Suffering (pt 4)

The Believer’s Fellowship with Christ

One of the distinctive elements of Paul’s Christology lies in his use of the phrase “in Christ,” and its variants, to describe believers.[1] While this basic concept is also found in 1 Peter and in John’s Gospel, it is Paul who deepens and develops its meaning the most.[2] For him, being “in Christ” is the antithesis of being “in Adam” (1 Cor 15:22). Those “in Christ” are a new creation (2 Cor 5:17), and part of the age to come, though living in this present age.

Being “in Christ” means that one has been united in the death and resurrection of Christ. In Romans, Paul says that those who believe “have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection” (6:4-5). Speaking eschatologically, with Christ’s death the old age has passed away and new age has begun.[3] This new age is characterized by an increasing conformity of believers to the image of Christ.[4] Paul also develops the theological truth of being “in Christ” with the concept of suffering.

In the Thessalonians epistles, Paul speaks of the believers in Thessalonica imitating him and Christ despite much suffering (1 Thess 1:6). In his next letter, Paul mentions the suffering again, but also goes on to give a theological reason for the suffering (2 Thess 1:4-5). Paul tells them that God is working out his righteous purposes through their suffering.[5] The ability of the Thessalonian believers to continue in their faith despite suffering demonstrates that God’s “judgment is right” and that they will be considered “worthy of the kingdom.”[6] Those “in Christ” will experience suffering as a means to shape and mold their faith and character after the pattern of Christ, resulting in their future glory.[7]

In 2 Corinthians, Paul speaks of sharing the sufferings of Christ (1:5), and extends that sharing to the Corinthians believers (1:7). Here, though, Paul’s point seems not to emphasize that the Corinthians will suffer so much as he tries to encourage them with an assurance of comfort. Just as Paul experienced the suffering of Christ, he also experienced the comfort of Christ (1:4). Since he has been comforted in his suffering, he can now comfort others in their suffering (1:6). Paul wants to assure the Corinthians that as they share the sufferings of Paul they too will share in his comfort.[8] By implication, those that are “in Christ” who experience suffering, are then equipped to comfort others who go through suffering.[9] Believers are enabled to do this because suffering drives them to trust in God (1:9).

As is evident from Paul’s writing, to participate “in Christ” is also to participate in his sufferings – Paul says that believers are called to it (1 Thess 3:3). This not only refers to the spiritual aspects of putting of the “old man” but also involves experiencing physical suffering. Paul does not say that all believers are called to suffer in the same way, as he was an apostle.[10] Rather, he simply recognizes that Christians will endure suffering as a natural result of being “in Christ.”[11] One who is “in Christ” is to follow the example of Christ and this means a denial of self to serve others. Since this attitude is so contrary to that of the world, ridicule and even persecution is to be expected.[12]

Conclusion

This paper has attempted to provide an overview of the theology of suffering Paul presents in relationship to his ministry. It has seen Paul’s teaching as being divided into four major grouping: the suffering and death of Christ, the essence of Paul’s ministry, Paul’s defense for his ministry, and the believer relationship with Christ.

In the first section, it was shown that Paul frequently speaks of the sufferings of Christ (e.g. Gal 6:17; Col 1:24; 2 Cor 1:5; 4:9), and that in his writings, the sufferings of Christ are both unique and sufficient for salvation (Gal 1:4; 1 Cor 1:18-31; 2 Cor 5:16-21). For Paul, the sufferings of Christ were typified in the cross. He saw the cross as vital for Christian reflection and life, for Paul tells us that on the cross God made Christ to suffer in order that He might become a propitiation for our sins (Rom 3:25), and thus reconcile men to God (2 Cor 5:19). There cannot be enough emphasis placed on the cross in the reading of Paul.[13] For him, this was the central act of God in all of human history.

In the second section it was shown that Paul frequently links his own sufferings to the suffering and cross of Christ. For Paul, his sufferings are directly related to those of Christ. Luke even picked up on this in Acts by relaying that Paul’s ministry will also be marked by suffering (9:15-16). Paul himself saw his sufferings as a means by which the gospel could be furthered as well as a corollary to the sufferings of Christ (Col 1:24-25). Paul saw himself as replicating the cross through his suffering. And while the cross and the sufferings of Christ served as the archetypal birthpang of the coming age, Paul’s suffering helped filled up what was lacking in the afflictions that are to be expected during this time of transition. He helped to complete all the sufferings, (birthpangs, Rom 8:22) that must occur until Jesus, the Messiah returns.

In the third section, it was demonstrated that Paul defended his apostolic ministry on the basis of his suffering. Despite the culture of the Corinthians, Paul boasted in his weakness, knowing that the frailty of his life was simply the means by which the power of God was revealed (2 Cor 4:7-15; 12:7-10). Paul too had a unique role of suffering to play in that he stood between God and the first-century believers, ministering to the Spirit of God.

The final section examined Paul’s teaching on the relationship suffering and being “in Christ.” While Paul suffered in a unique way as an apostle of Christ, all believers will nevertheless suffer, though not necessarily to the same extent (Rom 8:17; 2 Tim 3:12). There it was reveled that those who are “in Christ” are in fact called to suffer. Believers are to follow the example of Christ and lead a life of selfless love towards others. Following this servant lifestyle will invariably bring about ridicule and persecution.

In the end, it is clear that for Paul suffering and salvation are closely linked together. This must give us pause as Christians in the twenty-first century. For while we might expect our culture to shy away from suffering, it is surprising that the western church does so as well. Like the Corinthians so many years ago, we tend to boast in what we have accomplished – lots of wealth, big cars, and large numbers in our church, to name a few. Unfortunately, the theology of Paul in the area of suffering seems not to have made a great impact upon our thinking. And yet all over the world, in at least forty-four countries,[14] Christians are persecuted, made to suffer, and killed everyday. This does not include all of the “small” trials that Christians all over the world goes through. Too many times we as believers fall into the trap of the “health and wealth” gospel, shirking from suffering or hardship of any kind. Paul tells us that God actually uses the pain of this age to make us look more like the image of His risen Son (2 Thess 1:4-5), and to trust in Him more fully (2 Cor 1:9). That is why Paul can say with confidence that “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purposes” (Rom 8:28).

NOTES

[1]Ben Witherington “Christology,” in the Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, ed. Gerald F. Hawthorne, Ralph P. Martin, and Daniel G. Reid (Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1993), 114.

[2]Ibid.

[3]James D. G. Dunn, The Theology of Paul the Apostle (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998), 403.

[4]Ibid.

[5]Leon Morris, The First and Second Epistles to the Thessalonians, rev. ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1991), 196.

[6]Morris, Thessalonians, 197.

[7]Ibid.

[8]Ralph P. Martin, 2 Corinthians, WBC 40 (Waco: Word, 1986), 11-12.

[9]Ibid.

[10]Hafemann, “Suffering,” 920.

[11]Belleville, “Imitate Me,” 140.

[12]Ibid.

[13]Dunn, Theology of Paul, 213.

[14]According to the Voice of the Martyrs website; available from http:// www.persecution.com/country/index.cfm.

Suffering (pt 3)

A Defense of Paul’s Ministry

Much to his disappointment, Paul is forced to defend his ministry as an apostle to the Corinthians. Because of the immaturity of the Corinthians and the influence of Paul’s opponents upon them, the theologically-driven missionary is forced to become an apologist for his own ministry.[1] The defense that he gives would have been radically counter-culture to the ears of the Corinthians. They had failed to understand the “Christian way” of evaluating one’s worth and instead adopted that of their culture. The standards used for evaluating one’s social status and the significance of religious belief in everyday life can be summarized in one word: boasting.

Timothy Savage has developed five key principles of this so-called evaluation process: 1) a valuing of self-sufficiency; 2) wealth as the key to status; 3) the boasting of one’s accomplishments to earn praise for oneself; 4) one’s ability to boast about victories of honor; and 5) boasting in the display of one’s wealth from where they lived.[2] These values formed a society that placed an emphasis on boasting in one’s accomplishments and social status. Ultimately, “self-appreciation became the goal and self-gratification the reward”[3] for everyone in this society.

Paul’s counter-culture defense of his ministry was the antithesis of what the Corinthian society valued. Paul defended his ministry by appealing to the relationship between suffering and the power of the Spirit in his apostleship.[4] Rather than focus on his ability and sufficiency as an apostle, Paul emphasized his weakness. He argues that his “suffering is the revelatory vehicle through which the knowledge of God manifest in the cross of Christ and in the power of the Spirit is being disclosed.”[5]

Perhaps the passage that epitomizes this theme the most comes in 2 Cor 2:14. This passage is also a controversial one. The controversy is focused on the meaning of the Greek word, thriambeuo. The meaning of this word has been debated, not on lexical grounds, but on theological grounds. For the usual meaning seems to be impossible theologically in the context of this passage.[6] The usual meaning of this word (as in Col 2:15) harkens back to the days of the Roman Empire and its triumphal processions.[7] The procession itself consisted of an elaborate parade held to celebrate Roman victories where by the strongest and most important of the defeated armies were “led in triumph” as conquered slaves.[8] Moreover, those that were led were publicly disgraced by being dragged before the chariots of the victors.[9] For one to be led in this triumphal procession was ultimately to be led to one’s death.[10] The Romans would sacrifice all, or a sampling of those “led in triumph,” selling the rest into slavery.[11] The construction of the sentence is such that Paul himself is the object of the triumph.[12] Herein lies the problem – Paul is praising God for what He is currently doing in and through his life and that which God is doing is described with this gruesome imagery of the triumphal procession.

Centuries ago, Calvin understandably struggled with Paul’s language and imagery and desperately sought to reconcile the two. His solution to the problem was to conclude that when Paul used the term, thriambeuo, he must have meant to convey something different than its usual meaning.[13] Specifically, Calvin understand the verb in a ‘factitive’ sense – that is, he saw Paul as meaning to convey the meaning “cause to triumph.”[14] Thus, Paul did not praise God for putting him to death, but rather allowing him to participate in God’s victory.

While Calvin’s influence has been felt through many commentaries and translations of the Scriptures, by the end of the nineteenth century, many scholars observed that such a meaning was “‘philologically impossible.’”[15] Thus, scholars were left with the seemingly troublesome language of the triumphal procession. Many could not reconcile Paul’s statement with his other teachings that seemed to endorse a “triumph in Christ” view of his ministry as an apostle.[16]
Recently, Scott Hafemann has produced a work, which seeks to integrate Paul’s language of the triumphal procession within the larger framework of his teaching about suffering and his apostolic ministry.[17] The following is a summary of his interpretation of 2 Cor 2:14-16a.

Hafemann asserts that Paul’s imagery of being “led in a triumphal procession” reflects the role of those in the Greco-Roman world who were led in triumph and publicly executed to reveal the glory of the conqueror.[18] Paul uses this imagery to say that God is leading him in triumphal procession, ultimately to his death. Hafemann understands this to show that “as the enemy of God’s people, God had conquered Paul at his conversion call on the road to Damascus and was now leading him, as a “slave of Christ” … to death in Christ, in order that Paul might display or reveal the majesty, power, and glory of God, his conqueror.”[19]

Hafemann explains that Paul uses such gruesome imagery in 2 Corinthians in conjunction with the other suffering and ‘death’ phrases within the Corinthian correspondence (e.g. 1 Cor 4:9; 2 Cor 1:9; 4:10; 6:9). Paul uses the imagery of death and dying as vivid expressions of his suffering as an apostle, since death is “suffering’s crowing achievement.”[20] This is most evident when, in speaking of the hardships he faced in Ephesus, Paul says that he dies “every day” (1 Cor 15:31).[21] All of this again shows that the sufferings of Paul served as a corollary to the sufferings of Christ; they served to replicate the sufferings of Christ (1 Cor 1:18-25). Paul’s life matched the gospel he was preaching (1 Cor 4:8-13). The sufferings he experienced were the embodiment of his message of the cross of Christ, and that was the very thing that God uses to make Himself known (cf. Gal 6:17; 1 Cor 2:2-5).

After Paul uses the imagery of the triumphal procession, he moves to another analogy; one that would be more familiar to his Jewish readers (vv. 14b-16a). He uses the imagery of an “aroma” and a “fragrance” to describe “the knowledge of God” and himself, respectively. Through his suffering, Paul is able to spread the knowledge of God everywhere (v. 14). Christ is pictured as the sacrifice and Paul shows himself to the fragrance that flows up from it. Therefore, to “encounter Paul in his suffering on behalf of his churches is to encounter a picture of the crucified Christ, who died for his people” (cf. Col 1:24).[22] It is obvious to Paul that those who are “being saved” as a result of his suffering find them to be an aroma of life, while those who reject him and the sufferings of Christ, find the aroma to be offensive (v. 15b-16a).

Thus, one sees that Paul could truly offer thanks to God for the sufferings he experienced as an apostle (v. 14a). For Paul saw the reality of his situation: the sufferings he experienced vividly portrayed to others the sufferings of Christ, and thus demonstrated the powerful truth of the gospel. God used the hardships Paul faced as a means to further his kingdom.

Paul later argues that the frailty of his life was simply the means by which the power of God was demonstrated to the Corinthians (4:7). Paul says the treasure they have is stored in earthen vessels (a metaphor for his weakness), so that God may be seen as powerful, not Paul. He goes to say “we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in out mortal flesh” (4.9-11). Hafemann comments that in “his preaching and suffering, Paul stands between the glory of God and the life of his congregation as an instrument in God’s hand to bring about new life among his people.”[23]

Paul uses the role of suffering to play a central role in his defense of his apostleship to the Corinthians. Paul points to the hardships and sufferings he has endured as his commendation to them (2 Cor 3-10). Paul makes clear the idea that “weakness” and a Spirit-filled ministry cannot co-exist is not a correct understanding of the Christian life or his ministry.[24] It is through Paul’s weakness that the strength and power of God is revealed (2 Cor 12:7-10). Paul suffers so as to be an embodiment of the cross of Christ, while simultaneously being an agent by which the power and Spirit of God are being manifested.[25] This is the heart of Paul’s defense to the Corinthians. It was a defense that ran against the teaching of the culture and his opponents in Corinth. But it was also a defense that could not be rejected by the Corinthians, for to reject his defense, was to reject Paul as an apostle, and do reject Paul was to reject God Himself (2:14; 2:17b; 3:5f).[26]


NOTES

[1]Hafemann, 2 Corinthians, 19-34.

[2]Timothy Savage, Power Through Weakness: Paul’s Understanding of the Christian Ministry in 2 Corithians, SNTSMS 86 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996), 19-53.

[3]Hafemann, 2 Corinthians, 25.

[4]Ibid., 34.

[5]Ibid.

[6]Scott Hafemann, Suffering and Ministry in the Spirit, Paul’s Defense of His Ministry in II Corinthians 2:14-3:3 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1990), 16.

[7]Karl Dahn and Hans-Georg Link, “thriambeuo,” in New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, ed. Colin Brown (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1986), 1:649.

[8]Hafemann, 2 Corinthians, 107.

[9]John Calvin, The Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians and the Epistles to Timothy, Titus and Philemon, trans. T. A. Snail (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1964), 33.

[10]Hafemann, Suffering and Ministry, 22.

[11]Hafemann, 2 Corinthians, 108.

[12]Ibid., 17.

[13]Calvin, Second Epistle, 33.

[14]Hafemann, Suffering and Ministry, 17.

[15]Ibid.

[16]Ibid.

[17]Laid out in a technical manner in Suffering and Ministry in the Spirit, Paul’s Defense of His Ministry in II Corinthians 2:14-3:3, and in a more popular format in his NIVAC commentary on 2 Corinthians.

[18] Hafemann, 2 Corinthians, 109.

[19]Ibid.

[20]Hafemann, Suffering and Ministry, 46.

[21]Gordon D. Fee, The First Epistle to the Corinthians, NICNT (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987), 769.

[22] Hafemann, 2 Corinthians, 111.

[23]Ibid., 186.

[24]Hafemann, Suffering and Ministry, 227.

[25]Ibid.

[26]Ibid., 228.

Suffering (pt 2)

The Essence of Paul’s Ministry

Luke records for his readers an important aspect of the ministry of Paul. First, it clearly shows that Paul was God’s “chosen instrument” to spread the gospel to the Gentiles peoples of the world as well as kings and Jews (Acts 9:15). But the passage also says that God will show him how much he will have to suffer for God’s name (9:16). Thus, Luke informs his readers that while Paul will be God’s instrument for the furthering of the Gospel, his ministry will also be marked by suffering. The idea that Paul would suffer much in his ministry is bore out by several passages.

In 2 Corinthians, Paul makes clear that to boast in one’s own strength is foolish.[1] Yet, he chooses to boast in his weakness so that he might “unmask” his opponents’ behavior as being ridiculous.[2] Through Paul’s boasting in his weakness we are given a list of the ways in which he suffered (2 Cor 11:23-28). One reads that he was beaten by both Jew (“lashes”) and Gentile (“rod”) in vv. 24-25. One would have received such punishment from the synagogue for such things as false teaching, blasphemy, and serious violation of the law.[3] This was one of the most severe punishments allowed (cf. Deut 25:1-3). Paul also says he was stoned once and shipwrecked multiple times (v. 25). He says that anywhere and everywhere he has gone there has been danger (v. 26), and that many times he has gone without food and shelter (v. 27).

Upon hearing about all that Paul suffered, one cannot help but ask, ‘what did all this suffering accomplish? Why did Paul allow himself to go through these incidents, and why does he boast in them?’ Paul himself answers this question throughout his epistles. Paul tells his readers that one of the foremost reasons for his suffering is that through it the gospel might be spread.

In Philippians, Paul states this directly: “Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone, and that most of the brethren trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the Word of God without fear” (1:12-18). Apparently, some of Paul’s critics thought that he had somehow erred by allowing himself to be thrown into prison.[4] However, it is clear from the passage that Paul had not erred. On the contrary, he had made a calculated decision to appeal to the Emperor (cf. Acts 26), knowing it would give him more opportunity to share the gospel with those in the Roman government, even a full Praetorian guard, which could have numbered close to nine thousand.[5] In the end, Paul was not concerned with his own well-being. He was willing to suffer the hardships of Roman imprisonment if it could give him cause to further the gospel.

In Ephesians, Paul bases his distinctive ministry on the assertion that he is a “prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of [the] Gentiles”[6] (3:1). Paul wants to show the Gentiles that it was his willingness to share the gospel with them that had caused his imprisonment. It was his proclamation of a law-free gospel to Gentile peoples that resulted in his arrest in Jerusalem, Caesarea, and Rome (cf. Acts 21:71-36, Rom 15:14-32).[7] Again, Paul was willing to endure suffering so that the gospel might go forth and allow all men to know grace of God (cf. 1 Thess 2:1-12).

In anticipation of his readers being discouraged because of his suffering, Paul encourages them a few verses later (Eph 3:13).[8] Paul has laid out the great truths of God’s plan of salvation and the role of the Gentiles and himself within that plan (3:2-12). Now, he seeks to show them that the suffering he endures is for their sake. In fact, it is ultimately for “their glory.” While some have tried to interpret this to mean “for their honor,” this does not seem to fit Paul’s teaching about the organic relationship between suffering and glory (cf. 2 Cor 4:17; Rom 8:17, 18).[9] Paul means that the suffering he endures is a result of his spreading the gospel to the Gentiles, which in turn will result in their end-time glorification.[10]

Proclaiming the gospel was central to Paul’s ministry. Paul affirms that it is only through the preaching of the gospel that men may know Christ (Rom 10:14). In Colossians, Paul again links his suffering with his preaching. He says, “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions. Of this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, so that I might fully carry out preaching of the word of God” (Col 1:24-26; cf. Gal 4:12-14).

This paper has already established that Paul did indeed believe that the suffering and death of Christ were both unique and sufficient for salvation. And yet this passage would seem to suggest he believed otherwise. The statements that Paul makes in these verses are unparalleled in the rest of his writings, even the rest of the New Testament.[11] How is one to reconcile this teaching with Paul’s other teachings about the suffering and death of Christ? Since this verse appears to be the anomalous teaching, while the other teaching (Christ’s sufficient death) appears to be that which Paul normally taught, it would be wise to begin with a more detailed examination of the Colossian’s passage.

Paul has just spoken about him being made a minister in the proclamation of the gospel (v. 23). Then he says that he rejoices in the sufferings he has endured for the Colossian believers and explains that this is part of “filling up” what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions (v. 24). This has been interpreted in at least five ways in the past.[12] First, some have said that there was something lacking in the vicarious sufferings of Christ. This interpretation has largely fallen by the wayside in modern scholarship.[13] A second way of interpreting the passage has been to understand the genitive as objective, thus meaning “for the sake of Christ.” In the end, this interpretation, however, fails to account that Paul says that he is somehow filling up for that which is “lacking” in Christ’s sufferings.[14] A third understanding of the text again deals with the genitive, but this time in seeing it as one of quality. Those who adhere to this understanding would then see Paul’s suffering as being similar to those of Christ. This falls to the same criticism of the above in that it too cannot account for that which Paul says “is lacking” in Christ’s sufferings. A fourth way of approaching the passage interprets Paul to mean some sort of mystical union with Christ. All of Paul’s ministry would be bound up in a mystical union with Christ, thus those sufferings experienced by him would be part of that mystical union. Some would say that these words apply to Paul alone (e.g. Deissmann and Schmid) while others would say that they apply to all Christians (e.g. Schneider and Dibelius).[15] Lohmeyer criticizes this view, again attacking the troublesome phrase “what is lacking”: “in a ‘mystical suffering in accordance with Christ’ either the entire suffering of Christ is present and ‘what is lacking’ is never perceptible, or else personal suffering of faith remains separate from the exemplary sufferings of Christ.”[16]

The fifth and most likely correct understanding of this text bases its interpretation in light of Paul’s understanding of the “already/not yet” aspects of this age.[17] Instead of a one-time move from this age into the next, the world experiences a transition that is long and drawn out. One could even say that these ages ‘overlap’ one another. Paul’s thought in Col 1:24-25 is best understood in the context of his transforming the Rabbinic understanding of the Messianic woes in light of the coming of Jesus Christ.[18]

Wright explains that Rabbinic writers understood world history to be divided into two ages – this present, evil age and the Messianic age to come (Rom 8:18-25; Gal 1:4).[19] He goes on to say that when the “great moment arrives from history to move from one age to the next, God’s people will suffer (so it was believed) extraordinary tribulations, which were to be understood as the birthpangs of the new age (Rom 8:22)…. [Now that Christ had come, Paul believed] Jesus’ resurrection had inaugurated the new age, but the old would continue along side it until Jesus’ second coming.”[20] All of creation is groaning for its renewal and transformation, which result in these “birthpangs.” This entire ‘overlap’ age would be characterized by those Messianic woes, or birthpangs for the age to come.[21]

Understanding the context of Col 1:24-25 in this way enables one to see Paul as suffering in a corollary manner to Christ.[22] Paul replicates the cross through his suffering, while not adding to its achievement. In a sense, the cross and the sufferings of Christ serve as the birthpang of this age.[23] Paul is “filling up” what is “lacking” in the sense that he is filling up the afflictions that are to be expected during this age. He is helping to complete all the sufferings, (birthpangs) that must occur until Jesus, the Messiah returns.[24]


NOTES

[1]Scott Hafemann, 2 Corinthians, NIVAC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000), 438.

[2]Ibid.

[3]Ibid.

[4]D. A. Carson, Basic for Believers: An Exposition of Philippians (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1996), 22.

[5]Ibid.

[6]Peter T. O’Brien, The Letter to the Ephesians, PNTC (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), 226.

[7]Ibid.

[8]Ibid., 250.

[9]Ibid, 251.

[10]Ibid., 251-252.

[11]Peter T. O’Brien, Colossians and Philemon, WBC, vol. 44 (Waco: Word, 1982), 75.

[12]Ibid., 77-78.

[13]Ibid., 77.

[14]Linda L. Belleville, “‘Imitate Me Just as I Imitate Christ’: Discipleship in the Corinthians Correspondence,” in Patterns of Discipleship in the New Testament, ed. Richard N. Longenecker (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1996), 134.

[15]O’Brien, Colossians and Philemon, 78.

[16]Ibid., as translated by O’Brien, from E. Lohmeyer, “Probleme paulinischer Theologie. I. Briefliche Grussuberschriften,” ZNW 26 (1927), 158-73.

[17]Ibid.

[18]N. T. Wright, Colossians and Philemon, TNTC, vol. 12 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1986), 87-88.

[19]Ibid.

[20]Ibid., 88.

[21]Ibid.

[22]Schreiner, “The Pauline Mission, Ministry, and Suffering,” 61.

[23]Wright, Colossians and Philemon, 89.

[24]Ibid.

Suffering (pt 1)

Introduction

With the recent news of the martyrdom of our brothers in Turkey, many of us would due well to think about the role of suffering in the Christian life. Those of us blessed to live out our faith in the western world have had to endure little or no suffering for the cause of Christ. But this is not true for the Church in the rest of the world. In an effort to better understand and appreciate the trials of our brothers and sisters, and perhaps prepare for our own in the future, we should think more deeply about suffering.

One of the central motifs in the epistles of Paul is suffering.[1] The concept of suffering appears in Paul’s epistles over sixty times.[2] Paul even speaks of suffering as being universal when in Romans he states that “the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now” (8:22). This emphasis on suffering should come as no surprise to readers of the New Testament, for Paul himself clearly suffered much during his time of Christian ministry (2 Cor 11:22-28). For Paul, these sufferings were not without purpose. In truth, they played an essential role in his ministry and teaching, and served as an example for other believers. Those sufferings were essential because of their relationship to the sufferings of Christ. In the discussion of suffering in Paul’s epistles, one must also have an understanding of how Paul viewed the sufferings of Christ himself.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the various ways in which Paul speaks of suffering in connection with his ministry as an apostle, and his life as a believer. In attempting to draw these connections, one can see at least four issues that arise from the relationship between suffering and his ministry in Paul’s epistles: the sufferings of Christ, a defense of Paul’s ministry, the essence of Paul’s ministry, and the believer’s fellowship with Christ. This paper will attempt to examine these themes by synthesizing Paul’s related teaching from various passages within his epistles.

The Sufferings of Christ

The sufferings of Christ are often mentioned in Paul’s epistles (e.g. Gal 6:17; Col 1:24; 2 Cor 1:5; 4:9). Clearly in Paul’s writings, the sufferings of Christ are both unique and sufficient for salvation (Gal 1:4; 1 Cor 1:18-31; 2 Cor 5:16-21).[3] For Paul, the sufferings of Christ were typified in the cross. He saw the cross as vital for Christian reflection and life.[4]

Paul tells us that it was on the cross that God made Christ to suffer in order that He might become a propitiation for our sins (Rom 3:25), and thus reconcile the world to God (2 Cor 5:19). Paul uses the metaphor of propitiation for our sins to speak of Christ averting God’s wrath.[5] Paul explains this metaphor through a long argument in Rom 1:18-3:20. There he says, “the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness” (1:18). When Paul says that Christ is the “propitiation,” he is telling his readers that sinners can be saved from the wrath of God because, through His suffering and death, Christ has turned away the wrath of God (cf. Rom 5:9; 1 Thess 1:10).[6] Thus, for Paul, it was through the suffering of Christ on the cross that salvation was accomplished (Acts 13:26-39; Rom 3:21-26; 2 Cor 5:21).

One of the key texts for Paul’s teaching on the cross is found in his letter to the Philippians. Paul quotes an early Christian hymn as he writes of “Christ Jesus who emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (2:7-8). Here Paul shows that Christ was faithful to the Father through his suffering, and accomplished God’s purpose of salvation, for which Christ was then “highly exalted” (2:9).

Paul very often links his own sufferings to the suffering and cross of Christ, and this passage from Philippians (2:6-11) lies at the center of that relationship.[7] Paul views his sufferings as being directly related to those of Christ. The section that follows explores the relationship between the sufferings that Paul describes of himself in his ministry and the suffering of the Lord Jesus Christ.

NOTES

[1]Thomas Schreiner, “The Pauline Mission, Ministry, and Suffering” (classroom lecture, 22240 – Advanced Introduction to New Testament, Spring 2001, photocopy), 61.

[2]Scott J. Hafemann, “Suffering,” in the Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, ed. Gerald F. Hawthorne, Ralph P. Martin, and Daniel G. Reid (Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1993), 919.

[3]Hafemann, “Suffering,” 920.

[4]J. B. Green, “Death of Christ,” in the Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, ed. Gerald F. Hawthorne, Ralph P. Martin, and Daniel G. Reid (Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1993), 201.

[5]Leon Morris, New Testament Theology (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1986), 34.

[6]Ibid., 34-35.

[7]Green, “Death of Christ,” 208.

Suffering, Sovereignty, and the Beauty of God's Glory and Grace

My freshman year in college, my ‘theological worldview’ was dashed on the rocks. I had been raised in a good, conservative church, but had never heard anything that approached the Reformed position on God’s sovereignty. But in my very first Bible class, there it was – a lecture on doctrine of election. To my knowledge, I had never heard a sermon on the subject before, let alone having thought about it on my own for any length of time. This was, of course, the window to many other questions about God, salvation, and humanity’s freedom and responsibility.

In the midst of wrestling through the extent of God’s sovereignty, I was forced to contemplate something else – the problem of evil. My first real, thoughtful confrontation of the problem of evil came in the form of my college roommate. Initially, God slipped this living lesson under my radar. We met for the first time as freshmen in college. We had not known each before and had been placed together, seemingly at random, by the college administration. At the time I had no idea that God had providentially provided for me both a best friend and a powerful lesson in the problem of evil.

Shortly after Jason (my roommate) and I met for the first time, his mother revealed to me something special about Jason; something I had not yet noticed. She shared with me that he was grateful that I had picked the top bunk because he had problems with his hips. As time went on, I learned that Jason had a degenerative disease that caused the ball-and-socket joint in both his hips to become rough. This in turn caused the cartilage in those joints to be worn away so that when he walked, his bones pressed against each other. He had been diagnosed with this when he was only eight years old. Since his diagnosis, he had had a brace put on this legs when he was eight, had surgery when he was ten, and then spent three months in a body-cast the following summer. As a result of the surgery, Jason’s hips had been fused and his mobility had been greatly reduced. He constantly had to tolerate walking with a limp, having difficulty keeping his balance, and not being able to ride a bike or engage in any other activity that forced him to spread his legs out farther apart than the width of his waist. Since his operation, Jason had never been able to even cross his legs – something I took for granted numerous times a day.

It may sound odd, but at first this did not bother me. This natural evil was not a ‘problem’ for me.’ But when the time was right, God opened my eyes and Jason’s condition hit me like a ton of theological bricks. All of this came in the larger context of the development of my larger doctrinal categories. I was slowly coming to believe that a more Reformed understanding of the Scriptures was the correct one. And it was the winter quarter of my sophomore year that God really began to drive this home to me.

The college I attended had chapel everyday, Monday through Friday. My roommate and I usually sat together in chapel and one Monday the school had invited a group from Michigan to speak. This group came from a home for the mentally handicapped. Before the actual speaker shared his message about what God was doing at this home, some of the home’s residents gave their testimonies and performed a song with hand-bells. The song they performed was virtually flawless and the testimonies were more than we were prepared for. As we sat together admiring their hand-bell performance, they began giving their testimonies. They were powerful in their simplicity. Basically, every person gave the same testimony: they would approach the microphone, and in a voice that was distorted from their handicap proclaimed ‘I’m saved.’ At first, this was almost humorous, but after the third person the message came home to us. Despite the mental difficulties that these men and women suffered from, God had worked a miracle of grace in their hearts and saved them from their sins. By the end of the chapel service, both my roommate and I were weeping in joyous amazement.

How does this relate to the problem of evil? It did not relate in my mind until Jason and I began to talk about it. We began talking about how we had been moved by the service and how salvation was truly amazing. But then, the conversation turned to the question of why God allowed them and others like them to be born with mental handicaps. At first, I sat back feeling very pious and proclaimed that God did not purposely cause these people to suffer this disability. It was simply an outworking of the sin-affected nature. This had arisen from the corrupt natural order of the world. I said that anything less would make God the author of sin and suffering. Such things did not happen because God specifically wanted them to happen. Rather, he allowed them to happen as part of the natural order of his creation. I believed that anything more would make God evil.

At this point, Jason got a little upset and pressed me on my ‘pious’ position with his own personal struggle – ‘Are you saying that my hips are like this for no reason? That God did not have a purpose behind this?’ I honestly did not know what to say. My first thought was to say ‘yes.’ Why would God cause Jason to suffer like that? How could God want someone to go through that? I did not say this to Jason, though. Instead, I just muttered something like ‘I don’t know’ and retreated from the front-line of the discussion.

Jason’s questions haunted my thoughts for weeks after our conversation. The same questioned rolled thoughts my mind: Could God have ordained that Jason suffer with his hip disease? Why would he do that? After prayerful meditation on the subject and a searching of the Scriptures, I arrived at a solution that not only seemed to fit the Biblical text, and my budding Reformed theology, but also gave me a quiet confidence in the goodness of my God. This solution became crystallized in my thinking because of one passage in John 9. There, the apostle relates an incident of Jesus healing a man who was blind from birth (9:1). His disciples asked a similar question that Jason had posed to me. ‘Why was he born this way?’ Jesus’ answer to his disciples was became my answer to Jason. Jesus said, “…it was so the works of God might be displayed in him” (9:3). This was answer that I was looking for. At first, it may not have seemed like the most comfortable answer, but I believed it was the most biblical answer.

After months of reflection, I gave Jason an answer to the question he had posed to me. I told him that I believed God did indeed want him to have that degenerative hip disease. I also told him I believed that God had given it to him for a reason. And though he may never know the reason, God did. God would use Jason and the problems he went through so that He might display His works through him. And at the end of the day, God would accomplish good and be glorified through it.

Since that time, Jason’s continued, solid faith in God, despite his suffering, has spoken volumes to me over our many years of friendship. He has strengthened my own faith and has been a constant source of encouragement for me in my own times of trials and suffering. Jason’s total faith in the goodness of God even in the midst of suffering was evident at his senior recital for his degree in Music. After having sung various pieces to demonstrate his skill, he ended with a hymn – It is Well with My Soul. I found myself again weeping as I did before. But this time, I was weeping for a different reason. Jason had let God do the work he wanted in his life. And despite the pain it sometimes brought, Jason was confident that it was best for his life and the lives of those who knew him. The grace and glory of God in the midst of suffering was truly a beautiful thing.


[Others have come to the same conclusions I have come to abotu these issues. Perhaps the most powerful testimony is that of Steve Saint , which can be found here.]