How do we deal with pain, sorrow, and suffering in our lives? I believe that words written by St. Peter give us a way to face and work through our sufferings.
He said, “Christ himself suffered on account of sins, once for all, the righteous one on behalf of the unrighteous. He did this in order to bring you into the presence of God. Christ was put to death as a human, but [was] made alive by the Spirit” (I Peter 3:18, CEB).
As we deal with our own problems, Peter summons us to the cross that we might remember the One who suffered for us.
How was it that the Son of God Himself, who had infinite power, allowed Himself to be subject to such extreme suffering as the cross and all the torture that preceded it? There were two things that made Him choose the path of suffering. First, He saw the redemptive nature of His suffering. He knew that the Father would use His suffering to bring salvation to humanity. Second, Jesus was able to endure the suffering of His Passion because He knew He would be “made alive by the Spirit” (I Peter 3:18b).
His suffering would not be in vain, for through it many people, including you and me, would be drawn to the cross and there find salvation. He knew that through His suffering and death He would become the sacrificial lamb that paid the price for our sins, enabling us to be presented to the Father as whole and clean.
Thus, He was willing to endure because of His love for us. Like the effectiveness of Jesus’ suffering, the way we handle suffering can be redemptive for others. When we walk in grace through our distresses, it is a witness to the power of God in us.
If we are persecuted for our faith and we remain faithful and exercise the love of Christ for others despite our hardships, then people will see Christ in us and may come to faith themselves. If we remain faithful in the middle of difficult days, we will grow in our relationship to God. Other people will see that growth, and it will be a witness to them.
Conversely, if suffering turns us bitter, skeptical, negative, and pessimistic, we will not grow in the faith and our witness to others will be that Christ is not strong enough to see us through our difficulties. St. Paul said in Romans 8:28, “We know that God works all things together for good for the ones who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose” (CEB).
We might not always see how it can be true, but God has a way of using our sufferings and bringing something good from them. Christ was able to faithfully endure the agony of the cross because He knew that the Father would use His suffering redemptively. Likewise, we can endure our own hardships because we know that God is up to something good.
As intense as His suffering was, Jesus knew it was temporary. He knew that in the end, even death would not win. He knew that even though His suffering would end in death, God’s power is greater than the power of death. On the third day, He would be resurrected from the grave. He would be given a new, spiritual body and death would be defeated.
As we age, we have more and more problems and pain in our bodies. Yet, in the words of St. Paul, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God” (Romans 8:18-19, NRSVUE).
For those who are in Christ, there is life beyond the grave, a new creation that is too marvelous to be described, an eternal future in union with the almighty God. He is stronger than our suffering, and should our sufferings end in death, He is not limited by our temporal bodies.
We will continue to be the sheep of His pasture, the children of the divine family. We shall be made alive by the Spirit.
Dr. Dan Darby is a retired United Methodist pastor.
