5 Major Reasons Why Suffering For Christ Is Vital.

It’s just a matter of fact we must suffer for the Lord Jesus Christ as believers and this post will show you the 5 major reasons why suffering for Christ is vital for Christians.

We are told in Acts 14:22 in the New Testament that through many trials and tribulations, we must enter God’s kingdom.

Jesus Christ further tells us in John 16:33 that we will have tribulations in this world but we must be of good cheer as He’s overcome the world. So should we.

Sadly many would-be believers think that when they become Christians, all will be rosy and smooth sailing in their Christian lives which couldn’t be further from the truth.

With that said, let’s find out the 5 reasons why suffering for Christ is vital for Christians who have pledged their allegiance to Christ Jesus.

5 Reasons For Suffering For Christ’s Sake.

Below are the 5 primary reasons why we must suffer for Christ if we want to be partakers of His glory in heaven when He returns to collect His own.

It Shows We Are His True Followers.
It Conforms Us To Christ’s Image.
To Equip Us For His Ministry.
To Perfect Our Character.
To Prepare Us For The Glory To Come.

1. It Shows We Are His True Followers.

One of the primary reasons for suffering for Christ’s sake or Christian suffering in the Christian life of every true believer and disciple of Jesus Christ is it shows we are His true followers.

Since our Lord Jesus Christ suffered greatly for us to have our sins forgiven via the shedding of His precious blood on the cross, we too as His followers must be willing to suffer for His sake if we are truly His.

The apostle Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 2:12 that if we suffer with Christ Jesus and share in His suffering while in this present evil world, we will also partake of His glory in heaven that is yet to be revealed.

On the other hand, if we deny Christ Jesus by refusing to suffer for His sake, He will also deny us on the last day, which will be very tragic indeed as it will show we were never His true followers at all.

So, if you claim to be a true follower of Jesus Christ, you must embrace all the suffering, trials of faith, tribulations, persecutions, and hardships that come with being a true Christian who’s heaven-bound.

2. It Conforms Us To Christ’s Image.

Another reason why suffering for Christ Jesus is vital for all real believers out there is suffering gradually transforms us into the image and likeness of Christ.

The fact that Jesus Christ had to suffer through His death and crucifixion for our salvation and eternal life, God allows Christians to suffer so that we can be more like Christ in character.

God lets us experience suffering here on earth as believers so that we can relate to the suffering of His dear Son, Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 3:10 tells us he wanted to know Christ and the power of His resurrection.

This was only possible through fellowship and suffering for Christ’s sake as the above bible verse tells us. If we didn’t suffer as believers, we wouldn’t truly appreciate what Christ did for us on the cross.

Therefore, for us to truly be like Christ Jesus in character and to truly appreciate His death on the cross, we must suffer for His sake as it will make us easily relate to the death and suffering He went through for our salvation and eternal life.

3. To Equip Us For His Ministry.

The third reason we suffer for Christ’s sake as Christians is to be prepared to do His ministry He’s called us into. This is especially true if you have been called into ministry.

You need to understand that suffering is just part of ministry. All God’s servants in the Old Testament, New Testament, and our contemporary times have gone through suffering in the ministry God has called them to.

Without suffering, we wouldn’t be ready to fulfill the ministry the Lord has called us into as there are many hardships and trials of faith in ministry which is why many give up after some time.

Moreover, with God’s grace, it’s possible to fulfill God’s ministry if you have been called into it. It’s why the apostle Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 1:4 that God comforts us in our suffering so that we can comfort others who are suffering.

God will let you suffer for ministry so that you can share your first-hand experience of how good and faithful He is through His grace so that others may be comforted to not give up and remember that the Lord is always faithful even in our suffering.

4. To Perfect Our Character.

Suffering is also vital for Christians as it perfects our character and makes us more like Christ in our Christian living. By suffering for Christ’s sake, we learn to be more patient and longsuffering to others as well.

It’s why we are told in Romans 5:3-5 that we must rejoice in our suffering as it produces, endurance, patience, and hope and perfects our character.

If our Christian journey was all roses without any hardships, our character will be poorly be developed and unable to handle every little trial that comes our way.

You need to understand that you are a representative of Christ Jesus here on earth. Henceforth, we are called to suffer for His sake just as He suffered for us.

Your suffering and patiently enduring trials will eventually perfect and refine your character just as Gold is refined in a fiery furnace. Due to your perfected character, others will be drawn to Christ as well via your godly example.

5. To Prepare Us For The Glory To Come.

Last but not least, the reason we must suffer for Christ Jesus in this present evil world is to prepare us for the glory to come that can’t equate to our light and momentary afflictions we experience here on earth as believers.

We are reminded in 2 Corinthians 4:17 that our temporary suffering and light affliction we may currently experience here on earth is just for a moment and can’t be compared to the weight of the eternal glory that is yet to be revealed to us.

Once you enter heaven and inherit your beautiful mansions prepared for you by Christ Himself after faithfully running and finishing your Christian race with joy, you will be exceedingly glad that you chose to suffer for Christ’s sake rather than choosing the easy way.

It’s when you receive your crown of life in heaven and other eternal rewards will you joyfully say that it was all worth it to suffer for Christ in the end.

Don’t let the temporary pleasures and mundane things of this world make you think that you are losing out when you chose to suffer for Christ by depriving yourself of the temporal pleasures of this world which will soon pass away.

Final Remarks.

I hope the above post on the 5 main reasons why suffering is vital for Christians has now fully made you understand why you must suffer for Christ’s sake and the benefits of doing so.

If you are currently going through trials of faith and suffering due to you being a Christian, don’t give up as great will your reward be in heaven if you endure to the end.

In closing, if this post has edified you to rejoice in your suffering for Christ’s sake, drop a comment below, and don’t forget to share as you leave as many need to see this. God bless.

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