Five Things You Should Know About Pain and Suffering

B. Friesen

1. What are pain and suffering?

Pain and suffering are inevitable. They can take the form of real physical injury. More often we experience pain and suffering in the deep spiritual and emotional agony of existence. We are hurt by friends, family, words, relationships, disease, natural disaster, terrorists, etc. They threaten to drown us in their depths. The suffering is intense and cannot be ignored or shoved aside. Our world is full of the ravages of suffering, from the experience of divorce to contracting AIDS.  Suffering brings to mind a body full of deadly cancer or children starving in Africa or even right next door to us. It also encompasses torments of the soul and mind as one tries to be happy and yet is engulfed in the pain of everyday reality. This pain, this suffering is real. It is not metaphysical; we cannot wish it away or hope to be free from it by engaging in activity, meditation, or living a good life. It will always stare us in the face and make its presence clearly known. Life is filled with pain and suffering.

2. What is the cause of pain and suffering?

We pause to wonder why our world is filled with so much pain and suffering. Could there possibly be a satisfactory answer? Yes! The answer is sin. After God created the world, He created our first parents, Adam and Eve. When Adam disobeyed and rebelled against God’s explicit command the whole creation was plunged into sin and suffering and pain came as a result of that sin. “And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shall not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shall thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shall eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shall thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shall thou return.” (Gen 3:17-19) All of Adam’s descendants were born with that same sin nature. Ultimately, pain and suffering come because sin has filled our world.  Romans 5:12, Ephesians 2:3, Romans 3: 10, 11, & 23

3. Would a loving God allow pain and suffering?

We are actually asking the wrong question. Shouldn’t it be- Why wouldn’t a righteous God annihilate those who have rejected Him and constantly live in rebellion to Him? God did not wish for those He created to live in a world full of pain and suffering, He created a perfect world for them. It was we who rebelled against Him and brought about pain and suffering. It would make sense, if we were being fair, that God would leave us to our own demise. God has graciously provided a way of salvation for those who believe in Him. However, God does allow pain and suffering to continue in our world as He works out His program of redemption.

There are some things about God that are beyond our understanding, Isaiah 55:8-9 says that God’s ways are not our ways and that His thoughts are not our thoughts. Here on earth we will understand completely all there is to know about suffering, but we know that God does use suffering to bring glory to Himself. Suffering also puts our own needed dependence on God into perspective. We cannot insist on thinking that we ourselves have everything under control (like we could actually think that!). We must admit that suffering is out of our control and that God is the only one that has the answers to our pain and suffering (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). For those who place their trust in God, suffering can be used to draw them closer to Him. This should be the desire of every believer, (James 1:2-4, 1Peter 1:7, 2 Corinthians 12:5). Philippians 3:10 states that we should know Christ in the power of His resurrection and in the fellowship of His sufferings. God, through the work of His Son, knows what we suffer and we are called upon to suffer for His names sake. There is no higher privilege than to suffer for God.

4. Can any good come from pain and suffering?

Actually yes! Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose”.  For believers there is a confidence that God is using any circumstance or situation in their lives for good; to draw them closer to Him and to ultimately bring glory to His name. Suffering and pain will always be a part of this sin cursed world and no amount of self perpetuated good will overcome it. Only when sin is done away with will pain and suffering be no more. The apostle Paul lets us know that sin has been dealt with and that those who have placed their trust in God will experience that victory. “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain”. (1Co 15:55-58)

5. Is there freedom from pain and suffering?

We have been given hope! There can be freedom from the pain and suffering that we now experience. There will always be suffering and pain in the world but if one places his faith and trust in Jesus Christ and what He has done, one can have confidence that someday he or she will be in His presence free from all pain and suffering.  John 3:16 states that those who believe in Jesus Christ will have everlasting life. John 14:1-3 assures us that Jesus has gone to heaven and is preparing a place there for those who believe on Him. How do we know that there will be no pain and suffering in heaven? Revelation 21:4 eloquently proclaims that “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away”. God has provided a way for mankind to experience freedom from pain and suffering- all one must do is “…believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).

All scripture quotes taken from the English Standard Version. Crossway Bibles, copyright 2003.

Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry. “Why is there evil and suffering in the world?” http://www.carm.org/questions/suffering.htm 2/15/2007.

The Life. “Why is There Suffering in the World?” http://thelife.com/spirituality/worldtrade.html 2/15/2007.