Cross-bearing and, therefore, receiving great rewards through our sufferings, is quite possible for the Christian because of their spiritual identity as “more than conquerors through Him who loved us,” based on the truths of Romans 8.
“Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see. So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold – though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world” (1 Peter 1:3-7).
“We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Rom 8:37).
“Being a conqueror in Christ means experiencing overwhelming victory over life’s challenges through the love, power, and presence of Jesus Christ.”
Being a conqueror in Christ (our spiritual identity) empowers believers to be victorious over fear, sin, and adversity. This triumph happens through Christ’s love and the Holy Spirit; “the Christian is able to live with confidence, resilience, and unwavering faith in God’s sustaining power.”
“For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith” (1 John 5:4).
Faith nurtured through exposure to God’s Word: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17).
Today, we are going to study Roman 8 to discover truths that, when you believe them, will strengthen your faith so you can live as conquerors of Christ: a victorious cross-bearer someday winning the eternal prize (2 Timothy 2:12, Revelation 21:7).
“Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later” (Romans 8:18).
If we honor God through our sufferings and live as conquerors through Christ, we will someday experience eternal glory in heaven that far outweighs all our sufferings on earth: “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Corinthians 4:17).
When one is a cross-bearer, they consciously choose to value the eternal over the temporary, aligning their current suffering with God’s promise of future glory; the cross-bearer is compelled to run the race, realizing the eternal prize outweighs the struggles of cross-bearing.
God rewards the greatest those who suffer the most, these cross-bearers who honor God through their sufferings:
“But the larger point remains, those who suffer greatly in this life will be awesomely rewarded in the next. Here, everyone wants to avoid suffering, and we consider those who don’t as unfortunate. Yet in heaven, those who go through the hardest things with faith will be considered the most honored and blessed. And that honored blessedness will last forever“ (Clay Jones, Jean E. Jones).
When we honor God through our sufferings, we will be glorified as exalted victors for Christ in heaven. God will receive glory as our life’s purpose becomes fulfilled, bringing lives closer to Christ through God’s working in our lives. We will be remembered in heaven by everyone as conquerors and victors, and we will reign with Christ and will inherit all things as Christ is glorified. The Master will say: “Well done, good and faithful servant, share in the master’s happiness.”
Because God never lies and always keeps His promises, our hope is not a wishful desire for glory, but a confident expectation that it will happen as our faith is strong, enabling us to be faithful, to endure, and to overcome through the power of the Spirit within us.
“And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness” (Romans 8:26).
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthened me” (Philippians 4:13).
“Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:4-5).
The branch (cross-bearer) must abide in the Vine (the life of Christ, mediated to the believer through the Holy Spirit) to bear fruit and receive the strength of Christ to do and overcome all things.
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).
“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40:29-31).
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power” (Ephesians 6:10).
To endure and overcome suffering, we must draw strength from God’s power, which is also available through the Holy Spirit. The Trinity is God, Christ, and Spirit as One.
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).
Joseph: A Biblical Example Where God Worked Suffering for Good
Joseph suffered greatly and unjustly, being “sold into slavery by his own brothers”, being “indicted on false charges and thrown into prison in Egypt”. Nevertheless, God still worked things for good:
“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children” (Genesis 50:19-21).
Joseph’s story is an example of how God ultimately works suffering for good and how, through God’s power, one can endure and overcome great trials and sufferings.
“For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations” (Psalm 100:5).
Ways God Potentially Can Use Our Sufferings for Good
1. God often uses suffering to lead us to depend on God.
We inherently try to be self-reliant, independent from God. Therefore, God often allows suffering to break our pride by leading us to acknowledge our human limitations, so we renew our dependency upon Him. In 2 Corinthians 12:8, God gives Paul a “thorn in the flesh” so Paul wouldn’t be conceited, forcing him to rely on God’s strength in his weakness.
2. God often uses suffering to mold us into conquerors of Christ.
Suffering teaches us to overcome. Faith muscles develop through experiences of adversity and suffering. As faith muscles grow, so does our capacity to endure. Perseverance (steadfast endurance) also develops through trials, molding us into conquerors of Christ:
Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope” (Romans 5:3-5).
3. God allows us to suffer so God’s power can be revealed through our limitations.
In John 9:3, a man was born blind (God allowed suffering in his life), not because of sin, but that “God intentionally gave the man’s condition so that God’s works might be revealed through Him”. God may have given you a disability for the same purpose.
God is omniscient: “For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust” (Psalm 103:14). Because God experienced suffering in Christ on the cross, God knows and empathizes with every person who suffers. “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18).
When God gives a person a “thorn in the flesh” to endure, He will never allow us to suffer beyond what we endure through Him; He will always give us sufficient grace to withstand it.
Regardless of the reasons God allows suffering in your life, He has a purpose for good through it. “Trust God in the pain”. Trust that He is good and loves you perfectly.
“If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?” (Romans 8:31-32).
When Christ died, God was willing to sacrifice the most precious thing He had (the life of His beloved Son) to save us from hell. Since God was willing to do so, He certainly would be willing to sustain us through all our trials and sufferings. God is perfectly good, loving, omnipotent, wise, and faithful. He is our perfect Shepherd who perfectly takes care of all of His children.
Learning To Trust In God
“The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” (Psalm 118:6). (Author: David)
David overcame his fear of the giant Goliath because his faith was strong and he trusted in God’s character. When David was about to face Goliath, his faith recalled God’s past faithfulness in delivering him from lions and bears, which strengthened his courage as he relied on God’s power to conquer Goliath. Faith and courage grow into a Christlike conqueror through many positive experiences of facing, enduring, and overcoming trials and suffering.
In Matthew 14:22-33, Peter initially had strong faith as he walked on the water by Christ’s power until he took his eyes off Jesus and onto the stormy winds and waves (the circumstances of trials). Suddenly, Peter’s faith was gone as fear and doubt overcame him; subsequently, he began to sink until Christ saved Peter. Christ wondered why Peter’s faith doubted.
Unlike David, Peter’s faith shriveled when facing fear, the storms of trials, and the possibility of future suffering (drowning). In contrast to David, Peter’s faith was gone because he took his focus off Jesus and onto fear (the winds and waves). Despite Peter’s past experiences witnessing Christ’s miracles, Peter allowed his fears and doubts to grow larger than his faith in Christ.
Every Christian experiences fluctuation over time, demonstrating strong faith (David) at times and, at other times, having their faith overcome by fear and doubt (Peter). From both situations, the faith of a growing conqueror of Christ can be molded.
Failure is a teacher; for it to be a good one, we must learn and grow from mistakes. We must also “forget what is behind and strain toward what is ahead, pressing onward toward the goal to win the prize” (Philippians 3:13-14).
Peter didn’t let his bad experiences keep him from becoming a great saint. We should keep on trying, through Spirit’s help, to build our mustard-seed faith, believing “through God, all things are possible”, including overcoming personal giants.
Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:35-39).
“Perfect love casts out all fear” (1 John 4:18).
When we don’t understand the “why” of our sufferings, we still have a perfect reason to trust the “who” of our life: God, who is always in complete control of everything and who perfectly loves us.
God’s love remains constant even when we believe our “comfort and security have been stripped away.” God is omnipotent and a perfect Shepherd; we have a perfect reason to trust that He always has what it takes to protect and deliver us from all evil. We also have a perfect reason to believe He will always do what is best for us because of His perfect love.
Love provides hope, giving us a reason to have faith. Without trusting in Love, our hope is weakened. Christians who have a hope problem usually have a trust problem, a problem in trusting in the perfect love of God.
Trust in the Spirit that He is fully capable of empowering you to endure and overcome all things. Trust in God, our Father, who perfectly loves you, and in His promise to always be our perfect Shepherd.
Articles In This Series:
No Finer Place Than Heaven, No Grimmer Place Than Hell
Hell: Eternal Punishment, A Place to Definitely Avoid
Where is Your Treasure? What is Your Primary Focus?
The Cross-Bearer’s Potential Rewards
Sources:
https://radiantjxn.com/sermon-library/zky6yjewfna5pzy-n3f8w-kptyf-a7g55-z4mrp-e7e6b
https://iask.ai/q/does-God-love-me-during-suffering-biblical-proof-6iampho
https://iask.ai/q/does-god-love-me-during-suffering-and-why-does-he-allow-it-md68sko
https://iask.ai/q/does-God-love-me-during-suffering-Romans-8-35-38-meaning-7psdvkg
https://biblehub.com/q/what_is_’more_than_a_conqueror’.htm
https://www.gotquestions.org/does-God-cause-suffering.html
https://www.gotquestions.org/bad-things-good-people.html
https://biblehub.com/topical/e/embracing_suffering_for_christ.htm
https://biblehub.com/topical/u/understanding_god’s_will_in_suffering.htm
https://www.seedwordchristian.com/2025/12/why-god-allows-suffering-deep-biblical.html
https://biblehub.com/topical/s/strength_in_suffering.htm
https://biblehub.com/topical/t/the_significance_of_god’s_promises.htm
How Does God Use Suffering For Our Good?, Clay Jones & Jean E. Jones