"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us."
Romans 8:18

PAUL has introduced the element of suffering in the Christian life in the previous verse. He makes it clear that suffering is an essential part of the Christian life. If we are truly children of God and heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, then we will know the experience of sharing in the sufferings of Christ. The way to glory is only found through the experience of suffering.

This is something that is rarely made clear in preaching, even though Jesus plainly taught that we must count the cost before we commit ourselves to follow him. In Luke 14:25 and the verses which follow Jesus speaks of having to take up our cross and follow him, and if we do not, we can’t be his disciple. By this we understand that Jesus was pointing out that suffering and trials accompany discipleship, and which are peculiar to discipleship. In this world we all have suffering, but following Christ brings added suffering. Jesus then goes on to warn us against the folly of not recognizing and accepting this. He tells us we should count the cost before committing ourselves. So in verse 33 of Luke 14 Jesus tells us that if we are not ready to give up everything for him we can not really be his disciple.

PRESENT SUFFERINGS

The Gospel promises of free forgiveness and the gift of eternal life are free at the point of acceptance. The cost of these blessings is infinitely great, but the whole cost was paid and accepted by Jesus, and paid in his life and death, and it is for this reason that it is free, and bestowed to those who believe on him.

However such faith in Christ is not just believing in the gifts, but a commitment of our life to Jesus as Lord and Saviour. Our faith is to place ourselves in his hands and under his dominion and Lordship. We commit ourselves to trust him in everything and so live our lives according to his will and guidance, and seek to glorify him in all we do and say and think. The suffering is found in this commitment.

None of us are free. People speak glibly of human freedom, and the freedom of choice, without considering the facts of life. Although we have freedom of choice, our choice is not really free because it is ruled by the desires within us. These desires are an indication of the one we actually serve. The truth about humanity, which few are ready to accept, and only Christians who believe the Bible revelation and are ready to accept it, know, is that humanity has a god and is under his dominion. This god is the evil one, who through Adam’s sin was given this dominion. Adam made a choice on behalf of his progeny, the whole human race, and whatever we may feel about our freedom, it is not truly real because of this dominion. I know that the mind of humanity today sneers at the idea that we originated from one original pair, but there is no explanation for the way human beings are, their corruption of nature seen in all the evil and mayhem which is rife within human society in every nation, in any other explanation of our origin. We suffer in this world in general suffering of all sorts because of this corruption and bondage to Satan.

The peculiar suffering and difficulties which result from following Christ is found in the change of dominion and rule. When we believe in Jesus, we are delivered from the bondage of sin and Satan, and placed under the dominion of Christ. There are only two dominions in human experience - one is Satan and the other is Christ. The Christian who truly believes has been translated from the kingdom of this world, that is the kingdom of Satan, and translated into the Kingdom of God and Christ.

The suffering of the believer is found in this change of dominion and allegiance. Christ indeed sets us free from the dominion of Satan, but this produces problems while we still live in this earthly life.

a. Satan’s anger.

The god of this world, Satan, is not pleased at losing one of his subjects. He is angry and this anger is directed at the one he has lost.

While still in the world and under Satan’s rule, Satan is quite pleased for us to have a pleasant life, and freedom to do as we like, because in this way he keeps us in a state where we are content, and do not perceive the loss and death which will be our end. Satan causes us to walk on the broad way in life which leads to destruction, and because it leads to destruction, Satan is careful to make the going on this road to be pleasant as possible. By this means he causes people to never question where they are going or what destiny will come at the end of the journey

However things change when Satan loses a follower. He mobilises his servants to cause the believer as much suffering as possible. So temptations plague the Christian, as Satan sends his army of devils to tempt and afflict us. If Satan can’t cause us to sin or turn away from Christ, he plans to make our journey with Christ as difficult as he can.

Together with the assault of devils in temptation, their is the assault of unbelievers to persecute the believer. Jesus warned of this in John 15. He said that if the world hated him, the world would hate his followers. All through his life Jesus found the hate of the world directed against him to afflict him and cause him to suffer. The Christian must expect the same, though by the defence and grace of Christ we are protected so that we are not afflicted beyond what we can bear. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

This persecution can be and has been very severe in the past, and in the present in some countries, and in many cases has ended in martyrdom. If we are not subject to such dreadful persecution we need to thank God. Nonetheless we shall not be free from some persecution.

b. Conflict between the flesh and the Spirit.

Then there is the inward suffering which Paul speaks of in Galatians 5: 16ff. This is the suffering which results from the conflict between the flesh and the Spirit. Through faith in Christ we have been raised to new life. We have been recreated. We have been created in our new self to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. In this new self we love God and righteousness, and are undefiled by sin. This is the true self which has inherited eternal life, and the moment this present earthly life is over will enter the eternal glory in heaven.

The problem lies in the fact that while we still live in this life we have to express this new self through this earthly body, in which still resides the sinful nature, called the flesh, and this is still as corrupt as it has always been, and still has powerful desires which are opposed to God.

Paul speaks of the flesh, the sinful nature, desiring what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. He goes on to say that the result is that we have a conflict within us so that we are not able to do what we want, that is what the real new created person wants. So we find that we do sin in our body, but again Paul speaks of it as not us that does this, but the sin which dwells within us.

We are called to mortify our corrupt affection from our sinful nature. Paul says we must allow the Holy Spirit to lead us. The sinful nature can’t be reformed or made better. It can only be mortified or put to death. This warfare with the sinful nature is constant and severe. Sometimes we go along with tranquility in our lives, then Satan mobilises temptation of one sort or another against us, and the battle is full of suffering. Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:10ff that we have to put on the whole armour of God so that we may stand in the evil day, and having done all to stand. He indicates that the spiritual warfare the Christian has to face is truly terrible at times.

This is the suffering which we are called to bear as Christians. It sometimes takes us by surprise and we wonder what is happening to us.

All this suffering from within and without can not be avoided. It is part of being a Christian. This is the reason Paul speaks of sharing in Christ’s sufferings in verse 17. Because we belong to Christ these sufferings come upon us which Christ had to undergo in his life. We can’t be a Christian without knowing something of this suffering.

GLORY TO BE REVEALED IN US.

Paul understands more than anyone how such sufferings can be hard to bear. He understands that they are also difficult to accept and understand. There could be the temptation to complain and even to turn back to the world. Paul counters this sort of thinking by calling us to make a comparison and to view the goal of our Christian pilgrimage.

Paul acknowledges that the suffering is hard to bear. He does not minimise it. On the other hand when compared with the the glory that will be revealed in us at last when this life is over, the troubles of the Christian life are worth all the suffering. Paul is not comparing the suffering with the glory. What he is doing is saying that the glory is so wonderful and great that the suffering which we have to endure in the journey to the glory is little to have to bear. The goal is worth all the suffering.

The expression Paul uses is worth meditating upon. He speaks of the glory revealed IN us. This glory is something we experience. This tells us that the glory is a life which is a better life and a more wonderful life. It tells us that this life is something we experience, and is not something we look upon as a spectator. The glory to come is something wonderful that happens to us. What is this?

It is true that we can’t really know until we enjoy it, but what is revealed in the Bible, and in the promises of eternal life we are assured of there, and by Christ’s word, gives us enough to make us see that this glory revealed in us is worth everything in the getting to it. Paul also tells us in Ephesians 1:11-14 that we have some foretaste of this glory spiritually in this present life. We have heard the gospel of our salvation. This is the assurance of forgiveness of all our sins, and our acceptance by God as his children. It is the promise of eternal life. Paul goes on to tell us that these assurances and promises are reinforced. We are marked in Christ with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit (Eph.1:13). In this seal there is a deposit given us in our conscious experience which assures us these promises are true. Together with this assurance is spiritual awareness and joy which is a foretaste of this glory, which is given by the Spirit in this seal. We have been raised with Christ and made to sit in heavenly places with Christ (Eph 2:6), and this is not just a declaration of what is true, but is the privilege we have of communion with God in prayer and meditation in the Bible, so that we do know the experience of sitting at the feet of Jesus, and hearing his voice speaking to us as we read his word. The eyes of our understanding are opened, and the truth of his precious word is balm to our souls, and raises us to joy unspeakable and full of glory. So we have the earnest of this glory.

The glory is that we shall receive a new body in that heavenly glory, so that our new created self will be free from all corruption in body for ever, and we will be able to serve the Lord we love without hindrance and with total joy.

The glory is that we shall see Jesus. He will come to receive us into the dwelling place in his glory he has prepared for us, and we shall see him face to face, and know his love directly.

This glory is that we shall be at liberty. This glorious liberty is to be free from all the ill and misery, sin and death, which Satan has brought into this earthly life. Free to be and live as God originally meant us to live and be.

We shall experience to the full what we know now of being children of God. We shall belong to the family of love and live in perfect love, and our eyes will be continual ravished with the vision of the glory of our God and Saviour. One hymn ends with the words “prostrate before Thy throne to lie, and gaze and gaze on Thee.” This seems unimaginable to our earthly senses, but it is an expression of the joy of the heavenly glory. In Revelation 4 and 5, we see the elders, symbolising the church in history, casting their crowns before the throne of God and giving praise and worship before the throne to God. We who believe find this strikes cords of unimaginable ecstasy and glory in our souls.