Why suffering?
posted Wednesday, July 20, 2005 :: 10:23 AM
I believe there are three biblical answers to that question.
One
We live in a fallen world, with human beings who have a sin nature from birth.
Thus we have natural disasters, disease, weaknesses, human failings and frailties, death (the last enemy),
and people sinning against each other. Evil exists. Christians, as
dwellers in this world, are touched by these things as are everyone
else.
My husband and I have been to other countries as
members of mission teams. I am struck every time I visit non-American
Christians, at how calmly and patiently they take suffering in stride.
Suffering is viewed as a normal part of life everywhere except in the
United States. Here, we have this expectation that life should be
perfect. We are the only people in the world that have that
expectation, as far as I can tell. It is a flaw of our culture and of
the American Church, which fosters that expectation among American
Christians.
I do not believe that God ordains specific
disasters and the other results of living in a fallen world for us
individually. He does not need to; the result of fallenness touches everyone randomly. So the question becomes, “Why does God not intervene and prevent the result of fallenness from touching everyone?”
Sometimes God does intervene. God sends rain on the just and unjust.
God did intervene in this world by being born in a stable 2000 years ago, living a sinless life, and going about doing good and healing all who were oppressed of the devil.
Then He took the punishment for sin on Himself so that we can be
forgiven and reborn with new life, and raised Himself from the dead and
thereby defeated all the power of the enemy. He then, before He ascended into heaven, charged us to do as we had seen Him doing: making disciples, doing good, and healing all who were oppressed of the devil. Then He poured out His Spirit on the Church, to equip us for that which He had called us.
Sometimes I wonder if God doesn’t intervene more because He has charged us with relieving the suffering of others: we are His hands and feet in the world now. We are His body. If every Christian lived as selflessly as Mother Teresa, what impact would that have on the random result of fallenness?
to be continued …
Previously: When tragedy strikes
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Update: continued in The suffering of fools
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