Abstract
This research has focused on the role of the Holy Spirit in Christian suffering. A broad
concept of suffering is excluded in the study. Of particular concern to this research is
suffering for the sake of Jesus Christ.
Methods employed in the study are: 1) Narrative approach, an approach that allows the
narratives to tell their story for the benefit of the Christian community and Christian believers.
Stories and testimonies are viewed as valuable resources for the development of discussion on
this subject matter. 2) Dialogical approach, the approach in which the biblical text,
contemporary context, and contemporary theologian's reflections are brought into dialogue to
achieve a theological understanding. 3) Synthesis, a way in which biblical data from the
investigation on the subject and contemporary church context are incorporated and
synthesized to propound an understanding of the role of the Holy Spirit in Christian suffering.
The second chapter examines the role of the Holy Spirit in Christian suffering by surveying
the testimony of the biblical documents of Old Testament prophets and of the New Testament,
excluding the Pauline epistles. The third chapter examines the topic according to Paul's
personal testimony and his teachings on the Spirit's role in Christian suffering. The fourth
chapter examines the topic from a survey of the testimony of the Korean church and
Christians. In the fifth chapter, this study has presented some crucial findings of the role of
the Holy Spirit in Christian suffering in terms of a synthesis of the testimony of the biblical
documents, especially the testimony in Pauline literature, and the testimony of the Korean
church, brought into dialogue with contemporary pneumatologies. In this, the topic is
discussed in four categories: individual setting, individual and church setting, church setting,
and community/society setting.
Dr. M.S. Clark