Biblical Reasons for Suffering

 

1. To comfort others

    Principle = You can help people who are going through suffering because you learned to get on top of suffering. 2 Cor 1

2. To learn to trust God

            Principle = It enables us to trust God instead of our own resources, 2 Cor 1.

3. To keep eternal values in view

            Principle = takes our focus off purely temporal things

4. To develop tenacity of soul

            Principle = endurance when things are bleak

5. To be a testimony to others who are in suffering

            Principle = to illustrate divine truth

6. To witness to the nonbeliever of the stability of the Christian life.

            Principle = witnessing in suffering demonstrates the reality of faith

7. To develop our faith

            Principle = to strengthen our faith life.

8. To discipline the believer

            Principle = pride is usually at the root of all sin

9. To develop the same mental attitude as Christ in suffering, 1 Pet 4:1

            Principle = we need to orient to the person of Jesus Christ in suffering, Phil 3:10

10. To enable the believer to do the will of God, 1 Pet 4:2-3

            Principle = to learn obedience

11. To orient the believer to the person of God during undeserved suffering, 1 Pet. 4:4-5

    Principle = to glorify God in suffering

12. To bring the believer into spirituality, 1 Pet 4:6

    Principle = to allow the ministry of the Holy Spirit to produce the fruit of the Spirit