Living in this world, we know suffering is part and parcel of life. We only need to read the news headlines every day, and many of us experience it personally.
The Biblical figures were, in fact, not immune to this. In the very first book of the Bible, we read about Joseph being sold by his brothers into slavery. Many other figures experienced their own suffering, from Samson betrayed by the woman he loved; to David on the run from the king he faithfully served; to Job. Even Jesus endured suffering when He was on Earth. The Bible does not hide things from us; it tells us that suffering is real.
Suffering is real and it can either forge our faith into an enduring one or it can break us. To have a resilient faith, we need to have a proper understanding of the theology of suffering, but it is a topic seldom covered in our churches. Back in February this year, Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC), had tackled the subject of the Book of Revelation, also seldom touched upon by most churches. In a recent 3-part sermon series, Senior Pastor Chris Kam spoke on the Biblical Worldview of suffering.
In their notes accompanying the first sermon, the church challenges a currently popular but unsound interpretation of the Gospel:
‘For many Christians, there has been a popular but unsound interpretation that it is great to be a Christian and that blessings are in the form of physical and material well-being.’
The Gospel message is, in fact, suffused with suffering. Jesus came as an answer to a broken and sinful world. He had to endure unimaginable suffering for our sake, and the early Christians suffered in their service for the sake of the Gospel message. Yet, despite this, the Gospel message is also primarily about hope, and not just an empty or wishful hope.
The core text of the sermon series is taken from Romans 8:16-27. In this passage of the Bible, we see several hopes we have as Christians. The Spirit testifies that we are God’s children and co-heirs with Christ. If we currently share in His suffering, one day we will also share in His glory (Romans 8:16-17). We will be liberated from our bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God (Romans 8:21). Even now the Spirit is with us, interceding for us in our weakness, and during the times when we do not have the words (Romans 8:26-27).
Pr Chris’s sermon series approaches the problem of suffering from a comprehensive angle. It studies how God is involved in our pain, the process of waiting for deliverance from the pain, and the Christian response to pain. Seven truths stand out:
Truth #1: In this fallen world, there is a correlation between suffering and glory.
Truth #2: In this fallen world, there is an encouraging consolation and hope in our times of suffering
Truth #3: In this fallen world, all of creation, including our bodies, are subjected to frustration and bondage to decay.
Truth #4: In this fallen world, God is in control and sovereign over our sufferings, always with a glorious purpose
Truth #5: In the future world, there comes a time when believers and all of creation will be set free from frustration and decay.
Truth #6: This freedom is only possible by Christ’s redemption through His death on the cross and His resurrection.
Truth #7: This hope of freedom should craft our biblical response to the sufferings we are facing.
Many of us have suffered in the last 2-3 years, and as a result, some have fallen away from the faith and their relationship with God. We know that suffering is not going to go away. In fact, a large number of us anticipate that it’s going to intensify in the next coming years. In challenging times, it’s our faith, hope, and trust in God, as well as our understanding of the place of suffering in our world, that will keep us resilient and strong.
Note: This is an independent news article and is not affiliated in any way with Damansara Utama Methodist Church. The purpose of this article is to highlight a noteworthy event. All content and expression thereof in the sermon series are wholly DUMC and their ownership remains with the church. This article does not cover the content of the sermon series but merely highlights it. For those interested to learn more, you can access the sermon and notes at https://dumc.my/sermons/?sermon_series=biblical-worldview-on-sufferings
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