A Catechism for Suffering Saints

Catechism, suffering 7 Minutes

1. Why is there suffering in the world? [i]

Suffering and death have entered the world through sin (Genesis 3:16-19; Romans 5:12-19).

2. Should saints expect suffering in this world?

Yes. Saints should expect suffering in this world. Consider the following:

  • The redeemed and the lost suffer as the result of living in this sin-cursed world. God has subjected all the creation to futility because of sin. This is in hope that the creation will be set free  (Romans 8:18-25).
  • Suffering was Jesus’ own experience (Isaiah 53:3; John 1:10-11; 1 Peter 3:18, 4:12-19).
  • Jesus warned the apostles that his followers would suffer (John15:18-16:4,25-33).
  • Peter experienced suffering (to martyrdom) and said suffering should not surprise God’s people (1 Peter 3:8-17).
  • Paul experienced suffering (to martyrdom) (2 Timothy 4:6-8).
  • Paul called Timothy to suffer for the Gospel (2 Timothy 1:3-14).
  • Paul said all who live a godly life for Christ would be persecuted (2 Timothy 3:12-13).
  • Suffering is not something novel to the church age, the prophets before us suffered in God’s service. Partnering with God will always lead to suffering in this life. (Matthew 5:12).
  • Since we are called to suffer as Christ suffered, we can rest assured that our suffering is not pointless but has a God-glorifying purpose that is for our ultimate good. One of the great joys of being a Christian is having confidence that our suffering is not meaningless (Romans 8:28-30).

3. If suffering came into the world through sin, who oversees the suffering of God’s saints?

God is sovereign over all things, including our suffering. He works all things according to the council of his own will (Ephesians 1:11).

4. If God is sovereignly overseeing the suffering of the saints, is he lacking in his love and good purposes for us?

No. God is providentially working all things for his glory and the good of his people. All things are intended to make us more like Christ. God will bring this good work to completion in our glorification, which is according to his sovereign plan for us. This is a great comfort for the saints (Romans 8:28-30; Philippians 1:6).

5. How can I have confidence that God loves me in my suffering?

The death of Christ for our sins and the preserving work of God’s grace provide great comfort for the saints in our suffering. The suffering of Christ has brought us to God and nothing in all the creation, including suffering, can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (1 Peter 3:18; Isaiah 53:5-7; Romans 5:8; Romans 8:31-39).

6. Does God understand the suffering of his saints or is he distant from our suffering?

God understands suffering and is compassionate toward his suffering saints. God the Son came into this sin-cursed world as a man and suffered death for the sins of his people. The Lord Jesus suffered temptation, rejection, and death on the cross for us. He is called the man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. The Lord Jesus is able to sympathize with our weaknesses. He continues to identify with the suffering of his people, which is his Body, the Church. God feels the afflictions and sufferings of his people. The Holy Spirit is also grieved by the sins of his people (Isaiah 16:9-11; 53:3; Hosea 11:8-9; Acts 9:4; Ephesians 4:30; Hebrews 4:15-16).[ii]

7. Is suffering God’s way of punishing the saints for our sins?

No. All the sins of God’s saints have been punished in Christ at the cross. There is no condemnation for those who are in him. The penalty for sin was paid in full by Christ at the cross; our suffering is not payment for our sins (John 19:30; Romans 8:1; Colossians 2:13-14).

8. Is suffering one of God’s means of disciplining his children?

Yes. Suffering is one of God’s means of disciplining his children. Discipline can be corrective or formative. Some discipline is intended to correct errors and cause us to confess and forsake sin (corrective). Some discipline is intended to form godly character but is not the correction of specific sins (formative) (Romans 5:3-4; James 1:2-4; Hebrews 12:3-11).

9. Is discipline not the same as punishment?

No. Discipline, even corrective discipline, is not the same as punishment. Punishment for sin is righteous retribution for rebellion. Discipline is God’s loving way of producing holiness in the lives of his children. God’s discipline of his children is not punitive but is his fatherly way of caring for us by his grace (Hebrews 2:2; Hebrews 12:3-11).

10. What are some of the reasons that saints suffer?

Here is a limited list of reasons that saints suffer:

  • God has called us to suffer. See Question 3.
  • To produce endurance which produces character which produces hope (Romans 5:3-4; James 1:2-4)
  • As a testimony of God’s saving grace in our lives (Philippians 1:29)
  • To share in Christ’s suffering (1 Peter 4:13)
  • To be prepared for ministering to others in their suffering (2 Corinthians 1:3-7)
  • To keep us humbly dependent on God’s grace (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)
  • To make us more like our Lord (Romans 8:28-39)
  • To discipline us (for correction and training) (Hebrews 12:3-11)
  • To make us long for Jesus’ coming and for the New Heaven and New Earth (Romans 8:17-18; 1 Peter 1:6-7, 4:13; Revelation 21:1-4)

11. What are some of the means God has given his saints to endure suffering?

Here is a limited list of the means God has granted us for suffering:

  • The sufficient grace of the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 12:9)
  • The promises of God (Psalm 23; 121; 145:18; Isaiah 41:8-10; Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 13:5-6, etc. etc. etc.!!!)
  • The example of Christ (1 Peter 2:20-25).
  • Lament. Lament is the Christian act of grieving with confidence in God’s character and promises. Lament looks grief in the face, cries out to God in honest sorrow, and ends with hope in God’s promises. Pray the Psalms of Lament and follow their pattern. (Individual Psalms of Lament: 3, 6,13, 22, 25, 28, 44, 56, 57, 71, 77, 88,142; Communal Psalms of Lament: 12, 44, 60, 74, 79, 80, 85, 90; The Book of Lamentations)
  • Our church family and other suffering saints (2 Corinthians 1:3-7)

12. How should saints respond to suffering?

Here are some responses to consider:

  • Entrust ourselves to God, as the Lord Jesus did in his suffering (1 Peter 2:20-25)
  • Humble ourselves under God’s mighty hand, cast our burdens on him, and know that he cares for us (1 Peter 5:6-7; Psalm 55:22)
  • Depend on God’s grace which is sufficient and made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)
  • By grace follow the example of Christ (1 Peter 2:20-25; 1 Peter 4:1-2)
  • Trust Jesus’ promise that he will never leave us (Psalm 23:4; Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 13:4-5)
  • Serve others who are suffering by ministering the comfort you have received from Christ in your own suffering (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)
  • Bless those who are the source of suffering, trusting God’s plan, redemptive purpose, and perfect justice (Romans 12:14-21; 2 Timothy 2:24-26)
  • Rejoice in the work that God is doing to make us more like Christ (Romans 5:1-5; James 1:2-4)
  • Rejoice that God is glorified when we suffer well by his grace (Philippians 1:18; 2:17-18)
  • Rejoice in heaven’s reward and long for home (Matthew 5:12-14; 1 Peter 4:13; Revelation 21:4).

13. Will suffering end for God’s people?

Yes. One day the suffering of all God’s people will end in the New Heaven and New Earth when sin and all the former things affected by sin are passed away. A great joy of being a Christian is having confidence that our suffering is not eternal. God himself will wipe away our tears, and He will put an end to death and suffering (Revelation 21:1-4)[iii]

Notes:

[i] This has been written for the saints of First Baptist Church in Ticonderoga, NY as a discipleship resource and companion for the sermon series “Sermons for Suffering Saints.” “Saints” refers to all those God has set apart for himself through the work of Christ. This is a title for all believers in Christ, not a select few. It should be noted that this Catechism is for the saints. This catechism does not address the suffering of unbelievers. This has been written specifically for the saints of First Baptist Church in Ticonderoga, NY as a discipleship resource and companion for the sermon series “Sermons for Suffering Saints.”

[ii] We must be careful when we say that God suffers. The only Person of the Godhead who suffered as a man is God the Son, who came as a man. The Father and the Spirit have not suffered in this way. A friend, who wished to remain anonymous, offered very helpful insight on this point in a personal text message to me: “…God cannot suffer harm or lack of anything that causes a change in his infinitude, but he can and does suffer in the sense of experiencing pain because of or on behalf of his people.” In other words, God cannot suffer in a way that takes away from who he is in his Person and character, but he can suffer pain with his people or because of his people.

[iii] I have been greatly helped by many godly people as I have studied suffering. I am afraid some will be accidentally left off this list, but some of those who have helped me include Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Charles Spurgeon, John Piper, Mark Vroegop, Dane Ortlund, Jerry Bridges, Paul David Tripp, Zack Eswine, and the faithful pastors of the Adirondack Pastor’s Fellowship. If any of the wording in the catechism sounds like the wording in the works of these men, it was not intentional plagiarism; it is a testimony of the effect their writing has had in my life.

Written and © 2026 by Bill Whittington. Feel free to print, use, and distribute as many copies of this resource as you like. Do not charge for it or alter the material without permission. If granted permission to edit the material, please indicate that you have done so and include a link to this original post. For printed copies please include the URL to the original. This material cannot be used in a published work that will be sold without written permission. Missionaries and pastors on the mission field, please feel free to translate this for missions purposes.

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