As Christians, we need to arm ourselves with the intent to suffer (1 Pet. 4:1). This does not mean we should seek out sufferings, but that we must not avoid them when they come to us in our following of Christ; for, as Paul warns us, “through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). And of course, his own life is a marvelous example of one who suffered so much for Christ, so that through his afflictions he could gain “an eternal weight of glory” (2 Cor. 4:6-12, 17).

Still, the New Testament does not tell us we are transformed by the suffering itself; rather, it makes it clear we are transformed by beholding. That is to say, it is not our suffering, but only our relationship with Christ, that transforms us. Paul writes,

But we all, with unveiled face beholding and reflecting as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord Spirit.
— 2 Corinthians 3:18

We do need sufferings, because these help us open to the Lord. However, the real transformation does not come from the sufferings themselves, but from our opening to the Lord, submitting to His dealings with us, and allowing Him to impart Himself into us as the Spirit. This is just like a grain of wheat being planted into the soil: the soil helps break down the outer husk of the grain, but the grain will not become a stalk of wheat in resurrection, so to speak, until the germ of life from within it breaks forth (cf. John 12:24).

So, the lesson here is that, while we do indeed need the suffering the Lord measures to us in our Christian life, the real breaking, and the real transformation, comes from within, rather than from the sufferings. It happens as we deal with the Lord in our sufferings, contact Him, and behold His glory; then we will indeed be “transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord Spirit.”

Sent to our mailing list on
—  5 November 2024 —