During lunch with a leader of a local ekklesia (commonly called church), I asked him to share his theology of suffering. He stared at me for a moment and then said that he didn’t have one.
Sadly, this thinking is common among many today, particularly those who view God as the great problem solver. The agenda of such people is to find happiness—to live a comfortable and pleasant life. Suffering is incompatible with this view. The teaching of Scripture on suffering, however, is different, as illustrated by the apostle Paul's experience in Philippi.
Paul and his companions traveled to Philippi to share the word of the Lord about the implications of the revelation that Jesus is both Lord and Christ. Few, however, understood this truth, even though the truth about Jesus provided the answers to the seminal questions of life.
During his time in Philippi, he and Silas encountered a demon possessed slave girl whose owners monetized her fortune-telling antics. On numerous occasions she encountered Paul and loudly declared:
These men, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation, are the servants of the Most High God. (Acts 16:17 CSB)
She proclaimed truth; however, as a pawn of the spirit of antichrist, her purpose was to disparage. In the Roman culture, a slave girl was not credible; her only value was entertainment by making a spectacle of herself and/or others for her owners' financial gain.
One day, Paul became so annoyed that he exorcised the demon. Without the demon, the slave girl could not perform her antics. When the owners of the slave girl realized that their hope of financial gain was lost, they responded angrily. They seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the agora—the place of public assembly and commerce in the community—and brought them before the chief magistrates. Paul and Silas were charged with disturbing the peace by allegedly advocating Jewish practices incompatible with Roman culture.
There was no trial, only a mob-like response. The magistrates and the crowd attacked Paul and Silas—stripped them of their clothing, severely flogged them with rods, and incarcerated them. The magistrates charged the jailer to guard them carefully, so he put them in the inner prison—the most secure part of prison—with their feet, and perhaps their hands, in stocks.
Life became very uncomfortable and unpleasant for Paul and Silas. The message about Jesus attracted little interest or attention from the Philippians until it had a negative economic impact. And then the response was not what Paul sought.
The slave girl's owners demonstrated no metaphysical awareness; they could perceive the economic loss due to the exorcism, but could not perceive the truth of the word of the Lord. Consequently, instead of conviction and repentance, the slave girl’s owners sought illicit revenge. And they received immediate support from the magistrates and the citizens of the city.
The actions of the magistrates were unlawful because Paul and Silas were Roman citizens who, when charged with a crime, were entitled to a trial. This failure would eventually be recognized the next day, but on this day, Paul and Silas suffered much from the injustice of the Philippians.
Notwithstanding the illicit treatment of Paul and Silas, God used the injustice redemptively; what man means for evil God uses for good. Paul and Silas were sent to Philippi to proclaim the word of the Lord. Part of this calling was to suffer as prophetically explained by the Lord to Ananias at the time that Paul became a Christian:
But the Lord said to him [Ananias], "Go, for this man [Paul] is my chosen instrument to take my name to Gentiles, kings, and Israelites. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name." (Acts 9:15–16 CSB)
Paul was aware of this aspect of his calling to suffer because Jesus told Ananias that he would show Paul how much he must suffer. Prior to Paul’s encounter with Jesus, Paul inflicted suffering on the Christians. After his encounter, Paul became the one who suffered.
Paul and Silas could have revealed their Roman citizenship and probably escaped some, if not all, of the pain and suffering. Instead, they patiently endured and maintained a joyful, thankful attitude. But why?
The apostle Peter explained this suffering. He called it suffering for good (defined as actions aligned with God) and asserted that this is part of the call of every Christian; it is a way that Christians follow Christ’s example. Peter said:
For what credit is there if when you do wrong and are beaten, you endure it? But when you do what is good and suffer, if you endure it, this brings favor with God. For you were called to this, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. (1 Peter 2:20–21 CSB)
The original apostles considered suffering for Christ a privilege as seen in how they responded to unjust suffering in the early days of the ekklesia.
When they [religious leaders] had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. (Acts 5:40–41 ESV)
To rejoice in suffering for Jesus is not the common prosperity perspective of today. Commonly, professing Christians are like the church leader I mentioned above who had no theology of suffering.
To be a Christ follower means to follow the Pauline example of suffering for righteousness (God's definition of right). This includes denying the worship of money manifested in illicit value propositions (hedonism) and denying the humanism (the assumption that man can define right without God) expressed in illicit practices such as the LGBTQ agenda, gender dysphoria, and abortion.
Christians should expect that living based on the authority of Scripture (God's definition of right) will attract persecution by those who do not wish to be regulated by Scripture. Paul and Silas modeled the proper response—peace, joy, and thanksgiving in the midst of suffering.
Responding to unjust suffering correctly is challenging but it can be done redemptively. In his epistle to the Philippians, Paul, perhaps reflecting on his experience in Philippi, provided guidance on how to respond to the trials of life.
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Don't worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy—dwell on these things. Do what you have learned and received and heard from me, and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:4–9 CSB)
Unbeknown to the aforementioned ekklesia leader, there is a Christian theology of suffering that is redemptive. Christians are called to it. Jesus modeled it. Paul and Silas followed Jesus.
Suffering for righteousness is not masochism. It is suffering for living aligned with God's definitions of what is right. It can only be done by those who truly know Christ and are, therefore, empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Jesus suffered for living obediently to Scripture. Those who claim to be his followers are, therefore, mandated to live a lifestyle regulated by Scripture. May Christians have the grace to live obediently to a Christian theology of suffering and, therefore, rejoice that they are counted worthy to suffer for his name.
