Rejoice in Our Sufferings
Written by David T. Crum |
Friday, October 20, 2023
Within the Scriptures, Christians can find comfort in their sufferings, knowing Christ is with them. Reformed teachings suggest that believers can view pain and suffering as a blessing. Discomfort sanctifies the soul and shifts believers’ focus to their heavenly Father rather than worldly pursuits.
The fear of the unknown in death is a valid thought. The world’s pain, suffering, and darkness are daily reminders of humanity’s fallen nature and state. John Calvin wrote, “It is abundantly clear, however, that we are poor earthworms, surrounded by decay and corruption. It is lamentable to see the misery to which we are exposed.”[1] J.C. Ryle agreed, writing, “The true Christian has a weak body and is frail like any other.”[2] Of course, after being redeemed by Jesus Christ, the believer has the assurance of their salvation and future eternity with their Lord and Savior.
Within the Scriptures, Christians can find comfort in their sufferings, knowing Christ is with them. Reformed teachings suggest that believers can view pain and suffering as a blessing. Discomfort sanctifies the soul and shifts believers’ focus to their heavenly Father rather than worldly pursuits.
Most believers have heard the phrase “rejoice in our sufferings.” Romans 5 reads:
“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Romans 5:3–5
Here, Paul underlines the serenity faith can give in this fallen world. Calvin commented on this passage, “that no one might scoffingly object and say, that Christians, with all their glorying, are yet strangely harassed, and distressed in this life, which condition is far from being a happy one.”[3] Later, he concludes, “We are then taught here what is the design of our tribulations, if indeed we would prove ourselves to be the children of God.”[4] Calvin emphasized that patience came to life through such tribulations, but not just patience: a godly comfort that brought forth heavenly understanding.
Christians can use this passage to assist them in comprehending debilitating and terminal illnesses. The assurance and seal of salvation provide peace and understanding that unbelievers do not possess. Calvin argued, “We have no fear that we will not reach heavenly life, a down payment on which we have through the Holy Spirit.”[5] Ryle argued, “The true Christian can think calmly about things to come and not be afraid.”[6]
Through sanctification, believers will grow in their comprehension of the faith. In his book Immortality, Loraine Boettner wrote, “The doctrine of immortality makes us aware that we are but temporary residents in this world. It was never intended that we should settle down here as permanent citizens.”[7] He proposed the following questions and answers:
How would you want to spend the time if you knew that tomorrow would be your last day on earth? Would you need to spend it asking for that forgiveness of sin which you should have asked for long ago? It is of course, infinitely better to make a death-bed repentance than not to repent at all. But many who put off until the last moment the matter of getting right with God find themselves unable to repent at that time.[8]
More impactful, Boettner shared with those suffering:
We sometimes hear it said that death through cancer, tuberculosis, or some other disease in which the person may be sick and perhaps suffer for a period of time is a horrible way to die. We believe, however, that for most people such a death, rather than one that occurs suddenly, as in heart failure, drowning or accident, at least affords a final period of preparation both as regards the person’s spiritual well-being and his earthly affairs.[9]
God has graciously enabled those living in a debilitating state to focus not on this world but on Heaven. Those suffering have no choice, as their physical limitations often limit their worldly affairs and provide stamina centered on God’s promises and comfort. Ryle wrote, “Sickness is painful; death is solemn; the judgment day is a solemn thing—but if Christ is for us, who can be against us? We have nothing to fear.”[10]
We must acknowledge that affliction can be a blessing that produces faith and spiritual discipline. In a conversation with a friend during the U.S. Civil War, Presbyterian Stonewall Jackson said:
Nothing earthly can mar my happiness. I know that heaven is in store for me; and I should rejoice in the prospect of going there tomorrow. Understand me: I am not sick; I am not sad; God has greatly blessed me; and I have as much to love here as any man, and life is very bright to me. But, still, I am ready to leave it any day, without trepidation or regret, for that heaven which I know awaits me, through the mercy of my Heavenly Father.[11]
Months later, Jackson became injured, being shot by friendly fire and eventually having his arm amputated. Days later, he succumbed to an infection that killed him. Before his death, he remarked on the loss of his arm:
You see me severely wounded, but not depressed, not unhappy. I believe it has been done according to God’s holy will, and I acquiesce entirely in it. You may think it strange, but you never saw me more perfectly contented than I am today; for I am sure that my Heavenly Father designs affliction for my good. I am perfectly satisfied that, either in this life, or in that which is to come, I shall discover that what is now regarded as a calamity is a blessing. And if it appears a great calamity, as it surely will be a great inconvenience, to be deprived of my arm, it will result in a great blessing. I can wait until God, in His own time, shall make known to be the object He has in thus afflicting me. But why should I not rather rejoice in it as a blessing, and not look on it as a calamity at all? If it were in my power to replace my arm, I would not dare to do it, unless I could know it was the will of my Heavenly Father.[12]
It takes discipline to rejoice in our sufferings. Suffering leads to a heavenly understanding and the assurance of being with Jesus forever. It further establishes priorities in this temporary world, and if embraced, it will strengthen one’s faith and trust in Jesus Christ.
David Crum holds a Ph.D. in Historical Theology. He serves as an Assistant Professor of History and Dissertation Chair. His research interests include the history of warfare and Christianity. He and his family attend Trinity Presbyterian Church (ARP) in Bedell, New Brunswick.
[1] John Calvin, The Doctrine of Election: Translated from French by Robert White, (Edinburg: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2022), 170.
[2] J.C. Ryle, Happiness, (Durham: EP Books, 2018), 35.
[3] John Calvin, Calvin’s Commentaries Volume XIX, (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1979), 190.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Calvin, The Doctrine of Election, 170.
[6] Ryle, Happiness, 37.
[7] Loraine Boettner, Immortality, (Louisville: GLH Publishing, 2020), 80.
[8] Ibid., 31.
[9] Ibid., 33.
[10] Ryle, Happiness, 37.
[11] Robert Lewis Dabney, Life and Campaigns of Stonewall Jackson, (New York: Blelock & Co., 1866), 588.
[12] Thomas Jackson Arnold, Early Life and Letters of General Thomas J. Jackson, (New York: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1916), 290.
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A Case for Using Physical Bibles
Written by Samuel D. James |
Sunday, July 31, 2022
To hold onto a treasured leather-bound Bible is for me a way of holding onto awareness of God’s grace in my life. Yes, Scripture is universally true all the time, but the Bible I hold in my hands was given to me at a specific place and a specific time. Perhaps a struggle in my Christian life has been to see myself not merely as mooching off the extravagant kindness of Jesus that he gives to everybody else, but as a specific target of his sovereign love. Proverbs 3:5-6 is true for everyone, but it’s underlined in my specific Bible because it’s true for me. It’s one thing to know something applies to you. It’s quite another to know it was meant for you.Recently I was sitting in a worship service and looked around me. For every physical Bible opened I saw at least one or two smartphones glowing softly. I’m not sure why, but this was surprising. Is the Bible app really that common in evangelical worship? I guess it is. Not long after this I took a more deliberate notice in my small group of who had Bibles and who had Bible apps. It was a much closer ratio than I had assumed.
Bible apps are unquestionably convenient, and of course knowing and obeying the words that are there is far more important than whether you’re holding leather or glass. I have to admit, though, that it’s hard for me to imagine ever replacing physical Bibles with apps. Aesthetic value would be lost, but something else would be lost too…a compact landmark of my spiritual memory.
For me, physical Bibles are connected to both time and place. A quick glance behind my shoulder as I write these words lets me see a row of Bibles on my shelf, each one provoking a vividly clear memory of where and when I got each of them. In several cases I even remember the individual who sold them to me. These Bibles’ physicality takes me back to a specific season of life, a process of deliberate remembrance that isn’t just nostalgia. It’s a spiritual exercise that often awakens thankfulness.
Opening the Bibles deepens this experience. Opening up the Bible I bought right after graduating college, I see the markings of a blue ink pen drawing attention to Psalm 4:4: “Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent.” My markings are almost certainly at least 4 years old. Was I feeling convicted about my anger? It’s hard to recall, though I do know that I underlined this verse before I married and had a toddler son who nailed me with a toy golf club. Even as I write this I feel ashamed at my ridiculous anger over a toddler’s mistake. Had I not opened up my 5-year old Bible I likely wouldn’t have contemplated this verse in light of my life now.
Physical objects anchor memory in a way that digitalization cannot rival. The technology critic L.M. Sacasas argues that physicality is an integral part of the self, and thus, the self recedes or “flattens” when all its experiences blur into electronic sameness.
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The Names of God, and Why They Should Mean Something to You
“What is your name?”
That’s the question Moses asked God when God told Moses that he was to go to Pharaoh and demand that he let the people of God go free:
“Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” (Ex. 3:13).
Up to this point in the Old Testament, we’ve seen the significance of names. God had already changed the names of Abram, Sarai, and Jacob after encounters with Him. When they encountered God, the fabric of their identities was altered and God signified this change by changing their name. And that’s what Moses was really asking.
In the Old Testament, a name was much more than the means by which you could address someone. A name was a description of a person’s character. Moses was asking God, “Who are you really? And who are you to tell me to go to Pharaoh and make such a demand?”
The Lord answered with his name: Yahweh.
There was good reason for Moses’ question. Though the Israelites were already familiar with the name Yahweh (Gen. 12:8; 26:25; 28:13), they had been enslaved for centuries without any word from this God. -
The Point of Christmas: Salvation from Sin
Do we desire a Savior who will come into our lives, cleanse us, forgive us, renew us, change us, make us holy, and give us, in the end, eternal life? That’s the kind of Savior Jesus is. Christ, the baby born to Mary, is God’s gift to us, and His work of salvation is the point of Christmas.
“What do you want for Christmas?” Asking that question of others is always a diverse experience. There’s the person who is ready with a long list of things. Then there’s the person who only wants one thing, or the person who is offended by the question, or the person who has no idea what they want.
Now consider what we would find if we asked people not, “What do you want for Christmas?” but, “What do you want for a Savior?” Perhaps we would uncover similar answers. We’d find the person who has a list of problems this savior would have to be able to solve. Then we’d discover the person with one major issue in their life they want the savior to solve. Maybe we’d find people who feel that God has let them down, and unless the Savior comes up big, it’s only going to make them more bitter. Undoubtedly, we would also identify people who feel like life is pretty good, and they’re not even sure they need a Savior.
The way we answer the question, “What do you want for a Savior?” reveals a great deal about the spiritual condition of our hearts. This answer highlights what is important to us and reveals what we believe our greatest needs to be. It discloses whether we are even aware of our need for salvation.
As we continue with our study of Christmas: What’s the Point? we turn to Matthew 1:18-25 to see that Jesus, the true Savior, came to save His people from their sins. There are three questions that must be answered as we use this passage to consider the salvation Jesus secured.
First, as we think about God’s provision of salvation in Jesus, what qualifies Jesus to be the Savior?
This critical question was important to the original readers of Matthew’s Gospel. Matthew wrote his account to a primarily Jewish audience, who were familiar with the Old Testament promises and prophecies about the Messiah. One of Matthew’s goals for this Gospel was to prove that Jesus is the promised Savior, starting this quest by establishing that Jesus was qualified to be the Savior. Matthew is intent on showing how it is that Jesus is qualified to be the Savior, the heir to the Davidic dynasty, even though He is not the biological son of Joseph.
Matthew first tells us, in no uncertain terms, that Jesus is qualified to be the Savior because He was born of a virgin. Notice in our passage that Matthew adds that Mary was with child by the Holy Spirit, indicating this was not unfaithfulness to her soon-to-be husband, but a miracle God performed by His Spirit in her. Mary’s Son was not a mere human but the product of the Holy Spirit causing her to conceive apart from any relationship with a man. The clear testimony of Scripture is that Jesus was born of a virgin.
What’s more, the virgin birth is one thing that qualified Jesus to be the Savior. We need a Savior who is free from the stain of sin, who is not under the curse incurred by Adam, and who can represent us before God. Any child born naturally would have the imputed sin of Adam and already be disqualified from being the Savior. A natural birth simply could not provide a righteous Savior who was undefiled and separate from sinners! In addition, our Savior also must be a mediator.
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