Joni Eareckson Tada    Image may be subject to copyright

Christians Are Not Immune From Living In A Fallen World

The Bible does not show God promising that Christians will be immune from the suffering common to all human beings. In fact Jesus specifically warned his disciples they would have trouble in this life, but he would take them through it (JOHN 16:1-4, 31).

All through the Bible we see godly men and women suffering the effects of living in a world of sin, suffering and death as a result of The Fall of Man.

For the Christian the difference is that Jesus promised never to forsake us or leave us to our own devices. Instead he promised  -

either   to take us out of the suffering eg through healing or deliverance
or        to give us the grace and strength to take us through the suffering

Joni Eareckson Tada

A modern example of the latter is Joni Eareckson Tada, who was paralysed from the neck down as a result of a diving accident at the age of 16. Instead of healing Joni, God has used her to reach out with his love to millions of others suffering all kinds of pain and disability in ways an able-bodied person could never do.

For more on Joni, go to JONI. 

For Biblical examples of suffering, click on BIBLICAL LESSONS IN SUFFERING.