Suffering and Persecution are Synonymous Terms !

civic

Active Member
Below we will see how scripture connect suffering with persecution. It was a promise from Jesus and the Apostles that believiers will suffer persecution for being a disciple of Jesus.

In Matthew 26:39, Jesus says, "If it be your will, let this cup pass from me." Jesus tells us precisely what the cup was. It was the cup of his suffering, which meant that He would die an agonizing death as a martyr. In the passage below, Jesus told His disciples that they would also drink of the same "cup":

Matthew 20:17-
Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the Twelve aside and said to them, 18 “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death 19 and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!”20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him. 21 “What is it you want?” he asked. She said, "Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom."22 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” “We can,” they answered. 23 Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.”

1Thessalonians 5:9-For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

As we see above it was not the cup of wrath Jesus was speaking about but it was the suffering He was going to have to endure for our sins. God has not appointed us to wrath and the cup means the suffering of Jesus and that the disciples would also suffer death as martyrs. In fact, many scriptures testify that believers too will suffer persecution for being a follower of Jesus. Suffering persecution is a promise for a believer who follows Jesus, it is something we should expect to happen in our life.

2 Timothy 3:12- Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

John 15:20
Remember the word that I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well; if they kept My word, they will keep yours as well.

Matthew 5:10 - Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

2 Corinthians 4:9- persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.

@dwight92070 do you agree ?

hope this helps !!!
 
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These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

According to John 16:33, believers will face tribulation in this world, but they should take heart as Jesus has overcome the world. We can bring these tribulations upon ourselves by our disobedience.

This tribulation is not a punishment for sin but a fatherly correction and chastening for the good of believers. The phrase "
In the world you have tribulation" emphasizes the importance of trusting in Jesus and being unshakable and assured, deeply at peace.
 
We can bring these tribulations upon ourselves by our disobedience.

This tribulation is not a punishment for sin but a fatherly correction and chastening for the good of believers.
I think we have to be careful though about believing any of these options are always true. At times it's not correction or God's chastening or punishment for sins....sometimes one is just reaping what they've sown.

Many examples . People who become alcoholics can have alcohol related physicals problems....destroyed livers or a host of other issues.....I don't think one could say God punished them, corrected or chastened them. They just basically reaped what they sowed. They sowed to the flesh and reaped destruction.

The same could be said with people who smoke putting tar in their lungs and then a breakdown of their physical systems in one way or another takes place. Or people overindulging with food becoming obese ending up with physical problems again I wouldn't say God did anything to them. They reaped what they sowed or their life situations were self-inflected.
 
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