= Suffering is the consequences of Adam’s sin. Therefore, all humans are innocent victims of suffering simply because we are all born into a cursed world.
      • Read Gen 3:14
      • Read Gen 3:17
        • All creation is cursed by this original sin.
        • All creation groans to be set free from this life of suffering and pain.
        • Read Rom 8:22
      • The Old Testament prophets promised Israel that one day there will come a deliverance from this curse of suffering.
        • Read Isa 11:6-9
        • Read Isa 65:17
        • When will this occur?

This will be the condition of the earth during the millennial reign of Jesus Christ for 1000 years.

This will be the condition of a new eternity when God creates a new heaven and a new earth where only believers in Jesus Christ will dwell.

The curse that Christ bore for us on the cross will be lifted from all of creation.

Read Gal 3:13

Read Rev 22:3

Read 2Pet 3:13

• • • • The suffering of death, both physical death and spiritual death, came upon all mankind because of Adam’s original sin.
        • Physical death is the process of aging that occurs at birth and terminates in physical death.
        • Spiritual death is the spiritual condition of separation between man and God because of sin.

For the non-believer this suffering will be eternal in the lake of fire.

Read Rev 20:15

The non-believer will spend eternity in the lake of fire with Satan, the fallen angels, the antichrist, and the false prophet. (Rev 19:20 Rev 20:10)

For believers in Jesus Christ, spiritual death is removed at that point in time when a person surrenders his heart and life to Jesus Christ

Read Joh 3:15

The new believer is clothed with the righteousness of Christ.

For the believer in Jesus Christ, the suffering of physical death is removed when the rapture of the church occurs. Therefore, not all believers will physically die.

The believer receives an incorruptible body in which to spend eternity.

Read 1Cor 15:52-54

• • • =2= Suffering is the consequence of personal sin individually or collectively. Therefore, all humans compound the suffering that comes into their lives by the personal choices they make.
      • Man reaps what he sows, whether good or bad.
        • Read Gal 6:7-8
        • This principle of retribution is throughout the Bible.
      • Suffering comes to a nation or a group because of the collective sins of the group.
        • This was the case with Israel when God permitted Israel’s defeat at the hands of Babylon. All people in Israel were taken into the Babylonian captivity because of idolatry.
        • Therefore, sometimes suffering is God’s judgment on a nation for the choices that nation made.

Read Lam 2:17-18

Nations that deny God or turn their back on God will be judged by God, even Israel.

Mat 12:38-45

• • • • Suffering can come upon a nation because of the sin of one man.
        • Achan is the example.
        • Israel lost the battle at Ai because Achan robbed what belonged to God. (Jos 7)
      • Sometimes suffering comes on a person’s descendants because of individual sin or family sins passed from one generation to the next.
        • Read Exo 34:7
        • Generational sins are a curse upon a family that can be broken by the blood of Christ.

Examples of generational sins:

Witchcraft, sexual perversion or abuse, and alcoholism.

• • • • Suffering comes on an individual because of the consequences of personal sin.
        • Example:
        • A promiscuous lifestyle can lead to sexually transmitted diseases.
    • =3= Suffering comes by means of Satan and his demon powers when combined with the consequences of the original sin and the consequences of personal sin.
      • Suffering comes to the righteous simply because the believer identifies himself with Christ.
        • Satan is the adversary of Christ and of believers.
        • Satan attempts to defeat believers by placing on them sickness and suffering of all types.

Read Job 1:6-12

• • • • Satan is the deceiver of the non-believer that attempts to persuade him against Christ.
        • Read Mat 24:4-5
        • Read Rom 7:11
  • Why do the righteous suffer?
    • Because the life of the believer is guarded and protected by God to permit only what is the will of God into his life, the question always arises, “Why does God permit the righteous to suffer?”
      • The Bible tells us that there is a remedial benefit to suffering.
        • Read Pro 3:11-12
        • Read Heb 12:3-13
        • Read Dan 11:35

To permit suffering through the consequences of sin, demonstrates the heavenly Father’s love for His wayward children.

To permit suffering is God’s means of testing a believer’s faith.

To permit suffering, God produces order and peace in the believer.

To permit suffering, God produces righteousness or holiness in the believer.

Read Jam 1:2-4

Read Phil 3:8-10

God humbles the believer through suffering so that He can mold and change the character of the believer into what God desires.

Therefore, suffering gets rid of rebelliousness in the believer.

Suffering drives the believer to his knees so as to further trust God through all trials.

Read 2Cor 1:8-10

• • • • The Bible tells us that because Jesus suffered for our benefit, believers who proclaim the gospel will suffer persecution for the Lord, especially in the last days.
        • Read Mat 10:19-23
        • Read Rom 8:16-18
    • Conclusion:
      • God permits the righteous to suffer to fulfill His will in the life of the believer.
      • God permits the righteous to suffer to complete his plan for the extension of the Kingdom.
  • The model of suffering is Jesus Christ, the Suffering Servant
    • Jesus Christ experienced the greatest suffering in human history.
    • His suffering benefited all mankind by purchasing our salvation and forgiveness of sin.
    • Read Act 8:32-33
    • Read 1Pet 2:21-25
      • His death is vicarious (in place of sinful man).
      • His death is the atonement for sin.
    • His suffering demonstrates to us the proper attitude that the believer should have under suffering:
      • An attitude of humility.
      • An attitude of trust in God’s wisdom.
      • A teachable attitude to learn what it is that God is specifically teaching through the trial.
      • At attitude of peace without vengeance.
      • An eternal perspective knowing that this suffering is only temporary.
      • Reliance upon the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, that walks with the believer through trials.
  • Conclusion:
    • While much of human suffering can be explained by the nature of this fallen world (Answer #1 above), the consequences of human sin (Answer #2 above), or the interaction of Satan that uses whatever means he can (Answer #3 above), there is still some suffering that defies reason and that the believer may not understand until he is with the Lord face to face.
    • For these cases that defy reasoning and Biblical answers, the believer is to simply trust the wisdom and goodness of God.