Suffering and the Gospel

The glorious gospel was provided out of the suffering of the Saviour, Jesus Christ.  Life on earth for everyone includes suffering in various degrees.  The difference between the believer and unbeliever when it comes to suffering is our LORD Jesus has consolation for all suffering He allows.  There is divine purpose and redemption illustrated in Christ's sufferings, and when we suffer for His sake there is great blessing we receive.

Not all suffering we endure is for Jesus' sake, for sometimes we suffer as a result of our sinful choices.  The children of Israel suffered when they disobeyed God and persisted in unbelief.  They imagined the problem was the cruelty of their oppressors and enemies when the real problem was in their own hearts in not trusting and obeying the living God.  Suffering can be physical and also emotional, suffering by the impact of the decisions of others.  Again, this suffering can be protracted and intensified because we have neglected to cast our cares on Jesus and have given place to bitterness.  The book of Job reveals not all suffering is a direct result of personal sin.  Job's friends assumed his suffering must have been due to his sin, whereas God's intent was to reveal His mercy and compassion (James 5:11).  It seems impossible at times to make God's ways and wisdom fit into our painful experiences, yet faith in the God we know is able to bridge the gaps of the unknown.

I read an insightful passage in A Praying Life by Paul Miller:  "In the gospel, Jesus took my sin, and I got his righteousness.  That is how gospel stories work...Whenever you love, you reenact Jesus' death.  Consequently, gospel stories always have suffering in them.  American Christianity has an allergic reaction to this part of the gospel.  We'd love to hear about God's love for us, but suffering doesn't mesh with our right to "the pursuit of happiness."  So we pray to escape a gospel story, when that is the best gift the Father can give us.  When I was sitting on the plane thinking, Everything has gone wrong, that was the point when everything was going right.  That's how love works." (A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World. NavPress, 2009. Page 214)  There are many people who suffer without having received the love of God or the gospel.  Not all suffering is a "gospel" story.  But when believers choose to walk in love like Joseph did towards his brothers or like Jesus towards those who rejected Him, praying for their forgiveness without bitterness, the gospel does shine forth.

One thing I have grown to appreciate more over the years is the redemptive aspects of suffering God allows.  It would be foolish and unkind to compare the suffering of one person to another for the sake of saying, "You really haven't suffered" when only the LORD knows how they suffer.  When are suffering and fix our eyes upon Jesus who suffered for us, it provides a new perspective on how God redeems suffering for good.  1 Peter 5:8-11 teaches us God allows suffering even from the devil to accomplish His good plans:  "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. ⁹ Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. ¹⁰ But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. ¹¹ To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen."

Those who persevere through a distance race voluntarily suffer in a way the casual spectator sitting in the shade with a cold drink does not.  The sun beats down upon the heads of runners as their lungs burn and legs strain to push towards the finish.  See the end of suffering Peter says God has in mind:  to perfect, establish, strength and settle us.  The God of all grace calls us to follow Him and run with endurance the race set before us that will involve suffering.  Distance running can feel like you are dying, and it is in dying to self we begin to live for Christ.  We are not called to focus on the finish line, desiring the end of our suffering:  rather we are to look to Jesus who suffered for us and overcame for all our needs.  As God allows us to suffer, looking to Him in faith makes our lives a gospel story that points to Him.

Backslidings Healed

"A voice was heard on the desolate heights, weeping and supplications of the children of Israel. For they have perverted their way; they have forgotten the LORD their God. ²² "Return, you backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings." "Indeed we do come to You, for You are the LORD our God."

Jeremiah 3:21-22

Growing up the term "backslider" was a common way of saying a person had returned to a life of overt sin.  It was used to refer to a person who was out of the practice of regular church attendance and returned to a life marked by addiction to booze and drugs.  I heard many people also call themselves backsliders because they had gone back to a worldly way of living they knew was sinful and harmful, yet the use of the term suggested their current lifestyle did not correlate with their genuine Christianity.  Though they lived like an unbeliever, it seemed being a "backslider" was a claim to faith and acknowledgement of wrong where true repentance was not required.

These verses in Jeremiah 3 show backsliding can be much more subtle than living in overt sin.  Though many of the children of Israel were involved in idolatry, fornication and disobeyed God's commands, our way is perverted when we forget the LORD.  Like a trip and fall can cause serious and life-threatening injuries, so backsliding by forgetting the LORD is God over all damages us.  Departing from faith in the LORD and forgetting to seek Him leads to physical and spiritual injury only He can heal.  God urged His people to return to Him their God, and He promised to heal their backslidings.  This word is plural because people backslide in many ways.  He would address and heal their broken lives and warped minds, even as a neglected sheep has need to be dewormed, overgrown wool matted with feces must be cut away, and open wounds treated.  Our neglect of seeking and trusting the LORD for a moment can do damage time alone cannot cure.

When people backslide from God, their way is perverted because God is not in their thoughts.  They do not consider the directives God has given or the promises of help He has provided.  By His grace God makes healing possible for His people when they return to Him as LORD in faith.  James 5:14-16 says, "Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. ¹⁶ Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much."  The word translated "sick" here means afflicted and weak, and it would be wrong to limit this to a physical malady.  God brings healing for the mind, body and soul of those who backslide when we humble ourselves before the LORD and others and pray for one another.  It is the prayer of faith God responds to more than a ceremonial anointing.

I love that it is not the wandering soul who begs to return but it is the LORD who calls out to His children, "Return, and I will heal your backslidings."  Like the father in the parable of the son who returned embraced and kissed him, so the LORD joyfully responds to our return to Him.  Whether our departure was protracted or just forgot to seek Him in making a single decision, when we return in repentance there is healing and restoration in the LORD our God.  Better than identifying as backsliders, may we learn to abide in Jesus Christ.

Is Debt a Sin?

I read a quote recently that implied to be in debt is sinful, though the Bible says nothing of the kind.  It is true that unnecessary debt can be accrued by those who live beyond their means from a heart of dissatisfaction with what God has provided and reveal a lack of contentment.  Debt could be a result of sinful greed, but it would be presumptuous to suggest owing money is an indication of a spiritual malady.

Before exploring the idea further, let us consider the 1828 Webster definition of debt:  "1) That which is due from one person to another, whether money, goods, or services:  that which one person is bound to pay or perform to another; 2) that which any one is obliged to do or to suffer; 3) in law, an action to recover a debt; 4) in scripture, sin; trespass; guilt; crime; that which renders liable to punishment; "Forgive us our debts."  These definitions point out that all people are inherently in debt to God, for we owe Him our lives.  By virtue of living on the earth under government He has established we owe taxes on necessary purchases.  Jesus was obligated to pay the temple tax, and this was not due to His sinfulness.  He promptly paid the tax when questioned.  Jesus said we are to render unto Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's.  This suggests all of us are indebted to both government and God without exception.

Romans 13:7-8 reads, "Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honour. ⁸ Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law."  This context of these verses is not the prohibition of debt but not to keep owing anyone anything:  the only continuing debt a believer has is to continue loving one another.  Quoting from the Bible Knowledge Commentary:  "This is not a prohibition against a proper use of credit; it is an underscoring of a Christian’s obligation to express divine love in all interpersonal relationships. A Christian should never fall short, and so be “in debt,” in loving others."  Should a believer have debts, we should make good on paying them.  The New Testament does not establish new laws concerning financial management believers must observe.  Paul's exhortation follows on from the principle contained in Proverbs 3:28:  "Do not say to your neighbor, "Go, and come back, and tomorrow I will give it," when you have it with you."  When we owe we ought not procrastinate or forgo paying whether it be a one-off payment or a monthly installment.  Since God has given us His active love we should never withhold it.

The Bible contains warnings against those who co-sign on loans without having adequate capital like Proverbs 22:26-27:  "Do not be one of those who shakes hands in a pledge, one of those who is surety for debts; ²⁷ if you have nothing with which to pay, why should he take away your bed from under you?"  Doing so can be presumptuous and foolish.  There are times, like in the parable of the Good Samaritan who took the wounded man to the inn, it is loving and commendable to be indebted for the good of others.  Jesus said in Luke 10:35, "On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.'"  My flesh is not at all comfortable to give someone a blank check, yet when we are obedient to the LORD in faith He will supply our needs in His time and way.

Every one of us has a debt of sin we could never pay, and praise the LORD He has sent Jesus Christ to wash us clean of every one.  We all have a debt of gratitude and thanksgiving we ought to pay continually, walking in the grace of God and love for Him and others.  When we withhold love, grace and mercy from others because they have financial debt, spiritually we could be in a worse state then they are financially.  How blessed we are to receive the grace and forgiveness of God!  We are bound, not by the duty of law, but by the love of God to walk in His ways in glorify His name.

God Our Help

When we ask someone for help, it is typically from a position of being able to do something but needing assistance for the sake of convenience.  We might ask someone to hold a door open so it is easier for us to carry a bulky item through it, or help hold a flashlight so we can see better.  A blind person would not bother asking for someone to hold a light because it would not assist them.  We can ask God for help, not because we realise we are helpless and hopeless in ourselves to accomplish anything good, but to add the little we lack.  It is the blind man who asked for sight whose eye were opened by Jesus, and this is the way we ought to approach God for help:  as a helpless person who must rely upon Him for everything.

If we assume we are sufficient in ourselves to do anything God asks, time and experience will say otherwise.  One thing we can do is look for help and assistance from others when circumstances prove overwhelming and difficult.  This can lead to frustration and disillusionment because we imagine we are capable but would appreciate assistance, and that the best place to look for help is from other people.  It is God to whom we must look to for help, not just to bolster our own resolve and strength to cross the line, but to do anything because without Jesus we can do nothing.  God is gracious and faithful to help us in countless ways even when we do not think to ask Him.

Years ago I experience God's comfort in an unexpected and special way.  Whilst I cannot remember exactly what led up to it, I can reflect upon many times in life and church ministry when I felt quite overwhelmed and burdened with grief.  Circumstances were trying, conflict was personal and people can be critical when you are doing the best you know how.  After doing my best to meet demands and expectations I was contacted for a house call from a congregant without any reason.  My natural tendency is to wonder, worry and even dread such unexpected requests, though the LORD has worked wonders to change me.  So I dropped everything and went over and it was nothing like I imagined it would be.

There was a friendly greeting, the offer of hospitality and light lunch.  There was no negative critique of the most recent sermon or a rebuke over my failure to meet expectations.  There was no announcement they family would be leaving the church or complaints about anyone or anything.  As a sat on the lounge in silence petting the family dog, there was a sense of peace and rest that comes only from the LORD, and God used this brother and his hospitality to comfort me when I did not know I needed it.  That simple moment of a sharing a coffee and cheese toastie as a friend I will match against the greatest miracles performed in the kingdom of God because of how the LORD ministered to my heart.  I was like a fearful, shivering dog being comforted by his Master:  "Relax, take comfort in Me."

Friends, we need the LORD.  We need help and comfort only He can supply.  We imagine comfort can be found when He divinely changes our circumstances when He uses those same circumstances to draw us to Himself and be changed.  How blessed we are to have a Father in heaven who loves us and knows what we need before we ask--even if we are too dense and clueless to ask!  Isaiah 65:24 reads, "It shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear."  Praise the LORD for connecting us with others in the Body of Christ the church, yet let us never forget it is God we look to for comfort, peace and help in time of need.  God may use people to supply our needs, but He is the divine source we are called to look to always.