Suffering as Grace

Drew Buell:

John Calvin said, “The highest honor that is conferred upon us by Divine grace is that we suffer for his name either reproach, or imprisonment, or miseries, or tortures, or even death, for in that case he adorns us with his marks of distinction.”

There are many different ways of suffering for the sake of the gospel in this life. It may be a situation at work where you won’t be able to advance any further because of your faith in Christ, or it may be a more public situation. Back when I lived in WA, there was a time when my name was dragged through the newspaper’s mud because of my stand for the gospel. It may even be from within your family. Maybe your husband is spiritually lazy, or maybe he’s just plain spiritually dead. Perhaps your wife is antagonistic to your faith and your attempts to lead her spiritually. My friends, can I remind you that as John Calvin said every tear that you cry is a mark of distinction for a man or a woman suffering in the place of Christ for the sake of the gospel.

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