Questions & Answers

In the Category: The Reality of Suffering

#REAL1 What is suffering? Suffering is the experience of pain, loss, and sorrow that entered the world through sin.
#REAL2 Why does suffering exist? Suffering exists because humanity fell from fellowship with God, and the whole creation was subjected to futility.
#REAL3 Is all suffering the same? No. Some suffering comes from our own sin, some from the sins of others, and some from living in a broken world.
#REAL4 Does God cause suffering? God is not the author of evil, but He sovereignly ordains all things, including suffering, for His wise and holy purposes.
#REAL5 Has anyone ever suffered apart from sin? Only the Lord Jesus Christ, who suffered though He was sinless, to redeem sinners and bring them to God.
#REAL6 Why does God allow His people to suffer? He allows suffering to display His glory, test and deepen our faith, and conform us to the image of His Son.
#REAL7 Does suffering mean God has forsaken us? No. For those in Christ, suffering is never a sign of abandonment but of Fatherly love and refinement.
#REAL8 Can a believer question or lament in suffering? Yes. Honest lament is the language of faith, bringing grief before God in trust, not rebellion.
#REAL9 What makes suffering meaningful? Suffering finds meaning only in relationship to the sovereign and suffering Savior, Jesus Christ.
#REAL10 What hope sustains the believer in suffering? The hope that Christ has overcome the world, and that present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory to come.