The Suffering of Job

     Job’s suffering began abruptly, without warning and without explanation, when God permitted Satan to test his integrity. Though Job was “blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil” (Job 1:1), divine sovereignty allowed undeserved suffering as a means of glorifying God and refining Job’s soul. Zuck wisely states, “The Book of Job addresses the mystery of unmerited misery, showing that in adversity God may have other purposes besides retribution for wrongdoing.”[1] Satan challenged Job’s motives, accusing him of serving God only because of prosperity (Job 1:9–11). To silence the accusation, God removed the hedge of protection and permitted adversity to strip Job of his possessions, children, and health. Job’s wealth, family, and comfort were gone in a day, and his body was reduced to pain and decay. Yet even in shock and sorrow, Job responded with doctrinal stability: “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). His reaction reveals that spiritual maturity is measured not by prosperity but by the capacity to think divine viewpoint under pressure. Zuck states:

     As the suffering prolonged, Job’s emotional and physical agony intensified. The silence of heaven pressed upon him, and his so-called friends (Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar) added psychological torment through their false theology of retribution. They insisted that Job’s suffering was punishment for secret sin, reflecting human viewpoint reasoning divorced from grace. Job defended his innocence, yet his soul wavered between confusion and faith. His lamentations revealed an inner struggle between human viewpoint self-pity and divine viewpoint trust. The conflict of the soul is where doctrine must move from theory to reality. Job learned that faith must rest on who and what God is, not on temporal blessings or human understanding. Suffering exposed the inadequacy of human rationalization and forced Job to focus on the immutable character of God. It was a suffering for purification.

     When God finally answered from the whirlwind, He did not explain the reasons for Job’s suffering; He revealed His own infinite wisdom and sovereign control. Confronted with God’s majesty, Job recognized the smallness of his finite perspective and confessed, “I have declared that which I did not understand, things too wonderful for me” (Job 42:3). This was a display of humility. Job’s faith had matured from knowledge about God to experiential confidence in Him. Job said, “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You” (Job 42:5). According to Zuck, “This thrilling view of God, probably spiritual insight, not physical vision, deepened his perspective and appreciation of God. What Job now knew of God was incomparable to his former ideas, which were really ignorant.”[3] God restored Job’s fortunes, but the true reward was not material, but spiritual transformation. Through suffering, Job became a trophy of grace, proving that mature faith endures not because of what it receives, but because of whom it knows.

Steven R. Cook, D.Min., M.Div.

[1] Roy B. Zuck, “Job,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 714–715.

[2] Ibid., 721.

[3] Ibid., 774.

The Suffering of the Psalmist

     The Psalmist wrote, “Before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now I keep Your word” (Psa 119:67). The word translated “went astray” is שָׁגַג (shāgag). According to HALOT it means “to make a mistake inadvertently, unwittingly…to go astray.”[1] It connotes moral or spiritual deviation (cf. Prov 5:23; Isa 53:6). Ross states, “The verb (שָׁגגַ) is used in Leviticus for unintentional sins; but here it probably includes rationalized, deliberate sins because he was wandering from the way of God. He was not walking by faith in obedience to the word, and so he suffered some affliction at the hands of the wicked; but now he was keeping God’s oracle, the word “keep” (שָׁמַר) referring to a meticulous observance of all that God required in his covenant.”[2] The significance is that the psalmist admits he was drifting from obedience, not necessarily into outright rebellion, but into carelessness or neglect of God’s Word. The affliction became God’s means of correction, turning his wandering into renewed obedience. Thus, the term highlights human tendency to stray and God’s faithful use of discipline to restore. A few verses later he states, “It is good for me that I was afflicted, so that I may learn Your statutes” (Psa 119:71). Affliction is seen as a teacher that drives God’s people back to His Word. Ross adds, “The psalmist is able to acknowledge that his affliction worked for his good because it forced him to learn more of God’s plan revealed in his word. In learning through adversity, he discovered the word God personally revealed in human language was far more valuable than silver or gold [Psa 119:72].”[3] Then, the psalmist states, “I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are righteous, and that in faithfulness You have afflicted me” (Psa 119:75). Ross states:

     Taken together, these verses trace the movement from wandering, to correction, to obedience, and finally to worshipful recognition of God’s faithful purposes. They teach that affliction, far from being wasted, is a tool in God’s hand to sanctify His people and anchor them more firmly in His Word. We don’t like trials or suffering, and we often ask God to remove them, much like Paul asked God to remove his “thorn in the flesh” (2 Cor 12:7). However, we find that most of the time God chooses not to remove our difficulty, like He did not remove Paul’s (2 Cor 12:8-9), and we must learn that what He does not remove, He intends for us to deal with, and this by faith (2 Cor 12:10; cf. 2 Cor 5:7; Heb 10:38; 11:6).

The Suffering of Joseph

     Joseph’s life stands as one of Scripture’s clearest demonstrations of how God employs suffering to shape the faith and character of His people. Betrayed by his brothers and cast into a pit, Joseph was sold into slavery and carried away to Egypt (Gen 37:23–28). There he endured the humiliation of serving as a foreigner in Potiphar’s house, and though he prospered by God’s favor, his integrity in resisting Potiphar’s wife led to false accusations and unjust imprisonment (Gen 39:1–20). Even in prison, where he was forgotten by those he had helped (Gen 40:23), Joseph displayed remarkable faithfulness, refusing bitterness and maintaining trust in God’s providential hand. Each stage of his trial pressed him deeper into dependence upon the Lord, refining his character for the weighty responsibilities that awaited him. His hardships were not incidental but instrumental in God’s design, preparing him to serve as second only to Pharaoh and to become a channel of blessing to countless lives.

     Joseph consistently interpreted his life from the perspective of God’s providence, not merely in the well-known statement of Genesis 50:20. When he first revealed himself to his brothers, he sought to comfort them with the assurance that their sin, though grievous, was under divine control: “Do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life” (Gen 45:5). He went further, declaring, “God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance. Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God” (Gen 45:7–8). In both statements, Joseph acknowledged the reality of human betrayal but deliberately framed it within the larger purposes of God. He viewed his sufferings as divine instruments for the preservation of life and the fulfillment of covenantal promises.

     Later, after Jacob’s death, Joseph’s brothers again feared retaliation, but Joseph reaffirmed the same perspective, saying: “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive” (Gen 50:20). This statement serves as the theological climax of his narrative, demonstrating how God overruled human evil for His own purposes. According to Radmacher, “God works His good plan even through the evil plans of evil people. Even the worst events can be used in the hand of kindly Providence for His good.”[5] Even at the end of his life, Joseph’s confidence remained fixed on God’s providence. Altogether, Joseph voiced this divine perspective at least four times (Gen 45:5; 45:7–8; 50:20; 50:24–25), revealing a mature faith that consistently interpreted suffering through the lens of God’s sovereign care.

The Suffering of Moses

     Moses’ life reveals how God employs prolonged suffering and repeated trials to shape His servants into men of spiritual depth and usefulness. After killing the Egyptian, Moses fled into exile, spending forty years in Midian as a shepherd (Ex 2:15–25). This season of obscurity was not wasted but was God’s classroom for humility and preparation. Though Moses had been educated in all the wisdom of Egypt (Acts 7:22), he needed the quiet discipline of the desert to unlearn self-reliance and to grow in patience and dependence on God. The Lord used these years of hiddenness to refine his character and to equip him with the endurance necessary for leading Israel. This long exile reminds believers that God often uses seasons of difficulty, waiting, and obscurity as essential training grounds for future service. Moses would later emerge not as the impulsive prince of Egypt but as the meek servant whom God could use to shepherd His people. Wiersbe states:

     When God called Moses to return to Egypt, the trials intensified. He faced the hardened opposition of Pharaoh (Ex 5–12), who resisted every divine demand, bringing repeated conflict and mounting pressure. Beyond this, Moses bore the weight of constant complaints from the Israelites themselves, who murmured against him at the Red Sea and in the wilderness over water and food (Ex 14–17). Such trials might have broken a lesser man, but through them God deepened Moses’ humility and dependence. Scripture later records that “the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth” (Num 12:3). His humility came as he suffered hardship—first in Midian’s solitude, then in Pharaoh’s defiance, and finally in Israel’s stubbornness. Each trial stripped Moses of self-confidence and taught him to rest in God’s power and presence. Thus, Moses’ life illustrates that suffering, though painful, is God’s tool to produce humility, endurance, and spiritual maturity in His people, preparing them for greater responsibility and usefulness in His service. The pathway to spiritual maturity sometimes runs though the valley of hardship and suffering.

Steven R. Cook, D.Min., M.Div.

[1] Ludwig Koehler et al., The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1994–2000), 1412.

[2] Allen P. Ross, A Commentary on the Psalms (90–150): Commentary, vol. 3, 523.

[3] Ibid., 524–525.

[4] Ibid., 529.

[5] Earl D. Radmacher, Ronald Barclay Allen, and H. Wayne House, Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary (Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers, 1999), 83.

[6] Warren Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, Vol. 1, 182-183.

The Suffering of Jesus Christ

     Jesus Christ, though perfectly sinless in His nature and conduct (1 Pet 2:22; 1 John 3:5), fully entered into the sufferings of humanity during what Scripture calls “the days of His flesh” (Heb 5:7a). As eternal God (John 1:1, 14; Col 2:9), He lacked nothing and possessed all knowledge, power, and authority. Yet in His humanity, He willingly submitted Himself to the limitations of human life, growing in wisdom and stature (Luke 2:40) and experiencing hunger, thirst, fatigue, grief, and rejection. This was not because of any imperfection in His being, but because the incarnation required Him to live in a fallen world where obedience to the Father necessarily brought conflict with the prevailing powers of darkness. Hebrews explains that He “learned obedience from the things which He suffered” (Heb 5:8). This does not mean He was ever disobedient, but rather that, through real human experience, He grew in the practical expression of obedience under pressure, culminating in His supreme submission when He “became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil 2:8). According to Fruchtenbaum, “The expression learned obedience does not mean that Jesus disobeyed; it means that He learned what obedience cost Him. It cost Him suffering. Philippians 2:8 makes the same point. He learned what obedience costs by means of the things He suffered.”[1] Jesus’ suffering, therefore, was the means by which He demonstrated in His humanity the perfection of obedience, leaving believers an enduring model of faithfulness amid adversity.

     As the Suffering Servant foretold by Isaiah (Isa 53:1–12), Jesus also bore the unique suffering of standing in the place of sinners to satisfy divine justice. He not only endured the hostility of men and the pressures of life in a fallen world but ultimately suffered as the substitute for humanity’s sins. In His sacrificial death, He bore the full weight of God’s wrath against sin, paying a debt that was not His own (Mark 10:45; Rom 5:8; 1 Pet 3:18). On the cross, He suffered in the most profound sense, not for His failures, for He had none, but for ours, offering Himself as the once-for-all atonement. His suffering secured forgiveness, reconciliation, and eternal life for all who believe in Him. Thus, Jesus’ sufferings were both exemplary and substitutionary: exemplary, in that He showed how perfect obedience is forged and displayed through hardship in a fallen world; substitutionary, in that He willingly endured the judgment we deserved so that we might be brought to God. Peter tells us, “Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust” (1 Pet 3:18). Through His suffering, believers find both a model to follow and a Savior to trust, knowing that the One who triumphed through trials now intercedes for them and assures their salvation (1 John 2:1). Sanders states, “Serving and suffering are paired in the teaching and life of our Lord. One does not come without the other. And what servant is greater than the Lord?”[2]

Steven R. Cook, D.Min., M.Div.

[1] Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, The Messianic Jewish Epistles: Hebrews, James, First Peter, Second Peter, Jude, 1st ed. (Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries, 2005), 66.

[2] J. Oswald Sanders, Spiritual Leadership: Principles of Excellence for Every Believer (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2007), 24.

     Scripture identifies two main forms of suffering that promote spiritual growth: corrective suffering, which restores the disobedient to fellowship, and perfective suffering, which refines the obedient toward greater maturity in Christ.

     Corrective suffering arises from divine discipline when believers deviate from God’s will and wander into disobedience. Such discipline is the measured response of a loving Father who seeks to restore His children to fellowship and fruitfulness. Israel’s history provides a vivid backdrop to this principle. When the nation violated the Mosaic covenant, God responded with covenant curses designed to bring them back to Himself (Deut 28:15–68). Hosea depicts God hedging up Israel’s path with thorns, frustrating her sinful pursuits so that she might return to Him (Hos 2:6–7). The author of Hebrews interprets such experiences as evidence of divine love: “For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives” (Heb 12:6). According to Warren Wiersbe:

     Divine correction is not rejection but affirmation of sonship. Paul also recognized this principle at work in the Corinthian church, where some believers suffered weakness, sickness, and even premature death because of their irreverence and selfishness at the Lord’s Table (1 Cor 11:30–32). Even kings were not exempt, as seen in Solomon’s later years when God raised up adversaries against him after his heart was turned away to idols (1 Kgs 11:14, 23–25). Corrective suffering, therefore, functions as God’s gracious intervention to arrest further decline and restore obedience. It is the shepherd’s rod that redirects the straying sheep. Yet this discipline, though loving in design, can be resisted if the believer hardens his heart. Still, the intention remains clear: corrective suffering seeks to break the power of rebellion, humble the soul, and lead God’s child back into the blessing of fellowship with Him.

     Perfective suffering, by contrast, is not punitive but refining. It does not arise from disobedience but from God’s sovereign intention to deepen faith, expand endurance, and produce spiritual maturity. When a believer is walking faithfully with the Lord, obeying His Word, God may still permit suffering in order to shape character, purify motives, and equip His servant for greater usefulness. Job exemplifies this reality. Though declared blameless and upright, Job was permitted to endure severe affliction under Satan’s hand, yet through the ordeal he came to a fuller appreciation of God’s majesty, confessing at the end, “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; but now my eye sees You” (Job 42:5). Job’s knowledge of God had grown because of what he’d learned through his sufferings. Paul’s thorn in the flesh illustrates this same category. Though he prayed repeatedly for its removal, God left it in place to keep him humble and dependent, declaring, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness” (2 Cor 12:9). Rather than crushing Paul, this suffering became the very platform by which God’s strength was displayed through his weakness. Perfective suffering, then, is a divine gift, the furnace in which faith is purified and the believer is transformed into greater conformity to Christ.

     While suffering in Scripture may be manifold, the categories of corrective and perfective suffering provide a helpful lens for understanding God’s purposes. In both, His love and sovereignty are evident. Corrective suffering restores us when we stray, and perfective suffering strengthens us as we obey, with the unifying aim that we be conformed to the image of His Son (Rom 8:28–29).

The Integration of Blessings, Trials, and Sufferings

     In God’s perfect plan, blessings, trials, and sufferings are divinely orchestrated means for advancing the believer toward spiritual maturity. Blessing manifests the very essence of God’s goodness and generosity, cultivating gratitude, humility, and faithful stewardship in the believer’s life (Jam 1:17; 1 Tim 6:17–18; 1 Pet 4:10). Trials test faith under pressure, refining endurance and strengthening spiritual stability (Jam 1:2–4; 1 Pet 1:6–7). Sufferings train the soul to be dependent upon divine grace (1 Pet 5:10; 2 Cor 12:9). Each is a facet of divine pedagogy: blessing manifests God’s grace and entrusts resources for service (2 Cor 9:8); trials expose and perfect faith (Gen 22:1; Heb 11:17; Jam 1:2–4); and suffering cultivates humility, patience, and deeper fellowship with Christ (2 Cor 12:7-10; Phil 3:10). Together, they form an important part of God’s training program for His children, proving that prosperity and adversity alike are instruments of His unfailing love. As Job testified in the midst of both abundance and loss, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). Regardless of the circumstance, God is always at work conforming His sons and daughters to the likeness of Christ (Rom 8:28–29). What follows are biblical examples of suffering that helped advance believers to spiritual maturity (Jesus being the unique example).

Steven R. Cook, D.Min., M.Div.

[1] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 324.

Suffering as a Means of Spiritual Growth

     Sufferings (pathēma) encompass a broader category that includes pain, hardship, or affliction resulting from life in a fallen world, the hostility of others, or divine discipline. The word pathēma derives from paschō, meaning “to experience, suffer, endure…affliction.”[1] The word is frequently used in the New Testament to describe the sufferings of Christ as well as those of His followers (Phil 3:10). Peter wrote, “After you have suffered [paschō] for a little while, the God of all grace…will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you” (1 Pet 5:10). Suffering may come through persecution for righteousness (2 Tim 3:12), through physical weakness or limitation (2 Cor 12:7–9), or simply through the general consequences of living in a sin-cursed world (Rom 8:18–22).

     While trials test faith, sufferings train the soul through endurance, humility, and dependence upon God’s sustaining grace. Paul’s personal afflictions illustrate this reality well. Though he pleaded three times for relief from his “thorn in the flesh,” the Lord replied, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness” (2 Cor 12:8–9). Likewise, Joseph’s prolonged suffering in Egypt, though marked by injustice and hardship, became the means by which God shaped his character and positioned him for blessing and service (Gen 37–50).

     The Hebrew counterpart to pathēma is עָנָה (ʿānâ), which means to “be bowed down, afflicted…be put down or become low.”[2] It is often used to describe the suffering of God’s people under pressure (Ex 1:11–12; Deut 8:2–3) or the self-humbling that accompanies dependence upon the Lord (Lev 16:29, 31; cf. Jam 4:6; 1 Pet 5:6). Both pathēma andʿānâ express the spiritual principle that God uses adversity not to crush His people but to conform them to His character. Through suffering rightly endured, believers are drawn into closer fellowship with Christ, as Paul wrote, “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings [pathēma]” (Phil 3:10).

Categories of Suffering

     Scripture presents several categories of suffering in the believer’s life, each serving distinct purposes within God’s sovereign plan. Some suffering comes because of righteousness, as Paul wrote, “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim 3:12). Peter echoes this when he states, “Even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed” (1 Pet 3:14). To suffer for righteousness means God permits evil men to persecute the believer who is walking in His will (John 15:18–19; 2 Tim 3:12). Yet God blesses by supplying grace sufficient in the moment (2 Cor 12:9), and future reward at the judgment seat of Christ where faithful endurance will be recognized (1 Cor 3:12–15; 2 Cor 5:10). At times, suffering comes for the sake of testimony, advancing the gospel and glorifying God. Paul wrote, “Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel” (Phil 1:12). The “circumstances” Paul refers to are his imprisonment in Rome, which placed him under house arrest while awaiting trial before Caesar (Acts 28:16, 30).[3] There is also the category of shared suffering with Christ, as Paul longed “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings” (Phil 3:10). These forms of suffering reveal God’s sovereign use of adversity for His glory and the believer’s growth. Apart from these, Scripture identifies two main forms of suffering that promote spiritual growth: corrective suffering, which restores the disobedient to fellowship, and perfective suffering, which refines the obedient toward greater maturity in Christ.

Steven R. Cook, D.Min., M.Div.

[1] Moisés Silva, ed., New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology and Exegesis (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2014), 666.

[2] Francis Brown, Samuel Rolles Driver, and Charles Augustus Briggs, Enhanced Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1977), 776.

[3] This was likely during his first Roman imprisonment (around A.D. 60–62). Though restricted, Paul was permitted to receive visitors and to preach and teach from his rented quarters (Acts 28:30–31). Paul had been falsely accused in Jerusalem, arrested, and after a series of hearings before Jewish and Roman authorities—including Felix, Festus, and Agrippa—he exercised his right as a Roman citizen to appeal to Caesar (Acts 25:11–12). This led to his voyage to Rome, where he endured shipwreck and eventually arrived under guard (Acts 27–28). Humanly speaking, imprisonment might have looked like a setback. His chains gave him opportunity to share Christ with the Praetorian Guard (Phil 1:13), Rome’s elite soldiers, and word spread even into Caesar’s household (Phil 4:22). Furthermore, his example emboldened other believers to speak the word of God without fear (Phil 1:14). In other words, the “circumstances” of Phil 1:12 were Paul’s unjust arrest, Roman confinement, and looming trial. Yet, rather than hindering God’s work, these very hardships became the platform for advancing the gospel, both among unbelievers in high places and among believers who gained courage from Paul’s faithfulness.

Trials and Suffering as a Means of Growth

     A mature Christian is one whose faith has been tested and refined through the experiences of trials and suffering. Yet it is not the mere experience of testing or hardship that produces maturity, but the believer’s faith response to it (2 Cor 5:7; Heb 10:38). God, in His sovereign wisdom, tailors each situation to the unique needs of His children. For example, Jonah needed only three days in the great fish to learn humility and obedience (Jon 1:17; 3:1–10), while Nebuchadnezzar required seven years of suffering before confessing that “the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind” and that “He is able to humble those who walk in pride” (Dan 4:34, 37). Whether brief or prolonged, God’s purpose in affliction is refinement, not ruin. Through suffering He burns away the dross of weak character and refines the golden qualities He wants to see in us. As He said of Israel, “Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction” (Isa 48:10). Constable notes, “The difficult times that Israel had been through were fires of refining (‘furnace of affliction’), not fires of destruction.”[1] God’s affliction is not to destroy, but to transform. And He refines us so that when He looks into the smelter’s pot, He sees His own reflection, for then we will bear those qualities that mirror His character; qualities which bring Him glory and honor. However, God’s furnace of refinement never brings us to a place of total purity, but only begins a process that is perfected when He brings us home to heaven; for then, and only then, will we be free from all the impurities of sin. To understand how God employs adversity for spiritual growth, Scripture distinguishes between trials (peirasmos, πειρασμός), the testing that demonstrates and refines faith, and suffering (pathēma, πάθημα), the affliction that trains the soul through endurance and dependence on divine grace.

     Trials (peirasmos) refer primarily to tests of faith—circumstances designed by God to reveal and refine the believer’s trust in Him. The term can mean either “testing” or “temptation,” depending on the context, and must be discerned by whether the source is God or Satan. James wrote, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials [peirasmos], knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing” (Jam 1:2–4). Trials are opportunities for spiritual growth, intended to prove and develop faith much like gold refined by fire (1 Pet 1:6–7). God never tempts His children to sin (Jam 1:13); rather, He tests them to strengthen spiritual maturity and endurance.

     Abraham’s experience in offering Isaac exemplifies a divine trial. His faith was tested, not to destroy him, but to demonstrate that his trust in God had grown strong and mature (Gen 22:1–12; Heb 11:17–19; cf. Rom 4:19–21). Similarly, Job’s ordeal serves as another example of peirasmos in the broader sense of testing. Though afflicted by Satan, the trial was permitted by God to prove Job’s integrity and to bring him to deeper understanding and humility before the Lord (Job 1:6–12; 42:1–6). The Hebrew counterpart to peirasmos is the verb נָסָה (nāsāh), meaning “to test” or “to prove.” It conveys the idea of examining something to reveal its quality or genuineness, much like peirasmos in Greek. For instance, “God tested (nāsāh) Abraham” (Gen 22:1), the same event later referenced in Hebrews 11:17 with peirazō, showing that both words share the same essential meaning. Whether in Hebrew or Greek, the concept emphasizes that divine testing is not punitive but pedagogical, meant to produce steadfast faith and experiential knowledge of God’s faithfulness (Deut 8:2; 1 Pet 1:7).

Steven R. Cook, D.Min., M.Div.

[1] Tom Constable, Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible (Galaxie Software, 2003), Is 48:10.

Blessing as a Means to Spiritual Growth

     God’s blessings are intentional expressions of His character and His grace. He blesses all humanity with the gifts of life, provision, and the sustaining order of creation that reflects His goodness. As Jesus declared, “He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matt 5:45). Likewise, Paul explained that God “did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness” (Acts 14:17). In these passages, God’s grace is freely given to all, and this because He is gracious by nature. Yet, His blessings toward His children are of a richer kind, flowing from a covenant relationship that imparts both spiritual and temporal benefits (Eph 1:3; Jam 1:17). These blessings not only make life enjoyable but also serve as reminders of the Giver Himself, calling believers to gratitude, humility, and faithful stewardship. God entrusts His children with resources, whether material, relational, or spiritual, so that they might use them for His glory and the good of others (1 Cor 4:2; 2 Cor 9:8-11; 1 Pet 4:10).

     Scripture affirms that “every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights” (Jam 1:17). The Hebrew word bārak (בָּרַךְ), often used in the Old Testament (Gen 12:2-3; Num 6:24; Psa 103:2), carries the sense of endowing with benefit, prosperity, or favor, and reflects God’s purpose to enrich the lives of His people according to His covenant love. According to Oswalt, “To bless in the OT means ‘to endue with power for success, prosperity, fecundity, longevity, etc.’”[1] It means the one whom God blesses is granted a life marked by richness, abundance, and fullness (John 10:10). Its New Testament counterpart, eulogeō (εὐλογέω), conveys the same idea of divine favor and gracious bestowal, emphasizing both God’s act of blessing His people and their reciprocal act of praising Him in gratitude (Eph 1:3). Paul echoes this truth in the New Testament, teaching that God “richly supplies us with all things to enjoy” (1 Tim 6:17). These blessings are not only for our personal delight but also to reveal the goodness of the Giver, that our enjoyment might lead us into deeper worship and thanksgiving.

     Yet with blessing comes responsibility. Moses warned Israel that prosperity could easily lead to spiritual amnesia, saying, “Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God…otherwise, when you have eaten and are satisfied, and have built good houses and lived in them…then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God” (Deut 8:11–14). According to Wiersbe, “If we forget God, then success has a way of making us proud (Deut 8:14), and we forget what we were before the Lord called us.”[2] The danger is that blessings, if received without humility and gratitude, can foster pride and self-sufficiency. Paul raised the same concern when he asked the Corinthians, “What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” (1 Cor 4:7). Thus, blessings must be received with gratitude, humility, and a recognition of stewardship under God.

     Blessings are also designed to teach us about God’s good nature and His desire to bless His people. David wrote, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits; who pardons all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases; who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; who satisfies your years with good things” (Psa 103:2–5). Ross states, “God satisfies us with good things, i.e., things that enhance and benefit our lives, so that we may be renewed (spiritually and/or physically).”[3] God blesses because He is gracious and generous by nature. In the New Testament, Paul affirms that God “is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us” (Eph 3:20). Blessings therefore serve as tangible reminders that God is good, gracious, and personally involved in the well-being of His people.

     Moreover, God blesses His people so they may in turn bless others. This principle is rooted in the Abrahamic covenant. God told Abraham, “And I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing” (Gen 12:2). The blessings given to Abraham were never meant to terminate with him but to overflow toward the nations. Fruchtenbaum states, “These blessings upon Abram included both material and spiritual blessings…Since Abram is to be blessed by God, as contained in the first three promises, he is now to become a blessing to others.”[4] Likewise, Paul emphasized to the Corinthians, “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed” (2 Cor 9:8). Divine provision equips the believer not only to meet his own needs but also to serve generously in the lives of others, making God’s goodness visible in practical ways. Paul further declared, “Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God” (2 Cor 9:10–11). Ryrie states, “Acts of giving bring rewards in this life and the one to come. The generous giver will be given increasing means to give (multiply your seed for sowing) and increasing fruit.”[5]

     Examples throughout Scripture highlight believers who used God’s resources to bless others. Joseph, after being elevated to power in Egypt, used his God-given position and wisdom to preserve life during famine, declaring, “God sent me before you to preserve life” (Gen 45:5). Boaz used his wealth to provide for Ruth and Naomi, reflecting covenant kindness (cḥesed, חֶסֶד), which would ultimately advance God’s messianic plan (Ruth 2:8–12; 4:9–10). In the New Testament, Barnabas, “who owned a tract of land, sold it and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet” (Acts 4:37), exemplified generosity that fueled the early church’s ministry. Such examples show that God blesses His people not to hoard resources but to distribute them voluntarily in service to others.

     Blessings can therefore become instruments of maturity when rightly received. They test the believer no less than trials. The apostle reminded Timothy that those who are rich in this world’s goods must not be “conceited or fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share” (1 Tim 6:17–18). Blessings rightly used create spiritual capacity, expanding the believer’s effectiveness in both service and witness.

Steven R. Cook, D.Min., M.Div.

[1] John N. Oswalt, “285 בָּרַך,” in Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, ed. R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer Jr., and Bruce K. Waltke (Chicago: Moody Press, 1999), 132.

[2] Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Equipped, “Be” Commentary Series (Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor Pub., 1999), 63.

[3] Allen P. Ross, A Commentary on the Psalms (90–150): Commentary, vol. 3, Kregel Exegetical Library (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic, 2016), 235.

[4] Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Ariel’s Bible Commentary: The Book of Genesis, 1st ed. (San Antonio, TX: Ariel Ministries, 2008), 241–242.

[5] Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Ryrie Study Bible: New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, Expanded ed. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1995), 1857.

     Concerning the permission of divorce, Jesus said the Pharisees, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way” (Matt 19:8). God’s permissive will can be observed on a national level, as Paul said, “In the generations gone by He permitted all the nations to go their own ways” (Acts 14:16). This explains much of the poor behavior we see among the nations as we study world history. Though God desires righteousness among the nations (Prov 14:34), He allows them to pursue their own values and priorities. Yet He never relinquishes His sovereignty, and in time, He will hold every nation accountable for its actions (Ps 9:17; Rev 20:12-13).

     God is always righteous and directs people to righteous living. However, God is no bully, as He does not force people to obey Him. When people turn negative to God, He permits them to pursue their sinful ways, though they are not free to choose the consequences of their actions. One who plays with fire will eventually get burned. Concerning those who “suppress God’s truth in unrighteousness” (Rom 1:18), three times it is written that He “gave them over” to “the lusts of their hearts” (Rom 1:24), and “to degrading passions” (Rom 1:26), and “to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper” (Rom 1:28). Once God permits a person to operate by his/her sinful passions, they are given a measure of freedom to live as they want. These are described as “being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, and unmerciful” (Rom 1:29-31).

     Fourth, there is God’s overruling will, which refers to those occasions when He hinders His creatures from acting contrary to His sovereign purposes. Throughout Scripture we observe God intervening in the actions of fallen angels and people. After God permitted Adam and Eve to disobey Him, He then drove them from the Garden of Eden and overruled their ability to go back in and eat from the tree of life (Gen 3:22-24). After Abraham lied to Abimelech and told him that Sarah was his sister, Abimelech took her as his wife. However, in order to protect Sarah, God intervened and told Abimelech, “Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is married” (Gen 20:3). Abimelech pleaded with God and claimed his innocence (Gen 20:4-5). God, being just, told Abimelech, “Yes, I know that in the integrity of your heart you have done this, and I also kept you from sinning against Me; therefore, I did not let you touch her” (Gen 20:6). Jacob served his uncle Laban for twenty years, but during that time his uncle had mistreated him, and by the end, he saw his uncle “was not friendly toward him as formerly” (Gen 31:2). Realizing it was time for Jacob to leave his uncle, he told his two wives, Rachel and Leah, “your father has cheated me and changed my wages ten times; however, God did not allow him to hurt me” (Gen 31:7). During the tribulation, there will be hostile unbelievers who will try to flee from God’s wrath by seeking death. But God prevents them from this escape, as John writes, “in those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death flees from them” (Rev 9:6).

     When Satan wanted to attack Job, God granted him permission, saying, “Behold, all that he has is in your power” (Job 1:12a). But then God restrained Satan, saying, “do not put forth your hand on him” (Job 1:12b). When Satan came back a second time, God granted him permission to attack Job’s body, saying, “he is in your power” (Job 2:6a), but then told him to “spare his life” (Job 2:6b). When Job’s wife advised him to “curse God and die” (Job 2:9), he responded, saying, “Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?” (Job 2:10). During the seven-year tribulation, demons are released from an angelic prison and “power was given them” to hurt unbelievers (Rev 9:3). However, they were restrained, as God told them, “not to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. And they were not permitted to kill anyone, but to torment for five months” (Rev 9:4-5a). Satan is currently active in the world (1 Pet 5:8; 1 John 5:19) and will be during the tribulation. However, God intervenes at the end of the tribulation and has Satan arrested and “bound him for a thousand years” (Rev 20:2). God’s arresting angel “threw Satan into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time” (Rev 20:3).

     Fifth, there is God’s providential will, which refers to the outworking of His sovereign will in such a way that He creates circumstances that direct our lives and destiny. Believers who understand this will make their human plans contingent on God’s sovereign plans (1 Ch 13:2; Acts 18:21; Jam 4:15). As God’s people, we know the Lord and His will for our lives because His written Word informs and guides us. The Bible is our divine pedagogical guide. In addition to Scripture, God directs us providentially as He controls the circumstances of our lives to His desired end. However, only the believer with a thorough knowledge of God’s Word can properly interpret his/her circumstances and know what God is doing. Interpreting circumstances, or divine impressions on the heart, is never as clear as knowing God’s Word. Charles Clough states:

God’s providence is His continual care over the creation He brought into existence. God continues to create and control circumstances in order to direct history according to His predetermined plan, all for His glory and the benefit of His people. People live in the flow of history, and are moved by the circumstances God controls. J. I. Packer states:

     God is holy and never creates evil, however, He can and does control those who do. Satan, and those who follow him, are ultimately under God’s sovereign control, and even their evil plans and actions are used for His good purposes. For example, Joseph was mistreated by his brothers and sold into slavery and taken to Egypt where he suffered greatly. Yet, later in his life, Joseph interpreted their behavior from the divine perspective, telling his brothers, “Now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life” (Gen 45:5). And Joseph repeated himself a second time, saying, “God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance. Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God” (Gen 45:7-8a). And later, he told them a third time, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive” (Gen 50:20). It was God’s providence that drove Saul to chase after his father’s donkeys, and then be led to the prophet Samuel and anointed king of Israel (1 Sam 9-10). It was God’s providence that directed Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem, so the baby Jesus would be born at the appointed time and place (Mic 5:2; Luke 2:4-6; Gal 4:4). Later, Joseph and Mary were compelled to go to Egypt, in order to preserve the baby Savior (Matt 2:13-15). It was God’s providence that forced Aquila and Priscilla out of Rome by the emperor Claudius’ decree, only to meet the apostle Paul in Corinth and join him in Christian ministry (Acts 18:1-3; Rom 16:3; 1 Cor 16:19). It was God’s providence that put the Lord Jesus on the cross to be crucified by the hands of godless men. Peter, charging Israelites in Jerusalem concerning Jesus’s death, said, “This Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death” (Acts 2:23). And after being persecuted by the leaders in Jerusalem, Peter and John, along with others, said to God, “For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur” (Acts 4:27-28). In these verses we see people behaving sinfully, whether Joseph’s brothers, or human rulers who abuse their power; yet God used their sinful choices to bring about a greater good. Because God is righteous, all His actions are just (Psa 119:137). Because He is loving (1 John 4:8), He directs all things for the benefit of His people. Because He is good (Psa 34:8; 100:5), He “causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Rom 8:28).

     Concerning Christian ministry, God providentially opens and closes doors of service. Throughout the New Testament, an “open door” refers to a divinely orchestrated opportunity for sharing the gospel and engaging in Christian ministry (Acts 14:25-27). On one occasion the Lord closed an opportunity for ministry (Acts 16:6-7), but then opened another (Acts 16:9-10). An “open door” for ministry can have opposition (1 Cor 16:7-9), does not remove everyday concerns about life (2 Cor 2:12-13), should be sought with prayer (Col 4:2-3), and once opened cannot be shut by people (Rev 3:8). As God’s people, we do not create occasions for Christian ministry; we simply accept those provided for us by the Lord (Eph 2:10).

   In summary, knowing and doing God’s will is largely a matter of knowing His Word and walking in it. Those who are positive to God will desire His Word in order to obey it. From Scripture we know about the Lord Himself, His sovereign control over His creation, what He desires of us, His permission of sin, as well as His directing history providentially to the return and reign of Christ. Where Scripture is silent, we may try to ascertain His will through the circumstances of our life, but such understanding must always be subordinate to the clear revelation of Scripture.

Steven R. Cook, D.Min., M.Div.

[2] J. I. Packer, “Providence” in New Bible Dictionary, ed. D. R. W. Wood, I. H. Marshall, A. R. Millard and D. J. Wiseman, 3rd ed. (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996), 979-80.

     Some directives are role-specific. Husbands are to love their wives as Christ loves the church, and wives are to submit to their husbands’ loving spiritual leadership and show them respect (Eph 5:22, 25, 33; 1 Pet 3:1-2). Children are to obey and honor their parents (Eph 6:1-4). Employees are to serve their supervisors with sincerity (Eph 6:5-8; Col 3:23-24), and supervisors are to treat their workers with fairness and integrity (Eph 6:9; Col 4:1; Jam 5:4). Older women are to teach younger women to love their husbands and children, and to be pure and sensible (Tit 2:3-5), while older men are to be dignified, temperate, and sound in faith (Tit 2:2). Younger men are to be self-controlled, an example of good deeds, and sound in doctrine (Tit 2:6-8). Church members are instructed to support their pastors materially and respectfully (Gal 6:6; 1 Tim 5:17-18), and to use their spiritual gifts for the edification of the body (Rom 12:4-8; 1 Pet 4:10). We are to sing with thankfulness (Eph 5:19; Col 3:16), care for orphans and widows (Jam 1:27; 1 Tim 5:3-16), pray for all people—including leaders (1 Tim 2:1-2), and carry out church discipline when needed, with love and humility (1 Cor 5:1-13). Finally, Paul urges believers to flee youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with a pure heart (2 Tim 2:22).

     Third, there is God’s permissive will, which refers to what He permits us to do, either for or against His directive will. All sin falls under this category, for He permits us to resist His directives in some instances. This is also true for fallen angels who are granted a measure of freedom to sin. The fall of Adam and Eve provides a good example of God’s permissive will, for after He’d directed them not to eat from the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 2:16-19), He permitted them to disobey and to follow Satan’s leading (Gen 3:1-7). Laney writes, “God’s permissive will refers to what the Lord permits even when it is not in conformity with His revealed or prescribed will. God may permit sin, though it is not in keeping with what He prefers.”[1]

     Concerning the permission of divorce, Jesus said the Pharisees, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way” (Matt 19:8). God’s permissive will can be observed on a national level, as Paul said, “In the generations gone by He permitted all the nations to go their own ways” (Acts 14:16). This explains much of the poor behavior we see among the nations as we study world history. Though God desires righteousness among the nations (Prov 14:34), He allows them to pursue their own values and priorities. Yet He never relinquishes His sovereignty, and in time, He will hold every nation accountable for its actions (Ps 9:17; Rev 20:12-13).

Steven R. Cook, D.Min., M.Div.

[1] J. Carl Laney, eds. Charles R. Swindoll and Roy B. Zuck, “God’s Decree and Individual Free Will” in Understanding Christian Theology (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2003), 215.

Some directives in the Christian life are role-specific. Husbands are to love their wives as Christ loves the church, and wives are to submit to their husbands’ loving spiritual leadership and show them respect (Eph 5:22, 25, 33; 1 Pet 3:1-2). Children are to obey and honor their parents (Eph 6:1-4). Employees are to serve their supervisors with sincerity (Eph 6:5-8; Col 3:23-24), and supervisors are to treat their workers with fairness and integrity (Eph 6:9; Col 4:1; Jam 5:4). Older women are to teach younger women to love their husbands and children, and to be pure and sensible (Tit 2:3-5), while older men are to be dignified, temperate, and sound in faith (Tit 2:2). Younger men are to be self-controlled, an example of good deeds, and sound in doctrine (Tit 2:6-8). Church members are instructed to support their pastors materially and respectfully (Gal 6:6; 1 Tim 5:17-18), and to use their spiritual gifts for the edification of the body (Rom 12:4-8; 1 Pet 4:10).

Steven R. Cook, D.Min., M.Div.