Protestant view of suffering?

[smswife]

How do most protestants understand the role of suffering in this life?

Does Colossians 1:24 apply?

What about voluntary sacrifice such as fasting?

I would counsel “offering it up” to a suffering Catholic, but wonder if that would help a suffering Protestant.

 

[Publisher]

As a Friend, I recognize that suffering exists in our world. Each of us are to bear part of the suffering of the world as the Body of Christ. As he in his earthly life went about doing good…so do we as His Mystical Body to “go about doing good”…and share in the suffering of this world…in imitation of Jesus of Nazareth. Suffering is part and parcel of incarnating into this world…it is the “price of incarnation”.

 

[CopticChristian]

How do most protestants understand the role of suffering in this life?

Does Colossians 1:24 apply?

What about voluntary sacrifice such as fasting?

I would counsel “offering it up” to a suffering Catholic, but wonder if that would help a suffering Protestant.

It would be difficult to say something that fit all Protestant thought since it is diverse. I have heard Scott Hahn say that as a Protestant the value of salvific suffering is not part of the Protestant paradigm. There is no offering it up. I can also say I know a Catholic with shipwreck of the Faith that believed “I no longer have to suffer”…tragically they suffer today and are miserable complainers.

There is no one good answer as I see it.

 

[fred_conty]

How do most protestants understand the role of suffering in this life?

Does Colossians 1:24 apply?

What about voluntary sacrifice such as fasting?

I would counsel “offering it up” to a suffering Catholic, but wonder if that would help a suffering Protestant.

Suffering is not a part of their vocabulary since Jesus did all the suffering for them and
makes useless their suffering. In fact for some, it may mean a crisis of faith if the
suffering comes from illness. This is because suffering and illness are directly tied
in with the Devil who is responsible for all suffering and illness. And if they experience
this than it is because their faith was not sufficiently strong enough to overcome the
Devil’s power on them. Then they feel sinful because of their weak faith. This happens more among the fundamentalist groups.

The catholic faith sees this as a type of prayer for themselves and others, as a participation in the suffering that Jesus offered to his Father for sin. We are one body beyond time offering praise and thanksgiving for all we receive.

 

[JonNC]

How do most protestants understand the role of suffering in this life?

Does Colossians 1:24 apply?

What about voluntary sacrifice such as fasting?

I would counsel “offering it up” to a suffering Catholic, but wonder if that would help a suffering Protestant.

Contrary to Fred Conty’s post (though there may be protestants whose belief he correctly characterized), here is a good post regarding Lutherans and suffering, starting with this verse from Romans:

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:1-5).

Tha pastor says, in part:

Lutherans teach that the normal way that God works in the world is by hiding himself in suffering and weakness. The normal Christian’s life involves suffering, and lots of it. And that suffering often bewilders the Christian, and fills them with doubts and fear and disappointment with God. God not only allows suffering as a test. He works through it to accomplish great things and this is his most common way of working in our lives. Luther called this “The Theology of the Cross” and contrasted it with the “Theology of Glory” (Read Isaiah 45:15; Psalm 13:1; 2 Corinthians 12:7-10; Romans 5:3-5; James 1:2-4; John 15:1-5; Psalm 119:71).

Suffering - Theology of the Cross - pain, sickness, loss, persecution, mishaps, accidents, disappointments, rejection, unanswered prayers in the midst of it all

On Good Friday God hid himself. By all appearances there was nothing good about the suffering of Jesus on the cross; it was a horrible and brutal miscarriage of justice. But behind, no, through that suffering, God was taking away the sins of the world, and justifying the world. In the midst of suffering God was accomplishing an amazing miracle. Through the weakness of Jesus God was performing a mighty deed. He still works the same way today. And this is his normal method of working in our lives.

orlutheran.com/html/seapril2405.html

Jon

 

[Joe_Kelley]

I read Don’t Waste Your Sorrows [A study in sainthood and suffering] by Paul E Billheimer a long time go when I was doing a study on suffering. I haven’t reread it, but recall it had very good insights on the need for suffering.

The blurb on the back cover notes

(he) deals with the question of suffering in the life of the believer from a different perspective, as an indispensable part of God’s present program of pr preparation and training of His children for ultimate participation in rulership as members of the Brie of Christ…