Suffering

	"Why?"  It's a question which is asked for a variety of reasons.  Sometimes the question is simply the result of idle curiosity.  Sometimes it is a cry for a deep response. It is perhaps most searching, though, when it follows an incident which is seen as a great tragedy.
	"Why do we have this suffering?" some might ask.
	"If God is a God of love and mercy," the skeptic might query, "why does He allow suffering?"  Some might even attack God for sending such suffering.
	There can be little doubt that some of these questions are natural.  But do they always reflect an accurate view of biblical teaching about suffering?  What does the Bible have to say about suffering?
	The first thing that we need to do is establish an understanding of certain words.  Since experiences such as suffering are generally seen in terms of "good" or "bad," we should start by deciding what these concepts mean.
	Our world considers certain things to be good.  Health is good.  Money is good.  Beauty is good.  Possessions are good.
	Our society considers certain things to be bad.  Sickness is bad. Poverty is bad.  A lack of beauty is bad.  A lack of possessions is bad.
	Is the world right? The things which society classifies as "good" are closely tied with egotism, vanity, greed and selfishness.  Are we willing, then, to accept the world's definitions?
	"Teacher," a man interrupts in Luke 12:13, "tell my brother to divide the {family} inheritance with me."
	"'Man,'" Jesus responds in the following verses, "who appointed Me a judge or arbiter over you?'"  And He said to them, 'Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not {even} when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.'" 
	"'No servant can serve two masters,'" we read in Luke 16:13-15, "'for either he will hate the one, and love the other, or else he will hold to one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.'  Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things, and they were scoffing at Him.  And He said to them, 'You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God.'"
	We need better definitions of "good" and "bad" than those furnished by the world.  Ultimately, something is "good" if it draws us closer to God.  Something is bad if it pushes us farther away from God.
	A person has a satisfying, high-paying job.  This job also prevents him from devoting time to worshiping and serving God.  Is this job good or bad?  A person enjoys good health.  She spends all of her spare time on recreation.   Is this health good or bad?  Another person does not enjoy good health.  She devotes her time to studying the Bible and helping others.  Is this lack of health good or bad?
	Even pain can be good.  Pain is sometimes a warning which motivates us to take remedial action.  Pain can signal healing.  Pain is possible only for the living.
	We should abandon the idea, then, that an experience or a situation is automatically "good" or "bad."  It's value depends on what we do with it.  What some might define as "suffering" might better be termed "a positive learning experience."
	We have to admit, though, that there is such a thing as suffering.  Suffering exists.  Or does it?  There are some who deny that suffering exists.  They claim that it is an illusion. Of course, this belief is totally foreign to human experience, not to mention that it is totally foreign to biblical teaching. Suffering and pain are common occurrences in the Bible, and they are never treated as illusions.  Genesis 3:16 promises great pain in childbirth.  We wouldn't have any difficulty finding witnesses to testify to the reality of this experience.
	Yes, suffering does exist.  So some ask questions such as: "Why does God cause suffering?", "Why does God allow suffering?" and "Why doesn't God do something about suffering?"  

	Why does God cause suffering?  In fact, God does not cause the experiences that people usually have in mind when they ask this question.  By the way, this is not a new question.  It is at least as old as Job.  Satan obtains permission to cause Job to suffer.  The reaction of his friends and family is that he must have committed some great sin.  As the book of Job reveals, this is not the case at all.
	This idea was prevalent during the time of Jesus, even among his apostles.
	"Now on the same occasion there were some present who reported to Him about the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices," Luke 13:1-5 records.  "And He answered and said to them, 'Do you suppose that these Galileans were {greater} sinners than all {other} Galileans, because they suffered this {fate?}  I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.  Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, were {worse} culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem?  I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.'"
	"And as He passed by," we find in John 9:1-3, "He saw a man blind from birth.  And His disciples asked Him, saying, 'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he should be born blind?'  Jesus answered, '{It was} neither {that} this man sinned, nor his parents; but {it was} in order that the works of God might be displayed in him.'"
	"He causes His sun to rise on {the} evil and {the} good," Jesus says of God in Matthew 5:45, "and sends rain on {the} righteous and {the} unrighteous."
	The mistaken idea is that suffering is the result of an individual's sin.  This simply is not true.  We suffer physically because we live in an imperfect world inhabited by sin.  Why doesn't God do something about it?  Actually, the world as God created it was free from suffering.  Man opened the door to suffering through sin.  God purified the world through a great flood, but man soon invited sin to return.  Instead of asking why God causes suffering, maybe we should be asking why Satan causes it.  God is powerful, though.  Even if He does not cause suffering, why does he not put a stop to it once and for all?
	Before taking at look at this question, we should make a couple of observations.  First of all, it is not God's job to eliminate evil and suffering here on earth.  Let's repeat that.  It is not God's job to eliminate evil and suffering here on earth.  Our physical existance is so temperary.  In the grand sceme of things, it doesn't matter much whether we live 20 years or 100 years.  What matters is what we do with the time that we do have.  Eternity is forever.  God has gone to the extreme of sending His Son to die on the cross to give us an opportunity to spend eternity with no suffering and no sorrow.  
	We must also caution against joining with those who put God into a lose-lose situation.  If God does not allow absolute free choice, then He is accused of being a tyrant and a dictator.  He is just a puppetmaster toying with people's lives and souls.  If, on the other hand, God allows us to make our own choices, choices which may cause suffering for us as well as for others, then He is blamed for every bad thing that happens.
	Having said this, we can get back to our question.  Why does God not put a stop to suffering once and for all?
	Perhaps the answer is related to what we said at the beginning about "good" and "bad."  Perhaps suffering teaches all of us that this world is not our home.  This is not a perfect place; it never has been and it never will be.
	And perhaps suffering can have certain positive results. What can suffering do for a Christian?
	"Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness," Jesus promises in Matthew 5:10-12, "for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are you when {men} cast insults at you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of Me.  Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
	Jesus says that it is a blessing to suffer for righteousness.
	"Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh," 1 Peter 4:1-2 urges, "arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God."
	The Christian suffers in combating sin.
	"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," this passage adds in verses 12-19, "but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing; so that also at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation.  If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.  By no means let any of you suffer as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; but if {anyone suffers} as a Christian, let him not feel ashamed, but in that name let him glorify God.  For {it is} time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if {it begins} with us first, what {will be} the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?  And if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless man and the sinner?  Therefore, let those also who suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right. 
	Through suffering, a Christian entrusts his soul to God.
	"And not only this," Paul notes in Romans 5:3-4, "but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope."
	Suffering helps a Christian to mature.
	"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials," we learn from James 1:2-4, "knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  And let endurance have {its} perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."
	Suffering leads to faith and endurance.
	Suffering can have a beneficial effect on a Christian.  What about a sinner?  We have read from Luke chapter 13 that certain people have not been killed because they are greater sinners.  But there is a warning that those who refuse to repent will likewise perish spiritually.  Suffering might motivate a sinner to repent.
	We have seen from John chapter nine that the man is not blind because of his sins or the sins of his parents.  But his situation can be used to display the works of God.
	"It is good for me that I was afflicted," David claims in Psalm 119:71, "that I may learn Thy statutes."
	We should not be indifferent to suffering.  Jesus wept when Lazarus died.  But we should be willing to look at the bigger picture.  The Christian should grow.  And the sinner should open his eyes to the truth so that he may be set free.

Unless otherwise noted, "Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE(R), (C) Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977. Used by permission."