Victorious Daily Living

II CORINTHIANS 11:18-30

TO LIVE victoriously as a Christian is to meet with fortitude the hardships of life which result from faithfulness in divine service, and to rejoice in the privilege of filling up that which is behind of sufferings of Christ. (Col. 1:24) To be thus victorious, it is essential to understand why a Christian is called upon to suffer. The ultimate objective of Jesus’ coming into the world to suffer and die as man’s Redeemer was to make an end of all suffering; and without an understanding of the plan of God, one might conclude should at once be free from suffering—indeed, even from death itself. But this has not been the case.

The same problem arose in the minds of the disciples with respect to Jesus himself. They had accepted him as the promised Messiah. They had in mind the wonderful promises of God which outlined the glory of the messianic kingdom and described the blessing which would flow to the people through the administration of that kingdom. One of those promises stated, for example, that nothing would hurt nor destroy in all that holy “mountain,” or kingdom. (Isa. 11:9) And yet, Jesus the Messiah, the King in that kingdom, was arrested by his enemies and crucified. Why should this be?

After his resurrection, Jesus explained the matter by calling their attention to the prophecies which foretold that ere his kingdom glory would be realized and manifested to the people it would be necessary for Christ to suffer and die as the Redeemer of the world. (Luke 24:25-27) The unfolding of this marvelous truth of the divine plan to the disciples caused their hearts to burn within them, for their faith in him as the Messiah was restored and their hope of the kingdom renewed.

However, there was a further great truth which remained to be revealed to the Early Church. They were to learn that the foretold suffering of Christ was not finished at Calvary, but that those who espoused his cause during this present Gospel age were to have the privilege of suffering and dying with him and that the glory and blessings of the messianic kingdom must wait until all the members of the true church had also suffered and died, being planted together in the likeness of his death.—Rom. 6:3-5

Paul understood clearly this feature of the divine plan, and rejoiced in the privilege which he enjoyed of participating in it. When he was first enlightened concerning Christ, Ananias, the messenger whom the Lord sent to instruct Paul, was commissioned to tell him what great things he would be called upon to suffer for the name and cause of Christ.—Acts 9:16

It was this understanding of the divine plan for Christians which constituted the basis for his glorying, or boasting, in the fact of the many hardships he had encountered in connection with his faithful service to the Master. He saw in these experiences definite confirmation of his acceptance in Christ and also of his apostleship.

Not all pain can be considered Christian suffering, although we should endeavor to be victorious in all our trials by accepting them as being permitted by God to work out in our lives that which will be best for our eternal interests. Some of our hardships are simply those which are common to all who are members of the fallen dying race. Other trials which we experience may be chastenings of the Lord. We may at times suffer because of our own unwisdom along some line. Suffering with Christ, on the other hand, is represented more particularly in those hardships which come directly or indirectly as a result of our faithful following in his footsteps.

Paul speaks of five times receiving forty “stripes,” and that three times he was beaten with “rods.” He was stoned. He suffered shipwreck on his way to Rome as a prisoner. He suffered perils of waters, perils of robbers, perils from the Jews and by the heathen, perils in the city, and in the wilderness, and perils even among false brethren. He suffered weariness and pain, hunger and nakedness. (II Cor. 11:23-28) Had Paul continued his practice as a lawyer and his membership in the Sanhedrin, there is little likelihood that he would have suffered in any of these ways.

It was the same with the Master. It was because he aggressively bore witness to the truth that the scribes and Pharisees hated, persecuted, and finally crucified him. Paul followed in his footsteps. So did the other apostles, and many others in the Early Church. Victorious Christians throughout the age have similarly suffered because of their faithfulness. And now, at the end of the age, there is still the opportunity of suffering and dying with Christ. Victorious Christian living still entails weariness and pain; and if we have the privilege of thus demonstrating our love for the Lord, let us rejoice, for today, even as in Paul’s time, this is something in which we can truly glory.

II CORINTHIANS 12:8-10

Paul gloried in every providence of God in his life, for he had faith to believe that every experience, whether bitter or sweet, would ultimately work for his good as a new creature in Christ Jesus. (Rom. 8:28) He has told us of the many ways he had “suffered as a Christian,” and now he tells us of affliction from which he suffered not because of his faithfulness as an ambassador of Christ, but one which had been permitted, he explains, as “a messenger of Satan” to buffet him. He speaks of it as a “thorn in the flesh.”

The apostle recognized the divine wisdom and purpose in permitting him to have this “thorn in the flesh,” that it was as a counterbalance to the many honors which the Lord bestowed upon him, lest he be “exalted above measure.” (Verse 7) It was not a part of his suffering with Christ. It was not one of the chastenings of the Lord. It was not due to the fact that he was a member of the dying race. Nevertheless, as Paul saw it, this affliction served a good purpose. We may not always be able to understand just why God permits certain experiences to come into our lives, but happy we will be if we can have faith to believe that God permits them for our good, and seek to be rightly exercised by them.

At first Paul was reasonably certain that he would be better off as a Christian if he did not have this “thorn in the flesh” with ‘which to contend. It is generally agreed that this affliction was a partial blindness resulting from the bright light which appeared to him at the time of his conversion on the Damascus road, although he does not say so. Whatever it was, however, he prayed to God to have it removed. He was not content to pray merely once, but took the matter to the Lord three times.

Then he received the answer, an answer in which Paul rejoiced, although it left him still with the thorn in the flesh to buffet him.

Instead of removing the thorn, the Lord said to Paul: “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” Paul saw the point. By continuing to be buffeted by this thorn in the flesh he would need a larger measure of divine grace and strength to sustain him, so he wrote: “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

Have we reached the point in our Christian experience where we can rejoice in our infirmities simply on the ground that because of them we can enjoy a larger measure of divine grace, and thus be able to give the more glory to the Lord? Such is a part of what it means to be a victorious Christian.

QUESTIONS

Since Christ died to rescue mankind from sickness and death, why do those who believe on him need to suffer?

Are all our afflictions a part of our “suffering with Christ”?

Name some of the ways in which Paul suffered with Christ? Would he have had these experiences had he not been a faithful Christian?

Name some of the other reasons divine wisdom permits Christians to suffer?

What was Paul’s “thorn in the flesh,” and why did the Lord permit him to have it?

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