Objection: All Christians Are Clearly Told That They Will Suffer in This Life

Yes, that is true.  But they are never told that they have to suffer sickness!  The suffering talked about for the New Testament believer is always persecution, not disease.  You cannot find one Scripture in the Bible promising a righteous child of God that he will have to get sick in this life.  You will find plenty that tell you that you don’t have to get sick!  Preachers sometimes use certain verses in First Peter to prove that we have to suffer sickness, despite the fact that Peter did not mention sickness as a suffering.  Remember, Peter said that you were healed by Jesus’ stripes (1 Peter 2:24)!  First Peter deals in great detail with suffering persecution as a Christian.  That kind of suffering is the clear and obvious context for all statements made about suffering in that book.

All who want to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution (2 Timothy 3:12), but nowhere do we read that all who want to live godly in Christ Jesus must suffer sickness.  Suffering persecution is real and no amount of faith makes you exempt from it.  Sickness is another matter.  So yes, you will suffer in this life.  But don’t suffer something you don’t have to suffer!

See the discussion, Suffering for more proof of this.  Also see the specific objection based on 1 Peter 5:10.