What Do We Learn From Our Suffering?
He leads me …
Romans 5:3-5
Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us (NIV).
We see that through our suffering we learn to persevere, or as some Bible versions read, we learn to endure.[1]
The Greek work for suffering (or tribulation in some Bibles) means pressure. The same word was used to describe the squeezing of olives for the oil, or squeezing grapes for the wine. We see from this that the Bible refers to serious distress.[2]
Essentially, when we are going through the hard times, we first try to work out a way to overcome them, and if this does not work we try to find a way to manage the adversity the best way that we can. It is during this process that we learn to persevere and our character is developed.
For the Christian, it is during the hard times that we look to God. Because He is God, we trust that He keeps His promises that we read in His word, and as a result we believe that He has good plans for our lives (Jeremiah 29:11). As we progress through the hard times we find out that He does not let us down. In various unexpected ways He helps us get through the hardship and proves to us that He not only loves us but meets our physical needs as well.[3]
The word perseverance is the English equivalent of the Greek word hypomonē which is listed in Strong's Lexicon as G5281, and has alternative translations of endurance, steadfastness, and patient waiting for.
The word character comes from the Greek word dokimazo, which means - to be approved, to put to the test for the purpose of approving. From this we get the phrase proven character. We can see that it is due to the trials that we go through in life that we mature in Christian character.
Do suffering and trials always make a believer mature? Could they be negative with some Christians? Definitely. Let us look at Luke 8:11-13 -
“This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is God’s word. The seeds that fell on the footpath represent those who hear the message, only to have the devil come and take it away from their hearts and prevent them from believing and being saved. The seeds on the rocky soil represent those who hear the message and receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they believe for a while, then they fall away when they face temptation.” (NLT emphasis added).
The word temptation here is from the Greek word peirasmos. It is the same word found in Hebrews 3:8, translated trial. The words fall away are from the Greek word aphistemi, also translated as departing.
If we are going to mature from our trials and not fall away, it is important to have the correct attitude. We will stay on track when we know that God has a purpose for what we go through.
Our perspective is very important. For many people, suffering is a sign of a god who makes people suffer for doing something wrong. However, for the Christian, suffering and misfortune are seen as coming from an almighty and loving God who is guiding His children toward maturity.[4]
Paul Tough is a Canadian-American writer and broadcaster who has written extensively about education, poverty and politics, and has received positive reviews of his work.
He writes that most people have the belief ‘that success today depends primarily on the kind of intelligence that gets measured on I.Q. tests - including the abilities to recognize letters and words, to calculate, to detect patterns - and that the best way to develop these skills is to practice them as much as possible, beginning as early as possible.’
However, Tough has found through his own extensive research (as well the research of others), the best way to get ahead in life is to develop character. And, how is this done? According to Tough, character is produced by experiencing and then defeating failure.
Tough argues that skills like persistence, grit, self-control, curiosity, and self-confidence are crucial to fostering character which enables success in life. Developing character starts with persistence and the other factors follow. So, what is persistence as it relates to developing character?
According to Paul Tough, persistence is knowing what you want and not stopping until you get it. When we are struggling, we keep pushing ourselves to reach our goal. Persistence cannot be taught in a class room or online, but parents can be role models for their children in setting their own goals (like fitness, education, and personal goals) so that the children can learn that when life is hard, they still need to keep trying.[5]
We can now see how persistence through our suffering means similar things to both Christians and non-Christians, and the researchers model endorses the biblical version. With persistence we produce character, but according to the verses in Romans 5 that we looked at, character develops hope. What does that mean?
Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks was an international religious leader, philosopher, award-winning author and respected moral voice. On several occasions he has talked and written about hope.
According to Rabbi Sacks, the whole of Judaism is a set of laws and a history intended by God to create in all people, habits that overcome despair. Judaism sees itself as the voice of hope.
It is because of the national attitude towards hope that so many Jews are - economists fighting poverty, or doctors fighting disease, or lawyers fighting injustice. In all cases refusing to see these issues as inevitable.[6]
Have the Jews actually made a difference? For a people who make up approximately 0.25% of the world’s population, at least 170 full blooded and halfblooded Jews have been awarded the Nobel Prize. This is 22% of all the recipients worldwide between 1901 and 2005.
Let us as Christians we should follow the Jewish way. ‘Not to see ourselves as victims, even though we have been victims, but to see ourselves as responsible agents who, working together in conjunction with one another and with that little Voice from Heaven, can change the world’ (Rabbi Sacks).
Dear Reader – If you have found some value in this blog, please feel free to send a copy on to your family and friends. Kind regards, John
[1] The Path To Hope – Romans 5:3-5, Northern Seminary, Lisle, Illinois;
https://www.seminary.edu/the-path-to-hope-romans-53-5/
[2] Character Building Romans 5:3-4, David B. Curtis, Berean Bible Church, Virginia;
https://www.bereanbiblechurch.org/transcripts/romans/character_building.htm
[3] The Path To Hope – Romans 5:3-5, Northern Seminary, Lisle, Illinois;
https://www.seminary.edu/the-path-to-hope-romans-53-5/
[4] Character Building Romans 5:3-4, David B. Curtis, Berean Bible Church, Virginia;
https://www.bereanbiblechurch.org/transcripts/romans/character_building.htm
[5] How Do We Build Character? Rifka Schonfeld, Director S.O.S (Strategies for Optimum Success);
https://rifkaschonfeld.com/how-do-we-build-character/
[6] Future Tense: How The Jews Invented Hope, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, Articles, RabbiSacks.org;
https://www.rabbisacks.org/archive/future-tense-how-the-jews-invented-hope/
