Paul and Suffering: Part 1

Introduction

We live in a world full of suffering, of which the Church is not excluded. For that reason, the Church must understand the role suffering takes in our lives and how it should shape our understanding of Christianity and participation in our faith. Examples and lessons on suffering permeate the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, which the major biblical characters also experience. Among these examples, and by no means the least of them, is the apostle Paul. Through his 13 letters, Paul lists the persecution and other sufferings he has experienced as illustrations for his rich theology of suffering. When surveying Paul’s letters, one finds that, though it is likely a controversial view today, Paul argues for the importance of suffering as part of the Christian life, because through our suffering we better imitate Christ. This discussion will be split into three separate articles, with this first article focused on the definition of suffering and Paul’s own personal experiences.

Suffering

Simply put, suffering is the physical and/or mental pain a person feels. What is important about this definition is that suffering takes place not only in the physical realm but in the mental realm as well. Mental suffering can be found in honor/shame societies, where being shamed could cause mental suffering, and a specific example is the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. In our modern times, we often focus only on the physical pain Jesus felt, whereas he suffered mentally as well. N.T. Wright points out that Jesus suffered a type of shame when he was crucified, which could be seen as the catalyst that flipped the entire honor/shame society around.<1>

Paul himself suffered in his mind as well. In 2 Corinthians 11:23-33 Paul describes various experiences that cause him some type of suffering, and among them is an anxiety for the Church. Due to the nature of Paul’s writings, the main type of suffering we will be focused on is persecution, though there are many different types of suffering a person can experience. Persecution itself is a term that encompasses a multitude of actions such as beatings, imprisonment, verbal abuse, estrangement, being cast out of society, and even death.

The Suffering of Paul

Paul is one of the best biblical examples of suffering we are given, perhaps besides Job, due to his extensive list of sufferings, which likely does not cover everything Paul went through. To get a general scope of Paul’s suffering, we will look at two passages, though there are several more that could be explored to further study what he suffered.<2> The first passage is 1 Corinthians 4:8-13. In verses 8-10, Paul begins to contrast the apostles, including himself, against the Corinthians. He describes them as kings, whereas he is condemned to die and be a spectacle. They are seen as wise, but he is seen as a fool. They are strong, but he is weak. They are distinguished, but he is dishonored. Paul is speaking sarcastically as he gives these contrasts, as he is pointing out that they are living according to their values and not those of the apostles. This is why Paul seemingly compliments them and denigrates himself.<3>

Paul then continues to widen the contrast between them as he continues to show how “low” the apostles, and himself, are. He is hungry, thirsty, poorly clothed, abused, homeless, toiling. He is the scum of the earth. Though Paul suffers so, he demonstrates to the Corinthians how differently he responds to this treatment. He responds to abuse with blessing, persecution with endurance, and lies with friendliness.<4>From this passage alone we can see the difficulties Paul has gone through for the sake of Christ, and yet he remains faithful and joyful.

The second passage is 2 Corinthians 11:23-12:10 which is part of Paul’s major criticism of some of his opponents in chapter 11. In 11:16-33 Paul describes his opponents who are boasting of their credentials, which Paul reminds the Corinthians is foolish.<5> In a surprising move, Paul joins in and begins to boast of himself. His point is that even though it is foolish to boast, since his opponents like to boast he will demonstrate that he is better.<6>  In 11:21-33 Paul hones in on the differences between himself and his opponents, noting that though they are Israelites and servants of Christ like himself<7>, he is a far better one. Paul then begins to boast of his suffering and his endurance through it as evidence of his greater servitude to Christ.<8>

Paul does not end there with his boasting, but in 12:1-10 begins to tell the Corinthians about visions and revelations he has had. But instead of focusing on these visions, Paul focuses completely on the thorn he was given. He writes, “Therefore, so that I would not become arrogant, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to trouble me—so that I would not become arrogant”. (2 Cor 12:7b) He tells the Corinthians that he was given this thorn so that he would not become arrogant, and that God’s power would be revealed in Paul’s weakness<9>, and his suffering. Paul makes a clear case of the importance of suffering in this passage, as he hinges part of his success as Christ’s servant in his suffering and his endurance through it.

We will continue the discussion on Paul’s theology of suffering in two more upcoming articles. Part two will focus on Paul’s thoughts on the suffering of others, and how they can imitate Christ and himself. Part three will tie everything together into Paul’s theology of suffering and we will discuss what that means for the modern church.

Bibliography

Gorman, Michael J. Apostle of the Crucified Lord: A Theological Introduction to Paul & His Letters. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2017.

Keener, Craig S. 1-2 Corinthians. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005.

Spencer, William David. "The Power In Paul's Teaching (1 COR 4:9-20)." Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, 1989: 51-61.

Wright, N.T. Paul and His Recent Interpreters: Some Contemporary Debates. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2015.

<1>           N.T. Wright,

Paul and His Recent Interpreters: Some Contemporary Debates.

(Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2015), 251-252. <2>           2 Cor 1:3-11, 4:7-12, 6:3-10; Eph 3:13; Phi 1:19-30, 3:8-11; Col 1:24-29; 1 Thes 2:1-2, 3:1-7; 2 Tim 1:8-12, 2:8-11, 3:10-11. <3>           Craig Keener, S.

1-2 Corinthians.

(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005), 45. <4>           Ibid, 45-46; Gorman,

Apostle of the Crucified Lord

, 292. <5>           Keener,

1-2 Corinthians,

224. <6>           Ibid, 232; William David Spencer, "The Power In Paul's Teaching (1 COR 4:9-20)." (

Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society

, 1989): 60. <7>           Keener,

1-2 Corinthians,

233. <8>           Ibid, 233-236. <9>           Ibid, 239-240.