Suffering as a Christian

Sunday, December 05, 2021

Suffering as a Christian

1 Peter 4: 12 - 19

“If it is very hard for a good person to be saved,

the wicked person and the sinner will surely be lost!”

So those who suffer as God wants

should trust their souls to the faithful Creator

as they continue to do what is right.

( 1 Peter 4: 18,19)

Suffering has always been part of the life of a faithful believer of Christ Jesus. The state of undergoing pain, stress or hardship, or at the extremes, the hard end to the earthly life by undergoing matyrdom or execution, has been a point of spiritual upliftment and inspiration to the faith-generations that followed. And, not to ingnore the reality, the present condition in the world has put all of us into the sufferings of change, forced move forward, adjustment to the "new-normal" and to the unbearable acceptance of loneliness and isolation. We cannot also shy away from remembering the lost lives and the family struggles that have significantly been the results of the pandemic in the recent past. Altogether, suffering is at hand! All of these above situations have caused us to suffer physically, mentally, socially and spiritually.

However, it is important to remember to view suffering from the thought of faith. What is a Christian's view of suffering? How does the call to suffer become the invitation to follow Christ? How does the suffering of Christ Jesus as the Saviour become the epitome of Christian living? These are some of the questions that could help us in contemplating and finding some concrete answers in this season of Christmas. Christ Jesus came to the world so that He would suffer on our part and pay the price for our sins. Even though we celebrate His birth with such good news, we know that it is a "good news" because He suffered and died on the cross in the end. It is this end that makes us celebrate and share the joy of Christ's birth. Truly, the happiness of Christ's birth is the prologue to the victory and salvation in the end, and thereafter.

The Bibel verse that we have taken for today's reflection moves this calling to the next level. There is a comparison, and this comparison comes in as a great lesson of Christian living and suffering. 1 Peter 4: 18 says “If it is very hard for a good person to be saved, the wicked person and the sinner will surely be lost!” The verse is first of all a wake-up call for every believer to remind themselves that 'being saved' is not something to be taken for granted. It is already hard for a good person to be saved. It does not come for free. The salvation and eternal life that we find in Christ Jesus is not to be taken for granted. Not because we are "Christians," not because we are sinless, not because we believe we are good people, but only because Christ Jesus suffered for us on that cross and gave us the pardon from sin through the sacrifice He made for us. It has not been easy for Christ. He suffered! Yes, he suffered every bit of it as a human in His human body and mind. He feared what was ahead. He was anxious. But he accepted that cup of suffering and went to the cross. It is very hard for a good person, let alone wicked people and sinners. And that is the call today. A Christian is called to suffer, so that the empathetic nature that was in Christ Jesus will slowly begin to be nurtured in our selves and we will be so thoughtful about the wicked people and the sinners, just how Christ Jesus remembered us on His way to the cross.

The next part of the verse we had selected for today says, "So those who suffer as God wants should trust their souls to the faithful Creator as they continue to do what is right" (1 Peter 4: 19). The earlier verse taught "why" suffer as a Christian, and this teaches us about "how" a Christian is called to suffer. Three things become important as we suffer. First is that we should "suffer as God wants," the second, we should "trust our souls to the faithful Creator," and the third, "we should continue to do what is right." Some of the verses that presided the verses we have taken for today, 1 Peter 4: 14-17, remind us the following. They say, "When people insult you because you follow Christ, you are blessed, because the glorious Spirit, the Spirit of God, is with you. Do not suffer for murder, theft, or any other crime, nor because you trouble other people. But if you suffer because you are a Christian, do not be ashamed. Praise God because you wear that name. It is time for judgment to begin with God’s family. And if that judging begins with us, what will happen to those people who do not obey the Good News of God?"

This is the calling today. It is a calling to suffer as a Christian. It is a calling to suffer so that no one is lost. This is a calling to suffer as God wants us to, a call to trust our souls to the faithful Creator and a call to continue doing what is right. Surely it may be a disappointment when we approach God through Christian faith with the belief of worldly blessings. The only true blessings that we could ever have is God's love, grace, salvation and the eternal life. As long as these are clearly set in the mind of a Christian, the preparedness to suffer and the voluntariness to step into suffering becomes a lifestyle. This is what we have seen in the lives of so many disciples, apostles and the missionaries who brought us the good news of God's love, grace, salvation and the eternal life. Let us think about this as we step into a month of celebrating Christ Jesus and His birth in human flesh.

May the power and blessings of God the Father, the love and grace of Christ Jesus the Son, and the fellowship and guidance of the Holy Spirit be with us and help us as we continue to do the right, think and live, remembering suffering to be an essential part of Christian living.

May God bless you.

Yours in Christ,