“And if children, then heirs – heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him.” Romans 8:17
There are differing views about suffering among professing Christians. Some teach that genuine Christians will not have to suffer in this life. If you do suffer, then they say you are not a Christian because according to their view suffering is not God’s will for the believer. Others teach that you must suffer in order to have eternal life and go to heaven when you die.
However, in the book of Romans, the apostle Paul makes it very clear that to be justified (declared totally righteous) before God and go to heaven all you must do is believe or have faith in Jesus Christ alone (Romans 3:21-5:9a). No amount of suffering on our part will save us from our sins. Only trusting in Christ alone who died for our sins and rose from the dead is required to be saved from sin’s penalty and have a home in heaven. So going to heaven is not based upon our suffering, but upon faith in the suffering of Jesus Christ who paid for all of our sins when He died in our place on the cross.
But in Romans 6-8, Paul is talking about growing in our Christian lives. And in chapter 8 of Romans, Paul tells us that suffering is part of the process that God uses to help us grow to be more like Christ (8:17-29). All believers in Jesus are “children of God” (cf. John 1:12) which means they are all “heirs of God” (8:16b-17a). This future inheritance of all believers includes a home in heaven and a glorified resurrection body (cf. John 14:1-3; I Corinthians 15:35-58; Revelation 21-22).
But to be a “joint heirs with Christ” (8:17b) includes ruling with Him in His coming Kingdom (cf. Mark 10:27-30; 2 Timothy 2:12). The book of Hebrews tells us that the Son of God is the Heir of all things (Hebrews 1:2) which includes ruling over all the nations (Hebrews 1:4-14; Psalm 2:6-9). Since mankind lost his dominion over all of creation at the Fall (Hebrews 2:6-8; cf. Genesis 3:1-6), Christ will fulfill mankind’s destiny when He returns to earth and brings all creation under His rule (1 Cor. 15:27-28; Hebrews 1:8-13). Christ had to suffer and die for mankind because He would bring “many sons to glory” and be the Captain “of their salvation …through sufferings” (Hebrews 2:9-10). Before Jesus could lead His “many sons” to glory, He had to be made “perfect” for this role “through sufferings.” Since His brethren would have to suffer, He would have to as well in order to give them the kind of help they would need (cf. Hebrews 2:18; 4:14-16).
As a Firstborn (Ruling) Son (Romans 8:29), Jesus “learned obedience by the things which He suffered” (Hebrews 5:8). Since Christ’s pathway to rulership was through suffering, so our pathway to ruling with Him includes suffering.
The joint heirship mentioned in Romans 8:17 is not common to all Christians, but only to those who “suffer with Christ.” To suffer with Christ means you suffer for doing what honors Him, not for what dishonors Him. For example, suffering with Christ does not refer to the suffering one incurs for robbing a bank, lying, or living an immoral life. To suffer with Christ would be like a former Muslim whose faith in Christ and bold witness for Him leads to the loss of his life. It may also include being ostracized at your work because of your commitment to Christ.
You could avoid this type of suffering by being a secret believer or disciple (cf. John 9:22; 12:42; 19:38). For example, the former Muslim could keep his relationship with Christ a secret to avoid physical death. Or you could hide your faith in Christ from your co-workers to avoid their disapproval. You may think this option is better than the pain of suffering with Christ.
But the apostle Paul would disagree with that conclusion. He writes, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18). No amount of suffering with Christ now can outweigh the glory which shall be revealed in us when we receive the reward of ruling with Him in His coming Kingdom. God assures us that our suffering with Christ will be worth the glorious rewards He will give when He returns for His own.
Conclusion: Must I suffer to go to heaven? No, because Jesus already suffered for my sin when He died on the cross and rose from the dead. All He asks is that I believe in Him as my only hope of heaven (John 3:14-15). But I must suffer with Christ to rule with Him in His coming Kingdom (Romans 8:17; 2 Timothy 2:12).