Responding to Suffering

For those of you reading through the book of Acts right now, you should be somewhat familiar with the city of Antioch. That was the home church is Syria that sent out Paul on his missionary journeys.

According to church tradition, one of the early bishops of that church was a man named Ignatius whom, we are told, was appointed by Peter himself to that position. Ignatius was a disciple of the Apostle John, and even served alongside him.

For the church, that would have been a position of honor, but in a hostile world under Emperor Trajan [Trajano], it meant bearing the brunt of persecution.

According to historical tradition, Ignatius was, similar to Paul, sent from Syria to Rome because of his faith. Along that journey, he strengthened many of the churches and wrote letters as well. Today, we have seven epistles attributed to him.

In one of his letters, he told the church in Rome not to try to get him free because he was looking forward to martyrdom. Here’s what he said: “Now I begin to be a disciple. I care for nothing, of visible or invisible things, so that I may but win Christ. Let fire and the cross, let the companies of wild beasts, let breaking of bones and tearing of limbs, let the grinding of the whole body, and all the malice of the devil, come upon me; be it so, only may I win Christ Jesus!”

History tells us that Ignatius was sentenced to be thrown to the lions in the Colosseum, and his response was, “I am the wheat of Christ. I am going to be ground with the teeth of wild beasts, that I may be found pure bread.”

Ignatius didn’t delight in the pain and torture of death, but he rejoiced to suffer for the name of Jesus, and he knew that it would have a purifying effect in his life.

It’s challenging to think how many of us would have the same kind of reaction, but we should remember that that was the response of our Lord. Jesus embraced the plan of God because He cared more about God’s glory than about His personal comfort.

And that’s exactly the heart behind Peter’s message in his epistle. Knowing that Christians are suffering, Peter doesn’t write a self-help book about how to avoid it. He writes a letter focused on how to suffer well—how to suffer faithfully. In the two verses we are going to be looking at this morning, we find two principles that help us do that. They are two principles for suffering faithfully.

I’m going to give them to you upfront, and then we’ll talk about them. Principle number 1 is “Consider the source,” and principles number 2 is “Consider the Savior.” [Considere la razón y considere el Redentor] Consider the source and consider the Savior.

The first principle comes in verse 17— For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil.

Peter makes a distinction between suffering for doing good and suffering for doing evil. And in making that distinction, God is calling us to examine the reason behind our suffering. Peter is prompting us to consider the source of our suffering. Why is this happening? What has brought this about?

Peter makes a distinction between righteous suffering and unrighteous suffering, but just to step back from that for a second, I want to broaden our understanding of some biblical categories for suffering. I think this will be really helpful for you, not just to fill out your theology a little bit, but to give you a practical tool for your own life and for your ministry to others. What are some biblical categories of suffering?

First of all, you should know that not all suffering is going to have an easy explanation. Some suffering will have no specific reason or source that is clear to us. We aren’t always going to be able to identify the source. I’m going to call this sovereign suffering.

God brings suffering into our lives that accomplishes His sovereign purposes which we might not fully understand. One example of this is Job who had no idea why God brought those tragedies into his life. At the end of it all, he sees spiritual benefits in his life, but he never get a clear answer. Another example would be Paul with his thorn in the flesh.

For both Job and Paul, Satan wanted to use pain to attack their faith. But God ended up using the pain to draw them closer to Him. It was part of God’s sovereign plan to sanctify them and to use them as a model for others. But since we don’t get that answer until later, I’m going to categorize those examples as sovereign suffering.

There is suffering, however, that has known reasons. There might be an identifiable source. One possible source is your sin. Your sin brings you pain. When we sin, as children of God, our heavenly Father disciplines us. He wants to bring us back into the joy of holiness and nearness to Him.

Sometimes, that godly discipline is part of the natural result of our foolishness. So, you could add a second category of suffering. Sovereign suffering is the mysterious one, but we can assign a second category called natural consequences. Natural consequences. This is a direct result of your sinful actions.

If you overeat, you get heartburn or an upset stomach. If you get drunk, you get a hangover. If you punch the wall, you might break your hand. If you lie, and it gets exposed, you lose the trust of your friends. That’s pain that comes as a natural consequence of your sin. God set it up that way because He’s a God of justice.

A third category of suffering we could call spiritual consequences. Spiritual consequences are the pains that come as a more personal or direct discipline of God, meaning it’s not the natural result of your actions; it’s God acting directly in your life by His Spirit and even through circumstances.

Some examples here could be an injured conscious; you feel guilt and remorse. Maybe that leads to a sleepless night, or even a sickness. That’s a way for God to humble us and bring us to repentance.

In Psalm 32, David says, “Before I confessed my sin, when I kept silent, my bones wasted away. Your hand was heavy upon me. My strength was dried up.” Those weren’t simply natural consequences; those were spiritual or divine consequences.

In the most severe cases, God might even bring death. Paul talks about that in First Corinthians 11:30. The church was making a mockery of the Lord’s Supper, and Paul says: “That’s why many of you are weak and sick, and some have fallen asleep,” which is a reference to death.

Another example would be Ananias and Sapphira. God killed them because of their arrogant lies. We also have a passage in James 5 that connects suffering and sickness to a need for confession and forgiveness. So, that sickness may have been part of God’s discipline in their life. God will bring pain into our lives to lead us to confession and repentance. Those are the spiritual or divine consequences of our sin.

So, God’s discipline in our lives can come through natural consequences, it can come through spiritual consequences, and it can also come through earthly punishment. This would be a fourth category of suffering: earthly punishment. Earthly punishment.

Earthly punishment is when discipline and pain come through someone else, through some other relationship, because of something wrong you have done. It’s not someone acting outside of God’s will; it’s God acting through human relationships and institutions.

So, you may not experience some natural result of your sin, and you may not experience some personal pain for your sin, but you might experience pain through some other person or relationship.

This is what happens to children when their parents discipline them. Parents are being used by God to introduce pain or difficulty as a consequence of the child’s disobedience. That’s an earthly punishment. In that case, God’s gracious and loving discipline in that child’s life is coming through the parents.

The same thing is happening when someone is punished by the authorities for something unrighteous that they did. When someone goes to jail for stealing, that’s an earthly punishment. When your teacher fails you in a class because you cheated on a test, that’s an earthly punishment.

Those are example of what Peter has in mind when he talks about suffering for doing evil. In the first century, if a slave or a child disobeyed his master or his father, he would be disciplined.

Today, if you keep showing up late to work, or if you speak to your boss disrespectfully, you might get fired. There may be some earthly punishment.

We should all know and teach our kids that our sin can get us into trouble with other people. It’s amazing that that even needs to be said in our culture, but it does. Today, it’s so common for someone to assume the posture of a victim almost immediately and then refuse to accept personal responsibility for what they’ve done wrong. That comes from a denial of the basic biblical principle that your sin can get you into trouble.

Proverbs 14:3 says, “By the mouth of a fool comes a rod for his back.”

Proverbs 18:6 says, “A fool’s lips walk into a fight, and his mouth invites a beating.”

How many of you have ever seen someone get themselves into trouble because of their mouth? It’s very common. Your sin can bring earthly punishments. Your sin can bring pain.

That doesn’t mean, however, that all pain is the result of your sin. There’s a fifth category for suffering. You have sovereign suffering, which God ordains for His glory. You have the natural consequences of sin. There’s the natural and spiritual consequences of sin, and you’ve got earthly punishments for sin. A fifth category, though, is earthly persecution. Earthly persecution.

Earthly persecution is not coming for an unknown reason, and it’s not the result of your sin. It’s the result of a world and a heart that opposes the righteousness and the message of Jesus Christ. That is what Peter has in mind when he talks about suffering for doing good. That’s a different kind of suffering that punishment for sin.

So, here’s the principle: Whenever you are suffering, take a moment to consider the source of your suffering. Rather than immediately playing the victim, ask yourself if your suffering is the result of sin. Do a mini-investigation.

One of the big problems in our world, and it has been highlighted by social media, is misleading headlines. You read the headline for a story, and it gives you a skewed perspective of what happened. And without reading the entirety of the article or the research, you start making faulty conclusions.

For example, you might see someone post the headline “Atheist police officer arrests man with a Bible verse on his bumper.” That sounds bad, right? It sounds like an injustice. But if you continue reading the article, you might realize that the guy was driving drunk. Context matters. Context matters.

How many of you have heard a student get a bad grade, and when asked about it, he says, “That’s because the teacher doesn’t like me.” Well, it may be true that the teacher doesn’t like you. But that may not be the real reason you’re failing the class. You might be failing the class because you don’t do your homework. And maybe the teacher is frustrated with you because you don’t talk to him in a respectful way.

All of us need to have the patience to step back for a second and consider the source of our suffering. Maybe the reason your boss doesn’t treat you well is not because you’re a Christian but because you’re constantly badmouthing him and working lazily. Have you considered that possibility?

God wants His children to examine themselves before they jump to label themselves as a victim. This is the same principle Peter mentioned for slaves back in chapter 2, but now he’s expanding it for all of us.

Maybe the reason people don’t like you isn’t because you’re a Christian. Maybe it’s because you’re annoying and arrogant and lazy and unkind. Maybe you aren’t treating others with righteousness and respect and gentleness and kindness, and that’s why they are responding the way they are.

Consider the source of your suffering. Examine yourself. Are you suffering for doing what is wrong, or for doing what is right? And, if you want help, ask a trusted brother or sister in the faith to help you.

Suffering for doing what is wrong isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s part of God’s fatherly corrective discipline. And sometimes, we just have to take it. But we shouldn’t expect some kind of commendation or some kind of blessing.

Look again at chapter 2, verse 20—For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God.

Peter’s going to say the same thing later in chapter 4, verse 15—But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.

Consider the source of your suffering. If your suffering is the result of sin, thank the Lord that He loves you enough to discipline you and bring you to repentance. But if that suffering is because of righteousness, that’s much better. That is praiseworthy, and you can expect a blessing.

In some ways, suffering for sin is pretty easy. You don’t have to do anything after the sin, and you know you deserve it.

Suffering for righteousness is much more difficult, isn’t it? There’s the temptation to stop doing what is righteous, or to stay quiet to avoid problems. You are walking into pain and suffering that you don’t deserve. But that’s what it means to be a Christian. If you didn’t find that out early in your Christian life, I’m telling you now. It’s not easy, but that’s what it means to follow Christ.

More and more in our culture, we are going to be called to stand for truth, and it will bring persecution. Some of the basic truths of life and Christian doctrine are hated by a bunch of people.

God exists. That’s rejected. God created this world. That’s rejected. God created male and female. God designed marriage for a man and a woman. God gives life to little babies, even in their mother’s womb. Taking an innocent human life is wrong. God is holy. God will judge everyone. All those truths are controversial in today’s culture. And one of the most hated statements you can make is what the Apostles said to the Jewish leaders. “There is salvation in no one else [but Jesus Christ]. There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

So, what do we do when that persecution comes? Whether you’ve faced it or not, persecution will come. We are going to suffer because we have chosen to honor God rather than give in to this world. When that happens, then, how can we be equipped to respond faithfully? Where do we turn?

Peter’s answer has been the same since the beginning of this letter. We look to Jesus. We consider the Savior. That’s the second principle for today: Consider the Savior.

Kids in Little League think about following in the footsteps of the guys in the Major Leagues. It drives them to practice harder, to do their best.

If that’s happening with a ball game, why can’t we be doing the same thing with spiritual and eternal things? We have someone to follow—our Lord and Savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ.

Look again at verse 18—For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,

You are going to suffer, but Christ suffered too.

• You’re not alone
• You have someone to follow

Christ suffered one time

• Ordinarily, the emphasis here would be on Christ’s sufficient sacrifice, and that’s absolutely true.
• Hebrew reminds us: one sacrifice for all time. No more sacrifices needed. Christ will never suffer again.
• In this context, Peter may also be using this idea to remind us that our suffering is temporary. It will end one day. When this life ends, our suffering is over.
• Christ has an eternal reward waiting for us.

Christ suffered for sins

• Ordinarily, this is pointing out that he died to pay the penalty of our sins. That’s true. That’s the gospel.
• In this case, it could also be seen as a reminder that Christ suffered because of sins that weren’t His own.
• It’s not just that we suffer and Christ suffered too. It’s that Christ experienced the same kind of suffering – righteous suffering because of someone else’s sin.

The righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring us to God.

• NONE of Christ’s suffering was because of His sin. He had NO sin. He deserved only God’s blessing and favor.
• But Jesus, the righteous One died for the unjust, the unrighteous. That’s you and me. He traded places with sinners.
• Christ’s suffering accomplished something.
• It wasn’t just a display
• Our suffering can also be used by God
• 1 Peter 2:11-12 – so that other will glorify God
• 1 Peter 3:1-2 – a husband can be won over
• We may suffer in a way that leads people out of their sin and into the knowledge of Christ. We can’t die for someone else’s sin, but our righteous suffering can be used by God as an instrument to turn people back to God.

He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the Spirit.

• Lots of debate about what this exactly means, and we’ll talk more about it in a couple weeks after Father’s Day.
• But it seems to me like Peter’s point here is that once Jesus died, His suffering was over. And the same is true with us. Once we are put to death bodily, nothing more can be done. Then we will live. Our spirit will be set free from this body of death by the power of the Holy Spirit.
• Christ’s suffering was not working against His triumphant victory; it was part of it. And our suffering will be part of our triumph as well.

Are you tired of suffering? Look to Jesus. Consider Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer.

He suffered so that we would be forgiven of our sin, including our discontentment and impatience with sinners. Including the times we give in to the world. He forgave it all. And by His Spirit, He is empowering us to walk in His footsteps.

Are you walking in the footsteps of Jesus? Consider the source of your suffering to make sure. Then stay focused on our Savior.