²⁹ For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, ³⁰ experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.

Opposition will come in the Christian life. Paul hinted at this in the last verse (28), that we don’t need to be alarmed by those who oppose our faith. Unity of the believers is our protection. This seems odd on the surface of it. The Greek word “granted” is charizomai which means to bestow something freely. It is related to the word “charis,” grace. Here Paul encourages his readers that not only is faith a gift from God, but so is suffering as well.

Suffering is the big “Why?” question that plagues human existence. The problem of pain has been the screaming issue for untold millions who suffer from physical, relational and emotional pain. Sickness and death are unfortunate facts of life. Yet Paul wrote that suffering is “granted” or “bestowed” on us. How in the world can all this be a gift? Isn’t suffering a symptom of living in a broken world, a result of sin in the world?

Of course this question begs a much larger answer than we can adequately address here, but suffice it to say that Paul is speaking of suffering that comes in opposition to faithfulness. It is all of one package, faith and suffering, common to Paul and to the Lord Jesus Christ. When faith penetrates the darkness, there is disruption and stress. The darkness reacts. And a point of entry forms every time faith is expressed, for it is precisely at that point eternity penetrates the membrane that engulfs the world. The Philippians, and all faithful believers, are God’s chosen vessels for this penetration. We continue to walk in His image as we believe and as we accept the suffering of opposition as a necessary attendant to being light in the world.

Notice, the suffering is not a stand-alone experience without purpose. God does not call us to “enjoy” or even embrace suffering as though by itself there is some spiritual value. Suffering is indeed a result of living in a broken world, but suffering is redeemed through faith, and given value and purpose. Did not God do this at the cross? He redeemed mankind through the suffering caused by mankind’s rejection of Christ. So also, though our spiritual opponent, Satan, can use any kind of suffering to knock us off our faithful pathway of trusting God, faith turns suffering into an opportunity to trust Christ and share in suffering like He experienced. So, in this sense, suffering of any kind can be redeemed and thought of as “bestowed” or “granted” to use for Christ’s sake.