The Big Picture

If anyone wants to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? (Matthew 16:24–26)

Solomon begins his existential treatise with the question: “What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?” (Ecclesiastes 1:3) He answers the question with an answer that may surprise us with its stark, blunt reality:

All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. Is there a thing of which it is said, “See, this is new”? It has been already in the ages before us. There is no remembrance of former things, nor will there be any remembrance of later things yet to be among those who come after. . . . I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind (Ecclesiastes 1:8–11, 14).

One of the reasons why I believe the book of Ecclesiastes is the near-perfect place to start a Bible study with someone who may know little-to-nothing about God’s word is that it dares to ask the questions that almost everyone will ask at some moment in their lives. There will be for almost everyone something that happens that serves as a catalyst for the deep, hard questions of life. Maybe the unexpected death of someone who is close them. Maybe a world event that scares them. Something happens, and we — from that moment — begin questioning almost everything.

Again, the book of Ecclesiastes as a whole observes the tragedies and injustices of life and doesn’t pretend not to see them. As a matter of fact, Solomon stares at the injustices:

Moreover, I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness. I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and for every work. . . . If you see in a province the oppression of the poor and the violation of justice and righteousness, do not be amazed at the matter, for the high official is watched by a higher, and there are yet higher ones over them (Ecclesiastes 3:16–17; 5:8).

Solomon does not merely wax eloquent about all the things “under the sun” — whether good or bad — that he sees. He comes to a conclusion:

The Teacher searched to find appropriate expressions, and what is written here is right and truthful. Sayings from the wise are like cattle prods and well fastened nails; this masterful collection was given by one shepherd. So learn from them, my son. There is no end to the crafting of many books, and too much study wearies the body. Let the conclusion of all of these thoughts be heard: Fear God and obey his commandments, for this is what it means to be human. For God will judge every deed, along with every secret, whether good or evil (Ecclesiastes 12:10–14).

Jesus asked: What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? The word “forfeit” is a word found six times in the New Testament Greek. Three times we find the word used in quoting Jesus as we have here in Matthew 16:26 and the parallel synoptic passages of Mark 8:36; Luke 9:25. The other three times this Greek word is used are all in Paul’s letters: 1 Corinthians 3:15; 2 Corinthians 7:9 and Philippians 3:8 where we find the word translated “suffer loss.” The idea is complete loss, not just a misplacement with the potential to find what we’ve lost. Forfeiture of our soul means complete loss of our souls. What shall a man give in return for his soul?

What do any of us have that we could offer in exchange to God in return for our soul? God’s grace provides everything:

Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. . . . Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon (Isaiah 55:1–2, 6–7).

We should stop and think about the big picture; to consider and praise God for His immeasurable grace:

We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. . . . What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? . . . As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us (Romans 8:28, 31–32, 36–37).

Suffering: A Sign of God's Favor

For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him,
but also to suffer for His sake (Philippians 1:29).

You may want to reread the title because it’s baffling. We don’t really think of suffering as ever being a good or beneficial thing. Suffering is suffering. Suffering is bad. Pain is bad, right? And yet we read from the apostle Paul about his own suffering and, specifically, that he was able to ask and get a direct answer from God:

Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:7–10).

The writer of Hebrews makes a similar assessment about suffering:

Consider [Jesus] who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? (Hebrews 12:3–7, quoting Proverbs 3:11)

I believe we’re generally stuck in our thinking about suffering, like Job’s three friends who essentially believed that when we suffer it’s our fault—that only bad things happen to bad people. Job proves otherwise (Job 1:1, 8), as does Jesus, God’s Son. So, we’re adding to suffering unnecessarily by assigning a different motive than what God has assigned.

In his commentary on Philippians 1:29, Ralph P. Martin writes: “There is no accident in [the Philippians’] suffering, nor is it a mark of divine punishment as though God were angry with them. On the contrary, it is a sign of His favour … Not only does suffering for Christ’s sake fulfil the purpose of God for His people in the world, it comes as a gift of His grace” (p. 89). Let’s briefly consider a few passages:

When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God (Acts 14:21–22).

We sent Timothy, our brother and God’s coworker in the gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith, that no one be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined for this. For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction, just as it has come to pass, and just as you know. For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith, for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and our labor would be in vain (1 Thessalonians 3:2–5).

Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted (2 Timothy 3:12).

See again that Paul tells us that desiring to live godly is going to elicit persecution! As a Christian living in twenty-first century America, I struggle with these biblical revelations about suffering and glory. I’d simply rather not suffer. There’s the popular sentiment expressed by people who like exercising: “No pain, no gain.” I much prefer the sentiment expressed by people who don’t like exercising: “No pain, no pain.”

By the direction of the Holy Spirit, the apostle Paul reminds us that:

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us (Romans 8:16–18).

Growing in Christ is going to necessitate pain in suffering. Again, the word God has given us makes it very clear that there is no glory without suffering. And suffering isn’t punishment from God, but as we read from Philippians 1:29, “For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.”