Does Suffering Bring God’s Blessings?

I read an article by a well-known leader of a Christian ministry and theological school, stating that suffering for Jesus is the pathway to the abundant life and the blessings of God.

The writer took many verses on suffering out of context to prove his point.

The problem is that he ignored the context of these verses and made application for his readers about suffering for the Lord to gain God’s blessings and experience abundant life.

In the article, he asked the question, “What are three ways you suffered for the Lord last month?”

In the article, one of his “proof texts” was when Paul wrote that he participated in the sufferings of Jesus.

The context of this is the real suffering Paul endured for proclaiming the truth about Jesus as the Christ and that righteousness is by faith in Jesus.

When Paul, Peter, James, and the writer of Hebrews spoke about suffering, they were referring to the real, brutal suffering believers in the Lord Jesus were enduring in the first century, much like many believers all over the world are experiencing today.

The writer of Hebrews also wrote about the suffering Jesus experience so that he could relate to us in the sufferings of our lives.

I am so glad the Lord rescued me from this type of legalism....and I know you are glad he rescued you, too!

I am so glad to know the blessings of God and the abundant life are not through the pathway of suffering but through faith in the person of Jesus, who suffered for us on the cross when he establishment the New Testament of grace.

And what are these blessings and the abundant life (life of internal joy) that come through faith in Jesus?

These blessings that produce abundant life are:

-we are fully and forever forgiven by God

-eternally in fellowship with God

-reconciled to God (close relationship)

-righteous before God

-innocent before God

-at peace with God

-know God as our loving Father.

These are just of few of the blessings that have come to us when Jesus suffered for us and gave himself for our sins because he loves us.

Will many believers suffer brutally for believing in Jesus?

Yes.

And our hearts go out to them.

But is suffering the pathway to God’s blessings and the abundant life.

No.

God’s blessings come to us freely and fully through Jesus.

This is grace.

And we receive these blessings of grace through faith in Jesus and not by suffering.

See Ephesians 1:3