U 136 The Purpose of Suffering

Uni-verse 136/10,000 For better through verse I Peter 1 v 7

1Pe 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

What is gold to man is faith to God. Gold is precious, rare and can be pure or impure depending on the process it is put through. Life itself is a process that God uses to purify our faith. Believers in Christ likewise through the ages reckon their faith more valuable than gold. This is the precious jewel for which a merchant sold all his fortunes to acquire it. So much so, in the early years of the church, they gave their lives for their faith as many were tortured, crucified, burnt, put to the sword or thrown to wild beasts. Faith is tested by suffering even as gold is tested in fire. Only the degree of suffering may vary from believer to believer. Some women who were studying this verse went to the goldsmith and asked him," Till what point do you keep the gold in the fire?" The goldsmith replied," Till I see my image in the gold." God has made man in his image. We lost that image through sin. We regain the image of God through faith in Jesus, the only begotten Son of God who Himself embraced suffering and death on the cross. Suffering removes the dross or impurities in our faith and polishes or purifies the image of God in us. God does know that the best lessons of life are learnt in the school of hard knocks. He tests us in the furnace of afflictions.


It is not great fun when we undergo suffering. It is extreme pain. I know as I went through part of the bone-breaking pain that Jesus underwent as I suffered excruciating pain from multiple pellet injuries in various bones and parts of the body from the world's first "human bomb" that assassinated former Prime Minister Shri Rajiv Gandhi. But, our faith is victorious when we can look back and say as I do today, " I thank the Lord for the suffering I underwent." St Paul wrote to the Romans in similar vein that tribulation brings patience, patience brings experience and experience brings hope. Suffering will make us more patient, more experienced in terms of the grace of God and therefore, more hopeful and faithful. In the midst of our sufferings, when we wait with patience and expectation that the Lord will deliver us according to His promise, it will result in the experience of deliverance that will further increase our hope in the future. It will make us complete in faith, whole in our character and perfect in Christ. Faith gives birth to grace and joy much like the pangs of childbearing give way to joyful smiles and happiness when a baby is born. As the Psalmist says," Tears by night but joy and laughter in the morning."

Our suffering will produce praise, honour and glory as an offering and an outpouring from our soul to the Lord Jesus. Our suffering will enable us to encourage others who suffer similarly. Our suffering will strengthen and purify our inner being. Our suffering will give us a testimony for as it is said, Jesus transforms trials into triumphs, our tests into testimony, our mess into a message, our scars into stars, victims into victors. The American flag has stars and stripes. Our flag has scars and the stripes of Christ.

Prateep V Philip