Bible Dictionary
SUFFERING
Suffering may mean permitting, experiencing hardship, tolerating another, undergoing punishment, sustaining loss, or enduring death. Christ’s suffering culminated in His sacrificial death, and His followers are called to share in suffering for God’s sake.
Biblical Usage
Christ’s suffering includes hardship and affliction culminating in His vicarious death. His followers also share suffering for God’s or Christ’s sake; this fellowship joins them to the saints and to the Lord Himself and serves as discipline shaping their character.