One of the troubling questions we ask as American Christians is this: "How can horrible things happen to people who belong to God?" That question takes many forms: "How can bad things happen to good people?" "Why does God refuse to protect His people from the physically undesirable?" "Do bad things occurring to godly people prove that God does not care?" "Does the evidence that God cares concern only preventing undesirable physical things happening to godly people?"
Note that all these questions address some aspect of how the God Who cares about His people allows them to suffer. At the core of the issue is God's sovereignty and power.
Begin by considering Peter's message in today's text. (1) The best way to prevent horrible experiences in physical existence is by doing good. (2) However, there are still people who resent good and cause people devoted to righteousness suffering. If that is your situation, (a) allow only Christ to rule you [be Lord], and make a firm decision that he alone controls you within. (b) When your adversaries cause you suffering, endure adversity in a way that causes them to question you about your sustaining hope. [In context, this statement is about the manner Christians endure suffering with hope, not about a directive for evangelistic knowledge. The focus is on how Christians suffer, not on what they know in evangelistic efforts.] Respond to inquires about your hope with gentleness and respect for the questioner. (3) As you endure your trial, keep a good conscience so your abusers will be shamed by their actions. (4) It is better [if God wills] to suffer for doing right instead of doing wrong. [Remember, God uses suffering to achieve His purposes, including the suffering of His Own son.] (5) Jesus Christ physically died in the understanding that physical existence is not all there is to life. (6) The patient God always has wanted to save people rather than punish them. (7) Baptism is a commitment. (8) The resurrected Jesus is with God, interceding for us.
These points are taken directly from the text, just worded with different words. Peter wrote to Christians who faced opposition because of faith in Christ. The suffering they endured was not that of accident, disease, natural aging, etc. It was caused by the unrighteous opposing the righteous. It was an idolatrous world, and Christianity was (is) incompatible with idolatry.
The first obvious thing is: the suffering (in context) was the result of unrighteous people physically opposing God's people. The second: it served God's purposes for His people to suffer unjustly (it was a powerful evidence of the genuineness of faith in Jesus Christ in an evil society). The third: Christians must decide who controls their lives, and they must be consistent in their conviction through their behavior. The fourth: hope, not threats, leads people to the resurrected Jesus. The fifth: Christians are never alone--the patient God and the resurrected, interceding Jesus are with them.
Christians earnestly need to understand that God's purposes are often best served by the righteous enduring unjust suffering. As in every age, much more is involved than the comfort of the individual. Prophets, martyrs, apostles, godly people, even Jesus suffered physically in the preparation for and the initial introduction of Christianity. Nothing gives evil people more reason to reflect positively on Christianity than Christians enduring injustice patiently with a godly attitude.
This concept is a difficult one for most American Christians to grasp. Begin with common views. (1) Freedom [for many] means deliverance from suffering's inconvenience. In this society, evil cannot oppose good [in the majority of instances]. (2) In our society, money and power make suffering unnecessary. (3) The material 'good life' is incomplete if it does not include escape from suffering. (4) Suffering and a good life are mutually exclusive. (5) Often, the physical is the ultimate. We want to end suffering NOW. (6) Often we have a poor concept of the eternal as a reality.
Our society has a negative view of suffering. Consider all we do to escape pain. Consider how we regard any pain from any cause as an injustice. We have conquered so many forms of pain we are convinced we should conquer all forms of pain.
Consider physical realities from God's perspective. (1) The war is between God and Satan, not God and humanity. God wants to save humans from Satan's influences, not destroy humans. Humans, not God, invited evil [the conflict between God and Satan] to be part of the physical reality and experience. (2) Evil is the expression of the conflict between God and Satan. Its source is Satan. Though Satan lost his war against God in Jesus' death and resurrection, he through evil seeks to hurt God (Whom he hates) the only way he can--by hurting the people God loves. (3) God's people demonstrate the genuineness of their confidence in God by refusing to allow the vindictiveness of unrighteous people to determine their behavior. (4) The force of the Christians' hope in God triumphs in physical existence by causing unrighteous opponents to marvel at Christians' attitude toward suffering. (5) Christians place supreme confidence in the patient God and the resurrected Jesus.
God looks at human suffering from a different perspective. He sees suffering from a perspective from which people rarely look at it. Suffering documents the reality of faith in God as nothing else can. It is extremely important for us to understand that the war is between God and Satan, not God and humans. The price of victory in any war is blood.
There will be a time when Satan, all advocates of evil, and all forms of evil will be banished. After that moment, Satan will never cause God's people harm again. The only reason God delays that moment is His desire to rescue people from Satan's deceitful control. It is not God's desire that any should perish.
God invested Jesus' suffering in the rescue of humans. He is not about to abandon the people He sought to rescue after investing the blood of His son.
Until that moment, evil will cause the righteous to endure suffering in all societies. To expect to avoid suffering by seeking devotion to God is to be deceived. God WILL help us endure the suffering, but God cannot eliminate suffering (a) without calling for the end and (b) without destroying people who have not yet escaped Satan. Again, God wishes to rescue those people, not destroy them.
The end of suffering can come only with the destruction of those God wishes to rescue.
People are so important to God that He did and does three unfathomable things. First, He endured incredible evil to make preparation to send His son. Second, He sacrificed the life of His son to rescue people. Third, He delays the end of His adversary to create maximum opportunity to rescue people.
Rarely would people consider doing any one of those things.
Paul placed human suffering in perspective with this statement:
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with
the glory that is to be revealed to us. (Romans 8:18)
Often we are too short sighted to see the blessing.
For Thought and Discussion
How can horrible things happen to people who belong to God?
Prevention is most likely achieved by dedicating oneself to doing good.
No! There always will be some unrighteous people who despise righteous people.
They should allow only Christ to rule them from within. They should endure the injustice in a manner that causes their adversaries to ask what sustains them.
They should keep a good conscience. This will shame the abusers. (Note the abuse occurs, but the abusers are shaken.)
It is better to suffer for doing right than for doing wrong.
Physical existence is not all of life.
We exist to eliminate suffering and injustice. We think it can be eliminated. We place great emphasis on the physical. We have a poor concept of eternity.
Satan will never cause God's people harm again.
God's eternal blessings will exceed any physical suffering a person endures.
Link to Student Guide
Lesson 6