The New Testament Speaks Honestly About Suffering, Even When We Do Not

We have made suffering into something it was never meant to be in the church. We have made it a taboo. A subject to avoid. A thing that should not happen to believers. We have taken the promises of God and twisted them into a guarantee of comfort in this life.

But the New Testament does not avoid suffering. It speaks honestly about it. It talks about it directly. It addresses it head-on.

We are the ones who avoid the conversation. We are the ones who pretend suffering is not real. We are the ones who think something is wrong when we suffer.

But the New Testament knows better. The New Testament speaks honestly. And we need to hear what it says.

The Words We Skip Over

Turn with me to the Gospel of John. Jesus is talking to His disciples about what is coming:

In the world you will have tribulation.

Not: In the world you might have tribulation. Not: In the world you should not have tribulation.

You will have tribulation. It is a promise. A guarantee. A certainty.

That is the New Testament speaking honestly. Not avoiding. Not pretending. But declaring.

And then there is this, from Acts:

It is hard for you to kick against the goads.

Goads are sharp sticks used to prod oxen. They wound. They bruise. They cause pain.

Paul was kicking against the goads. He was resisting. He was suffering. And Jesus said: It is hard.

That is the New Testament speaking honestly. Suffering is hard.

The Letters That Say Hard Things

And then there are the letters. Not all comfort. Not all encouragement. But honest words about suffering.

All who desire to live godly will suffer persecution.

All. Will. Suffer.

Not might. Not maybe. Will.

This is the New Testament speaking honestly. Not avoiding. But declaring.

And then there is this, from 2 Corinthians:

We are fools for Christ. We are weak. We are poorly clothed. We are roughly mistreated. We wander as homeless. We labor. We are cursed. We are persecuted. We are defamed. We are despised.

This is not prosperity gospel. This is not health and wealth. This is not name it and claim it.

This is the New Testament speaking honestly. About suffering. About hardship. About what it really means to follow Jesus.

And then there is this, from the same letter:

Outwardly we are wasting away.

Not thriving. Not prospering. Wasting away.

But: They are achieving for us an eternal glory.

That is the hope. Not that we will not suffer. But that the suffering is achieving something. That it is producing something. That it is not in vain.

The Honesty We Need

So why do we avoid the conversation? Why do we pretend suffering is not real? Why do we think something is wrong when we suffer?

I think it is because we have been told a different story. We have been told that faith makes everything better. We have been told that God wants us healthy and wealthy. We have been told that suffering is a sign of little faith.

But the New Testament tells a different story. The New Testament speaks honestly. And the story is that we will suffer. That we will have tribulation. That we will be persecuted.

This is not bad news. This is honest news. This is the news we need to hear.

Because when we know we will suffer, we are not surprised. When we know we will have tribulation, we are not defeated. When we know that suffering is normal, we can handle it.

That is what the New Testament gives us. Not a promise of comfort. But a promise of presence. Not a promise of no suffering. But a promise of grace in suffering.

And then there is this, from Romans:

We also glory in the tribulations.

Not tolerate. Not endure. Glory.

Why? Because tribulation produces perseverance, and perseverance, character, and character, hope.

That is what suffering produces. Not just pain. Perseverance. Character. Hope.

This is the New Testament speaking honestly. And this is what we need to hear.

The Conversation We Need to Have

So let me ask you: What have you been taught about suffering? What do you believe about pain? What do you think it means when you suffer?

If you believe something is wrong with you, you will not be able to hear what the New Testament is saying.

If you believe suffering is a sign of little faith, you will not be able to receive what the Spirit is speaking.

But if you believe that suffering is normal, that it is expected, that it is part of the Christian life, then you can hear. Then you can receive. Then you can glory in the tribulations.

The New Testament speaks honestly about suffering. Even when we do not. Even when we avoid the conversation.

This should change how you see your pain. It is not a sign of failure. It is a part of the faith. It is expected. And it is producing something.

We avoid the conversation. But the New Testament speaks honestly.

This should change how we see our pain. Not as a problem to be solved. But as a part of the process. Not as something wrong. But as something expected.

And then we can glory in the tribulations. Because they are producing perseverance, character, and hope.

That is the New Testament speaking honestly. And that is what we need to hear.