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The Hope of the Gospel in Suffering

 


Often in this life, we find ourselves walking in the shadow of tragedy. Whether loss of a job, diagnosis of illness, or the death of a loved one, one thing remains true. No matter the catalyst of the suffering, the pain is acute and personal. In fact, we sometimes find ourselves feeling isolated and alone amid our trials. As sincere as people around us might be in helping us, at the end of the day, we are left alone in our own heads and hearts to process the tragedy. One comfort I would like to draw your attention to is the hope the gospel offers in suffering.

Hope of Christ’s Nearness

The call of the gospel promises that we are never alone. Truly, our hearts are given the only hope that can sustain us. While suffering often whispers in our hearts of abandonment, the gospel speaks of the incarnation and nearness of Christ. Christ did not save us from afar. Rather, he stepped into our pain, carried our sorrows, and remains present by His Spirit. Zephaniah 3:17 asserts, “The Lord your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.” God is not far from us; he is near to the broken-hearted.

The Hope of God’s Purpose

God holds a purpose through our suffering. There is no greater hope in this life than a soul turned from death to life by the power of the Holy Spirit. The gospel reframes suffering from meaningless chaos to meaningful formation. God uses suffering to form Christlikeness in his saints. The redemption story is woven with trials and the hope that points towards Christ’s eternal victory. In fact, Peter wrote, “After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen” (1 Peter 5:10-11).

The Hope of God’s Justice

God’s justice is perfect. The cross is God’s declaration that evil will be judged; the resurrection is His guarantee that righteousness will prevail. Through the gospel, we have confidence that every wrong will be accounted for. Hebrews tells us, “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him” (Heb 9:27-28). This passage offers us the certainty of an account for sin and salvation for those in Christ. Within that salvation, we find hope that every wound will be healed and every tear will be dried.

The Hope of God’s Renewal

God is making all things new. The gospel is not merely about escape from suffering but the restoration of creation. Suffering tries to convince us that God’s love has thinned or faded. The gospel insists the opposite. Through God’s love, we find our way back to the right relationship with him. The ultimate renewal is spiritual when we become conformed to the image of his Son. Jonathan Edwards wrote, “the chief of God’s servants, appointed to be the head of his saints and angels, and set forth as the chief and most perfect pattern and example of goodness; we may well suppose by the foregoing positions, that what he sought as his last end, was God’s last end in the creation of the world.”[1] The glorification of Jesus Christ is the chief aim of the Father in creation through the saints conformed in his image.

Conclusion

Suffering is part of the human condition. To live is to experience trial and loss due to the fall. Yet, in the midst of suffering, we can find hope. A hope that is not dissuaded by circumstances. We may be shaken and rocked by the ebbs and flows of life, but we can stand strong on Christ. From suffering to temptation, life’s trials can shift our focus toward despair. Or, like Charles Spurgeon once stated, “The wave of temptation may even wash you higher up upon the Rock of ages, so that you cling to it with a firmer grip than you have ever done before, and so again where sin abounds, grace will much more abound.”[2] Hope in the gospel may very well be all that we have in times of suffering and trial. Nevertheless, it is always there for those who believe. Remember the hope of Christ’s nearness, the purpose of God’s timing, the confidence in God’s ultimate justice, and the hope of renewal in the saints of God conforming to the image of Christ through holy sanctification.

 


[1] Jonathan Edwards, The Works of President Edwards (Worcester: Isaiah Thomas, Jun., 1809), 67.

[2] C. H. Spurgeon, “Sin and Grace,” in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, vol. 54 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1908), 512.

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