Suffering as a Means of Spiritual Growth      Sufferings (pathēma) encompass a broader category that includes pain, hardship, or affliction resulting from life in a fallen world, the hostility of others, or divine discipline. The word pathēma derives from paschō, meaning “to experience, suffer, endure…affliction.”[1] The word is frequently used in the New Testament to describe the sufferings of Christ as well as those of His followers (Phil 3:10). Peter wrote, “After you have suffered [paschō] for a little while, the God of all grace…will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you” (1 Pet 5:10). Suffering may come through persecution for righteousness (2 Tim 3:12), through physical weakness or limitation (2 Cor 12:7–9), or simply through the general consequences of living in a sin-cursed world (Rom 8:18–22).      While trials test faith, sufferings train the soul through endurance, humility, and dependence upon God’s sustaining grace. Paul’s personal afflictions illustrate this reality well. Though he pleaded three times for relief from his “thorn in the flesh,” the Lord replied, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness” (2 Cor 12:8–9). Likewise, Joseph’s prolonged suffering in Egypt, though marked by injustice and hardship, became the means by which God shaped his character and positioned him for blessing and service (Gen 37–50).      The Hebrew counterpart to pathēma is עָנָה (ʿānâ), which means to “be bowed down, afflicted…be put down or become low.”[2] It is often used to describe the suffering of God’s people under pressure (Ex 1:11–12; Deut 8:2–3) or the self-humbling that accompanies dependence upon the Lord (Lev 16:29, 31; cf. Jam 4:6; 1 Pet 5:6). Both pathēma andʿānâ express the spiritual principle that God uses adversity not to crush His people but to conform them to His character. Through suffering rightly endured, believers are drawn into closer fellowship with Christ, as Paul wrote, “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings [pathēma]” (Phil 3:10). Categories of Suffering      Scripture presents several categories of suffering in the believer’s life, each serving distinct purposes within God’s sovereign plan. Some suffering comes because of righteousness, as Paul wrote, “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim 3:12). Peter echoes this when he states, “Even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed” (1 Pet 3:14). To suffer for righteousness means God permits evil men to persecute the believer who is walking in His will (John 15:18–19; 2 Tim 3:12). Yet God blesses by supplying grace sufficient in the moment (2 Cor 12:9), and future reward at the judgment seat of Christ where faithful endurance will be recognized (1 Cor 3:12–15; 2 Cor 5:10). At times, suffering comes for the sake of testimony, advancing the gospel and glorifying God. Paul wrote, “Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel” (Phil 1:12). The “circumstances” Paul refers to are his imprisonment in Rome, which placed him under house arrest while awaiting trial before Caesar (Acts 28:16, 30).[3] There is also the category of shared suffering with Christ, as Paul longed “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings” (Phil 3:10). These forms of suffering reveal God’s sovereign use of adversity for His glory and the believer’s growth. Apart from these, Scripture identifies two main forms of suffering that promote spiritual growth: corrective suffering, which restores the disobedient to fellowship, and perfective suffering, which refines the obedient toward greater maturity in Christ. Steven R. Cook, D.Min., M.Div.   [1] Moisés Silva, ed., New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology and Exegesis (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2014), 666. [2] Francis Brown, Samuel Rolles Driv