Suffering Motif in the Epistle to the Hebrews

Abstract

The rising popularity of prosperity gospel among many Christian circles tends to
obscure the question on the reality of suffering in Christian experience. Prosperity
theologians claim that those who accepted the Gospel would always experience
affluent life. The inconsistency between the prosperity theology and the presence
of hardships in Christian life calls for a reevaluation of the theme of suffering
based on biblical viewpoint. The suffering motif is deeply embedded in the
Epsitle to the Hebrews. The book of Hebrews presupposes the reality of suffering
and offers key answers on why Christians experience hardships in life even
though they are faithful to God. With this perspective in mind, this paper
examines a major issue in the Epistle to the Hebrews; How does the book of
Hebrews explain the presence and purpose of suffering in Christian life? Using
the synthetic approach, this paper found that the presence of sufferings is an
integral part of Christian life and in line with the Divine plan. Sufferings function
as prophylactic against spiritual laxness and apostasy and motivate believers for
further endurance and faithfulness. They escalate the anticipation of the promised
eschatological reward. Thus, Christians should have a healthy and positive
outlook in the midst of their suffering experiences.