The Problem of Pain?

“And I heard a voice from the throne saying, “Behold,the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people,and God himself will be with them as their God.He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more,neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have

passed away.”

(Revelation 21:3-4 ESV)

 

One of the biggest questions people face, in terms of their faith, is the reason for all the suffering in the world. We struggle to understand why, if God is truly loving, he allows the pain of this life. And we wonder why, if he is all-powerful, he does nothing about it.

 

If God is loving, and all the evil in this world remains, it seems that he must not be all-powerful. If he’s all-powerful, as the evil of this world persists, it seems that he cannot be loving. Or, perhaps, there is no God at all.

 

We fail to realize that God did not create the world or mankind in the state in which we find them. We fail to realize that things will not remain in this state forever. And we fail to realize that, when God created all things, there was no pain and there was no suffering. 

 

In the beginning, creation was perfect. In the beginning, mankind was perfect. And while all things were perfect, there was no suffering and there was no death.

 

These entered the world as the consequence of sin. Suffering and death entered into the world as the deserved punishment of sin. And, more than that, hell is the fate we deserve because of our sin.

 

However, it’s not as if God has done nothing about it. God sent his only Son into the world. The Son of God took on flesh, and lived the perfect life we are unable to live. He then died on the cross, not because of anything he’d done, but as the atoning sacrifice for our sin. And he rose from the grave defeating the power of death.

 

It’s for this reason, as we see in the passage above, that suffering and death will not forever torment. When Christ returns, at the end of this age, they will become a thing of the past. As sin will be a thing of the past, so too will its consequences.

 

Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15 that, when Christ returns, we will be transformed. Instead of our sinful nature, we will bear the image of Christ. We will be restored to perfection, as in the beginning.

 

More than that, as we see above, there will be a new heaven and a new earth. The dwelling place of God will be with man. And there will be no more death or morning or crying or pain.

 

In the meantime, we continue to bear our sinful nature. And, in the same way, we continue to bear the consequences of our sin. But we do so in hope. We do so knowing that, one day, we will bear them no more.

 

We then look to Christ, trusting in the forgiveness and salvation he won for us on the cross. We trust in his promise of life everlasting in his presence. And we anticipate his coming, when we will experience these blessings in their fullness. 

Dear Church

 Dear Church,

I hope you know how much I love you. I have served not for what I could gain from you, although I did gain much. I served out of a desire to minister to you and your needs.

This, however, is what makes the pain so great. When I needed you most, you were not there for me. And when my kids needed you most, you were not there for them.

When I finally had the courage to do what was right, hoping you'd have my back, I was left standing alone. I believed, knowing my circumstances, no one would hang me out to dry. But that’s exactly what happened.

You even blamed me. You argued that it was wrong for me to do what needed to be done. You argued that it was wrong of me to protect my kids. And you argued that it was wrong of me to protect myself.

You were fine with me serving as your pastor as long as the kids and I remained subjected to abuse. But once I did what needed to be done, once I put a stop to it, you said that I’d disqualified myself. 

You even used the Bible to justify your behavior. There isn’t a specific verse, I was told, which says that divorce in the case of abuse is justifiable, as if God wants the abused to remain in ongoing suffering, and allow it to continue in the lives of their children.

You ignored the passages of Scripture which command us to provide for our family. You ignored the passages of Scripture commanding us to love and care for our spouse and children. And you ignored the fact that, through willful and ongoing abuse, the perpetrator abandoned the victim.

Although from your perspective this may have seemed sudden, news of my actions reached your ears only at the end of a long road. It reached your ears only after indescribable damage had already been done. It isn’t as if I acted impulsively. Quite the opposite.

It took long enough for me to understand what was going on. It took long enough for me to act. This, you see, was my sin. I failed to act sooner.

Perhaps you don’t believe my account. But that is equally a problem. It’s equally a problem as I provided testimony from those who have experienced the abuse, along with statements from professionals.

I understand the difficult position my circumstances placed you in. However, your unwillingness to take a stand in the face of wrong only magnified the abuse. It heaped upon us one more layer of suffering.

I want you to know that I forgive you. But I also want you to understand what you have done. And I want you to understand the message it conveys.

It tells those both inside and outside of the church that, if you are a victim, you will not be helped. It tells them that, if you are a victim, you will not be protected. It tells them that, if you are a victim, you will not be believed. It tells them that, if you are a victim, you will be condemned. And it tells them that this church is not a safe place for them.

It tells people that your love goes only so far. It tells them that your friendship goes only so far. Once it requires you to make a judgment or take a stand for what is right, you’ll turn on them.

Pastor Kent

Questioning God

 “From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.  And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.””

(Matthew 16:21–23, ESV)

The audacity of Peter! As we see in the passage above, Jesus was explaining to his disciples what was to happen. He told them how he was to suffer, die, and rise again.

Knowing the gospel, we understand what Jesus was saying. We know exactly what he was talking about. We know that he was referring to his impending crucifixion and resurrection.

Hearing this, however, Peter challenged Jesus. He couldn’t fathom this happening to the Christ. And he declared that this would never happen to him. 

As we read this, we are appalled. How could Peter do such a thing? How could he challenge Jesus? How could he deny what Jesus declared? Jesus, after all, is God.

But, in reality, we share his struggle. As we observe Lent and celebrate Good Friday, we have trouble with the truth that Jesus had to suffer. Certainly, we think, there could have been another way.

Why would God have to become flesh? Why would he have to suffer at the hands of men? Why would he have to die on the cross? How could God the Father allow such a thing to happen to his only Son? And why would this be THE way to provide forgiveness and salvation for his people?

Even knowing the events of Jesus’ passion, we wrestle with this. Even knowing the gospel, we wrestle with this. We go through the motions of Holy Week and Easter, all the while wondering, even doubting. 

It’s for this reason that, rather than looking to Jesus in faith, we continue to look to ourselves for the salvation we so desperately need. We believe there must be a part that we play. We believe that there must be a way for us to provide satisfaction for our sins.

Jesus, however, had to suffer. He had to die upon the cross. And he had to rise again. Apart from this, we would be forever lost.

It was in this way that Jesus atoned for our sins. It’s in this way that he defeated the power of sin. And it’s in this way that he overcame death.

This is what Jesus declared to be true. This is what he declared to be necessary. And this is how he tells us that salvation is possible. We dare not question or deny it.

We, then, can simply rest in the work that he has done. We can rest in the salvation he provided. And it’s this that we remember and celebrate during Holy Week and Easter.

A Glorious Bondage

 “Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.” 

(Romans 6:16-18 ESV) 

The thought of being in bondage to anyone or anything is, for most of us, unthinkable. The thought of being under anyone’s control is intolerable. We detest being under anyone’s thumb. 

In short, we long for independence. We believe that we can and should serve only ourselves. We believe that we should decide for ourselves what we will and will not do. It's our feelings and desires alone which we believe ought to be satisfied. Anything less than this is slavery. Anything less is subjection and servitude. 

This is the issue that many of us have with the Christian faith. The faith, to us, is nothing more than a system of laws. It’s nothing more than a system of rules and regulations. It means being governed and controlled by someone other than us. 

What we fail to realize is that we can never possess freedom in the sense we desire. What we fail to realize is that we have never been independent, nor will we ever be. Regardless of how free we believe ourselves to be, we are always under the control of someone or something.  

As we see in the passage above, apart from God, we are in bondage to sin. Apart from God, we are enslaved by sin. So, although we believe ourselves to be free of his law, we are controlled and governed by sin. 

As we strive to satisfy the desires of the flesh, we are mastered by them. We are enslaved by them. It is not we that are in control of them, but they that are in control of us. 

The result of this, Paul says, is death. The consequence of this is death. We, in other words, remain in the wrath of God and subject to his judgment. 

But as we serve Christ, the opposite is true. When this is true of us, he is our Lord. And, in this case, we receive the blessing of righteousness. 

Righteousness means that we have been made right with God. It means that the just consequence of our sin has been satisfied. And it means that, as God looks upon us, he sees not a sinner, but one who is pure and holy. 

As he says this, Paul is not suggesting that the blessing of righteousness is something that we earn by our obedience. Nor is he suggesting that it’s something of which we become deserving. It is the gift of God that is received by faith. 

As we look at the context of these words, Paul calls us to offer ourselves to the Lord as instruments of righteousness. Our old life, that of sin and death, is now a thing of the past. And, having received the salvation of God, having been brought from death to life, we present ourselves to the Lord that he might use us for his glorious purpose.

Obedience, you see, results from our faith in the Lord. It’s the natural response of our belief. And it’s this that enables us to receive the blessing of righteousness, which has been provided to us by the death and resurrection of Jesus. 

We Give Thee But Thine Own

“The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭17‬:‭24‬-‭25‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Our natural tendency is to believe that we can earn God’s blessings. Our tendency is to believe that we can repay him for his lovingkindness. Our tendency is to believe that we can make ourselves worthy of all he has given us. And our tendency is to believe that we can please him.

We seek to do so in a variety of ways. We do so through our acts of worship. We do so through our acts of devotion. We do so by our efforts to keep his Commands. And we do so by our acts of service. 

The reality, however, is that we can do nothing to earn God’s blessings. There is nothing we can do to repay him for his blessings. And there is nothing we can do to please him. 

Because of our sinful nature, and because of our ongoing acts of sin, this is not possible. We can never do enough to make up for our wrongdoing. And we can never be good enough to satisfy the righteous requirements of God.

This, however, is untrue for yet another reason. And this reason is seen in the passage above. It’s untrue because there is nothing we can give to God that he needs.

God, after all, is eternal and all-powerful. He is the Creator of all things. He’s the Creator of things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible. 

We, however, are the creature. We are those who are created. And, for this reason, it’s we who are dependent upon God and not the other way around.

We need God. We are completely dependent upon him. Not only did he make us in the beginning. We are also dependent upon him every moment of every day.

Apart from God, apart from his blessings, we would not exist. Apart from God and his blessings, we would not remain. Apart from his power, we would cease to exist.

God’s existence, however, is in no way dependent upon us. It is not dependent upon what we do for him. And we can contribute nothing to his well-being. 

He needs nothing. And there is nothing we can offer God that he does not already possess. Everything in all creation belongs ultimately to him.

Why, then, do we serve? Why do we give? And why do we love our neighbor?

It benefits God in no way as we do so. Nor does it contribute to our salvation or blessing. But it does make a difference in the lives of others.

As it’s been said, God does not need our good works but our neighbor does. It’s our neighbor who needs our love and our good deeds. We, then, are used by God to bless our neighbor as we act in love for him.

A Reason to Mourn

 “And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it…”

(Luke 19:41 ESV)

As believers, we know that we’re to reach out to the lost. We know we’re to proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. And we know that we’re to make disciples of all nations.

This means, of course, that we’re to care about the lost. We’re to care about those who are in bondage to sin. We’re to care for those who are perishing.

Often, however, it seems that we do not care. We write them off because it seems that they just don’t get it. And we write them off believing they're only receiving what they have coming to them.

We heartlessly leave them to their fate. We leave them to God's judgment. And rather than pointing them to Jesus, we sit on our hands.

No care is seen. No concern is demonstrated. No tears are shed.

As we look to Luke 19, Jesus knew the fate of Jerusalem. He knew the fate of the people who lived there. He knew the judgement that was soon to befall them.

Yet, even with this knowledge, he wasn’t numb when it came to them. He didn’t simply move on, ignoring the reality of their situation. Their fate is something that caused him to grieve.

He wept over the city who had rejected him. He mourned the city who refused the salvation he came to bring. Tears were literally shed for those who hated him.

As believers, Jesus’ concern for the lost is something that brings us great comfort. It does so because, without Jesus’ concern for sinners, without his love for those who were perishing, we ourselves would be forever lost.

We must remember that we are those who were perishing. It was we who deserved the judgment of God. It was we who, apart from his intervention, would spend eternity in hell.

Realizing this, realizing what he has graciously done for us, we should share his heart for those who are perishing. We should grieve those who remain under his wrath. We should shed tears for those who’ve rejected him and the salvation he came to bring.

It should drive us to action. It should lead us to reach out with the good news of Jesus’ coming, and that of his death and resurrection. And even when this message is refused, we should mourn.

Never Enough

 “The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him.”

‭‭Mark‬ ‭8‬:‭11‬ ‭ESV‬‬

A common objection people make, when it comes to faith in the Lord, is that he must prove himself. They want evidence for the claims that are made for him. And they want proof that he is who he says he is.

The simple fact of the matter is that there is ample evidence supporting the existence of God and the claims that he makes. Christianity is not a faith which expects us to take everything by blind faith without any evidence whatsoever. The truth it teaches is verifiable.

The problem is that, more often than not, nothing is enough. No matter what evidence we are supplied with, it isn’t enough. And regardless of what God has revealed about himself, it’s never enough.

We see an example of this attitude in Mark 8. Jesus had just performed a great miracle. He’d just fed a crowd of more than four thousand people with only seven loaves of bread and a few fish. This is a miracle that was both seen and experienced by so many, there’s no denying it.

Yet, immediately afterward, the Pharisees argued with Jesus asking for yet another sign from heaven. What he had just done was apparently not enough to convince them. And, in all reality, nothing would.

We can make excuses for their unwillingness to believe. Perhaps they weren’t there when Jesus did this great work. Perhaps they hadn’t eaten of the loaves. But the fact remains that many had. There was so much testimony regarding what Jesus had done, they could not simply dismiss it.

Not even the resurrection of Jesus was enough to convince them. The religious leaders of the Jews went as far as trying to cover this up. They would not believe and they would do whatever they could to prevent others from doing so.

This is an attitude that we regularly see in society today. And we cannot take upon ourselves the burden of proving the truth of the gospel to those who will not believe. We can only share the Word and allow the Spirit of God to do his work.

Hopefully, however, we are not one who refuses to be convinced. If we are, I pray that we’ll recognize it, and that we’ll ask the Lord to open our eyes to the truth. And I pray that we’ll take an honest look at all of the evidence that is before us.