Monthly Archives: May 2020

If God is so Good, Why does he Allow Suffering?

Reflection.

One question that’s being asked at moment is: ‘if God is good and loving as the Bible teaches, why has he allowed the Coronavirus epidemic to happen?’  Sometimes this question is just a red herring, but sometimes it’s shows genuine concern by people who like the idea of a benevolent divine being.  At times like these they look at the world and see very little, in their eyes, to suggest that God is concerned.

Many years ago an article in the Times newspaper asked the question ‘what’s wrong with the world?’  In the correspondence that followed it was the shortest reply that stood out: ‘I am.  Yours faithfully, GK Chesterton.’   So, before we launch an attack on God’s character, we, like the noted author, must acknowledge this.  Suffering can be caused by human error.  For example, when the Titanic sank the loss of life was due almost entirely to the lack of lifeboats.  Secondly, unsavoury human characteristics like greed, ambition and hate lead to wars, massacres, ethnic cleansing and terrorism!  Lastly, suffering can sometimes be self inflicted when warnings concerning things like excessive smoking, drinking and promiscuous sexual behaviour are ignored.  God did not create us to be robots, but rather to be individuals with the ability to make choices.  But our choices can be bad.  Hence, a great deal of suffering is man-made!

But what about natural disasters and disease?  If these things exist, what does that tell us about God and his intentions towards us?

The trouble is we fail to fully understand sin’s serious nature.  Sin is the cause of all suffering, both man-made and natural!  When Adam sinned the nature of the natural world changed!  Adam was to rule God’s creation with Eve his wife but disobeyed him despite his warning.  So there were consequences which are highlighted in the following passage.  “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it’, cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field.  By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:17-19).  Whereas Adam’s work had been a joy, now, due to his disobedience, it was now going to be hard and painful as creation has also been: ‘cursed’ due to his sin.  Death entered the world through sin, hence we grow old and die and are subject to living in a damaged world!  Our sinful nature and its consequences are our choice.  Rather than live under God’s benevolent rule we want our freedom and to use it however we wish!

If that is the case, logically it shows we don’t want a God who intervenes!   But does this mean that we’ve made our bed now we’ve got to lie in it.  The answer is no!  God’s setting things right and he’s started the process with Jesus coming living, dying and being raised from the dead so that we might be forgiven!

In Jesus we see someone who suffers the worst that the world can throw at him, rejection, hardship and then a terribly painful death.  The writer of the book of Hebrews notes: ‘Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered’ (Hebrews 5:8).  Soon after the events of the 11th September 2001 John Blanchard was asked the question where was God when that act of terrorism killed 2800 people?  His reply was: ‘exactly where he was when religious fanatics killed his son, Jesus Christ – in complete control of everything that happened.’[1]  So there are two things to take comfort from.  Firstly, the Bible never sugar coats the painful realities of existence and Jesus is proof of that.  Secondly, and more importantly, this is only the first part of God’s intervention!  The Bible ends with the promise of a perfect new creation.  There God: ‘will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away’ (Revelation 21:4).

But is there any purpose to the sufferings of the present time?  In the following passage Jesus’ teaches there is. ‘There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.  And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way?  No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.  Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem?  No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:1-5).

The context of these verses is an atrocity carried out by the Roman governor Pilate. But Jesus detects a hidden agenda in the question.  Those who approached Jesus saw these Galileans as ‘sinners’.  So Jesus points out that this didn’t happen to them because they were worse than anyone else, what those asking the question should be thinking about is their standing before God!  He then brings the subject uncomfortably close to home by referring to a building accident which had killed some of the ‘good’ people of Jerusalem!  Were these people worse than anyone else?  The answer is no!  But once again Jesus urges those asking the question to consider where they stand in relation to God!

 Jesus is not praying on human misery and suffering to make some twisted theological point.  The Gospels shows him to be the most loving and compassionate man that ever lived.  Rather he says this because they and we really need to hear it!  The Bible tells us:  ‘all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’ (Romans 3:23).   Yet that passage goes on to assure us  that forgiveness for our  wrongdoings can be found  in the  death of Jesus Christ  (Romans 3:24) In that way, and only in that way, we can have a future in God’s wonderful perfect new creation .

In his book ‘The problem of Pain’ C.S Lewis wrote: ‘God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains; it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.’[2]  In the end suffering is the result of a sin damaged world and should be seen as a wakeup call to make us consider where we stand before God!

This subject is covered in much greater detail in the booklet ‘Where is God when Things go Wrong’ by John Blanchard which we are offering free.  So feel free to contact me by telephone 01908 990306 or email  pastor@efcss.org.uk

[1] John Blanchard, Where is God when things go Wrong (Darlington, Evangelical Press, 2005) 36.
[2] C.S Lewis, The Problem of Pain (HarperCollins, 1996) 91.

The subject is also touch on in the sermon Did Someone just say “Gentle Jesus Meek and Mild”?

Bible Blessings: Hebrews 13:20-21

Scriptural Thought for the Month

This month we’re starting a new series on blessings in the Bible.

‘Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant,  equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen’ (Hebrews 13:20-21).

At first sight these verses appeared to be the kind of blessing that’s familiar if we’ve read the various letters to the churches.  But these blessings are not just a nice way to end a letter; they often illustrate things that have been raised in the letter.  So this doesn’t just give us an upbeat ending but it continues to teach and illustrate themes that are important in the letter!

The phrase: ‘the God of peace’ (v20) illustrates not just the nature of God, but shows that those who serve him can also experience peace, even in times of persecution and difficulty, something the recipients of the letter were facing.  Their salvation isn’t only in the future; it’s also in the present as verse 21 makes clear that God will equip them at this time for their service for him.

However in verse 20 the writer continues by illustrating an action of God, and also a title that would have meant a great deal to these Jewish Christians.  Firstly, God had: ‘brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus’.   It was by Christ’s death that the ‘New Covenant’ has been brought into effect.  Here the author uses the word: ‘eternal’ to distinguish this from all the covenants before it, because this one that lasts and therefore guarantees the believer complete security!  The letter has emphasised Christ’s sacrifice and priesthood as that’s an important concept to help those hearing and reading it to understand his work.

Now the resurrection is mentioned for the first time in the letter!  It hasn’t been the writer’s intention to ignore it; rather he’s been focusing on how Christ has attained his priesthood and how he now acts as an intercessor for his people.  Garth Lee Cockrell has an interesting take on this: ‘This final description of God as the God “who brought up” Jesus “from the dead” substantiates the fact that this emphasis on the exaltation was not meant to exclude but rather to include the resurrection of Christ.’[1]  The writer has emphasised in 2:14-15 that Christ has defeated the devil, and therefore the power of death, and so has consequently delivered his people.  They now live in the light of this, which the writer sums up by their pilgrimage to the eternal city (11:10 and 16).  In the end the resurrection has been implied (11:19, 35 and verse 14 in this chapter) but now the writer emphasises where the hope for this is found!

The resurrection is undoubtedly central to Christianity.  But rather interestingly, it’s the title of the raised Lord Jesus as: ‘the great shepherd of the sheep’ would have been rich in scriptural imagery for these Jewish Christians.  In John 10:1-16 Jesus uses it as a description of himself and his work, and perhaps the hearers and readers of this letter were aware of this due to the oral tradition among the Jews of the time.  But they certainly would have thought of Psalm 23 where the Lord is referred to as a shepherd.  Similar imagery is used in Isaiah 40:11 in that: ‘He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom and gently lead those that are with young.’  This pictures the Lord providing peace during a time of turmoil (which the nation of Israel was undergoing at this time).  Rather interestingly in Ezekiel 34:23 after contrasting the appalling care of Israel’s leaders with the Lord’s gracious and caring shepherd we read that the Lord will: ‘set up over them one shepherd, my servant David and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd.’  Later in 37:24 the idea of David being a shepherd to the Lord’s people is repeated.  In John 10: 11 it’s David’s greater son who says: ‘I am the good Shepherd.  The good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.’  Later in verses 17-18 Jesus claims the authority to take up his life again as: ‘This charge I have received from my Father’ (v18).  The imagery is rich here, peace can only be found in Christ’s death and resurrection.  He is the ‘Good Shepherd’ who cares so deeply for his flock and shows it by the blood of his sacrifice which introduces the ‘New Covenant’ and a new age where no further sacrifices are needed!

Although Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection are proof of a ‘New Covenant’, the emphasis at this point, is more on how it enables Christians to live for Christ.  What these verses make clear is that it’s the blood of the ‘New Covenant’ that equips us for this.  If we are living in a way that pleases God by doing his will, then it is only by his work!  Paul, when writing to the Ephesian church reminds them: ‘by grace you have been saved through faith.  And this is not your own doing; it is a gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast’ (Ephesians 2:8-9).  Even the faith to believe has been given to us, by a generous and loving God!  So it is only by the ‘New Covenant’, brought about by Christ’s work, that we can live lives which are pleasing in the Lord’s sight!  This is emphasised even more in the Greek as the word for: ‘equip’ (katartisai): ‘literally means “put in the proper condition” or “make complete.”’  It: ‘can also mean “restore”, “repair”, or “mend”.[2]  The point is when we seek forgiveness God takes sin damage people and repairs their damage lives, he fixes it so we can then be equipped.  This is immense encouragement.  It’s possible the writer, realises some he’s writing to may be wondering how they could have ever considered returning to their former religion (the reason the letter was probably written in the first place).  Maybe they were thinking: “this has damaged my witness, how can I ever hold my head up again as a Christian and witness for Christ?”  But the writer only has good news as he’s saying: “but you can because the Lord is a spiritual physician who will repair your damaged spiritual state!”  Very often the sins that haunt us are the times when we’ve failed by backsliding or failing in our witness.  Obviously this is not a small thing as they damage our relationship with Christ!  But the wonderful thing is even this damage can be repaired and healed by the physician of our souls!

There’s some debate as whether the last part of the verse is referring to: ‘the God of peace’ or to: ‘Jesus Christ’.  Some argue that the mention of Jesus at this point in the passage is only in relation to him being the one mediates the ‘New Covenant’.  However, a straight reading of the passage seems to suggest because of this work God has glorified Christ and shares his glory (see Philippians 2:9-11).  I think this is the most likely explanation.  It certainly fits with the pattern of the book which starts with the writer stating that God had revealed himself through the work of Christ as his final word (1:1-4).  Hence, with this blessing the letter is brought to a climax and fitting conclusion!

[1]Garth Lee Cockerill, The Epistle to the Hebrews, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Michigan, Eerdmans publishing company, 2012) 715.
[2] Raymond Brown, The Message of Hebrews, Christ Above All, The Bible Speaks Today (Leicester, Inter-Varsity Press, 1982) 268-9.