The Perfume and the Cesspit: Is There A Difference In The Suffering of the Righteous and the Wicked?

On September 11, 2001 there were Christians and non-Christians working side by side when a plane collided with the building where they were working. Since then, hurricanes, typhoons, and tornadoes have swept Christians away with non-Christians oftentimes leaving their families to pick up the pieces in the midst of the chaos. Think further on this topic and the topics seem endless. Christians and non-Christians get cancer. Christians and non-Christians lose children. Christians and non-Christians die of the flu. The fact is that Christians and non-Christians undergo much of the same suffering on this earth.

All of this leads us to ask a simple question. Is there a difference between the suffering of the Christian and the non-Christian?

Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD) had to answer this question. Rome had just been sacked and it was a cataclysmic event that is aptly described by Jerome.

“My voice sticks in my throat, and, as I dictate, sobs choke me. The city which had taken the whole world was itself taken.”

This was the “Eternal City”, because people thought that it would never fall. But, as Jerome states, the city which had dominated the world was itself “taken”. And in the midst of this huge event both Christians and non-Christians suffered alike.

The Roman Empire had not been Christian for very long and so the Pagans began to state that the Fall of Rome was due to the Christianizing of the Empire. As proof they stated that both Pagan and Christian suffered alike in the sacking of Rome. Doesn’t that prove that the Christian God should not be worshiped? So, how would Augustine respond?

All People Do Suffer

To live life on this earth is to, at least at times, face suffering. This is true and everyone sees it. I have had colds and sinus infections this year. I have had two knee surgeries in the last 3 months. My children have had stomach viruses and other illnesses. Over the years people have died in my family from different illnesses and diseases. We know from experience that if we live on this earth we will at times suffer.

This, Augustine admitted. And, as a side note, was proof that the teaching of Christianity was true. But, this does not meant hat God has the same intention for the Christian as the Non-Christian in the midst of the suffering.

Same Suffering, Different Results

Augustine’s response, in my opinion, is brilliant. The difference lies not in the amount of suffering that people undergo, but in the different people. A person who has been transformed by the power of the gospel through the finished work of Christ will respond differently to suffering than a Non-Christian.

“…when the good and the wicked suffer alike, the identity of their suffering does not mean that there is no difference between them. Though the sufferings are the same, the sufferers remain different….The fire which makes gold shine makes chaff smoke; the same flail breaks up the straw, and clears the grain; and oil is not mistaken for lees because both are forced out by the same press. In the same way, the violence which assails good men to test them, to cleanse and purify them, effects in the wicked their condemnation, ruin, and annihilation. Thus the wicked, under pressure of affliction, execrate God and blaspheme; the good, in the same affliction, offer up prayers and praises. This shows that what matters is the nature of the sufferer, not the nature of the sufferings. Stir a cesspit, and a foul stench arises; stir a perfume, and a delightful fragrance ascends. But the movement is identical.”-St. Augustine, City of God; Penguin Books, 1984, p. 14

When a Christian has cancer at the same time as a Non-Christian has cancer there may not be a difference in the amount of suffering that they undergo. But there is a difference. When the Christian is squeezed in the midst of trials it causes them to turn to Christ all the more. As Augustine said here, they “offer up prayers and praises”. It is not so when the Non-Christian is squeezed. When they are squeezed their hatred of God comes out.

Same Suffering, Different Purpose

Augustine is also quick to point out that there is a difference in God’s purpose for the suffering of the Righteous and the Wicked. In the above quote he said, “In the same way, the violence which assails good men to test them, to cleanse and purify them, effects in the wicked their condemnation, ruin, and annihilation.” Augustine is pointing out that though the event is the same God has a different purpose for it. If you pay close attention to the way people around you behave in the midst of their suffering you can sometimes see this principle played out.

How many times have you heard people say that they hate God or don’t believe in Him because of the suffering of people around them? Yet, how many times have you heard people say that they grew close to God in the midst of suffering?

If you’re like me then you have definitely heard both. In fact, I have seen in my life that the darkest times have led to the greatest dependence and love for God. It is God doing different things with different people in the midst of the same suffering.

“Thus, in the universal catastrophe, the sufferings of Christians have tended to their moral improvement, because they viewed them with the eyes of faith.”-St. Augustine, City of God, Penguin Books, 1984, p. 14

The Christian sees God working in the midst of the suffering of this life. They see their suffering through “the eyes of faith”. Through the tears and the fear of the unknown they rest on the promises of God in the midst of their suffering. And the result is that it actually makes them better people, better Christians.

Practical Thoughts From The Perfume And The Cesspit

There are a few takeaways from the question and Augustine’s response to it.

1. We will suffer in this life. We need to be ready for it. Christians need to be soaked in a solid understanding of the sovereignty of God. We need to hold fast to passages such as Romans 8. God’s promises will be an anchor for our souls in the midst of trials. So, be ready. Those who do not yet trust in Christ need to trust in Him. This is truly, the only answer to being ready for the suffering of this life.
2. God has a purpose for the suffering of His people. God uses our suffering for our good. “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.”-Romans 8:28 ESV We may not know what that purpose is, but it is for our ultimate good. We must trust God in the midst of our suffering.
3. Christians suffer in the same manner as Non-Christians, but that does not mean that God does not care for them or that He does not exist. God’s love and care for His people is seen in the eternal purpose of God in their suffering. Their suffering is working out for their good (Romans 8:28), while the suffering of others is not.
4. God is in complete control. Even in the midst of a situation where many different people are suffering, God is doing something different with different people.

I hope that looking into the answer of Augustine to the accusation of the Pagans in his day helps us all to see the purpose in our suffering even when our suffering is the same as our Non-Christian neighbors.

R. Dwain Minor