Suffering for Us

“…that I may know Him…and the fellowship of His suffering…” (Philippians 3:10)

Anyone who reads the Bible has some knowledge of the sufferings of Christ - from Genesis 3:15 to Psalm 22 to Isaiah 53 and many more references in the Old Testament and numerous references in the New Testament. All four of the Gospels give vivid details of our Lord’s suffering and death. In the Garden of Gethsemane He sweat as it were great drops of blood. He was scourged, beaten unmercifully, had a crown of thorns placed on His head, was spit upon, blindfolded and slapped, and mockingly told to prophesy and tell who it was that struck Him. His hands and feet were nailed to a cross, where He hung for six hours before saying, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit,” and then giving up His spirit in death. Have you ever wept over your sins when reading of His crucifixion?

The “fellowship of His suffering” is experienced when we count ourselves as, “crucified with Christ.” (Galatians 2:20) We are told to, “set our affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For you are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God.” (Colossians 3:2-3)