Paul’S Suffering For The Gospel And His Enjoyment
PAUL'S SUFFERING
FOR THE GOSPEL AND HIS ENJOYMENT
OF GRACE
In this booklet we shall consider Paul's suf fering for the gospel and his enjoyment of grace. It is easy to understand the matter of suffering for the gospel and of enjoying grace in a natural way. However, in approaching spiritual things, we need to go beyond the natural or traditional understanding. According to the book of Philip pians, to suffer for the gospel and to enjoy grace are both deep matters.
To suffer for the gospel means that you are on earth solely for the interest of God's economy. To suffer for the gospel is to care for the accom plishment of God's economy. The gospel includes God's economy, and suffering for the gospel re quires that we participate in God's economy. Thus, to suffer for the gospel actually means to share in the carrying out of God's economy.
Paul's writings indicate that he suffered for the gospel. However, the gospel for which he suffered