Showing Life Through Suffering

We easily misunderstand the role that suffering plays in our lives as Christians. In some cases, suffering occurs as judgment and discipline from the Lord due to our persistently disobedient behavior (1 Cor 11:27-32). Even so, we must be aware that not all suffering happens for this reason. In some cases, suffering occurs as a precious opportunity to demonstrate the power of the gospel, which is the truth about Jesus Christ. Paul explained this for us against the backdrop of the suffering he endured in his life and ministry (2 Cor 4:10-12).

Christian suffering may occur repeatedly.

Paul described Christian suffering as a recurring experience, not a one-time trial. The first word always refers to an ongoing pattern or a series of recurring experiences (2 Cor 4:10). The second word always is a different but complementary word that conveys a continuous or constant experience with no end in sight (2 Cor 4:11). Additionally, the word carrying about describes hauling luggage from one place to another - to another. By choosing these words, Paul portrayed his sufferings as a regular feature of his life. He affirmed them as an experience which he did not envision as going away any time soon.

Christian suffering occurs as a result of God's purposes.

The word delivered means to be "handed over" (2 Cor 4:11).  In other places, Paul used this same word to describe how Jesus was "handed over" to be crucified (1 Cor 11:23; Rom 4:25; 8:32; Gal 2:20). John also uses this word in a similar way, when he recorded Jesus saying to Pilate, “You could have no power at all against me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered me to you has the greater sin” (John 19:11).Though physical circumstances and other people who were antagonistic against Jesus brought about his suffering and death, he pointed out that his troublesome experiences happened according to the good and sovereign purposes of God the Father. Paul embraced this same perspective and likewise affirmed that God's purpose lay behind his suffering - not one, not twice, but many times. As we accept our sufferings in an active way (v. 10), we find that we are receiving these sufferings in a passive way, according to the purposes of God.

Christian suffering affects your physical body.

Paul claimed that the suffering he endured adversely affected his physical body. He used a word for body in v. 10, switching over to a different word for flesh in v. 11. This description refers to the physical, mortal aspects of his nature which have not yet been delivered from the impulses of sin and the vestiges of death. As believers, we should be good stewards of our body, doing what we can to maintain our physical health. In doing so, however, we should be sure that we do not value our physical health more than we value our growth Christlike character and our ability to influence others to the glory of Christ. Paul maintained this mature mindset.

Christian suffering provides a platform for revealing the gospel.

To Paul, Christian ministry consisted of more than speaking a message. It entailed living out that message in a firsthand way. Consequently, he did not speak about the sufferings of Christ merely as a distant and dramatic occurrence in history; he spoke about them from the perspective of one who shared in those sufferings in a similar, personal way. By viewing his suffering as a shared experience with Christ, he recognized that his suffering provided a premier opportunity for the life of Jesus Christ to be revealed through him.

To Paul, Christian ministry consisted of more than speaking a message. It entailed living out that message in a firsthand way.

He uses the word manifested twice, once referring to the suffering of his body (2 Cor 4:10) and once referring to the suffering of his flesh (2 Cor 4:11). This word manifest means to "display" something and to "cause other people to see it." Knowing this, we learn that Paul viewed his suffering and his ongoing struggle with the tentacles of death to be a visible point of reference against which he could also show people the power of Christ's life. As he suffered regularly, he learned to experience the renewing life of Christ on a regular basis as well, for his suffering required this continual, deliberate reliance upon Christ.

Christian suffering benefits the people who surround you.

Paul had learned the lesson which Christ had taught and practiced for the benefit of us all. "Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life" (John 12:24-25). He learned that by embracing his experiences of suffering he would become a source of life for others who observed his response to that suffering. That is why he could say that when "death was working in him," then "life was working in the believers in the church at Corinth" (2 Cor 4:12).

He learned that by embracing his experiences of suffering he would become a source of life for others who observed his response to that suffering.

Suffering breaks up the hard, encrusted outer shell of a self-centered lifestyle and allows the life of Christ to shine out more and more. So then, just as self-inflicted suffering is a handicap to avoid, a self-preserving lifestyle also hinders effective ministry. Peter affirmed this when he said, "It is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil" (1 Pet 3:17).In God's providence, Paul indeed suffered many things for Christ. These sufferings included: beatings, stonings, riots directed at him, imprisonments, heavy labor, shipwrecks, brutal robberies, sleepless nights, exposure, thirst, and hunger (2 Cor 6:4-10; 11:23-27). Through all these excruciating difficulties, Paul had learned to rely on the renewing life of Christ for all to see.

Through all these excruciating difficulties, Paul had learned to rely on the renewing life of Christ for all to see.

While his critics claimed that these sufferings discredited him as a teacher and apostle, Paul believed that they strengthened his message instead. His response to suffering helped people to see the life of Christ in a more splendid and vivid way than a life of ease and popularity could ever do. The more that people listened to his message and witnessed the way that he carried himself through suffering, the more the life of Christ was able to influence the people around him through his sufferings.If you will learn to appreciate your suffering and to rely on Christ as Paul exemplified, then you will also become a bright, resplendent beacon for the life of Christ to shine to those around you. But when you run from the suffering that God in providence allows into your life, then you hide the life of Christ from public view.