Why Christians Suffer

Christians suffer because they are in the world, but not of it. The wicked suffer because they are under a curse along with the rest of creation. There is a big difference between Christian suffering and the general suffering in this present age.

"…and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies." Romans 8:23.

There are those who flatter themselves they have the Spirit because they groan a lot. But they are excluded by a following verse: "...all things work together for good to those who love God..." (v. 28). So, we must do more than whine and complain in order to understand what it means to groan in the Spirit. We must love God. Those who do not love God groan a lot, but their groaning proceeds from the flesh only. They realize only the curse of this present world taking its toll on them. Yes, even real Christians are subjected to the curse of the perishing body, but not the same as those who are perishing eternally. We are subjected in hope, the hope of a new body and a better resurrection. We have the promise of the Spirit, called in this passage "the first fruits of the Spirit."

Yes, we feel the bondage and corruption around us and feel the body decay, but we know we have been released from the curse permanently. We must understand that the feeling we have is not like the feeling that the wicked have. We all, both the wicked and the righteous, partake of the flesh only temporarily. Although our flesh complains in accordance with its weakness and futility, it is not of this that the passage speaks; it is the inward spiritual groaning of which the wicked know nothing.

In context, the verse states that we do more than suffer along with creation in general, but individually and inwardly. The present creation is under bondage of death. Only the delusional think otherwise. But because of mental blindness, most do not see that the curse is temporary and not the way things will be. They think to themselves, Let us make the best of a bad thing. Let us eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die. So they give in to the present course of the world and they are overcome in the end. Yes, they do a lot of groaning, mainly because their wicked ways catch up to them, but their groaning has nothing to do with longing for release into the glorious light of God. They love this present world and want to stay as far away as possible from the light that exposes their wickedness, fearing they will have to repent.

Those of us who have come into the light have the promised Spirit. In this we groan inwardly because we feel the curse hanging over the rest of the creation. We see that the whole creation is subjected to the bondage that frustrates the freedom we have in Christ. But we wait patiently, along with the rest of creation, for our revelation as the sons of light. Even though we have been released from bondage by promise and by faith, we still feel the corruption through our present bodies. We have to live in a world cursed by death and wicked men who are opposed to the gospel of Jesus Christ. We wait with great anticipation and with longsuffering the change that is coming for the sons of adoption. We cannot see the change in our present bodies, but we hope for it. In this hope we are saved. So with great anticipation and great patience we wait for the inheritance.

This causes in the righteous a groaning not felt by the wicked. The wicked only groan when their lusts have not been satisfied. They groan when they do not feel well and cannot act wickedly. They groan when sin catches up to them. They groan and complain all day long. They taste the first things of Hell. They groan when righteousness is done by the righteous. The righteous ones of God, on the other hand, experience a groaning not just because their flesh is not satisfied or comfortable. No, they experience their most intense groaning because they are surrounded with lack of faith that results in great wickedness. This coupled with their own weakness in the flesh, causes great crying out to God. God hears these prayers and will avenge his elect, so Jesus says.

God will avenge his elect because they have been sighing and groaning over the wickedness around them. We have Scripture for this. Ezekiel Chapter 9 pretty well paints the picture. The city of Jerusalem has its religious bearing. It has its priests and prophets. It goes about its business and pays lip service to God. Everyone is smug in his or her belief system. However, God finds fault with them. He orders them to all be executed. Angels do the executing. Only those marked in the foreheads with a certain seal escape the judgment. Everyone gets slaughtered except for these. The judgment begins at the sanctuary (see 1 Peter 4:17 in context). The mark is placed "on the foreheads of those who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are being committed in its [Jerusalem’s] midst." We, the true Christians, are sealed with the Holy Spirit.

Dear Christian, do you weep and mourn over the sins of your fellow churchmen in this covetous country? They have and they must have more. This was the sin of Sodom (Ezekiel 16:49). This was the sin of Jerusalem. She became hard-hearted because of her luxuries and her ease. Her very priests thought they could get away with murder because they figured God could be fooled with outward appearances. But, as in Ezekiel 8:12, the Lord sees what the elders do behind closed doors, each with his idolatrous pictures.

Maybe you don’t even care anymore. You used to be tender-hearted when you first came to the Lord, but now you are flippant. You can fool the best. But you don’t groan and weep over the wickedness in your church. You just join in with the fun. If you didn’t, they might think you’re a legalist, the definition of which they have no idea. Do you even care? Are you focused on your own works trip, you know, the one that proves how loving and kind you are? Are you so luxuriantly appointed with a good job, nice car, beautiful home, prestigious position in church and chamber of commerce that you cannot see what’s going on around you? Maybe it’s you who cause the pain of the true Christians around you. How many wives have you taken? Or is the woman with whom you are now "sharing Christ" not your wife? Why have you hardened your heart against God and against His Son?

Only too often, we begin our journey to apostasy down the easy road of denial. We think that because what we do is not seen of men, that it is somehow O.K. with God. We put up a very good front and worship on the worship team, we take care of the kids in the nursery, we go on all the camping trips and retreats. But behind closed doors, in the dark, where only God sees, we practice abominations. The real Lord has departed from our conscience and we are quite comfortable with our sin.

You have been assured by others, and you assure yourself, that you have the Spirit of God. You’ve said the sinner’s prayer, you’ve spoken in tongues, you’ve even cast out demons and prophesied. But you have not repented. You feel that somehow God is obligated to keep His end of the deal seeing as you have made a lot of religious efforts. Your heart is as hard and smooth as a river rock. You live in your independent little world with your possessions and make all the right moves to gain more, maintaining a careful outward appearance so your heart is not affected by the gospel.

Dear soul, when you cry, is it because you feel sorry for yourself? Yes, we all have those times when we are so pressed out of measure that we despair even of life (2 Cor. 1:8). These times may be good for us, if we do not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead. But when we sorrow, is it for sin? Or are we languishing in our loss of something that made our flesh lives more comfortable or enjoyable? Are we actually complaining against God and asking him to take us back to Egypt? This is not the groaning of the Spirit, my friend. You must be delivered from such self-love!

Let our suffering be for God’s sake, and not our own. Then we can participate in the rejoicing that comes only through faith. But rejoice, inasmuch as you are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, you may be glad also with exceeding joy. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, happy are you; for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is evil spoken of, but on your part He is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to Him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator. 1 Peter 4:13-19.

And this again you do. You cover the LORD's altar with tears, with weeping and groaning because he no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor at your hand. You ask, "Why does he not?" Because the LORD was witness to the covenant between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. Has not the one God made and sustained for us the spirit of life? And what does he desire? Godly offspring. So take heed to yourselves, and let none be faithless to the wife of his youth. For I hate divorce, says the LORD the God of Israel, and covering one's garment with violence," says the LORD of hosts. So take heed to yourselves and do not be faithless. You have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet you say, "How have we wearied him?" By saying, "Every one who does evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and he delights in them." Or by asking, "Where is the God of justice?" (from Malachi).

All of Malachi goes against the modern preaching of today’s gospel. As a matter of fact, whenever the real gospel is preached to the above weeping hoards, they begin to snarl and howl. But those of us who have the first fruits of the Spirit weep and mourn, sigh and groan, because of the weariness of their continued howling. One day, we will put off this life, like sowing a bare grain of seed, and we will be partakers of the joy when Christ is revealed from heaven with flaming vengeance on His enemies.

Then I said, "Ah Lord GOD! they are saying of me, ‘Is he not a maker of allegories?’"...

Sigh therefore, son of man; sigh with breaking heart and bitter grief before their eyes. And when they say to you, "Why do you sigh?" you shall say, "Because of the tidings. When it comes, every heart will melt and all hands will be feeble, every spirit will faint and all knees will be weak as water. Behold, it comes and it will be fulfilled," says the Lord GOD. (from Ezekiel 20 and 21).

And now for a bit of godly weeping and groaning:

When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled and said, "Where have ye laid him?"

They said unto him, "Lord, come and see."

Jesus wept.

Then the Jews said, "See how he loved him!"

And some of them said, "Could not this man, who opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?"

Jesus therefore again groaning in himself came to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it. Jesus said, "Take away the stone."

Martha, the sister of him that was dead, said to him, "Lord, by this time he stinks, for he has been dead four days."

Jesus said to her, Didn’t I say to you, that, if you would believe, you should see the glory of God?"

Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, "Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me."

And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!"

And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus then said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."

May our groaning and sighing turn to our salvation. May we be delivered from this present evil age as says the psalm: "Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee; according to the greatness of thy power preserve thou those that are appointed to die; And render unto our neighbors sevenfold into their bosom their reproach, wherewith they have reproached thee, O Lord. So we thy people and sheep of thy pasture will give thee thanks for ever: we will show forth thy praise to all generations" Psalm 79:11-13. Amen.

- Chris Simonson

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