What Good is Suffering?

“Good” and “suffering”—how can they be used in the same sentence? What good does suffering accomplish in our lives?

When you are saved and are given a new nature, you live in that new nature by the power of the Holy Spirit. To love the Lord, even though we haven’t seen Him, is made possible by the Holy Spirit, who makes Him real to us. When you love Him, you want to please Him. We are saved, not just from judgment, but saved from the present world, saved to love Jesus Christ now.

We are also saved to love others. To do this, we must lay aside things that belong to this world—like an unforgiving spirit or even cleverness in making a good impression. Of course, hypocrisy and evil speaking have got to go. Are you carrying around bitterness? Do you speak slanderous things about others? These things don’t belong in the life of God’s people.

Instead, we are to hunger after God’s things. We want to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord. You don’t always want to be a baby Christian, do you? You only will grow by studying God’s Word.

Since you have tasted that the Lord is gracious, you turn away from these worldly things. Like children who outgrow their clothes, you outgrow malice, hypocrisy, envy, and evil speaking when you mature in Christ. We come to Jesus as the living stone on which is built a spiritual house.

Peter perhaps recalls that scene in his past when He declared to Jesus, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” and the Lord Jesus said to him, in effect, “You are going to be a little stone, a pebble, but on this foundation stone [Christ] I am going to build My church” (see Matthew 16:16, 18).

When we live as God intended in proportion to our position in Christ, we experience four wonderful designations, including what it’s like to be called God’s own people.

1. We are “a chosen generation,” that is, an elect race. God called Israel “an elect nation.” The church is also called an elect people. We are God’s chosen instrument in this generation.

2. We are “a royal priesthood.” Since we belong to Christ, we all have access to God; we all can come into His presence, into the very holy of holies.

3. We are “a holy nation.” The nation Israel—and the church—was never holy in conduct. Israel’s failure is glaring; the church’s failure is appalling. Yet we are holy in our relationship with Him because Christ is our righteousness. We stand complete in Him.

4. We are “His own special people.” We belong to Him. Jesus Christ calls you to be His own.

Peter now calls us out as “sojourners and pilgrims” to live like God’s people—to stop feeding “fleshly lusts which war against the soul.” Instead, we are to publish His praises! How? By singing? Yes, but even more so by not manifesting the works of the flesh. Let your life be characterized by the Word of God.

A life set apart as belonging to God is a witness to the world. We’re also to live humbly, to submit ourselves to the government over us. Christians should respect others, love other believers, and reveal in our lives that we fear the Lord.

Jesus suffered for the sins of the world, for your sin. He died that we should live—and live righteous lives. We can’t suffer to wash away our own sins, much less suffer for the sins of the world. But the Great Healer’s “stripes” of suffering heal our sins. He died in our place. No human physician can handle that problem.

We were like sheep wandering on a path headed over a cliff, but now we are returned, safe to the care of the Shepherd of our souls.

Next: How suffering impacts our conduct in the home and in the church.