The Good of Pain in God's Sovereign Plan
The concept of the good of pain in God's sovereign plan is rooted in biblical teachings that suffering can be redemptive and transformative. The apostle Peter writes, "Because if it is God's purpose for you to undergo pain, it is better to do so for well-doing than for evil-doing" [1]. This perspective is echoed in other biblical passages, such as 1 Peter 2:19, which notes that undergoing pain undeservedly is a sign of grace [2].
In the view of John Gill, a Baptist/Reformed theologian, pain can be a means by which God speaks to individuals, chastening them and bringing them to repentance. Gill interprets Job 33:19 as indicating that God uses pain to correct and instruct people, sometimes confining them to their beds with intense physical suffering [3]. Similarly, Matthew Henry, a Nonconformist/Puritan commentator, sees affliction as a call to remembrance, prompting individuals to reflect on their sins and seek God's mercy [4].
The biblical basis for understanding pain as part of God's sovereign plan is not limited to the book of Job. The Psalms also provide insight into the role of suffering in the life of believers. For example, Psalm 38 is characterized by Matthew Henry as a psalm "to bring to remembrance," highlighting the importance of reflecting on one's sins during times of affliction [4]. John Gill interprets Psalm 6:2 as a plea for mercy in the face of suffering, underscoring the need to acknowledge one's sinfulness and seek God's forgiveness [7].
The idea that pain can be redemptive is further developed in the New Testament. According to Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, a commentary tradition, Christ's suffering innocently provides a model for believers who suffer for doing good, demonstrating that such suffering can lead to glorious results [5]. This understanding is reinforced by 1 Peter 3:18, which notes that Christ suffered for sins, the Just for the unjust.
The solidarity of believers in suffering is another aspect of the good of pain in God's sovereign plan. John Gill observes that when one member of the body of Christ suffers, all members suffer with it, emphasizing the need for sympathy and support among believers [6].
The biblical and theological perspectives on pain highlight its potential to bring individuals closer to God and to conform them to the image of Christ. As Peter notes, suffering for well-doing can be a sign of grace, and it is in this context that believers can find meaning and purpose in their experiences of pain [1, 2].
Sources
- I Peter “I Peter 3:17 (BBE) — Because if it is God's purpose for you to undergo pain, it is better to do so for well-doing than for evil-doing.”
- I Peter “I Peter 2:19 (BBE) — For it is a sign of grace if a man, desiring to do right in the eyes of God, undergoes pain as punishment for something which he has not done.”
- Job (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Job 33:19: He is chastened also with pain upon his bed,.... This seems to be another way, in which God, according to his eternal purposes, speaks unto men, as the word "also" intimates; namely, by afflictions, and sometimes painful ones; which have a voice in them, and men of wisdom will hearken to it, Mic 6:9. Pain here signifies not pain of the mind, or a wounded spirit, which is very afflicting, distressing, and intolerable; but pain of the body, as the next clause shows; and this endured on the bed, it being so great as to confine a man to his bed, or is what he felt there, wh”
- Psalms (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Psalms 38:1: The title of this psalm is very observable; it is a psalm to bring to remembrance; the 70th psalm, which was likewise penned in a day of affliction, is so entitled. It is designed, 1. To bring to his own remembrance. We will suppose it penned when he was sick and in pain, and then it teaches us that times of sickness are times to bring to remembrance, to bring the sin to remembrance, for which God contended with us, to awaken our consciences to deal faithfully and plainly with us, and set our sins in order before us, for our humiliation. In a day of adversity cons”
- 1 Peter (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on 1 Peter 3:18: Confirmation of Pe1 3:17, by the glorious results of Christ's suffering innocently. For--"Because." That is "better," Pe1 3:17, means of which we are rendered more like to Christ in death and in life; for His death brought the best issue to Himself and to us [BENGEL]. Christ--the Anointed Holy One of God; the Holy suffered for sins, the Just for the unjust. also--as well as yourselves (Pe1 3:17). Compare Pe1 2:21; there His suffering was brought forward as an example to us; here, as a proof of the blessedness of suffering for well-doing. once-”
- 1 Corinthians (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on 1 Corinthians 12:26: And whether one member suffer,.... Pain; even the meanest, lowest, and most distant, as the foot or hand, toe or finger: all the members suffer with it; are more or less affected therewith, and bear part of the distress; as is easily discerned, by their different forms and motions on such an occasion: so when anyone member of the mystical body is in affliction, whether inward or outward, of body or mind, the rest are, or should be, affected with it, condole, sympathize, help, and assist; and remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them, as if they the”
- Psalms (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Psalms 6:2: Have mercy upon me, O Lord,.... He knew he was a sinner, both by original sin and actual transgression, which he was always ready to own; he knew that what he had done deserved the wrath of God, even his hot displeasure; and that for such things it came upon the children of disobedience: he knew that there was mercy with God through Christ, and therefore he flees unto it, pleads for it, and entreats the manifestation of forgiving love: he pleads no merits of his own, nor makes any mention of former works of righteousness done by him, but throws himself upon the mercy o”