Objection: The Lord Allows Testing So We Can Be a Comfort to Others Later (2 Corinthians 1:4-6)

At first this seems to just be a restatement of the objection that God afflicts you so that you can empathize with the afflicted, but the context is different.  Let’s review the passage in question.

2 Corinthians 1:4-6:
Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.
And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.

The problem with using this as a healing objection passage is that this has nothing to do with getting diseases!  The “tribulation” in verse 4 refers to the “sufferings of Christ” in verse 5.  While Jesus bore your sicknesses at the very end of His life, getting a cold is not a “suffering of Christ” because He didn’t live His life suffering from colds and other diseases.  He did, however, suffer from persecution throughout His ministry years, and we are told that we will suffer persecution as well.  The Lord obviously “allows” it but that still doesn’t mean that He wills it, as He also “allows” transgender sports record-breakers, looting, prostitution, crime syndicates and so on.

At least in the case of this objection, the tribulations we face do equip us to help others who are facing tribulations, even though the devil is the source of them.  But this doesn’t have a thing to do with sicknesses!  Jesus was able to minister successfully to people with every kind of disease, but He didn’t have to be sick with those diseases first to help those suffering from them.  Neither do you.