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Theology of Suffering
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Theology of Suffering
Human beings always have the nature of questioning and complaining about various
occurrences in life. Suffering is one of the things or incidents that people question much despite
their understanding of the Bible. In the Christian life, suffering might be described as a part of
life, although that should not be the case. From the biblical viewpoint, suffering might be
described as the state of going through or admitting disagreeable or unpleasant hardships and life
challenges. The Holy Bible describes suffering when people experience grief, trouble, sorrow,
mourning, and other desolate moments. In Greek, suffering is defined as zemioo, which means
losing or damaging. Theology of suffering encompasses the study of what the Holy Bible cites
concerning suffering while looking at who the almighty Father is and the present condition of
humanity. From the biblical perspective, suffering is fully in our lives since we live in a broken
world. Indeed, some forms of suffering are because of our sinful and erroneous choices, while
others are because of the fallen world.
Besides, from a broad logic, there is a need to understand that suffering or agony might
be an experience of aversion or unpleasantness, maybe interrelated with the perception of threat
or harm to a person. Thus, suffering is the essential component that constitutes the undesirable
valence of sentimental phenomena. According to the Catholic Church, human suffering is a
golden opportunity to follow the ways of Jesus Christ and believe that it is a divine form of
God's plan. From their viewpoints, people, particularly true Christians who suffer on Earth, have
a strong unity in their suffering with Jesus Christ, who was crucified and died on the cross and
was later resurrected. The paper will critically analyze the concept of suffering from the Biblical
perspective and describe people's understanding of the term and its implications for Christianity.
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It will also explain the process of setting up a plan when preparing for pre-incidence disasters
and a concise church plan for fostering resilience in the congregation and pastor.
The Implications of Suffering
The theology of suffering typically studies what our Almighty Lord says concerning
suffering through the Bible and how people should react to it. Christians must know that
suffering is associated with a sin that originated when Adam and Eve were exiled from the
garden of Eden. However, as true and faithful Christians, we often believe in our exemption from
suffering since we have a loving and caring God. Besides, a life free from suffering is not
guaranteed in the Holy Bible due to its implications for Christians (Southgate, 2018). Indeed,
there are multiple instances in the Bible where individuals who loved and pleased God by
serving Him devotedly suffered greatly. Looking at the way Jesus suffered without any sin, there
is a need to understand that nobody guaranteed a life free from suffering. Numerous theologists
differ regarding believers' primary causes of sins and their existence. Various studies cite that
suffering originates in loss and love or affection. As a result, suffering implies enduring agony
and hardships in Christian life. While it might be agonizing and uncomfortable, several
individuals equate suffering to evil or darkness (Yamin, 2015). They say suffering is the darkest
tunnel where the light is the only solution. Suffering seems unique to the individual experiencing
it.
However, different types of suffering are inclusive to a particular individual; the overall
experience is not necessarily common. This is based on the fact that everyone has their
worldview, the same as suffering. Notably, suffering might be personal or even communal. For
instance, the loss of a sibling or parent is personal suffering that affects the children more than its
effects on other people or the community (Southgate, 2018). A terrorist attack like the 9/11
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invasion is communal suffering since it affected the whole nation, including the un-attacked
areas. People suffered a loss of the Americans and the overall security too. Before the terrorist
attack, people felt secure and untouchable and later became susceptible and scary. Looking at my
life, I have not experienced any major attacks or tragedies, and my endurance might be minimal
than others who have experienced huge losses (Yamin, 2015). In the case of minor suffering, I
usually feel hopeless and unsurpassable, as if I was experiencing the suffering alone. One day I
was punished and wrongly dismissed from my job leading to several months of unemployment.
During that period, I struggled a lot to seek pleasure in life and reason for whatever transpired
(Southgate, 2018). The spiritual leader later informed me that I would understand that whatever
occurred was for good and would eventually make sense. I later secured a new and better job
where I am flexible to learn and gain vast knowledge.
Primary Causes of Suffering
There are different causes of suffering, ranging from personal to communal. Besides, the
suffering might be associated with physical, emotional, and psychological occurrences (Juma,
2015). Understanding various causes of suffering is imperative since it gives Christians a new
perception of their suffering and how to curb its prevalence.
Physical Causes of Suffering
Many causes of suffering exist among human beings. For instance, when a military
veteran or other military officer loses an eye in battle and returns, an amputee might devastate
the victim and justifiably causes great suffering. Again, when a seemingly healthy university
student suddenly falls sick, stays in hospital for more than half of her semester, and is later
diagnosed with a chronic disease causes suffering (Williams, 2020). Psychological disorders are
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a type of suffering which cause extreme pain, hardship, and agony to the victims diagnosed with
them. While these might be termed personal sufferings, they might also impact the entire family
and others indirectly following the drastic behavioral changes (Kilby, 2020). Sexual abuse and
rape are other forms of physical suffering where the victim should endure the agony and effects
and how they feel and respond to the immoral act (Gilbert, 2016). Some suffer silently while
others report their suffering to their respective authorities.
Emotional Causes
In most cases, emotional causes of suffering are interrelated with extreme loss. For
example, the loss of a parent or loved one of the primary causes. Indeed, the death of a person is
an element of life, but people do not like hearing about its occurrence (Gilbert, 2016). Life
ending is typically a tragic incident, especially when the life has been cut short. Also, the loss of
an affair, relationship, or marriage might cause great suffering to the victims (Juma, 2015). For
instance, in a divorce that is not mutual, twins attending different learning institutions and feeling
the breaking of their hearts might suffer from emotional losses.
The Meaning and Purpose of Suffering
The cross is the Lord's eventual response to humankind's brokenness and agony, which
comprises their suffering and pain. There is a need to understand that God walks through every
situation of life with believers, seeing that frustration and enervation of life might bring,
reminding that of His compassionate nature towards their suffering and ultimate solutions
(Southgate, 2018). According to the book of Romans, suffering is an outcome of the fall and a
consequence of humanity's sin against the Almighty Lord. Christians should suffer since they
live in a broken and sinful world. However, this might be explained differently because it is
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human nature to question any existence of situations and the reasons behind their occurrences.
Indeed, people's insatiable curiosity and eagerness are not something they are taught how to do
but are born doing (Gilbert, 2016). People are consistently questioning for knowledge and trying
to understand everything they encounter.
Considering the time of Jesus on the cross, he cried out, asking God, "Why have you
forsaken me?" This was when Christ was suffering and needed assistance from his Heavenly
Father. People usually desire things to be sensible, while tragedy and heart-breaking incidences
might occur in the process. We always forget that we might ask the questions and fail to get a
positive answer. Indeed, God might not always need to explain His mighty power to Christians
since His reasons and actions are paramount and greater than theirs (Kilby, 2020). Ideally,
Christians are not supposed to know the full and concise understanding of the Almighty Lord.
The only time people should know Him is when He decides to explain Himself to us, which
might be unrealistic because His purposes and motivations are beyond human understanding. As
written in the book of Isaiah 55:8, the ways of God and His thoughts are not ours; He decides not
to share such critical information with us since we are not His rank or level, and we cannot be
close to Him (Williams, 2020). Thus, whatever we go through in life is about God, who knows
all the reasons behind human suffering.
Subsequently, it is pivotal to understand that suffering is not described as a punishment
from our Lord because of our sins. It might be realistic that people suffer because they live in a
fallen world where sins reign in the hearts of humankind. If suffering were because of people's
sin, there would be cases of abnormal babies or children diagnosed with chronic disorders since
they are innocent and sinless (Kilby, 2020). God would not subject such innocent beings to
suffering and other calamities. However, although that might be the primary reason, it is pivotal
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to note that suffering came to the world due to sin. Since human beings have sinned, they must
endure and encounter suffering, as described in the book of Genesis. The serpent deceived Adam
and Eve in the garden of Eden, forsaking the only policy God gave them (Bell, 2020). Before
disobeying God, they lived in paradise and enjoyed life without suffering. Due to their
negligence of God's rule, God punished them, expelled them from the garden, and had to endure
hardships, suffering, and pain for the rest of their lives (Williams, 2020). Such hardships and
agonies are the sufferings that Christians face daily due to their immoral actions that broke God's
caring heart. Following their disobedience, God decided that all humanity should endure
suffering due to the original sin Adam and Eve committed while in the garden.
Considering the suffering that Jesus Christ underwent, he is descended from an early
family, which meant him to face hardships and pain. However, according to the scripture, God
had a divine purpose for his life, which is why He raised him from death. He was holy and could
not be associated with sin. Essentially, sin and God cannot exist because He is holy. According
to His original plan, there was no point in time that human beings would suffer since He created
them in His likeness and image. He is a perfect, good, and righteous God who dislikes sin.
Nonetheless, Satan wishes people to fall for sin and separate us from God, exposing us to
suffering and hardships (Williams, 2020). He is evil and a deceiver making him lose association
with God. It is evident that the suffering of humankind exists due to Satan, who, in the form of a
serpent, caused a separation between God and humanity in the garden of Eden. The detrimental
effects of sin remind Christians of the need to obey and trust in the Lord and depend on Him
fully (Kilby, 2020). Unfortunately, on most occasions, people who endure suffering turn against
God and blame Him for their pains and hardships. According to them, they believe that God
loves them and should spare them from any suffering.
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Misconceptions About Suffering
Suffering is mainly misconstrued as God's penalty to humanity because of their past sin.
Indeed, people think God sits on His throne and orders calamities to happen to people due to
their sinful nature. This might be the case because, according to the scripture, Jesus paid the
penalty for our sinful nature and suffering after dying on the cross. Even when people sin, they
are not subject to suffering because the resurrection of Jesus Christ made us pure through
repentance (Southgate, 2018). People claiming to be children of God and members of the body
of Christ should anticipate correction through various disciplinary actions, including suffering, to
foster their faith and spiritual growth. When a punitive action does not occur to Christians, they
must be concerned because it might imply that they are not part of the Lord's will. According to
the book of Romans 8:16-18, "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are
children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and with Jesus Christ, if indeed we
suffer with Him, that we may be glorified together." (Bible, 2013). This clearly shows that as
members of the church and God, suffering should be a way to glorify Him. Indeed, our old sinful
nature has been cleansed by His mercy and divine grace following the death and resurrection of
Jesus Christ. As a result, Christians became heirs of Christ and must endure the hardships he
endured. Since Jesus suffered, Christians must also suffer.
Despite the biblical implications of sin, some people still attribute hardships and suffering
to bad, corrupt, or immoral things such as witchcraft. It is pivotal to note that the battle is
between spirit and flesh, and Christians must be ready. Satan is the prince of evil, while Jesus
Christ is the prince of peace. The devil influences people spiritually to walk according to his
ways while the Savior, Jesus Christ, fights to prevent people from falling to sin. Since we are
part of Christ, we must endure the suffering also (Juma, 2015). Christians must they cannot win
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the battle using physical tactics. The devil is a scripture expert, meaning he understands the Bible
and its scriptures better than most church leaders. He always uses scriptures to deceive Christians
and refrain them from following the truth (Kotilainen, 2020). Thus, Christians must be tactful to
learn the tactics Satan uses to influence them. According to Ephesian 6: 11, "Put on the full
armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes" (Bible, 2013). Thus,
the best way to remain righteous and fight against deceptions and trickery is by remaining strong
in Jesus.
A Church Pre-Incidence Plan
Consulting a congregation to formulate a strategy for preparing for pre-incidence
disasters is paramount. There is a need to understand the unity that Christians have would make
them stronger during disastrous events. While developing the plan, Christians must understand
the effects of suffering on faith during catastrophic events. Again, we must appreciate that
suffering is an effective device that God uses to gain our attention and fulfil His goals in our
lives (Kilby, 2020). Preparing for any incidence and hardships is paramount for Christians. Such
incidences are well-designed to build our faith in God. However, suffering needs the correct
response to be effective in accomplishing the Almighty Lord's purposes in our lives. Indeed,
suffering forces Christians to turn from trusting their materialist resources to living by faith in
Lord's resources (Brescia, 2018). Thus, suffering is not virtuous or a symbol of holiness.
In addition, Christians are always in a dilemma regarding the reason behind suffering.
For instance, they wonder how they serve a caring God and yet allow evil and suffering to befall
them. While the scripture promises blessings to the true Christians serving and obeying God, His
blessings do not exist in a pain-free environment (Brescia, 2018). God created a perfect world
with no blemish and no sinful nature. His primary intention was for human beings to remain
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under His control and protect us from all calamities (Juma, 2015). When Adam and Eve were in
the garden of Eden, there were no calamities that affected them. They walked with God
throughout because they were holy. After they sinned, God moved away from all humankind.
This might be the primary reason God turned away from Jesus on the cross. He, however, had a
good plan and came to his rescue at the right time (Brescia, 2018). While designing a pre-
incident plan, it is always inherent to understand that it works miraculously, and no one can
understand His plans. But, through faith, Christians can overcome all calamities and hardships
successfully.
Besides, understanding God's sovereignty over all disasters is paramount. The Bible
concisely cites that our Lord has authority over everything, including nature. From the book of
Genesis, God created everything and must have power over them. Looking at Matthew, Jesus
calmed a storm with His word, just like His Heavenly Father. Since God has power over storms
and other natural disasters, Christians usually ask why He allows their occurrences (Prasad,
2020). Human beings always look for somebody to blame whenever a disaster occurs.
Sometimes it is advisable to believe in God rather than blaming people behind some natural
disasters since they lack control over them (Juma, 2015). Putting the blame on God should not be
logical since we live in a sinful world. It is usually God's plan for the occurrence of the disaster
that might cause suffering. It results from sinning when we blame God for the occurrence instead
of praying for His manifestations (al-Tawḥīdī, 2019). Since God allowed us to live freely and
turn against Him, we always experience the outcomes.
Christians must always pray against deadly disasters and stop blaming God for their
happening. The occurrences of natural disasters such as floods and fire might not be a
punishment but a warning to believers to turn back to God. During the time of Noah, God sent
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natural disasters, particularly floods, to punish the people due to their sinful nature. Before then,
people had been warned severally to refrain from sins to no avail (Brescia, 2018). The only
people who believed and adored Him were spared from the calamity. He also used fire to destroy
evil cities after failing to serve and obey Him. Despite the occurrences of natural disasters, the
church must know that God is a loving Father who is just and fair (al-Tawḥīdī, 2019). Christians
do not have any authority to question God as the reason behind the natural calamities, where
some people are saved, and others perish. They are not Almighty like Him. From such disasters,
suffering occurs, and multiple victims benefit from divine teachings and understandings. They
sometimes convey critical messages to His children about His sovereignty and goodness
(Williams, 2020). Hence, God's goodness and fairness are present in everything He does, even
when Christians do not appreciate Him.
Markedly, during suffering and calamities, there is a need to foster resiliency in the
congregation and pastor. When one faces a personal or global calamity, building resilience might
aid them in coping with suffering and overcoming adversity, thus enjoying better days in the
future. Getting connected and remaining hopeful are strategic ways to foster resilience in church
during hardships (Langlois, 2021). It is advisable to build robust and positive associations with
church members and friends to provide the victims with the necessary support, acceptance, and
guidance in bad and good times (Juma, 2015). This might be through creating pivotal
connections by joining or volunteering in a spiritual or faith community. It is paramount to
understand that one cannot change the past but only learn from it and focus on the future.
Christians must admit and expect change to make it easier to adapt and perceive new life
challenges with minimal anxiety (Schnitker et al., 2017). When one survives hardships, they
teach them fundamental things regarding themselves and the world around them, strengthen their
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resolve, deepen their empathy, and enable them to be timely evolve and grow physically and
spiritually.
As Christians, we should not refuse to admit the truth of whatever is happening. Thus,
acceptance is critical in building the congregations' resilience. There is a need to understand that
change is an inevitable part of humankind and numerous facets of changing world are
uncontrollable. Considering the Bible, there are numerous examples of suffering despite the
people's relationship with God. For example, Job is a good example of a man who suffered
although he was faithful, righteous, and pleased with God. God allowed Satan to try him, which
subjected him to huge suffering (Kilby, 2020). The devil claimed that Job loved and served God
wholeheartedly because of the wealthy and prosperous life he led. Despite the death of his
animals and children, Job remained firm and did not forsake God. His health deteriorated, but he
remained faithful to the Lord despite the suffering and the loss of his wealth. He accepted the life
challenges instead of denying the occurrences (Prasad, 2020). This is a strong faith and resilience
during hardships. Looking at Joseph in the Bible, he endured suffering since he accepted the fact
that he was his father's favorite boy. His brother planned to kill him, but he was saved. In his
master's place, the master's wife accused Joseph of rape and was jailed (Schnitker et al., 2017).
He endured life's suffering and finally became the winner. He accepted every situation he went
through and served his brothers food (Langlois, 2021). The church must develop this resilience
and remain faithful to God despite all life hardships and suffering.
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References
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