Spiritual success requires suffering. There is no eternal reward without sacrifice.
Jesus embodied this truth when He suffered beyond our imagination in body and spirit to pay for our sins on the cross. His obedience, shame endured, and agony of soul removed God’s wrath over us and made us right with Him forever.
In John 12, Jesus taught His disciples about the cost of discipleship, the price to pay for spiritual fruitfulness. He said these words to them right before talking to them about His upcoming death on the cross:
“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”[1]
The apostle Paul emphasized this truth multiple times as well, but one key passage is 2 Corinthians 4:12: “So death is at work in us, but life in you.”
A Broader Understanding of Suffering for the Gospel
In Daring Devotion, M.R. Conrad talks about Edward Judson, son of famed Adoniram and Sarah Judson, missionaries to Burma. Edward understood this principle of suffering and reward well. He also saw it from the perspective of those who suffer involuntarily, like missionary kids.
“Edward grew up to be a theology teacher and pastor in the United States. He also authored a biography of his famous father. In the foreword, Edward wrote the following dedication: ‘To the children of missionaries, the involuntary inheritors of their parents’ sufferings and rewards, this book is affectionately dedicated by one of their number.’
When faithful men and women follow their Savior into a path of difficulty, they are not the only ones who sacrifice. Few think of the sacrifice of the children who grow up in a faraway land. Even fewer consider the cost inflicted on the grandparents who, by no choice of their own, forfeit the presence of both their children and their grandchildren.”[2]
Suffering for the sake of the gospel certainly includes public shame, persecution, imprisonment, and death. But it also includes things like setting aside normal privileges, foregoing a particular standard of living, experiencing distance from loved ones, shouldering responsibilities and burdens others don’t have, putting forth intense effort to learn language and culture, putting yourself and your family at risk, being willing to suffer otherwise unknown illnesses, etc.
As Edward Judson mentioned above, self-denial in order to enable someone else to be useful for Christ is suffering as well—like grandparents supporting their children going overseas, knowing time with grandchildren will be severely limited.
A Law of the Kingdom: Suffering Brings Success
Conrad quotes Edward Judson saying this:
“It seems to be a law of the Kingdom that there is no success without suffering. If you succeed without suffering it means that someone suffered before you. If you suffer without succeeding; one who comes after you will doubtless have the success.”[3]
Suffering before success is indeed a law of the Kingdom. Hard work always brings a reward (Prov 14:23). But spiritual success, that which comes with eternal reward, requires more than just hard work. It requires regular self-denial. There must be a willingness to do hard things, to give up things, to endure difficulties, all for the prize of God’s glory.
The apostle Paul compared the diligent self-control needed of a Gospel servant to that of an Olympic athlete:
“Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable…But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified” (1 Cor 9:25, 27).
Suffering Without Apparent Success
Death brings life. This reality is central to all Gospel ministry. This principle is foundational for all Christian missionary efforts. Jesus said, “If anyone serves me, he must follow me” (Jn 20:26). Our Lord is the greatest example of One willing to suffer in order to obtain eternal reward.
If you read a biography of the Judsons in Burma, you will see that the Judsons—which included Adoniram, his three wives (his first two died), and his children (some who died)—not only were willing to suffer for spiritual success, but they did indeed suffer incredibly. Because of their sufferings endured, spiritual success multiplied later in the lives of many, continuing on even to this day in modern Myanmar.
Reward is certain, even if largely unseen by the sufferer in this life. Most of us see some of the rewards of our labors for Christ. But even if we do not see the fruitfulness promised, we labor in faith, knowing that it will come, even if seen only by others after us.
Jesus calls us to be willing to lose all comfort, physical safety, and financial security in order to follow Him. Holding on to these has kept many a Christian from spiritual success and reward.
Does fear of suffering restrain you?
[1] All Scripture quotes use the English Standard Version (ESV)
[2] Conrad, M. R. Daring Devotion: A 31-Day Journey with Those Who Lived God’s Promises (A Missions Devotional) (p. 112). Church Works Media. Kindle Edition.
[3] Ibid., p. 113.
