Comfort for
Christians
by Arthur W. Pink, 1952
SUFFERINGS
COMPENSATED
"For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time
are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us"
(Romans 8:18).
Ah, says someone—that must have been written by a man who
was a stranger to suffering, or by one acquainted with nothing more trying
than the milder irritations of life. Not so! These words were penned under
the direction of the Holy Spirit, and by one who drank deeply of sorrow's
cup, yes, by one who suffered afflictions in their most acute forms. Hear
his own testimony: "I have worked much harder, been in prison more
frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and
again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three
times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was
shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been
constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from
bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in
danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in
danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone
without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without
food; I have been cold and naked." 2 Corinthians 11:23-27
"For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time
are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."
This, then was the settled conviction—not of one of "fortune's favorites,"
not of one who found life's journey a carpeted pathway, bordered with roses;
but, instead, of one who was hated by his kinsmen, who was oft-times beaten
black and blue, who knew what it was to be deprived not only of the
comforts, but the bare necessities of life. How, then shall we account for
his cheery optimism? What was the secret of his elevation over his troubles
and trials?
The first thing with which the sorely-tried apostle
comforted himself, was that the sufferings of the Christian are but of
brief duration—they are limited to "this present time." This is in sharp
and solemn contrast from the sufferings of the Christ-rejector. His
sufferings will be eternal—forever tormented in the Lake of Fire. But far
different is it for the believer. His sufferings are restricted to this life
on earth, which is compared to a flower that comes forth and is cut down; to
a shadow that flees and continues not. A few short years at most, and we
shall pass from this valley of tears into that blissful country where groans
and sighs are never heard!
Second, the apostle looked forward with the eye of
faith to "the glory." To Paul "the glory" was something more than a
beautiful dream. It was a practical reality, exerting a powerful influence
upon him, consoling him in the warmest and most trying hours of adversity.
This is one of the real tests of faith. The Christian has a solid support in
the time of affliction, when the unbeliever has not. The child of God knows
that in his Father's presence there is "fullness of joy," and that at His
right hand there are "pleasures forever more." And faith lays hold of them,
appropriates them, and lives in the comforting cheer of them even now. Just
as Israel in the wilderness were encouraged by a sight of what awaited them
in the promised land (Num. 13:23,26), so, the one who today walks by faith,
and not by sight, contemplates that which eye has not seen, nor ear
heard—but which God by His Holy Spirit has revealed unto us (1 Cor. 2:9,10).
Third, the apostle rejoiced in "the glory which shall be
revealed in us." All that this means we are not yet capable of
understanding. But more than a hint has been shown to us. There will be:
(a.) The glory of a perfect body.
In that day, the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and
the mortal with immortality. That which was sown in dishonor shall be raised
in glory, and that which was sown in weakness shall be raised in power. As
we have borne the image of the earthly, we shall also bear the image of the
heavenly (1 Cor. 15:49). The content of these expressions is summarized and
amplified in Phil. 3:20,21: "But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord
Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our
Savior. He will take these weak mortal bodies of ours and change them into
glorious bodies like his own, using the same mighty power that he will use
to conquer everything, everywhere."
(b.) There will be the glory of a
transformed mind. "For now we see through a glass darkly; but
then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I
am known" (1 Cor. 13:12). Oh, what an orb of intellectual light will be each
glorified mind! What range of light will it encompass! What capability of
understanding will it enjoy! Then will all mysteries be unraveled, all
problems solved, all discrepancies reconciled. Then shall each truth of
God's revelation, each event of His providence, each decision of His
government, stand yet more transparently clear and resplendent than the sun
itself! Do you, in your present quest for spiritual knowledge, mourn the
darkness of your mind, the weakness of your memory, the limitations of your
intellectual faculties? Then rejoice in hope of the glory which is to be
revealed in you—when all your intellectual powers shall be renewed,
developed, perfected—so that you shall know even as you are known!
(c.) Best of all, there will be the glory of
perfect holiness. God's work of grace in
us will then be completed. He has promised to "perfect that which concerns
us" (Psalm. 138:8). Then will be the consummation of purity. We have been
predestinated to be "conformed to the image of His Son" (Romans 8:29), and
when we shall see Him, "we shall be like him" (1 John 3:2). Then our minds
will be no more defiled by evil imaginations, our consciences no more
sullied by a sense of guilt, our affections no more ensnared by unworthy
objects.
What a marvelous prospect is this! A "glory" to be
revealed in me who now can scarcely reflect a solitary ray of light! In
me—so wayward, so unworthy, so sinful—living so little in communion with Him
who is the Father of lights! Can it be that in me this glory shall be
revealed? So affirms the infallible Word of God. If I am a child of
light—through being "in Him" who is the effulgence of the Father's
glory—even though now dwelling amid the world's dark shades, one day I shall
outshine the brightness of the skies. And when the Lord Jesus returns to
this earth, I shall "be marveled at among all those who have believed" (2
Thess. 1:10).
Finally, the apostle here weighed the "sufferings" of
this present time over against the "glory" which shall be revealed in us,
and as he did so he declared that the one is "not worthy to be compared"
with the other. The one is transient—the other eternal. As, then, there is
no proportion between the finite and the infinite, so there is no comparison
between the sufferings of earth—and the glory of heaven. One second of
glory will outweigh a lifetime of suffering! What were the years of
toil, of sickness, of battling with poverty, of sorrow in any or every
form—when compared with the glory of Immanuel's land! One draught of the
river of pleasure at God's right hand, one breath of Paradise, one hour amid
the blood-washed around the throne—shall more than compensate for all the
tears and groans of earth. "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present
time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in
us." May the Holy Spirit enable both writer and reader to lay hold of this
with appropriating faith and live in the present possession and enjoyment of
it—to the praise of the glory of Divine grace.