We Are Made Perfect Through Suffering
Chad Johnson
October 15, 2010

"For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings." Hebrews 2:10 KJV

We see here that Christ himself was made perfect through suffering. We know that Christ was God in the flesh and had no sin in Him. So, what does it mean that Christ was made perfect through suffering. The word perfect means to complete. The Bible tells us that Christ as our high priest was touched with the feeling of our infirmities, yet was without sin. Christ could not do the work of a high priest and mediator unless he suffered like we as humans do. Now Christ goes before God the Father on our behalf. He has been made complete through suffering. Sufferings allowed Christ to perform His high priestly duties.

So, we can rest assured that if the captain of our salvation was made complete with sufferings we must take the same course. All men suffer to some degree. The Christian's suffering is for a purpose. It is to make us better soldiers of the cross. We must endure hardness. One reason we must suffer is to show us without Him we can do nothing. This year has been one of the hardest of my life. People I love and had confidence in have turned their backs on me. I have learned to not put confidence in man but in God. I have also been made complete through suffering by a greater love for God's word. I have lived in my Bible this year, and that is why I have made it. I have also learned the importance of preaching the Bible. Any one can read a verse and tell stories and brag on themselves. If the preacher does not stay in the Bible, he is not a preacher. I ask all of you that are reading, how much BIBLE does your preacher preach?

Also, suffering helps us have compassion on others. Those who never suffer won't be much help to others.

Suffering also helps our prayer life. The prayer closet becomes so dear in sufferings. Now that I have passed through the sufferings of the year, I don't want to go back, but I do miss the special presence of God I experienced.

Lastly, suffering has strengthened by belief in perseverance of the saint. If I could fall, I would have fallen. He that has began a good work in me will perform it. He is able to keep me from falling. If the Bible does not teach eternal security it teaches nothing.

I praise my eternal Father for the perfection that comes through suffering. Amen.