Week 10: Chapter 9 — Suffering: The Sacrifice of Christian Hedonism

1.Piper calls suffering "the sacrifice of Christian Hedonism" — a phrase that sounds almost contradictory. How can suffering be part of a philosophy built on joy? What does Piper mean?

2.Piper draws on Paul's extraordinary claim in 2 Corinthians 4:17 that present sufferings are "a light momentary affliction" preparing for us "an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison." What enables Paul to see his sufferings — which were severe by any measure — as light? What role does joy play in this reframing?

3.Piper argues that suffering is one of the primary ways God deepens, purifies, and authenticates our joy in him — by stripping away the counterfeit satisfactions we are tempted to rely on. Have you experienced suffering that drove you closer to God rather than further away? What made the difference?