Lesson for May 28, 2023
The Doctrine of Undeserved Suffering
Lesson 3
Romans 8:23
“And not only that (the groan of creation), but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons and daughters, the redemption of our body.”
Having the first fruits of the Spirit is a reference to our relationship with God, which is guaranteed to all believers by the sealing ministry of God the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 1:13) There is, however, much more waiting for us in eternity. First fruits (the first portion of the harvest) means a down payment for what is to follow in the future. What we have now as advancing believers is fantastic, but what we will have in eternity will be far superior.
The second groan of suffering is from an advancing believer. (Romans 8:23-25. If a believer is not being disciplined by God, then the suffering is undeserved and designed for blessing, not cursing. Suffering for blessing follows two general trends: a) Personal catastrophe and disaster and b) National catastrophe and disaster. When undeserved suffering comes to the spiritually maturing believer, it is designed to add blessing. Strength in adversity is a blessing from God to advancing believers. The adoption as sons and daughters refers to believers in Ultimate Sanctification. The redemption of our body refers to the resurrection (glorified) body that believers will receive. Both occur at the Rapture of the Church.
Romans 8:24
“For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?”
This is the anticipation of the redemption of the body at resurrection. Hope means anticipation or expectation. At salvation, we received eternal life, but we will not fully experience it until we are in a resurrection body. Therefore, hope in this context is a future reality that every believer will live for all eternity. We cannot see Heaven and all of its detail now, but we anticipate the reality of Heaven, the reality of eternity and as advancing believers we can anticipate the greater blessings and rewards that await us. Hope, then, is confidence of reality before the reality is seen. If you had already seen the reality of eternity, then there is no reason to anticipate (hope for) it.
Romans 8:25
“But if we hope for what we do not see, through perseverance we wait eagerly for it.”
At salvation we do not see the blessings that await us, but the possession of God’s righteousness should give us confidence (hope) of receiving those blessings. Just as the righteousness of God is the hope for blessing in time, it is also the hope for blessing in eternity. This is what every believer in Christ should be patiently and eagerly waiting for while they’re living the Christian Way of Life.
God allows undeserved suffering for specific reasons, such as:
To develop faith – I Peter 1:6-7; Romans 5:3; II Corinthians 10:13
- To glorify God – Book of Job; I Peter 4:16
- To witness for Christ – II Corinthians 2:3-4; II Timothy 2:8-9
- To manifest the fruit of the Holy Spirit – II Corinthians 4:8-11
- To teach us patience – Romans 5:3
- To learn obedience – Hebrews 5:8
- To give attention to our spiritual health – I Peter 4
- To demonstrate the power of God – II Corinthians 11:24-33; II Corinthians 12:7-10
- To be able to comfort others – II Corinthians 1:3-6
- To give us a hunger for Heaven – II Corinthians 5:1-6
I Peter 4:1-2, “Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because the one who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human lusts, but for the will of God.”
As with everything in the Christian life, Jesus Christ has set the example for living a life pleasing to God. Though we obviously cannot be perfect like Christ, we can and should follow His example, which includes undeserved suffering. In order to orient to suffering, believers must exhibit the same mental attitude that Jesus Christ exhibited when He suffered in His humanity. What was His attitude? Peace, joy, stability, single-mindedness, humility, and obedience to the plan of God. (Isaiah 26:3-4; Hebrews 12:2; II Timothy 1:7; II Corinthians 13:11; II Corinthians 10:5-6; Philippians 2:5-8)
Jesus Christ fully understood the plan for Him. This plan involved intense suffering, spiritually, physically, and mentally. Knowing this, He was still willing to die for our sins. (Matthew 26:39)
We are given a command in these verses to arm ourselves with the same mental attitude as Christ had. This, once again, is a command, not a request. This command is a military term referring to a fully armed Greek soldier. (Ephesians 6:10-17) The one offensive weapon mentioned in Ephesians 6 is the Word of God. In this verse, we are commanded to arm ourselves with the same mind as Christ. The Word of God is the mind of Christ. (I Corinthians 2:16) The mind of Christ is Divine Viewpoint Thinking based on our knowledge of accurate Bible doctrine.
Because the one who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,The second half of I Peter 1:1 is a reference to undeserved suffering. The reason we know this is that it is a reference to what Christ accomplished at the Cross with regard to sin. The suffering He endured was totally undeserved. The word “cease” actually means to pause, to desist, to refrain, or to stop. When you are armed with the mind of Christ, the suffering that comes your way will not be due to sin in your life. When a believer is in fellowship with God and filled with the Holy Spirit as a result, they have ceased committing personal sin. Therefore, when we are filled with the Holy Spirit and thinking divine viewpoint, any suffering that comes our way is undeserved and is for our benefit and blessing.
So as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human lusts, but for the will of God.I Peter 1:2 is a reason for undeserved suffering, namely, so that we will chose to do the will of God. God wants us to stop living like unbelievers and start living His plan for our lives. However, it is up to us to discover God’s plan by studying and learning the Word of God.
I Peter 1:12-14, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though something strange were happening to you;but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that at the revelation of His glory you may also rejoice and be overjoyed.If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory, and of God, rests upon you.
The Word of God is very clear that all believers will, at some point in their lifetime, suffer. This may come in the form of people testing, disaster testing, thought testing, or system testing. Whichever you encounter, don’t be surprised or think that it is strange, it happens to all of us. (I Corinthians 10:13)
In contrast to shock or surprise, a believer should have inner happiness in the midst of suffering. (Philippians 4:4; James 1:2) Why should we have inner happiness? Because we are partakers of His sufferings. Though our sufferings are not comparable to the suffering of Christ on the Cross, they are comparable to many of His sufferings during His ministry. If Jesus, the perfect Son of God, was maligned and persecuted, so will believers be. (John 13:16; 15:20; 16:33)
Keep on rejoicing, so that at the revelation of His glory you may also rejoice and be overjoyed.When the glory of Jesus Christ is revealed at the Second Coming, this joy or inner happiness will be ours forever. The wonderful thing for us is that this same inner happiness is available to us now. And it is God’s purpose for all believers to have joy during suffering. This inner happiness comes from two sources: the Word of God and the filling of the Holy Spirit.
If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory, and of God, rests upon you. The Spirit of glory, and of God is a reference to the ministry of the Holy Spirit in glorifying Christ in us. (John 16:14) Application of Bible doctrine in the midst of undeserved suffering will bring great joy and glorify our Savior. So, our attitude in suffering should not be shock, but joy that we are counted worthy to suffer for Christ.
I Peter 1:19, “Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God are to entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.”
Suffering according to the will of God is undeserved suffering. By relying upon the filling of the Holy Spirit, we are committing the safeguard of our souls to our Creator, Jesus Christ. Jesus has already gone through the same trials that we are facing and has shown us that by utilizing the filling of the Holy Spirit we can come through any test victoriously. Remember, it is God Who turns the suffering into blessing because of His faithfulness. (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:10)
Suffering is inevitable, our attitude during suffering is optional!!!