Sunday, June 23, 2019 pm
PROBLEMS CHRISTIANS FACE
God and Suffering
So in the coming lessons of this study I want to addresses some of these
difficult questions in great detail.
Tonight, we begin by asking, Why is there so much suffering in
the world?
a.
One of the arguments
presented by skeptics to discredit the character of God.
In fact, this is one of the most used attacks against God, and
specifically the God of the Bible.
And it shakes the faith of many.
b.
The “dilemma” presented:
“You say that God is all powerful and all good.
If so, why is there so much suffering? IF God is all good – He
would not allow so much (or any) suffering.
IF God is all powerful then he could remove this suffering.
But He doesn’t.
Therefore, God is either not good or not all powerful.”
And this is used to reject the existence of God, OR the God of
the Bible.
c.
This is also related to
evil in the world. The same
arguments, and basically the same answers.
Plus, as we consider suffering, we will address how much of it is the
product of evil and sin.
d.
Often this is personal –
sometimes there is anger and blame with God because of suffering in
one’s own life, or the lives of their loved ones, or observations about
it that he/she perceives to be unfair.
Plus, we just see so much of it in the world, we are deeply
disturbed and grieved. To
many, what we see just doesn’t make sense with God.
e.
In this, I will admit
that I do not have all the answers.
And neither does anyone else, EXCEPT God.
a.
First of all, this is a
question that neither proves, nor disproves God. Just logically think
about the argument. It has
NOTHING to do with the existence of God.
But it does address His character – Who He is.
And in all honesty, suffering and evil are a greater dilemma for the
atheist who has NO answer other than, “well, it is part of life”.
And even more problems with suffering caused by evil – because he
has rejected a God given moral standard.
How can a naturalist impose a moral standard for mankind?
b.
But having said this,
there is suffering (and evil) because God allows it.
The book of Job gives an example of this where God allows Satan to
afflict Job (Job 1 & 2).
But the question is WHY?
Are there reasons? I am
fully convinced there are reasons.
I may not (fully) understand them, but there are (plausible) reasons.
c.
Much of the evil and suffering in this world is a product of the fall of
man.
This IS what we inherit from Adam’s sin (not his original sins) – cf. 1
Corinthians 15:21-22.
In Genesis 3, after the
first sin we read of the curse to Adam, Even and the Serpent (Genesis
3:14-19) – it involved pain, thorns, toil and ultimately, death.
IF it seems to you that suffering is so great today – and it is –
consider how much of it is the product of evil – the ungodly
behaviors of men. We have
rejected God as a society, but we want society to live as IF there is a
moral standard greater than ourselves.
When I watch the news, I see a whole lot more sinful behavior
causing suffering than natural disasters, etc.
It is not unreasonable to say that mankind as a whole, AND even
much of our individual lives, has brought on most of his suffering
himself.
Satan ought to get the charge for the evil around us.
He was responsible for the fall
of man and the curse. No
wonder Jesus called him, “a murderer from the beginning” and the “father
of lies” (John 8:44).
Romans 8:22 – the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs…
This world is not as created before man sinned.
A part of that difference is suffering.
d.
Free-will also factors
into this.
While more about dealing with evil, suffering is a product of
man’s free will. Man was
created with the ability to choose.
God created man to worship and serve Him because he WANTED to.
But for that be possible, man has to have a choice.
Commanded to NOT eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil,
they disobeyed God. That was
rebellion and the rejection of God’s will.
Ever since then, man has continually chosen to reject Him, while
SOME choose to obey Him.
Because he has chosen to reject God and His will, over and over, we
often experience suffering.
FREE WILL is involved in suffering in many ways.
i.
Sometimes, we do wrong
and face the consequences.
ii.
Sometimes, we suffer
because others have made wrong choices.
But then again, this is part of the world.
iii.
Sometimes, we suffer as
the result of decisions of our forefathers.
E.g. A society decides that cows are sacred, and children are
starving because they will not eat that meat.
You COULD factor the flood into this – the world was changed because of
that catastrophic event.
Consider this: Imagine a world where God removed suffering (perhaps from
His followers only). Would
we really appreciate love and sacrifice?
Would men even consider serving God?
Would the world faithfully serve God because of love for Him, or
because of selfish reasons (e.g. the meals and healings – John 6:26-27,
etc.)?
Consider also: Would the laws of science be reliable?
(Think of gravity – you jump of a building…, etc.)
e.
The Righteousness of God
– demands consequences. Being
a righteous God, there has to be consequences for actions.
The “brokenness” of this world actually shows us HOW TERRIBLE sin really
is. We would not appreciate
that if it were not for suffering.
Whether we like those or not, they are there.
And often we do not appreciate the consequences until later.
Consider Hebrews 12:3-11 actually gives examples of this.
f.
But what about the disasters and diseases?
Could some of these be the cause of evil and sin (not all of
them). Consider famine in third
world countries. Why are they not fed?
What about the warlords and leaders who prevent access to relief?
What about greed that pillages the land?
What about greed on this side of the equation – with many
organizations wasting resources, overly burdensome governments, etc.?
Don’t blame such things all on God.
Also, are they part of the curse of this world?
a.
God has given us tools
to help us
i.
We have brethren -
Galatians 6:2,
ii.
We have His promises – 1
Corinthians 10:13
iii.
We have His word – 2
Timothy 3:16-17 – it can make us complete.
It can build us up – Acts 20:32, etc.
iv.
We have the attitudes
His word calls for as Christians that can help us through our struggles
and sufferings.
b.
Know that God
understands.
We CANNOT say that He does not understand or care?
He proved it by sending Jesus to SUFFER on that cross – a cruel death,
after being maligned and mistreated while on this earth.
Jesus “endured the cross” with
joy – Hebrews 12:2, 2:9, etc.
(BTW, this is a quality that sets the God of the Bible apart from other
supposed gods).
c.
Let God be God!
i.
Be careful in
questioning God’s character.
There are things we do not know.
Eccl. 6:12, “Who knows what is good for man in this life?...”
Ephesians 3:20 – God is able to do exceedingly above all that we ask or
think…
Isaiah 55:8-9 – my thoughts are not your thoughts…
Romans 9:19-24 – who are you to reply against God?...
Job and his friends were wrong – what you learn from the book of Job is
how he and his friends misunderstood who God is and why he was
suffering. Satan was the
cause!
ii.
“There are questions I
cannot answer. And there are
answers I cannot question”.
iii.
As to the question of
the character of God – we must understand that His qualities are not
pitted against each other.
They are not opposites but work together.
IOW, it’s not an “either/or” situation, which is how the
objection is worded. Could
this be an “and/but” situation?
iv.
WHO gets to determine
how much suffering is too much?
Do we really know what is best?
Do we really know the mind, not only for all mankind, but for any
given situation, of God. Do
we really know where it will lead? God does!
Romans 8:28 - all things work together for good… His will shall
be accomplished.
v.
Don’t demand more of God
than He has promised.
vi.
So many ask, “Why me?”
Which really gets down to the crux of the matter.
But I would ask, “Why NOT me?”
What makes me so special that I should be exempt from what
happens naturally in this sin-cursed world?
vii.
The only thing
accomplished by blaming God is pure misery on your part.
d.
Put the blame where it
belongs –
Satan is the purveyor of evil and much of the suffering we see in the
world. And his minions are
not innocent either. The
world lies under his sway – 1 John 5:19. As “the god of this age” he has
blinded the minds of those who are perishing. (2 Corinthians 4:4).
Therefore when you consider, it is time to DECLARE WAR on the devil.
Don’t let him ruin you – rob you of your joy, cause you to give
in to sin, cause you to turn your back on God, etc.
e.
Can good come from
suffering?
Much good can come from
suffering.
i.
It can cause us to not put our hope in this world
– put your hope in something better.
2 Corinthians 4:17. Heaven is described as a place where there
will be no more suffering – Revelation 21:1, 4, et.
ii.
It can humble us
– remind us about the frailty of life and how we need help.
iii.
As Christians, it teaches us to pray and appreciate prayer
– James 1:2-4, 5:16
iv.
It can cause you to repent – much more of the suffering that we endure is brought on by
us than we care to admit.
We prevent much of it by living as we ought to – mental health,
physical health, financial health, wise decisions, etc. Consider the
prodigal son who came to himself – Luke 15:15-18.
v.
It can make you a better person when you deal with it
– James 1:2-4, Romans 5:3-5, Consider Paul’s thorn in the flesh – 2
Corinthians 12:7-10.
vi.
Also, in this world
– often times, good comes from disasters. It brings out the best in
mankind, and causes many to turn back to God, even if only for a short
season. We have plenty of
examples of this in our history.
And
thus we can that there are answers for those who struggle with the idea
of God and suffering.
Perhaps there are others we could add to these, but what we have seen is
that trials and struggles do not have to set us back.
I
conclude with this thought.
Whatever evil or suffering happens in this life has no bearing on the
other side – eternity.
IOW, whether or not we suffer, or to what degree, will not determine our
eternity and be impacted by where we spend eternity.
It is HOW we respond to it.
How will you respond to Him?
If we can help, let us.