Suffering Pt2

More suffering

To recap from last week: Suffering is part and parcel of living with free will. Going back to Genesis; the cost of freedom was the abuse of freedom (sin) which had moral and physical consequences…man was sent from the garden (to be apart from God) and the land itself was cursed (Gen 3;16-19) (to be apart from God). The world in which we live then, in as much as we don't claim it back, is subject to the will of Satan (the personification of sin).

1 John 5:18We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe (that his Jesus), and the evil one (that is Satan) cannot harm him. 19We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. 20We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true—even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

It should not surprise us then that suffering is so common and visible at a global, community and personal level, after all the "whole world is under the control of the evil one".

Last week we looked at evidence in the bible that God thinks about suffering differently to us mere mortals. In particular, he has an eternal view of creation - there was no suffering before the fall (Genesis 1-2) neither will there be after the return of the Christ (Rev. 21) …4He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.

Our usual 21st century western protestant image of God as a loving forgiving Father is at best incomplete, and at worst entirely misrepresentative. If we rise above our cultural/ religious/ denominational prejudice and use the bible alone to describe the character and manner of God using a fresh canvas…we end up with a very different picture. He is loving forgiving father, true, but at the same time he is a perfect righteous judge who does not hesitate to withdraw his conscious blessing or even punish communities or individuals according to his good purposes. We use the old/new covenant argument to dismiss unpalatable actions of God described in the old testament failing to appreciate the he is the same God both before and after the coming of the Christ. Those in the early church understood and respected God better after the sudden demise of Ananias and Saphira (Acts 5:1-3); reading the bible – so should we.

We need to be comfortable with a sovereign, awesome, powerful God who acts not just in the interests of us as individuals but also in the interests of communities and indeed, globally. It is vain and self-important to place oneself in the centre of things by holding a view of God as personal Genie rather than as creator judge of the living and dead.

We have no right of claim on God's protection, provision or his blessings. We should have the attitude of gratefulness and humility before God. God, who loves us, acts according to his own good purposes many of these we will never understand; they are beyond us. You would be right to have a healthy fear of God…to work out your salvation with fear and trembling (Phil 2:12) remembering the many examples given throughout the bible of God expressing his righteous and jealous anger of a people who choose other than what he wanted or intended for them.

You will remember that last week we covered lots of evidence in the scriptures that there are many causes of the suffering we experience:

1. We reap what we sow (Gal 6:7).
2. God delivers his judgments in this life not just the next (2 Kings 5:19-27, Acts 5:11).
3. But the suffering of an individual if not necessarily the judgment of God (John 9:1-3).
4. Sometimes brings a judgment against whole communities (Gen 19).
5. But a suffering community is not necessarily the evidence of God's judgment (Luke 13:1-5).
6. Suffering can follow goodness as it follows badness (1 Peter 2:19, Job, Jesus)…they aren't necessary causally connected.
7. Most suffering in the world is the result of sinning against one another which is often overlooked by those who would deny a loving God because of "all the suffering in the world).

God often uses suffering to develop in us resilience and character (Heb 12:7-13, 1 Pet 1:6-9). The bible even teaches that Jesus learned obedience from suffering (Heb 5:7-10).

So that's our recap from last week.

These are my thoughts for this week…let's assume that we are each at different points of comfort and understanding about the place of suffering in our lives, communities and the boarder world. I suspect that the cause/role of suffering is a much more important question for those that are/have suffered or are/were closer to suffering. Whatever we may think about suffering one thing is certain; you should expect suffering in various degrees even in the form of death over the next few decades. Whatever measure of suffering you experience, less or more, you will need to decide how it is you respond.

You see, it is your response that determines the kind of man you are and it is the consistency of your response which goes to the formation of character. Good character is what God is leading/pushing us to by his many machinations. He is the great circumstantial engineer. He either engineers the circumstance, or the lesson for the sake of your personal growth (to the extent you are prepared to allow this).

It is good character that will provide the basis for long-lasting quality relationships with God and man. These relationships are our legacy and our treasure. They are the means by which we do good works thus benefiting our fellow man and fulfilling Jesus greatest commandment…to love. So strive for good character, develop good character, value good character, befriend people of good character, and marry them where possible, and you will have a successful long and happy life 1 Cor 15:33 Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character.".

A good response to suffering in our life is an important feature of good character. Let's look into the bible and see what lessons it teaches about good responses to suffering.

1. Look for the big picture of what God might be accomplishing…Phil 1: 12Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. 13As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard[b] and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.
2. Rejoice in the suffering for the sake the bigger picture…1 Peter 1: 6In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
3. Give God glory for both the good and the gory Job 13:15a Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him.
4. Have courage and stand firm in the faith in the face of suffering; don't be afraid Daniel 10:10 Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.
5. Fight to protect others from suffering James 1 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. John 15: Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
6. Accept and trust God if suffering; know when not to fight it Act 7: 59While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." 60Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep.
7. A bit of pain can make your life more fruitful John 15: 1"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful.
8. Gain instruction from suffering … Hebrews 12: 7Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 9Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! 10Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 11No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Notice that the bible spends much more time talking about responses to suffering than it offers reasons for suffering. There is an implicit assumption that suffering is part and parcel with life on earth and that we live in hope we are destined to one day know a place without suffering.

We should then look for the big picture, give God the glory whatever may befall us, have courage and stand firm, fight to aleave the suffering of others, learn to accept suffering as fuel for personally growth and God's means to an end….even if we can't see what that end it is.