Why Do We Suffer? (Part 1 of 3)

Why Do We Suffer?

A survey of Paul’s Second Epistle to Timothy

Part 1 of 3

Khen Lim

Image source: Christianity Today

The enmity between China and the United States of America is well known to every political science student. Yet it isn’t just political ideology that both clash so vehemently. In virtually every sphere of life, both are stridently at one another’s throat. In the recent decades, China has been at the wrong end of the stick with religious freedom or a distinct lack of. Christian freedom, to be precise.

Two years ago, with umpteen crosses forcibly broken off church steeples in Christian-inspired Zhejiang, China is sending a stern message. Despite a Chinese bishop saying that the government has stopped removing crosses from Wenzhou, a coastal city well known as ‘China’s Jerusalem,’ there was no trace of this. 

Well, by 2016, the Chinese government is said to have removed as many as 1,500 crosses. So much for that claim. Called the ‘Three Rectifications and One Demolition’ campaign, the actions of the government have drawn the ire of the Christian world but none of this would do much to stop the belligerence.

In April of that year, China again stole the world’s headlines for all the wrong reasons. This time, the death of a pastor’s wife became an unavoidable – and inexcusable – feature. Ding Cuimei and her husband, a pastor in the Henan Province, were buried alive as they desperately tried the bulldozers from destroying their church. 

While the pastor managed to crawl out to safety, she failed. Other than outrage expressed by outside the country, there seemed no remorse in her shocking death from the Chinese government except for some tepid effort – call it showmanship if you like – in making some arrests and admitting that the land did belong to the church. After all.

The fact remains that if you’re a Christian in China, you stand to lack precious legal protection. In what we see as a great blessing, China’s Christian population is set to become the world’s largest in a matter of decades but with a regime steeped in atheism, Beijing regards it as no less than a threat. 



A Chinese underground church (Image source: Citizens for Global Solutions)

Around the same time as the death of the pastor’s wife, China’s president Xi reiterated the importance of repressing Christianity. He sees Christianity as a hostile foreign threat. Just as recreational dancing, he views it as a potential Western tool to destabilise the country and therefore, rallied the members of the Communist Party of China to unite and fight against it.

To that end, Xi has now expressed new legislation against the Chinese Christians, ones that will further constrict how they may express their faith. But with China’s imprimatur being ‘party first, everything else second,’ that means the Church as we know it cannot possibly survive unless it serves socialism. 

However that has been the case all this while. What makes it different under Xi is something new called, the ‘Sinification of Christian theology,’ the enforced view that unless Christianity is seen to condone social harmony and progress, it will not prevail.

For more detailed information as to how China intends to extend their stranglehold on Christianity, go here and here.

Christians suffer. Expectedly so.

Suffering Christians in the Middle East (Image source: Our Sunday Visitor)

When it comes to Christians suffering persecution, I’ve only brought up China here. Readers here are of course fully aware that Christians are suffering throughout the world, including America, United Kingdom and pretty much the whole of Europe and of course Middle-East and every single avowedly Muslim country. 

In fact, even China had two of their own Christians, Meng Li Si, 26 and Li Xinheng, 24, kidnapped and then murdered in Quetta, Pakistan by the Islamic State (ISIS) where they were teaching in a private school.

But of course, suffering is something Christians endure on an individual basis as well. Christians put up with all sorts of inflammatory conduct at the workplace. These days, we cannot even show the love of Christ without being slammed for proselytising. 

Inviting a workmate to an event in church would be tantamount to the same. In Malaysia, it’s difficult to even get some of our Muslim friends to come witness their friends’ wedding in church without some zealots interfering. They might not mind but religious authorities will still act wantonly.

They also have to persevere with religious discrimination when looking for employment. Many years back, I used to work at a now-defunct college where I actually saw the principal stashing away applications belonging to non-Muslims so that others, especially Christians, would not get hired. That way, he only got to interviewing job applicants who were Muslims.

Christian couples aren’t exactly different from others. They too have their fair share of problems to deal with. A Christian woman may be dealt harshly and suffer the consequences if married to an unbeliever. Even in the case of a purely Christian family, suffering isn’t exempt. 

There can still be massive arguments and even violence. Children in Christian families have been known to be so disillusioned that they leave the faith. Whether or not they eventually make their way back to church can never be guaranteed.

The suffering of a Christian can be as vocal as it is otherwise. I know many who suffer in silence, especially the women. Many suffer at the hands of insensitive husbands. And then, there are the children who suffer because their parents fight and argue incessantly. They end up carrying the cross for the whole family.

Surely, no one enjoys suffering no matter what. And yet, suffering is very much an integral part of the Christian life. Believe it or not, it is a mainstay of the Christian wellbeing. It is a cornerstone feature of a true Christian in the making. Scripture attests to this. In the following passages, it says we Christians are to expect hardships and sufferings to increase and therefore, we must be sufficiently well prepared to not just handle but outlast it:

“Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” (2 Tim 2:3, NLT)

In the following passages, Paul reminds his travel companion Timothy that things won’t get easier. As we all edge towards the End Times, everything will be harder only because as Christians, we will see and experience things we hate to have to. In all of life, we will be surrounded by a deluge of debauchery. 

Paul actually mentions what they specifically are, namely, narcissistic and materialistic people, prideful self-important people who mock God including the non-filial and those who are unappreciative of what you have done for them. They will rise and make themselves evident. We will be inundated by their presence because they will do the abhorrent and we will suffer at their hands:

“You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride and love pleasure rather than God.” (2 Tim 3:1-4, NLT)

And then there will be those who act on their evilness and also those who will deceive. These are, as Paul said a few verses before, the End Times. John, in Revelation 13, speaks very clearly of the many antichrists in our midst who will deceive, claiming to do good things and pronounce himself as the Messiah. 

He will dismiss the Father and the Son and he will reject the truth that Jesus was in the flesh. Such deception will be spread and many will be victimised and in turn, they will victimise others. In the throes of all this, there will be suffering among the Christians: 

“But evil people and imposters will flourish. They will deceive others and will themselves be deceived.” (2 Tim 3:13, NLT)

Further from Paul’s second epistle to Timothy, we learn about sufferings that result from our testimonies and even the way we seek to live our lives in a godly manner. Even in the face of standing for truth, we will suffer for it. Here’s more from that epistle:

“So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. And don’t be ashamed of me, either, even though I’m in prison for Him. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the Good News.” (2 Tim 1:8, NLT)

The above passage tells us that by testifying to others and spreading the Word, we can and will be afflicted. The cost of following Christ is a well-known one. Jesus did say, “…all nations will hate you because you are My followers. 

But everyone who endures to the end will be saved” (Mt 10:22, NLT). To do that which is Christ bears its own reward and that reward is the Father’s promise of eternal life. Even so, suffering is inescapable and the more we immerse ourselves in the Word, the more apparent it will be. Paul talks about this in alarming detail:

“Always remember that Jesus Christ, a descendant of King David, was raised from the dead. This is the Good News I preach. And because I preach this Good News, I am suffering and have been chained like a criminal. But the Word of God cannot be chained.” (2 Tim 2:8-9, NLT)

In the passages below, Paul recalls how some people who knew the truth and yet rejects it. Instead they fabricate false doctrine and use it to influence others, fanning effects that are deadly enough to corrupt interminably. 



Hymenaeus and Philetus who 'wandered away from the truth' were false teachers teaching heresies, causing damage and confusion in church (Image source: Interesting Green Blogger)

The New Language Translation (NLT) version – including the NKJV – uses the word ‘cancer’ for a more contemporary understanding but much of the others use the word ‘gangrene.’ The purpose is to illustrate how deception or the corruption of the word will ultimately mean certain eternal death:

“This kind of talk spreads like cancer, as in the case of Hymenaeus and Philetus. They have left the path of truth, claiming that the resurrection of the dead has already occurred; in this way, they have turned some people away from the faith.” (2 Tim 2:17-18, NLT)

Paul uses Hymenaeus and Philetus as examples for good reason. Hymenaeus was from Ephesus and was likely someone Paul knew from his acquaintance with the church there. In his first epistle to Timothy, Paul had already mentioned him in addition to another, Alexander. 

Both had “suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith” and therefore, were “handed over to Satan” (1 Tim 1:19-20) to make an example out of their rejection of doctrinal truth and their decision to veer into false teaching. Here, Hymenaeus is mentioned with Philetus who Paul also accuses as another false teacher. Together, the apostle charges them for erring in the truth and then cause the faith of some to stumble.

Paul continues to lay the charges in the following verses meaning two additional names, Jannes and Jambres, both of whom were never mentioned anywhere in the Bible until this point. We only know them as corruptible people who came from the time of Moses whom Paul said had resisted the truth and were reprobate regarding the faith. 

Both Jannes and Jambres could have embraced the Lord and yet in the face of truth, they rejected Him. Using them as an example, the apostle wants us to focus on how we suffer under the weight of depravity and deception:

“They are the kind who work their way into people’s homes and win the confidence of vulnerable women who are burdened with the guilt of sin and controlled by various desires. (Such women are forever following new teachings but they are never able to understand the truth). These teachers oppose the truth just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses. They have depraved minds and a counterfeit faith.” (2 Tim 3:6-8, NLT)

That isn’t all. In the same epistle, Paul reveals how, in rejection and isolation, he suffered intensely:

“As you know, everyone from the province of Asia has deserted me – even Phygelus and Hermogenes.” (2 Tim 1:15, NLT)

“Timothy, please come as soon as you can. Demas has deserted me because he loves the things of this life and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia and Titus has gone to Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Bring Mark with you when you come, for he will be helpful to me in my ministry.” (2 Tim 4:9-11, NLT)

“The first time I was brought before the judge, no one came with me. Everyone abandoned me. May it not be counted against them.” (2 Tim 4:16, NLT)

Across the same epistle, Paul mentions three times how he was deserted. In the last quoted passage, he used the word ‘abandoned,’ meaning left on his own in isolation from others. As it appears that spreading the Word is a thankless endeavour, it can also be a journey where people will leave us behind, moving on to do their own thing. Paul mentions names here.

Hermogenes was one of Paul’s fellow labourer working through Asia Minor who then left him along with Phygelus. Though the Bible offers no reason, maybe it was the perils of the missionary work that had gotten under their skin. Paul then mentioned Demas who he did on two other occasions as well – his epistles to Philemon (Phl 1:24) and then the church in Colossae (Col 4:14). 

Other than succumbing to the flesh in some form and leaving the apostle to his mission work, we know nothing else. Crescens was Paul’s companion during his Roman captivity days and was also a missionary (some say bishop) in Galatia but again beyond that, precious little. As for Titus, it may or may not be the same person Paul had wrote separately to as in the Pauline epistle bearing his name. 

Other than travelling to Dalmatia and leaving the apostle behind, no reason is given. But we do realise that in all of these cases, Paul was left helpless in his ministry.

Christians suffer but they endure

Roman soldiers help Paul escape an angry mob (Image source: JW)

Doing ministry work on your own is a tough challenge. Today we may be able to travel more easily and conveniently but the work remains very hard and can be discouraging under trying circumstances. In Acts 14:19, Paul was attacked and was just about to be stoned to death in Lystra. 

Apparently he was thought dead when his opponents “dragged him out of the city.” As I’d mentioned earlier, two young Chinese Christians were kidnapped and killed by terrorists in Pakistan. Although not specifically mentioned, chances were they were ministering.

And of course, there are innumerable stories of Christians who suffer at the hands of those who are filled with hate. Whether it is because they were spreading the Good Word or doing something a little less significant, suffering abounds for those who follow in the way of Christ. 

You could be going out of your way to help someone and yet your gesture can go unnoticed. Frustration sets in when you feel that sense of being unappreciated and relegated to nothing more than a thankless wry smile, you often wonder why you’d bother.

But that’s just it. Christians suffer in many different ways. In fact, for those who understand, it is a privilege to experience such trials, knowing that, “it is not shame to suffer for being a Christian. Praise God for the privilege of being called by His Name!” (1 Pt 4:16, NLT). And then, “after you have suffered for a little while, He will restore, support, and strengthen you, and He will place you on a firm foundation” (5:10, NLT).

In fact, the Bible is a compendium of suffering. It details how the many who follow Christ indefinitely will end up suffering. In that sense, Christians cannot avoid (Acts 9:16). It’s part of our sanctification. It is the way to be Christ-like. It defines our walk. 

But know one thing – God has given us His grace and power so that we be able to overcome every all these sufferings and then in turn, fulfil our purpose and mission in His kingdom. In fact, Paul’s second epistle to Timothy does reveal thirteen principles behind how we can overcome them.

1. Never forget why we suffer

Angry Christians protest Pakistan's deadliest suicide attack on a church, killing at least 81 people in September 2013 (Image source: NBC News)

Suffering without knowing why is as foolish as it is pointless. When we go about life aimlessly, not understanding why we suffer fills us with a foreboding sense of emptiness. Many people go through life this way. They go from one predicament to the next, stumble and fumble through darkness without any hope of understanding what it’s all about. That’s pitiful but it’s also reckless.

The key to enduring suffering is to know why. Christians remember the purpose. They remember Who they serve. There is a point of returning to the One who suffered so that we may be redeemed to the Father. And in Him lies the penultimate reason behind our suffering. Paul says his willingness to suffer is founded on the proclamation of the Gospel for the sake of the elect and for the glory of God:

“Always remember that Jesus Christ, a descendant of King David, was raised from the dead. This is the Good News I preach. And because I preach this Good News, I am suffering and have been chained like a criminal. But the Word of God cannot be chained.” (2 Tim 2:8-9, NLT)

Our sufferings, whether they be as big as you think they are or little inconsequential ones, can all be used to bring about the same purpose as what Paul says here.

2. Never forget we’re prisoners of Christ

Image source: PM News, Nigeria

We should not be captive to our circumstances or to other people. Nothing in this world is worth keeping us hostage to. Not even the highest paid job in the world. Or that beautiful looking house by the lake. Or that swanky looking sports car. Or even the nicest whiskey in town. Not even the latest best smartphone will hold me back from Christ.

There should never be any distraction that could wrestle us away from doing the work of Christ. And that includes people as well. Between Jesus and anyone in the world, He must come first. We must all be beholden to Him for through His suffering, we are repatriated to the Father. 

Without Him, we are all doomed as that is what we all deserve to be. Yet there is a way out and all it takes is for us to lean to Him. And one way to do that is to keep plugging for Christ:

“So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. And don’t be ashamed of me, either, even though I’m in prison for Him. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the Good News.” (2 Tim 1:8, NLT)

So, like Timothy, we are called not to be ashamed ‘to tell others about our Lord’ and that includes the Gospel. To draw a parallel with this passage, recall Paul’s words in his letter to the Romans where he says, “For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes – the Jews first and also the Gentiles” (Rom 1:16, NLT).

As prisoners of Christ, we cannot divorce ourselves from those who suffer under persecution. In the context of the epistle, Timothy is not to be ashamed of Paul who is by then incarcerated for the sake of Christ. There is a lesson here for all of us because in our natural human tendency, we tend to stay away from trouble even if that means avoiding those who do the work of Christ but now need our help. 

We hope that by keeping our distance, we’d avoid the same predicament. This is the temptation that draws us away from Christ for when we do not answer the call to help our fellow Christians in dire straits, then we are doing the same to Him.

Recall that Timothy himself was also thrown into prison:

“I want you to know that our brother Timothy has been released from jail. If he comes here soon, I will bring him with me to see you.” (Heb 13:23, NLT)

Instead of being laid in shame, Timothy was encouraged by Paul to welcome the chance of standing with his other persecuted brothers. And by doing so, he had the endurance to see through the suffering that came with spreading the Gospel. Paul says it as much here:

“…everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” (2 Tim 3:12, NLT)

And in that, God will call each of us, in His time, to endure suffering all for the cause of Christ.

The next time, we face the darkness of our circumstances, think not of this world or whomsoever in our minds but channel our thoughts to Christ. It was He who took the blows on the cross just so we could be saved. He set the example that lays the groundwork for us to follow in suffering. And once we learn to endure this, we know well that this, indeed, is the godly life that Paul speaks of.

3. Never get unstuck from God’s truth

Young Timothy was taught by Lois and Eunice (Image source: JW)

Remind yourself – keep reverting to the germs of truth that are in abundance in the Lord’s Word. What we see in the miracles that God wrought in our lives, they are a testimony to the truth of God, that He loves us and that He did send His Son to save us. That is our truth. 

Let us not get unstuck from it. Let us never doubt even in the depths of darkness that there is light shone from God. In 2 Timothy 1:5, Paul remembers what Timothy received as a result of his salvation in Christ:

“I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you.” (2 Tim 1:5, NLT)

What Timothy had was sincere faith (Paul calls it ‘genuine’ faith). It was powerful enough to rub off, firstly, on his grandmother, Lois, and then, his mother, Eunice. In both cases, I believe these were the only times in the New Testament their names were mentioned. 

In fact Acts 16 notes that Timothy’s father was a Gentile (Greek) and that his mother was Jewish. Devout in her beliefs, it was she who raised Timothy to be conversant in the Torah and other Jewish traditions. There is reason to speculate that quite possibly, Lois and Eunice chose to follow Christ in Lystra when Paul was ministering there and if that is true, then their Jewish influence on Timothy’s salvation would have been even greater.

In fact, if we go back to verse 3, we realise that in his faith, Paul also drew on his own Jewish ancestry. In much the same way of course, Timothy’s faith was similarly rooted, making the mentor and his student both fellow Jews who chose the same route in Christ. 

Hence their spiritual camaraderie is unquestionably strong. So despite being away in Ephesus – he hailed from Lystra – in Paul, Timothy still belonged to a godly family that had a clear influence on his walk with God.

When we mull over God’s truth, we should not forget that His decision to save us. In his epistle, Paul recalls correctly that we never had the chance of returning to the Father because we were too sinful to be redeemed to Him. If not for His grace, we would be in complete darkness today with no hope whatsoever of ever doing anything that would pave the way for us. 

In God’s truth, He always had us in mind even when we never bothered to reciprocate but it was He who, through the sacrifice of His Son, suffered the heartache just so we could have that chance of repatriation. But that was essentially the only thing possible for us to find our way home. Through such act of love, God revealed the truth of Who we all belonged to:

“For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it but because that was His plan from before the beginning of time – to show us His grace through Christ Jesus. And now He has made all of this plain to us by the appearing of Christ Jesus, our Saviour. He broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the Good News. And God chose me to be a preacher, an apostle and a teacher of this Good News.

“That is why I am suffering here in prison. But I am not ashamed of it, for I know the One in whom I trust and I am sure that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until the day of His return. Hold on to the pattern of wholesome teaching you learned from me – a pattern shaped by the faith and love that you have in Christ Jesus.” (2 Tim 1:9-13, NLT)

4. Never forget what God called us for

Image source: Focus on the Family

As Christians, each of us await God’s calling to be what we are asked to be so that we may advance His kingdom. But as we take up our calling, there comes the immense challenge to keep on going, to pick up even as we fall, to persevere through pain and suffering and of course, to stay faithful through the twists and turns of life. 

Whatever the opposition or resistance or hardship, there comes plenty of times when we will undergo incredible threats to give Christ up, to renounce Him and to walk away.

Through history, Christians have kept the faith and avowedly ploughed on doing whatever it was that God had called them to do. They stayed the course but many gave their lives doing so. Many others, despite the threats to their lives or their family’s lives, kept pressing on for Christ. They led their lives as if it were their last days. They never forgot their purpose in life and they gave their all to the glory of God.

Paul covers this in the five verses given below:

“I solemnly urge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who will someday judge the living and the dead when He comes to set up His Kingdom: Preach the Word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favourable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke and encourage your people with good teaching.

“For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths.

“But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News and fully carry out the ministry God has given you.” (2 Tim 4:1-5, NLT)

These passages form the basis of Paul’s exhortation to Timothy – and us – to look forward beyond superficiality. In other words, we are to seriously focus on and commit ourselves to the truth that is God. Only He knows the truth. Only He can be depended on. 

And only God’s truth is the real truth, the only one that we are to be grounded on. We are to keep these facts close to our chest at all times and to persistently remind ourselves that in Christ is the One who not only will “judge the living and the dead” but will come soon as the Lord of lords and King of kings. But that’s not all.

Four other charges from Paul are equally important. 

Firstly, we are to confront students and teachers of false teaching and challenge their contemporary errors with God’s truths. 

Secondly, he urges us to bide our time but with care and caution so that in teaching the truth, we do not err. 

Thirdly, in the midst of deceivers everywhere, victimising both believers and unbelievers, Paul asks us to be serious in staying unswayed, that no matter how error is preferred over truth, we must stay on course. 

Lastly, despite the abundance of opposition towards God’s truth, we must remain clear in our thoughts and possess the necessary spiritual endurance to last the long haul. 

Through it all, we can then continue to press home the Good News, demonstrating that in Christ, truth will always outlast lies and deception.

Footnotes for article only appear at the end of Part 3

Part 2 of 3 continues on December 10 2017