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                Suffering According To The Will Of God 

In the Kingdom of God, His will is done.  His will is good and right and perfect. Oh, Lord! How we resist Your will for our own!  Oh, Lord, how we want our way!  Our will must be broken to submit to Your will.  This must happen to cleanse us from the impurity of our own way.

God created us in His image; He created us whole. 

• 1 Thes. 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Whole is “…having all its parts, sound, perfect. That which retains all that was initially allotted to it and wanting nothing for its wholeness. It expresses the perfection of man before the fall. Or one who has persevered or, having once suffered loss, has now regained completeness” (Zodhiates, 2000,  #3648).   “Complete in all its parts, in no part wanting or unsound, complete, entire, whole. 1a of a body without blemish or defect, free from sin, faultless.” ”(^[1]Strong’s, 1996, #3648).  

“When Adam and Eve ate of the fruit, both spiritual and physical death came upon both them and their descendants. They experienced spiritual death immediately…” (Vine’s, 1985). As a result of the fall, we are no longer whole. In mankind’s rebellion, we died spiritually and became carnally minded; the flesh ruled, and we were at war with God.

• Colossians 1:21 “And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works,…”

• Romans 8:6-7 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God…

>   Death is “2288” is spiritual death in this verse.  It is the separation from the constant communication with the divine life.  It is exclusion from the presence and favor of God.

>  Peace is “1515,” “(IV) In the Old Testament the equivalent word shalom (7965) meant wholeness, soundness, hence health, well–being, prosperity; more particularly, peace as opposed to war.”

This is the nature of the fall—we fell from being whole and at peace with God to being at war with God.  Our sins separate us from Him.   

Sorrow was part of the curse (Gen 3:16-17).  It was given to begin to teach us the horror of what had happened and the terrible consequences of our rebellion. It was the beginning of divine chastisement for rebelling against God. 

• Genesis 3:16-17 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. 17And 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 shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;

Sorrow means “pain, suffering, hard work, toil, i.e., labor that is very intense with a special focus on the physical pain that occurs in very strenuous work” hard work, toil, i.e., labor that is very intense and so expending of considerable energy, with a special focus on the physical pain that occurs in very strenuous work (^[2]Swanson, 1997, #6779). 

“The word relates to physical pain as well as to emotional sorrow.  Words similar in Hebrew are to writhe, to grieve, to become tired, weary, to be irritated, angry, to be bitter, despairing, to trouble, turmoil.  It is a term of physical and mental discomfort. Pain in childbirth is decreed for the woman (Gen 3:16), and pain in manual labor is decreed for the man (Gen 3:17)”  (³ Harris, 1999, # 1661, p. 688).   
 

This sorrow or pain was to discipline us for the purpose of restoration and healing; to make us whole again.

TO HEAL means “Mend, heal, make whole” (^[3]Strong’s, 1996, #7495).   TO HEAL “may be described as ‘restoring to normal,’ an act which God typically performs. A large number of the uses of ‘heal' express the ‘healing’ of the nation-- such ‘healing’ not only involves God's grace and forgiveness, but also the nation's repentance. Divine discipline leads to repentance and "healing": ‘Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us...’ Hos 6:1. False prophets are condemned because they deal only with the symptoms and not with the deep spiritual hurts of the people: ‘They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace’ Jer 6:14” (Vine’s, 1985, p.295 ). 

God desires peace with us, a restored relationship which will make us whole. 

PEACE is shalom (OT:7965): "peace; completeness; welfare; health. The Heb. shalom, ‘peace,’ is derived from a root meaning ‘wholeness.’ Made perfect, at peace. The root meaning is ‘to be whole.’ It signifies a state in which one can feel at ease, comfortable with someone. The relationship is one of harmony and wholeness, which is the opposite of the state of strife and war. Shalom as a harmonious state of the soul and mind…Isaiah prophesied concerning the ‘prince of peace’ Isa 9:6, whose kingdom was to introduce a government of ‘peace’ Isa 9:7. Ezekiel spoke about the new covenant as one of ‘peace’: ‘Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore’ Ezek 37:26” (Vine’s, 1985, p.173).  

"The general meaning behind the root shalom  is of completion and fulfillment—of entering into a state of wholeness and unity, a restored relationship. The payment of a vow completes an agreement so that both parties are in a state of shalom. Closely linked with this concept is the eschatological motif in some uses of the term. Recompense for sin, either national or personal, must be given. Once that obligation has been met, wholeness is restored. Shalom is the result of God’s activity in covenant, and in nearly two-thirds of its occurrences, shalom describes the state of fulfillment which is the result of God’s presence” (^[4] Harris, 1999, #2401, p. 931). 

To this end, God uses affliction to prompt repentance and to humble us.

“The primary meaning of affliction (6031) is to force, or to try to force submission, and to punish or inflict pain upon, to put in a stunted, humble, lowly position. …for example, the purpose of the wilderness wandering was to humble Israel. This is a recurrent theme in Scripture. God is therefore thanked for affliction" (³Harris, 1999, #1652, p. 682).

 Afflict, oppress, humble, all come from the same Hebrew root word. Humble, meek stresses the moral and spiritual condition of the godly as the goal of affliction implying that this state is joined with a suffering life rather than with one of worldly happiness and abundance. Humility is the intended outcome of affliction. This is the goal which God intended when he afflicted his people and toward which they are to endure affliction. The humble consider and experience God as their deliverer, receiving grace (undeserved favor) from him. They rejoice when God is praised, and keep his ordinances. They wait on God and are guided by him. Isaiah (61:1) writes that it is to such that the anointed of the Lord is to preach the good news of salvation (the parallel here is “the brokenhearted”) (³Harris, 1999, #1652, p. 682). 

The unleavened bread of Passover is called the bread of affliction. It constitutes a material reminder of sin which is the ultimate cause of affliction (Ps 25:18), the bondage of sin (especially that hardship in Egypt), and God’s deliverance”  (³Harris, 1999, #1652, p. 682).

• Isaiah 48:10 Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.

• Psalm 119:67 Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.
• Psalm 119:71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.
• Psalm 119:75 I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.
• Hosea 5:15 I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.
• Hebrews 12:10-11 [God] chastened us…for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. 11Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
• Acts 14:22 Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.
• Matthew 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Poor means: (II) By implication, poor, low, humble, of low estate, including also the idea of being afflicted, distressed. Figuratively in Matt. 5:3, “poor in spirit” means those who recognize their spiritual helplessness” (Zodhiates, 2000, #4434). "Humility, gentleness sets forth the dual qualities gained by man in the school of affliction" (³Harris, 1999). 

The suffering, and the trials and afflictions are to perfect us, make us complete, make us whole again, to redeem us from our rebellion.  The depth of suffering required to redeem mankind, to cleanse us, to make us whole again and at peace with God was so great that it would have utterly destroyed us.  Jesus took it upon Himself.  

• Isaiah 53:4-5 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

• Romans 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

• The gospel is a gospel of PEACE (Rom 10:15), and Jesus is the Prince of PEACE (Isa 6:9).  God sent His Son to make us whole again. 

He bore our suffering to make our peace with God possible, and we are partakers of  the suffering that He bore FOR OUR SAKES. This is why we are to suffer with Him.   The suffering we experience is merely a taste of what was necessary to restore us!

• 1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
• Philip. 3:10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
• 1 Peter 2:21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:
• Col. 1:24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church:
• Romans 8:17-18 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. 18For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
• 2 Tim. 2:12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him…
• 1 Peter 4:1-2 Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; 2That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. [“This speaks of suffering in the flesh being the way in which the break is made with sin” (⁵Theological Dictionary NT, 1964. Vol 5, p. 904).

• Philip. 1:29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;  [“According to Phil. 1:29, suffering is not a privilege of the apostle or a select few but is of the very essence of Christianity as such. It is a privilege” (^[5]Theological Dictionary NT, 1964. Vol 5, p. 904).

• 2 Tim. 1:8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;
• 2 Cor. 4:11, 16-17 For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. 16For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. 17For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. [Also see 2 Cor. 6:4-10; James 5:10-11 ]

Therefore we can glory in tribulations and afflictions.

• 1 Thes. 1:6 And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost:
• Romans 5:3-5 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4And patience, experience; and experience, hope: 5And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
• James 1:2-4 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire,[whole] wanting nothing.
• 1 Thes 3:3-4, 13 That no man should be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto. 4For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation; even as it came to pass, and ye know…To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.

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*All emphasis  mine.

Copyright ©2005 by Mae Shurow 
Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution 
provided proper citation of authorship is included.

Vine, W. E., Unger, M. F. and White, W. Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words. New York, NY. 

        Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Zodhiates, S. (2000, c1992, c1993). The complete word study dictionary : New Testament (electronic ed.).
        Chattanooga,  TN:  AMG Publishers.