Suffering of believers
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· 11 viewsBelievers ought to expect to suffer as an inevitable part of their calling. To believe is not to evade suffering; it is to face it with new confidence and hope. Rightly approached, suffering develops the character of believers, equips them for more effective service, draws believers closer to Jesus Christ and prepares them for eternal life.
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Believers must expect suffering
Believers must expect suffering
Jesus Christ foretold it
Jesus Christ foretold it
and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
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The apostles foretold it
The apostles foretold it
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The experience of the OT shows it
The experience of the OT shows it
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The experience of the NT shows it
The experience of the NT shows it
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Suffering for Jesus Christ is commendable
Suffering for Jesus Christ is commendable
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
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Suffering is profitable
Suffering is profitable
It affirms believers’ adoption
It affirms believers’ adoption
It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?
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It is the price of godliness
It is the price of godliness
For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
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It is a condition of service
It is a condition of service
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It develops trust
It develops trust
Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.
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It develops character
It develops character
Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,
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It deepens fellowship
It deepens fellowship
If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.
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It draws believers to the Lord
It draws believers to the Lord
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It prepares believers for heaven
It prepares believers for heaven
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.