5. God Doesn't Want Me To Suffer

By Thomas M. Parsons

What Christian Religion Teaches
Suffer? Me? Why would God want me to suffer? It doesn’t make sense.

First of all, a God of love wouldn’t want the person he loves to experience difficult times that are sad and painful. That just wouldn’t be consistent with His love. Furthermore, what a terrible testimony suffering is to the unbeliever. If believers are suffering and experiencing hard trials, who would want to become a Christian? What would the attraction be for an unbeliever to come to faith in Christ?

God’s purposes are more readily met in my life when God takes suffering out of my life. Not suffering helps me to focus more on Him and on other people. I can accomplish much more when I am happy and well in life.

Suffering is such a distraction. What good is it for a person to lie in the hospital for weeks with a serious illness. It is much better if God quickly raises that person up and restores him or her to health so they can get back on track serving Him.

Believers are not supposed to suffer from failed relationships either. When a relationship fails, it is better if the Christian just shrugs it off and moves on. It was most likely the other person’s fault the relationship failed, anyway, so there is no purpose in suffering because of it.

Life is hard; that is true. But God saved us so we would not have to suffer from the hardness of life. He put a new song in our heart and made us a new creation. It is definitely true.

God does not want us to suffer.

What The Bible Actually Says
If Christians are not supposed to suffer; if it truly isGod’s will that believers not suffer “the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” as do others, then Paul’s Christian life was a miserable failure. Paul’s life was filled with troubles, challenges, and suffering.

Paul endured “troubles, hardships, distresses.” He was beaten. He was put in prison. He did hard work, really hard, demanding, physical work. He sometimes tossed and turned at night and could not sleep. There were times he was hungry and there was no food available.

There were times that Paul felt as if his life was over. There were times he was treated as an imposter. There were times of great sorrow. He was poor and possessed next to nothing.

This passage is not the only place where Paul openly discussed the many troubles he faced as a servant of the living God. He also talked about these in chapter one of this epistle.

Paul also discusses his sufferings in chapter eleven of this epistle. In this chapter he gives a detailed list of the sufferings he has endured for the sake of the ministry, including the fact that he was whipped five times (thirty-nine lashes each time means he received 195 lashes), and that he was beaten with rods three times and pelted with stones once. Three times, he says, he was shipwrecked. He also spent a night and a day in the open sea.

“I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own people, in danger from the Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers.” The Apostle Peter also talked about suffering. He said, “Greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.” Jesus also prophesied that His people would suffer many things. Wars. Rumors of wars. Nation rising against nation. Famines. Earthquakes. Persecution. Being hated of all men for Christ’s sake.

And, of course, Jesus Himself suffered. “We are going to Jerusalem,” He said, “and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and teachers of the law. They will condemn Him to death and will hand Him over to the Gentiles, who will mock Him and spit on Him, flog Him and kill Him. Three days later He will rise.” (Mark 10:33, 34)

But there is a reason Paul talks about his own suffering in this passage. His purpose is to show

Sep 6 - Problems Are For Losers 2 Cor 1:1-2:4
Sep 13 - The Old Ways Are Better 2 Cor 2:5-3:18
Sep 20 - Pie-In-The-Sky Religion Won’t Cut It 2 Cor 4:1-5:10
Sep 27 - I Have To Do It Myself 2 Cor 5:11-6:2
Oct 4 - God Doesn’t Want Me To Suffer 2 Cor 6:3-7:1
Oct 11 - Don’t Judge Me 2 Cor 7:2-16
Oct 18 - I Don’t Have Enough To Give It Away 2 Cor 8:1-9:5
Oct 25 - God Gave It To Me For Me 2 Cor 9:6-15
Nov 1 - I Take Pride in Myself 2 Cor 10:1-18
Nov 8 - You’re Okay, I’m Okay 2 Cor 11:1-15
Nov 15 - My Heritage Is Important 2 Cor 11:16-12:10
Nov 22 - Don’t Make a Fool of Yourself 2 Cor 12:11-21
Nov 29 - Don’t Tell Me What Not to Do 2 Cor 13:1-14
Classes taught by Tom Parsons at Maranatha Baptist church in Columbus, Ohio Sunday mornings at 9:30 am.

the contrasts between the suffering and the things God gives to His own which more than balance the suffering. In spite of all the things Paul suffered, he gloried in purity, understanding, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, sincere love.

Though he suffered, he was given the “weapons of righteousness. Though there was dishonor, there was also glory. Though some gave a bad report, others gave a good report. Though some said Paul was an imposter, he knew his ministry was genuine, from the Lord. Though some tried to kill him, by God’s grace he lived on to serve the Lord. Even in sorrow, Paul rejoiced. Even though he had nothing, he possessed everything.

Paul had opened his heart an poured out his love for the people at the Corinthian church. But they had not done the same toward him. This was, perhaps, the greatest suffering of all. He urged them to provide a fair exchange and open their hearts to him as he had done for them.

In the midst of Paul’s discussion of suffering and the fact that it is inevitable for all who live in a fallen world, the apostle issues a serious warning to the Corinthians. “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers.” There are simple underpinnings for this statement given in the text. Righteousness and wickedness have nothing in common. Light cannot fellowship with darkness. There is no harmony between Christ and the devil. The believer has nothing in common wi

th the unbeliever. The unbeliever is a citizen of earth, subject to all the unpleasantries earth doles out. The believer is a citizen of Heaven, only temporarily dwelling on earth and eternally free from the imposition of earthly distresses.

The believer is the temple of the living God. As such, there is no agreement between the believer and those who worship idols. Idols are not real; they do not actually exist. Those who put their faith in idols are putting their faith in nothing. Those who put their faith in God are putting their faith in everything.

God has promised to live with His people and to walk among them and be their God and they be His people (Leviticus 26:12). Because of this, God challenges His own to “come out from them and be separate,” and do not touch any unclean thing.

Since we have these promises and warnings from God, we are to “purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit.” With the aid of the indwelling Holy Spirit, we are to perfect holiness out of reverence for God.

Most believers, perhaps all, struggle with this. It is very challenging to be perfect in holiness in an imperfect and unholy world. There have been times in history when Christians tried to absent themselves from the world, retreating into their own world. Other times Christians have made lists of things that should not be done. Other times God’s people have welcomed the world with open arms hoping they could influence it to a more righteous way of living.

But none of these methods work. What does work is that we continuously seek to purify ourselves from the world’s contaminants. We are simply to work at perfecting righteousness precisely because we reverence God and want to please Him.

Next: Don't Judge Me!