Forasmuch then as Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind; for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin;
This passage does not sustain the idea that suffering can atone for sin as one school of thought teaches. Neither does the passage teach that suffering can have such a purifying effect that it can insulate us from all sin as many now teach. Such beliefs are contradictory and unscriptural. And, too, this passage cannot refer to all suffering in the world. It is limited, contextually, to suffering for righteousness’ sake--for the cause of Christ--in imitation of Christ.