Central Pangasinan Adventist School, Inc.

18 Cosmos St., Poblacion, Mapandan, Pangasinan

Performance Task
on Bible

Submitted to: Sir Maynard Jacob

By:
Aquino, Rameel James
Dudang, Mary Joy
Soriano, Rhianne

January 2024
 SUFFERING
It is the state of undergoing pain, distress, or hardship.

Suffering in a broad sense, may be an experience of unpleasantness or aversion,

possibly associated with the perception of harm or threat of harm in an individual.
Suffering is the basic element that makes up the
negative valence of affective phenomena. Suffering is something pressing you down that
you have to submit to and bear.

The Latin roots that give us suffering and related words paint a vivid picture of
what suffering feels like. The word comes from sub-, meaning "below," and ferre, "bear."

Suffering is often categorized as physical or mental. It may come in all degrees of

intensity, from mild to intolerable. Attitudes toward suffering may vary widely, in the
sufferer or other people, according to how much it is regarded as avoidable or
unavoidable, useful or useless, deserved or undeserved.

It conveys a level of symbolization, of expressiveness, that pain does not. Pain

may be mental, physical, or emotional, but the word pain itself merely denotes a
phenomenon. Pain simply is. It can be described or even measured (6 on a scale of 1 to
10), but it does not convey any meaning in and of itself. Some pain is even necessary to
survival - for example, the burning sensation that causes us to take our hand off a hot
stove. But pain is registered at the most primal level of brain function, and does not
register in the thinking part of the brain before we have already yanked our hand away
from the source of the burning.

Suffering is the meaning that we make, or attempt to make, of our pain (Cassell
1991; Sulmasy 1999). Indeed, suffering requires consciousness, and with consciousness,
symbolization and a rendering of pain into some meaningful articulation a word, a cry, a
narrative, even a pleading look into the eyes of another. Pain that exceeds transient
physical pain - must actually be transformed into suffering for holistic healing of mind,
body, and spirit to occur. And for pain to be transformed into suffering, there must be
commmunication of that pain to another living being. Pain is mute, but suffering speaks.

When suffering is fully connected to the original source of unbearable pain, it is

tragic but comprehensible. It may be expressed best by this paradox: nondissociated
suffering is to bear the unbearable. Because suffering is the expression of pain that leads
to meaning-making, it allows us to bear up under unbearable pain without negating or
denying the reality that we are doing so. Through symbolization, reaching out, and
retelling, pain becomes more bearable because, as new meanings are constructed in
relationship, the burden is shared and God's compassionate presence is experienced. This
can connect individual experience to the larger social context in which suffering occurs,
and to action for justice and change.
 For Christianity, redemptive suffering is the belief that human suffering, when
accepted and offered up in union with the Passion of Jesus, can remit the just punishment
for sins and allow to grow in the love of God, others and oneself.
Suffering can be said to be the foundation of Christianity. No human wishes to
suffer. It has always been the desire of anyone to live in comfort but both the righteous
and unrighteous suffer. If there is no suffering, the promise to send us a comforter would
have been irrelevant.

Suffering as a Consequence of Sin

Suffering is a product of the fall, a consequence of human sin against God
(Romans 5:12; 1 Corinthians 15:21).

Suffering is in our lives because we are living in a broken world. Some suffering
is due to our sinful and wrong choices, but some is due simply to the world being fallen.
This aspect of suffering should drive us to long for a better world, a world redeemed and
freed from sin, a world that God will one day come again to establish (Romans 8:19-23).

Suffering as a Tool of Sanctification

Nothing is so broken as to be unusable by God. God uses it now as part of our
development as people. Nothing forces a person to confront their true self like suffering.
Suffering causes our focus to turn inward, to face those parts of ourselves we might
otherwise ignore. God can use suffering then to develop us into better people: the people
who can love and enjoy Him forever (Romans 5:3-5; James 1:2-4).

Suffering as a Test of Faith

Suffering is the crucible by which we find our center and demonstrate the truth of
our faith to the world. In times of intense pain or turmoil, we cling to what we have
placed our hope in. In this way, suffering reveals whether our faith is a mere childish
hope or a factual reality. As you encounter suffering, think about how it pushes you
closer to God. Suffering creates a dependency on the Lord that is not always there when
everything is going well.

As we develop an understanding of how to approach suffering, we must be clear

that suffering never becomes good. Suffering remains evil. What must be understood
though, is that suffering can be redeemed; it can be made purposeful. When we are
burdened beyond our strength, we must not become bitter but instead allow our faith to
make us better. For the Christian, we must see suffering as a trifold call to long for a
better world, to seek to become a better person and to live out a better witness.

The Lord can use our suffering to cause us to run to Him for help. He promises
He will answer us and be a refuge to us in the storm. God can grow you the most through
suffering. Going through suffering also makes you question what you really believe about
God. God wants you to come to Him with your questions, doubts, and pain so that He can
show you His purposes and plan.
 The dictionary offers several definitions of suffering: to undergo hardship, to feel
pain, to have a disease or condition, to endure or to undergo, or interesting enough, to
allow. We all know that pain does not equal suffering. Certainly pain is associated with
suffering, but it is possible to experience pain and not suffer. It is also possible to suffer
without the experience of physical pain.

Suffering without Pain

Many of us have known people who, though generally wealthy, healthy, and
loved, have suffered terrible mental trauma. Take Elliot Rodger. As reported in the online
publication, Rodger had good looks, good health, above average intelligence, "a new
BMW sports car, nice clothes, $300 Gucci sunglasses, college tuition fully paid for by his
parents, and thousands of dollars in spending money." Nevertheless he was tortured by
his own jealousy and envy, resulting in a shooting rampage in which he killed seven and
then took his own life.

Pain without Suffering

Athletes know this. A gymnast preparing for the Olympics will invest long hours
in training, end all unnecessary relationships and social life, strictly schedule every hour
of the day, and go through much pain in the form of sore muscles, short-term failures,
and numerous minor injuries. But with most athletes in training, none of this pain is
viewed as suffering. Of course, the pain-inducing workouts involve sacrifice and
frequently lead to exhaustion. But it is not suffering. When the goal is kept in mind and
good progress follows, all the pain and exhaustion is a pleasure. It is the meaning that the
athletes assign to their pain that allows them to consider it a stepping-stone to victory and
achievement rather than a cause of torment and suffering. In fact, some mothers make the
same claim about the birthing process, because they are so focused on the goal of the
precious child (cf. Isaiah. 66:7-10; John 16:21).

Spiritual literature considers sufferings and illnesses as an expression of the

mystery of God's gracious love for man, which He wants to guide to the salvation of his
soul through happy events or, in an extremely way, through difficult existential
circumstances.

On the one hand, suffering is the consequence of the flawed nature of creation. In
this view human beings — with the exception of the first man and woman are victims,
exposed constantly to the perils of a created order gone away. On the other hand, a
person's suffering is the direct consequence of his or her violation of God's laws.

Suffering as the Consequence of the Flawed Nature of Creation. On account of

the disobedience of Eve and then Adam, a wretched legacy has been bequeathed to the
human race. God cursed the ground, so that human beings can stay alive only through
much toil; the pain of childbirth is greatly increased for all women (Genesis 3:16-19);
death and all the suffering attendant upon dying have entered the world (Genesis 2:17).
 The Bible tells us that there is no darkness in God at all and that He cannot sin.
When you understand the heart of God, you will see that it is not in His nature to torture
or cause people to suffer.

God is the only one who should receive all the glory for what happens in your life
—including what happens in your suffering.

God can also use your suffering to purify you from sin and conform you more
into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ, bringing glory to His name. Remember that your
present sufferings are also not worth comparing to the eternal glory that you will receive
when we get to see Christ face to face. (2 Corinthians 4:17-18)

Enduring suffering is an act of choosing–intellectually, emotionally, and

volitionally–that you will embrace opposition from the world and the devil for Jesus’
sake so that His name will be known in all the earth and among all mankind. Also, when
one member of the body of Christ suffers, all suffer, because Christ is the head of the
body, which is the Church (1 Corinthians 12:26).

Likewise, members of the body of Christ all rejoice together in their sufferings
because they are counted as worthy to suffer for the sake of Jesus’ name (Matthew 5:10-
12).

Unbelievers, however, do not suffer or rejoice in their sufferings for the sake of
Christ since the light of Christ does not dwell within them.

“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as
though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share
Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If
you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and
of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer
or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him
glorify God in that name.” 1 Peter 4:12–16

Bible Verses about Suffering

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have
suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
(1 Peter 5:10)

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and
the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those
in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be
revealed in us. (Romans 8:18)
The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all.
(Psalm 34:19)

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far
outweighs them all. (2 Corinthians 4:17)

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or
famine or nakedness or danger or sword? (Romans 8:35)

Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude,
because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. (1 Peter 4:1)

John Hick in his work on Evil and the God of Love, see suffering as a mental state
which may be complex as human life. It is a concept prevalent in all religions of the
world.

Different theories of psychology view suffering differently. Sigmund Freud

viewed suffering as something humans are hardwired to avoid, while they are always in
the pursuit of pleasure, also known as the hedonic theory of motivation or the pleasure
principle. This dogma also ties in with certain concepts of Behaviorism, most notably
Operant Conditioning theory. In operant conditioning, a negative stimulus is removed
thereby increasing a desired behavior, alternatively an aversive stimulus can be
introduced as a punishing factor.

In both methods, unfavorable circumstances are used in order to motivate an

individual or an animal towards a certain goal. However, other theories of psychology
present contradicting ideas such as the idea that humans sometimes seek out suffering.

Many existentialists believe suffering is necessary in order to find meaning in our

lives. Existential Positive Psychology is a theory dedicated to exploring the relationship
between suffering and happiness and the belief that true authentic happiness can only
come from experiencing pain and hardships.

Suffering is happening essentially because most human beings have lost

perspective as to what this life is about. Their psychological process has become far
larger than the existential process, or to put it bluntly, you’ve made your petty creation
far more important than the Creator’s creation. That is the fundamental source of all
suffering. We have missed the complete sense of what it means to be alive here. A
thought in your head or an emotion within you determines the nature of your experience
right now. The whole creation is happening wonderfully well but just one thought or
emotion can destroy everything. And your thought and emotion may have nothing to do
even with the limited reality of your life.

'One of the best teachers in the world is suffering.'

John O'Donohue, Irish priest, poet, and philosopher.
 REFERENCES

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