Suffering Trains Us To Enter
January 25, 2012
Friends,
It is detrimental to Christ’s honor and the souls of men if the church continues to preach that it is easy to enter the kingdom of God. It isn’t. For it is not about mere belief, saying a prayer of confession, going to church, giving tithes or service, but is instead about being trained in obedience through suffering. If even Jesus, while on earth, “learned obedience from what He suffered” (Heb. 5:8), so must we by way of the same. (12:7,8) And as Jesus, “once made perfect, became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him” (see 5:9), so we, disciplined into holiness (12:10), may produce a crop pleasing to the Lord. (v. 11 & Luke 8:15)
When Paul and Barnabas went about preaching the Good News, they taught, “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” (Acts 14:22) While teaching this, they were also “strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith.” (same verse) At this point we should ask the OSAS (once saved, always saved) teachers why the disciples would need such exhortation if there was no danger of not remaining true to the faith. And we should also ask the prosperity teachers how the hardships in entering God’s kingdom match their doctrines.
God’s Word does teach us that trials, hardships, and sufferings are to be expected in the life of a true follower of Christ (1 Peter 2:21), and that we should even rejoice in having been granted a participation in Christ’s sufferings. (4:13) “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” (2 Cor. 4:17) It is the troubles themselves which are achieving for us eternal glory. What would be our outcome without the suffering? Very likely we would not achieve Heaven. For as James 1:12 says, “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.”
So, if there is no test (no suffering), then where is the opportunity to persevere under trial and pass the test? There’s none. Which means there would be no crown of life awarded either. This is what most teachers within “Christianity” are certainly not teaching. Which means they are not teaching the Truth, the real Gospel. Instead they are trying to make quick and easy converts as they try to teach that the narrow, hard road and the wide, easy road (Matt. 7:13,14) can both lead to Heaven. Sadly, by teaching such things, many “receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away.” (Luke 8:13)
Therefore, let us “not make light of the Lord’s discipline” (Heb. 12:5), for the Lord disciplines everyone he accepts as a son. (v. 6) But as verse 8 informs us, “If you are not disciplined…, then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.”
“Let us, then, go to Him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace He bore. For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.” (13:13,14) This is the joy set before us (12:2), and why we endure our cross and refuse to grow weary or lose heart. (v. 3)
Sincerely,
with love,
Rachel
