Sources of suffering for the wicked
The wicked are harmed by the consequences of the paths they choose. God’s commandments lead a person in the most direct path possible to what they desire. Only in complete obedience to God can a person be assured that any suffering they encounter is absolutely necessary to obtain what they seek and precisely calculated for their greatest benefit.
God is graceful in consistently providing us evidence of the benefit or harm of the paths we take. Through faith, the Lord teaches all those who seek him how to obtain what they seek, and how to avoid all unnecessary suffering along the way. The righteous are not disappointed in their hopes, and they obtain everything they seek and more through God’s love, knowledge, and justice.
God has given us the gift of choice, and we can choose to notice the ample evidence of good and evil all around us, or we can choose to ignore or act contrary to that evidence. Those who persist in harmful desires, flawed reasons, dishonest reasons, or unwise actions will fail to obtain the outcomes they seek. Instead, they will encounter increasing portions of the consequences of their suboptimal paths, whether in the lack of what they seek or the violent removal of what they thought they already had:
17 Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted.
18 Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death.
19 Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses. (Psalm 107)
Although God delays the full weight of the consequences of both beneficial and harmful paths to enable faith and repentance, the consequences of life’s choices are always eventually revealed, whether gradually or suddenly. While a surprising number of people have an astonishing capacity to hide from the truth in life, whether here or hereafter, every person will come to an inescapable realization of things as they really are. The righteous will thrive in a constant joy fueled by a knowledge of the trust in and love of God they exercised in life, as well as a full view of the benefit others received from their sacrifice on their behalf. The wicked will be constantly tormented by the revelation of the harm they have caused, the evidence of the greater good they could have done, and the comprehension of what they could have had if they hadn’t rejected abundant opportunities.
The revelation of the truth causes pain to the wicked because it causes them to experience the loss of what they thought they had—either by its removal or the revelation that what they have is less than they thought. In contrast, the truth causes rejoicing in the righteous, either because it delivers to them the fruit of their faith, or if not, still shows them a better path to obtaining what they seek.
Those who choose paths that lead to unnecessary suffering will unavoidably experience the sorrow of the wicked. The outcomes they obtain will differ from what they expected:
But behold this my joy was vain, for their sorrowing was not unto repentance, because of the goodness of God; but it was rather the sorrowing of the damned, because the Lord would not always suffer them to take happiness in sin. (Mormon 2:13)
Harmful desires cause unnecessary suffering. Paths that deviate from things as they really are will always result in misery, not happiness:
Do not suppose, because it has been spoken concerning restoration, that ye shall be restored from sin to happiness. Behold, I say unto you, wickedness never was happiness. (Alma 41:10)
Flawed reasoning causes unnecessary suffering. Flawed reasoning can be sincere, but its incorrectness or incompleteness will make it just as ineffective as willful rebellion from truth. Those who follow inadequate reasoning will find themselves surprised by the outcomes they obtain, which will differ from what they desired. They will be disappointed by not receiving what they thought they would, and pained by what they receive instead.
Dishonest reasoning causes unnecessary suffering. Those who deceive themselves turn away from the suggestions of honest reason, preferring the sweet lie that they can somehow break the relationship between cause and effect, obtaining a different outcome than that of anyone else who did the same thing they plan to do. Those who lie to themselves achieve nothing except the temporary denial of reality, and even this fleeting pleasure comes at the cost of the future debt of disillusionment, where the pain of violent reconciliation to reality and the undeniable knowledge that you lied to yourself are suffered in addition to the consequences of walking a suboptimal path. Additionally, for dishonest people to remain in their delusion requires them to flee from or push away any situation or person that sheds light on things as they really are. Unfortunately, people in this situation fail to realize that their situation is far from unique. It’s an extremely common reaction pattern known from the foundation of the world:
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. (John 3)
The sorrow of the wicked comes from obtaining the consequences appointed for the desires and actions they choose—consequences which are dictated by the immutable law of cause and effect declared by God before the foundation of the world, and which differ from what the recipient wishes were true.
The faithful suffer, too
God never said that the righteous would not suffer. In fact, he said quite the opposite. The Lord said that those who love him will suffer greatly: “we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.” (Acts 14:22) He said that the servant is not above the master, and that we should not be surprised when the world treats us the same way it treated him:
Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you... (John 15:20)
Suffering increases with righteousness. Paul described the suffering of those who were so righteous the world “was not worthy” of them:
35 ...others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:
36 And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:
37 They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Hebrews 11)
The more righteous a person, the more the wicked will hate and persecute them, and the greater their suffering will be. Similarly, the more righteous a person, the more willing they will be to suffer greater things for the benefit of others.
While the righteous suffer greatly, they do not suffer in the same ways as the wicked. They enter into suffering because they are willing to do what is right, while the wicked suffer because they are unwilling to do what is right. Consequently, the righteous are both spared from all unnecessary suffering and they are given all strength and power through faith in Christ to overcome all suffering.
For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. (1 John 5:4)
The righteous will avoid all unnecessary suffering through keeping God’s commandments. In faith, God also provides the righteous with the greatest support possible to enable them to endure suffering which cannot be avoided in their journey towards the knowledge God possesses.
And the Lord provided for them that they should hunger not, neither should they thirst; yea, and he also gave them strength, that they should suffer no manner of afflictions, save it were swallowed up in the joy of Christ. Now this was according to the prayer of Alma; and this because he prayed in faith. (Alma 31:38)
Having afflictions “swallowed up” does not mean they don’t exist. It doesn’t mean they don’t cause extreme pain. As evidence of this point, consider that the same phrase is used to describe how resurrection saves the faithful from the finality of death:
But there is a resurrection, therefore the grave hath no victory, and the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ. (Mosiah 16:8)
Many righteous people have and will die. Yet, faith in the mission, character, and teachings of Christ change a faithful person’s experience in death. Those who die with faith in Christ do not experience the bitterness felt by those who do not have faith:
`...they never did look upon death with any degree of terror, for their hope and views of Christ and the resurrection; therefore, death was swallowed up to them by the victory of Christ over it. (Alma 27:28)`
The sting of death is “swallowed up” by their understanding of how their experience—no matter how painful—is for their benefit:
...the sufferings and death of Christ atone for their sins, through faith and repentance...breaketh the bands of death, that the grave shall have no victory, and that the sting of death should be swallowed up in the hopes of glory.... (Alma 22:14)
“Swallowed up in Christ” means that faith in Christ can provide a counterbalance to the pain. It means that, through Christ, the afflictions can be made worthwhile.
Only the righteous will possess the requisite purpose to find joy in the midst of the greatest of suffering.
Unlike that of the wicked, whose suffering will continue until they learn from it, the suffering of the righteous ends when justice is meted out by God: “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.” (Psalm 34:19)
The exercise of faith actually contributes to the joy one obtains after walking the path of godly suffering, as the retrospective awareness that you pushed forward based only on faith provides you with joyful satisfaction in what you have obtained. It is the confidence that you remained fully faithful to God at all hazards that gives you the “boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus.” (Hebrews 10:19) It is your willingness to suffer—"to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon [you], even as a child doth submit to his father” (Mosiah 3:19)—that gives you “a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men.” (Acts 24:16) Your willingness to endure all necessary suffering through faith in Christ gives you “boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.” (Ephesians 3:12) Through following the example of Christ “at all times and in all things, and in all places” (Mosiah 18:9)—through any suffering that might require, even if it requires your life—you will “have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.” (1 John 4:17)
Willingly postponed blessings
God has many things prepared for the righteous that exceed the comprehension of all who have not yet received them. As you are faithful to God in all times and places, he will reveal to you the good things that await the righteous. Through faith, you can accept the preview of what you otherwise would not bear to know exists, while not yet having it. You will then do and endure all things necessary to obtain what God has given you the idea of.
The burden of knowing of these things without having them, which is a necessary prerequisite to obtaining them, is immense. We can find peace in remembering the example of Jesus Christ, who experienced this burden to a greater extent than any can in this life.
Jesus experienced the greatest loss possible on this earth, leaving his glorified, immortal life in the presence of the Father to be born as a man on earth:
And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. (John 3:13)
Though none of us came from as exalted a station as the Lord, many here did willingly sacrifice some degree of glory by coming to this earth. Many have some degree of God’s goodness revealed to them in this life, and have to remain here with less than what they now know is possible. This was the experience of Alma, who saw in vision God’s throne and felt his love. He said:
20 And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!
21 Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy.
22 Yea, methought I saw, even as our father Lehi saw, God sitting upon his throne, surrounded with numberless concourses of angels, in the attitude of singing and praising their God; yea, and my soul did long to be there. (Alma 36)
Everyone who obtains eternal life will first know the pain of knowing something about the glory of God on his throne, longing to be there, and knowing that they must instead remain here to do the things that God has appointed them to do.
Some take the initiative to willingly abdicate other things in their lives for the benefit of others. For example, some willingly leave the presence of good people so that they can help those who are not yet good. Enoch left his righteous family in order to minister to the rest of humanity. Nephi, the son of Helaman, ranged through the entire land preaching to the hard-hearted people. Samuel the Lamanite left his people to preach to iniquitous Nephites. And so on.
Consider, in detail, just one such example—that of the sons of Mosiah, who abdicated their thrones to dwell among the hate-filled and idolatrous Lamanites:
5 Now these are the circumstances which attended them in their journeyings, for they had many afflictions; they did suffer much, both in body and in mind, such as hunger, thirst and fatigue, and also much labor in the spirit.
6 Now these were their journeyings: Having taken leave of their father, Mosiah, in the first year of the judges; having refused the kingdom which their father was desirous to confer upon them, and also this was the minds of the people;
7 Nevertheless they departed out of the land of Zarahemla, and took their swords, and their spears, and their bows, and their arrows, and their slings; and this they did that they might provide food for themselves while in the wilderness.
8 And thus they departed into the wilderness with their numbers which they had selected, to go up to the land of Nephi, to preach the word of God unto the Lamanites.
9 And it came to pass that they journeyed many days in the wilderness, and they fasted much and prayed much that the Lord would grant unto them a portion of his Spirit to go with them, and abide with them, that they might be an instrument in the hands of God to bring, if it were possible, their brethren, the Lamanites, to the knowledge of the truth, to the knowledge of the baseness of the traditions of their fathers, which were not correct.
10 And it came to pass that the Lord did visit them with his Spirit, and said unto them: Be comforted. And they were comforted.
11 And the Lord said unto them also: Go forth among the Lamanites, thy brethren, and establish my word; yet ye shall be patient in long suffering and afflictions, that ye may show forth good examples unto them in me, and I will make an instrument of thee in my hands unto the salvation of many souls.
12 And it came to pass that the hearts of the sons of Mosiah, and also those who were with them, took courage to go forth unto the Lamanites to declare unto them the word of God.
13 And it came to pass when they had arrived in the borders of the land of the Lamanites, that they separated themselves and departed one from another, trusting in the Lord that they should meet again at the close of their harvest; for they supposed that great was the work which they had undertaken.
14 And assuredly it was great, for they had undertaken to preach the word of God to a wild and a hardened and a ferocious people; a people who delighted in murdering the Nephites, and robbing and plundering them; and their hearts were set upon riches, or upon gold and silver, and precious stones; yet they sought to obtain these things by murdering and plundering, that they might not labor for them with their own hands.
15 Thus they were a very indolent people, many of whom did worship idols, and the curse of God had fallen upon them because of the traditions of their fathers; notwithstanding the promises of the Lord were extended unto them on the conditions of repentance.
16 Therefore, this was the cause for which the sons of Mosiah had undertaken the work, that perhaps they might bring them unto repentance; that perhaps they might bring them to know of the plan of redemption.
17 Therefore they separated themselves one from another, and went forth among them, every man alone, according to the word and power of God which was given unto him.
18 Now Ammon being the chief among them, or rather he did administer unto them, and he departed from them, after having blessed them according to their several stations, having imparted the word of God unto them, or administered unto them before his departure; and thus they took their several journeys throughout the land. (Alma 17)
The willing abdication of what one qualifies for in order to bless others is something known to many, not just those who have had supernatural experiences. Anyone who has given hard-earned money to those who could not pay them back, or to those who were not willing to pay the price to obtain it themselves, or to those who could not even appreciate the cost of what was given, has experienced this. Those who learn what these experiences are designed to teach and put those lessons into action will invariably be given experiences of greater magnitude until they find themselves being tutored in the glory of God. Unfortunately, most people run as fast and as far as they can from the initial experiences.
Willingly enduring unmerited suffering
The righteous suffer in order to bring about greater joy in themselves and others. By subjecting the faithful to unmerited suffering, God makes a way—through justice—to exalt them and to bless others through them:
21 Nevertheless the Lord seeth fit to chasten his people; yea, he trieth their patience and their faith.
22 Nevertheless—whosoever putteth his trust in him the same shall be lifted up at the last day. Yea, and thus it was with this people. (Mosiah 23)
God often subjects the righteous to unmerited suffering in order for them to merit even greater future blessings:
Then will Jehovah delay his coming, that he may favor you; out of mercy toward you he will remain aloof. For Jehovah is the God of justice; blessed are all who wait for him. (Isaiah 30:18, Gileadi Translation)
When God blesses you with unmerited suffering, he gives you the opportunity to amass treasures in heaven through your abdication of what you deserve, in faith preferring what is hereafter over what could be had here and now:
19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Matthew 6)
Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. (Matthew 19:21)
Through your “not accepting deliverance” you qualify for “a better resurrection” (see Hebrews 11:35). When you prove faithful in affliction, God can work through your faith to bless you with what justice requires:
`And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. (Matthew 19:29)`
Though willful unmerited suffering is the key to obtaining the greatest outcomes for yourself, more importantly, it is also the only way for you to obtain the greatest outcomes for others.
Through unmerited suffering, you will invariably obtain the eventual positive payout of God’s justice, and in so doing, gain the ability to testify of the goodness of God beyond what others who have not suffered what you have can say:
And I have been supported under trials and troubles of every kind, yea, and in all manner of afflictions; yea, God has delivered me from prison, and from bonds, and from death; yea, and I do put my trust in him, and he will still deliver me. (Alma 36:27)
But Alma went forth and stood among them, and exhorted them that they should not be frightened, but that they should remember the Lord their God and he would deliver them. (Mosiah 23:27)
...I do know that whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day. (Alma 36:3)
During and after your trials, you can transfer to others the deferred blessings God has promised you. You gain the power to ask God to transfer your blessings to others. The scriptures are full of examples of this, from Moses imploring God to spare Israel for his sake, to David staying the plague God sent by standing in the midst of the people, to Noah saving his wife and sons from the flood.
Increased awareness of evil
Another source of suffering for the faithful is found in increased perception of the evil in the human heart. The suffering of the faithful consists largely in suffering from a greater awareness of the depth and breadth of evil that exists in this world while enduring the lack of an equally enhanced awareness of good. Their awareness of the wickedness of the hearts of men causes them to suffer in their desires to free people from the grip of sin.
It was said of Jesus that:
24 ...he knew all men,
25 And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man. (John 2)
How did he know? From constant, repeated experience. As a young child, he naively assumed that all people were like him, or even better than he was. He was continuously disappointed in his projection of his inherent goodness onto others, who bitterly disappointed and betrayed him over and over again throughout his whole life.
Those who will be disciples of Christ will experience the same to the degree they love him and follow his example in all things. Some prophets have written of their discovery of human nature:
1 And thus we can behold how false, and also the unsteadiness of the hearts of the children of men; yea, we can see that the Lord in his great infinite goodness doth bless and prosper those who put their trust in him.
2 Yea, and we may see at the very time when he doth prosper his people, yea, in the increase of their fields, their flocks and their herds, and in gold, and in silver, and in all manner of precious things of every kind and art; sparing their lives, and delivering them out of the hands of their enemies; softening the hearts of their enemies that they should not declare wars against them; yea, and in fine, doing all things for the welfare and happiness of his people; yea, then is the time that they do harden their hearts, and do forget the Lord their God, and do trample under their feet the Holy One—yea, and this because of their ease, and their exceedingly great prosperity.
3 And thus we see that except the Lord doth chasten his people with many afflictions, yea, except he doth visit them with death and with terror, and with famine and with all manner of pestilence, they will not remember him.
4 O how foolish, and how vain, and how evil, and devilish, and how quick to do iniquity, and how slow to do good, are the children of men; yea, how quick to hearken unto the words of the evil one, and to set their hearts upon the vain things of the world! 5 Yea, how quick to be lifted up in pride; yea, how quick to boast, and do all manner of that which is iniquity; and how slow are they to remember the Lord their God, and to give ear unto his counsels, yea, how slow to walk in wisdom’s paths!
6 Behold, they do not desire that the Lord their God, who hath created them, should rule and reign over them; notwithstanding his great goodness and his mercy towards them, they do set at naught his counsels, and they will not that he should be their guide.
7 O how great is the nothingness of the children of men; yea, even they are less than the dust of the earth. (Helaman 12)
The righteous must endure great persecution. They are attacked because of the light that is in them, and many of those who harm them do not realize what they are doing or why.
Those who follow Jesus will feel the pain of others wasting what they have paid the price to bring them. Those who have sacrificed the most to obtain and give away the most will feel the most pain in seeing what they offer underappreciated, resisted, or rejected.
The righteous suffer “with great anxiety even unto pain” for the welfare of those who choose wickedness and their victims (see Alma 13:27). The limited benefit and great cost of things sought after in the world are continuously before those who have sought after and found God, causing great sorrow. Still, what hurts more is the knowledge that they possess the key of deliverance from chains, yet the enslaved will not take it.
Enduring to the end through faith
Joy comes from value. Value comes from suffering. Because God desires for each of us to obtain as much joy as we are willing to receive, we are required to suffer, but this suffering is very different than the suffering of the wicked. Joy is preceded by the suffering required to obtain and live according to the knowledge and character of God.
Faith is central to the mechanism for obtaining greater joy in at least two ways. First, faith helps a person walk into a path of greater suffering in order to obtain greater joy. Joy comes from learning and living according to beliefs that produce it. However, the greater the joy, the less obvious the way, because discovering and walking paths that lead to greater joy causes greater suffering. Only faith will prove sufficient to help you endure what must be endured to encounter the joy that lies on the other side of the willful suffering that permeates the life of the righteous. Only faith will enable you to do what is required for you to encounter the greatest joy. Through faith, you will do harder things, endure longer paths, and suffer more than you would without faith:
Know ye that ye must come to the knowledge of your fathers, and repent of all your sins and iniquities, and believe in Jesus Christ, that he is the Son of God, and that he was slain by the Jews, and by the power of the Father he hath risen again, whereby he hath gained the victory over the grave; and also in him is the sting of death swallowed up. (Mormon 7:5)
As you subject yourself to affliction through your faith in Christ, you will enable God to lead you to greater outcomes and to teach you what you can understand in no other way.
A person can’t be saved in ignorance. “It is impossible for a man to be saved in ignorance.” (D&C 131:6) Rather, as one becomes a disciple of Christ, their life transforms into a school where God teaches them, little by little, more about how he is and about how the world is.
As you develop and retain complete trust in God and exercise complete obedience to him, he will teach you what you need to know to be capable of experiencing complete and continuous happiness in spite of the depth and breadth of suffering in this world:
And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it. (Mosiah 2:41)
In so doing, he will prepare you to continue to be this way forever after this life, when all people will be eternally exposed to things as they really are—a degree of knowledge containing far more pain and sorrow than the uninitiated can endure in this life (see D&C 19:1-22).
Power is required to endure that level of pain and suffering. Faith, hope, and charity are tied together as corequisites to enduring in acting according to your understanding of God’s character as he continuously reveals more of himself and more about reality to you.
Enduring all things here causes you to gain the unspeakable power of God that can be felt, but not spoken, by those who can sense the burdens you have carried, even if they can’t see them:
25 ...none other power can operate against them— 26 And this because of their exceeding faith, and their patience in their tribulations—(Alma 60)
Endurance can only come through faith and it is through faith that a person endures what is required to learn about and become like God. Through repeatedly receiving more information about God from others, evaluating what they’ve heard through reason, and implementing the elements that have support, a person will gain more and more knowledge of and trust in God and will acquire his character and attributes.