Why Do Christians Suffer?

By Titus Tunde Adunola

Why do Christians suffer? Perhaps a corollary statement could be: why do bad things happen to good people? I am pretty sure many people might know some nice fellows who have suffered some tragedies- whether they are Christians, Muslims, Hindus or others without any religion. Even though the title refers to Christians, the truths and the experiences discussed in this book may well resonate with anyone, anywhere in the world. Although I have used examples from the Bible- this is because that is what I am very familiar with.
I have used some testimonies from real people who are still alive; who have gone through some challenges in their lives, but at the same time they did not curse God or accuse God of being wicked to them. Instead, they are getting on with their lives as if nothing had happened to them. I have included my own personal testimony of my struggles in life. So, what I have written in this book is not just theories but real and practical truths, which I believe can help anyone who may be going through challenges in their life and wondering why has God allowed this to happen to them?
The book was borne out of my own personal trials and tribulations in life. I must confess that many times I had wondered at the way my life had turned out to be. I am however very grateful to God that in spite of it all, I am still standing and above all, I am alive and well with my brain intact. Praise God.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Oct 20, 2021
• ISBN: 9781665592901

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© 2021 Titus Tunde Adunola. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or

transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse  10/19/2021

ISBN: 978-1-6655-9289-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6655-9290-1 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

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this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views

expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the

views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Some scriptures were taken from the King James Version®

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982

by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

This book is dedicated to the memory of my

mother, Mrs. Maria Waleade Adunola, nee Oni.

A very industrious and God-fearing woman

whose short life impacted me and many others

greatly. Fondly loved and remembered.

CONTENTS

Foreword

Introduction

Chapter 1     What is Suffering?

Chapter 2     Jesus Christ – the perfect example of Suffering

Chapter 3     Examples of Bible heroes of faith

Chapter 4     Some examples outside of the Bible

Chapter 5     Are the Christians who suffer sinners?

Chapter 6     Some people seem to have it easy in life

Chapter 7     What the Bible teaches about suffering

Chapter 8     Personal testimonies

Chapter 9     Author’s testimony

Chapter 10   Conclusion

FOREWORD

Being a Christian means living by faith every day and often that faith is tested. Despite some preconceptions that people may have, the Christian life is not without challenges. The title of this book shows that fact. And so, despite their belief in an almighty, benevolent God, it is true that many Christians face suffering daily. Why is that? Does it mean that God is not good? Well, with this book, Pastor Tunde Adunola sets out to tackle this complicated theological question, approaching the answer to this question with both a practical and spiritual mindset.

Tunde gives us a clear definition of suffering and what it means to face tribulations and how we are meant to tackle the said tribulations. As a question that deals with how Christians are meant to view themselves and their relationship with God amongst man’s world, Tunde uses both biblical and real-world examples to explain the fact that Christians do indeed suffer. The book is informative, thought-provoking and provides a well-rounded insight into the Christian life.

Pastor Kofo Bolarin

Kings Church Manchester, UK

INTRODUCTION

The title of this book, I know, can be an intriguing and interesting one. It is a question I have always pondered upon several times. Most of the time, I am able to answer the question myself with biblical principles and examples. I must confess that I look at my life, sometimes in amazement and at the end of the day I am able to say God, I thank you. I was born in Africa in the year 1950. There were no western medical facilities at all in the village where I was born, and infant mortality was very high - and yet, I survived: I am very grateful to God.

Back to the subject of this book. I guess some people, Christians included, are sometimes tempted to ask similar questions. Why would a young man or woman who is faithfully serving God die of cancer, or in a tragic motor accident? Why will a promising young person having secured admission to the top university suddenly drop down and die, even before ever graduating, talk less of getting married and raising children? Yet, the parents are faithful believers? Or why will a couple who are both born again, holy spirit-filled, God-loving, very faithfully serving God be childless, when all medical tests show there is nothing wrong with both of them that could prevent them from having their own biological children? Yet, you hear of prostitutes and drug-abusers who get pregnant and abort the babies or kill their own babies…

I could go on and on, but I think you get the point I am trying to make here. We can continue to question for as much as we care; if God wishes, He may answer us but most of the time we don’t have an answer to such why(s). At the end of the day, we will just have to admit that God is sovereign. But because we are human and live in the flesh, hence I decide to put this in writing in the hope that it would benefit someone who may be pondering such questions in their heart. I once heard a comment from a brother. One of our brethren had just died. He was a young man, probably in his thirties and he had also recently got married then. Everything seemed to be going on well for him, he got a new job as a manager in another job. He was to start the new job the next Monday. His former workplace colleagues held a football match in his honour on Friday. He attended the football match, he died later that night. His church members were praying that he should be raised back to life. This comment I am about to say was what one of those praying heard from the Lord. Where were you when John the beloved died. That seemed to settle their questions about why that brother should die.

The Bible is filled with examples of many people who loved God and suffered different afflictions. Well, you may say that is in Bible times. Ah! What about in our contemporary days? I can give you a lot of examples of Bible-believing Christians who have gone through, and others who are currently going through different afflictions or sufferings. And thank God, many of them stand firm in their faith in spite of their circumstances. John 16:33 says, "in the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer I have overcome the world." I know I’m beginning to sound like a preacher, but let’s take a closer look at what the Lord is saying here. He did not say ‘maybe’ or ‘perhaps’, but he emphatically said, ‘you will’. Thankfully, He did not stop there (that would have left us miserable); rather, He goes on to say He has overcome the world for us – Hallelujah! And, He said, therefore, brother/sister cheer up.

Some people have the belief that once saved, life should be plain sailing. I am here to challenge that idea. At the same time, I believe God is able to give us the grace to go through whatever challenge may come our way. The Bible says in 1 Cor 10:13 "No temptation has overtaken you…but with the temptation God will make the way of escape, so that you may be able to bear it." God knows your ability and He is able to give sufficient grace to see you through. In this book, we shall give real life examples of people who have been through what we might term ‘sufferings’ (afflictions, trials of faith, temptations, challenges, etc.), to see how they have overcome their various challenges by faith in the Lord Jesus, so that anyone going through challenges in their life may be able to draw strength from these experiences.

I will attempt to define the various definitions that may be used interchangeably such as sufferings, afflictions, temptations, trial of faith, tribulations, challenges, or difficulties. We shall use both literal and biblical interpretations where necessary to make the point clear.

Some people have described the Christian life as a marathon, and not a sprint, therefore you need endurance, stamina and perseverance. Rom 5:3 says tribulations (sufferings) bring patience, and patience brings perseverance. Someone also said, "in life- you are either in a problem, just coming out of one; or about to enter into one!" That seems to be the reality of life. I will try to define suffering as best as I can in the next chapter: bearing in mind what I said earlier about the various definitions or variants of the word.

CHAPTER ONE

WHAT IS SUFFERING?

How do we define suffering? Many words will be used interchangeably here to convey what I mean, both from the spiritual (Bible) perspective as well as from ordinary day to day use and definitions.

Looking at the dictionary meaning of suffering I saw words like undergoing pain, distress or hardship. It could also mean being subjected to something bad or unpleasant, such as being affected by, or subject to an illness or ailment; or, to become or appear worse in quality. Being impaired or damaged, or to undergo martyrdom or execution is also a form of suffering.

Other words like afflictions, trials of faith, temptations, challenges etc, also come to mind. I read further that suffering means the bearing of pain, inconvenience or loss; pain endured, distress, loss, or injury incurred; as sufferings by pain or sorrow; as sufferings by want or by wrongs; sufferings being in pain or grief.

From the list above, many words are used to describe suffering, from very minor inconveniences to major life problems and disasters, all of which are encapsulated in sufferings for the purpose of this book. I also read that "it is evident that the world is full of suffering: physical, emotional and spiritual pain has been and will be an intrinsic part of the human experience…" You may have unwittingly said something similar to that before, either while counselling a friend or relation, maybe just to console and comfort them or to raise their spirit. You may not have realised at the time that what you were saying (perhaps casually) was profoundly true.

The Bible talks about sufferings (or other synonyms of it) more than thirty times and we shall return to this later. Why then don’t we talk about suffering more often, or write books about it? In this age of ‘prosperity gospel’ messages, we seem to pamper