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”?

Sadly, once again, London has been the target of a terrorist attack. The shocking thing is that, in some ways, this should no longer surprise us.  It’s a fact that there are elements out there that want to attack our democratic system of government  and way of life, and whether we can understand it or not they believe they have a perfect right to do so!  No doubt there will be much said over the next few days and weeks, in connection with this attack and others that  are occurring around the world.  The Prime Minister Teresa May, responding to the attack of 22/3/17 called it a: ‘sick and depraved terrorist attack on the streets of our Capital’ and no doubt that is how the vast majority of people will see it and react to these attacks.

Let’s be clear, all these attacks are terrible events and our hearts and prayers are with those who have suffered loss or are concerned about loved ones who have been injured. But what is the real issue that leads someone to attack someone else’s ideology or to try and force their own ideology on them?  The Bible hits a nerve in the way as it sums up the reason for this kind of evil behavior.

‘What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?  You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.  You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions’ (James 4:1-3).

These verses really sum up the human condition, whether it’s manifested in  the extreme nature of acts of terrorism, murder, stealing or in the petty grudges that people sometimes harbour (sometimes for years) against neighbours, former friends or even family! In the end the issue  is the one behind all sin, self! Our sin always leads to us putting ourselves first regardless of other people’s feelings or rights!  As we have already noted, much is going to be said about the nature and causes of terrorism, but in the end the issue is the destructive and rebellious nature of the human heart.  As the prophet Jeremiah notes: ‘The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?’ (Jeremiah 17:9). However the good news is God has given us a cure for the human heart. This is a cure that works for the terrorist, several former IRA terrorists  have been converted when they sought forgiveness for their  sins during their time in prison and have renounced their violent pasts, right down to those who’s petty squabbles and grudges can so sour their and others lives for year after year!  So the wonderful thing is that this cure can work for anyone!

‘For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Saviour, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.’ (Titus 3:4-7).

It’s God’s grace and his action that is the solution to the problem of the human heart. In the end that is a cure for every kind of sin that can separate us from God and so sour our lives and bring heartache and division in this damage world! Much will be said to do with this  atrocity and other incidents of terrorism in the days, months and years to come.  But the real and  lasting  solution to the human heart’s  rebellion against God is found in the saving work of Christ  on the cross!

 The subject of suffering is dealt with in more detail  in the book ‘Where is God when Things go Wrong.’ You can  find this   on the Any Questions? page if you would like to order a free copy.   The sermon The Storm Subsides.  also touches on the subject as does A Response to the Terrorist Attack of 22/3/17: What did Jesus say when Questioned about Evil and Suffering?

Last month we looked at the Christians attitude to authority as: ‘there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God’ (Romans 13:1). But we also noted that those in authority are: ‘God’s servant for your good’ (v4). So is it ever right to disobey the authorities if they in some way fail in that role?

The early Church, when facing opposition from the Jewish authorities, faced a stark choice. Were they to continue preaching the Gospel or stop as they had been commanded to (Acts 4:1-22)? ‘But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge,  for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard”’ (Acts 4:19-20). Having witnessed Jesus’ teaching, death and resurrection the answer was obvious! Although Peter commends obedience to rulers and authorities in his epistle (1 Peter 2:13-15), his experience and conscience compelled John and him, in this case, to disobey the Jewish authorities in obedience to Christ’s command to be his witnesses starting in Jerusalem (Acts 1:8).

The role of ‘hate crimes’ for the protection of individuals in society is something that all Christians should feel able to support. We should want to see people protected regardless of their race and should deplore violence against anyone due to their sexuality. However, what if something supported by law is contrary to scripture?

I believe we can learn from the attitude of the apostle Paul. When in Athens (Acts 17:16-34) the number of idols in the city was detestable to him as a Christian and a Jew. But his approach was respectful as his purpose was to reach the: ‘Athenian mind’.[1] So when given the chance to proclaim the Gospel he does so in: ‘a convenient and customary place for public speaking’.[2] By this approach the Athenians hear the Gospel in a culturally accessible way.[3] The message is very direct! But the approach is gracious and loving, as Paul wants people to understand the ‘good news’, whereas some zealous Jews might have felt a God given right to take a hammer to the nearest idol! So we have the Scriptural principles, but how should they be applied in this day and age?Firstly, we present the whole ‘Counsel of God’. For example, the Bible teaches the wrongness of any sexual relationships outside of Heterosexual marriage.   But a Christian at a Gay Pride event with a placard quoting Leviticus 20:13 is hardly doing that or showing a loving approach! If preaching on that passage, references to Isaiah 61:1-3 (the year of the LORD’S favour), 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 and Romans 3:23-24 would present the right balance with an offer of forgiveness for all who have sinned and repent.[4] Secondly, we must stay as much as possible within the law. We have a perfect right to make a stand against abortion, but not to act intimidatingly, knowingly causing distress or obstruction outside an abortion clinic! God is the higher authority, but we are still called to submit to the ruling authorities where we can! The question we must ask is what are the necessary laws to break and when does protesting fail to be a constructive and loving witness? This is surely what is being taught in 1 Peter 3:15-16 where Peter puts an emphasis on: ‘gentleness and respect, having good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who recall your good behaviour in Christ may be put to shame’ (v16).

Lastly, we must show great wisdom. The court case against the Australian Pastors Danny Nalliah and Daniel Scot was rightly over turned.[5] However, during their seminar on Christianity and Islam, although in many instances they quoted the Quran accurately, it was reported (in otherwise favourable reports) that some remarks were unwise and over the top. The case was a travesty in a country that prides itself on free speech, but it demonstrates the need for Christians to take care.[6]

In conclusion, the route to necessary law breaking should always be a long one and wisdom must be sought in the process of responding to laws that limit Christian liberty. When authorities fail to act as: ‘God’s servant’ (Romans 13:4) by producing laws that are contrary to Scripture the Church should preach against them in the most appropriate and robust manner! But that should be the last resort and other than that there are no excuses! In the end we are called to be good citizens who pray for those in authority so we might have good government and live peaceful lives (2 Timothy 2:2).

[1] J A. Alexander, Acts (Edinburgh, Banner of Truth 1963), 146.

[2] Alexander, Acts, 149.

[3] N Logenecker and N C. Tenney, ed F E. Gaebelein The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 9, John and Acts (Grand Rapids, The Zondervan Corporation, 1981), 475.

[4] Something we all need to do!

[5] The incident was a seminar in March 2002 to instruct Christians on the teachings of Islam.  Unknown to the organisers several Australian converts to Islam attended and lodged a complaint.  The writer of this article does not want to be seen as over critical of these fellow Brothers in Christ, the example is used just to express the need for care.

[6] http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2013/02/13/who-danny-nalliah-and-what-rise-australia

Rather sadly we have witnessed even more atrocities and suffering due to terrorism and the depravity of mankind since the events that inspired this article.  But that does not change Jesus’s teaching on the subject.  That being the case I have decided to leave it unaltered for the moment.

There’s no doubt that the shootings in Orlando  and the  killing of the MP Jo Cox have been both extraordinary  and shocking!  But sadly they seem to be just  another example of the atrocities that we  are bombarded with in the news each week!  Our hearts go out to those who have suffered these and other terrible events, but  what conclusions, if any,  can we draw from these  sad events?

Interestingly enough Jesus was once approached with a similar question.

‘Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.  Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way?  I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.  Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem?  I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish” (Luke 13:1-5).

The context of the verses above  is that  some people had approached Jesus concerning  an atrocity carried out by the Roman  governor Pilate.   But Jesus detects a hidden  agenda.  The inhabitants of Jerusalem would have seen Galileans as  sinners  rather  than good religious people  like  themselves.  So Jesus  points out that this terrible atrocity did not happen to them because  they were worse sinners than anyone else.  What  those asking him 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!  Again his approach is very direct, were these people worse than anyone else?  The answer is no! Once again Jesus urges those who have asked the question to consider where they stand in relation to God!

 So what are we to conclude,  was Jesus just  praying on human misery  and suffering to make some  twisted theological point?   That doesn’t seem likely as  any reading of the Gospels  shows him to be  the most loving and compassionate man  that ever walked on the planet.   So the alternative is this, he says it  because 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 his book ‘The problem of Pain’ CS 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.’[1] Whatever our worldview,  religion, lifestyle, job  or social standing  events like these should direct our thinking not just to an outpouring of compassion (although there is no doubt that is the right and proper    attitude), but also to the spiritual matter  of our own state before God.  Have we sought the forgiveness that is granted through Christ’s death for us?

[1] C.S Lewis, The Problem of Pain (HarperCollins, 1996) 91.

This subject is covered in much more detail  in the booklet ‘Where is God when Things go Wrong’  which can be found on our Any Questions? page (booklets are free).   This subject is also addressed in the short  sermon A Response to the Terrorist Attack of 22/3/17: What did Jesus say when Questioned about Evil and Suffering? Feel free to take a listen.