As a consequence of our own brokenness and ⁵rebellion to God's directives or
Simply as a result of living in a broken world among others who are in rebellion to God.
There is no way around pain and no shortcuts to being weaned from our own ⁶brokenness.
"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation (The meaning of tribulation in the original Greek - persecution, affliction, distress, pressure). But take heart (i.e. do not be fearful or lose hope); ⁷I have overcome the world.” - Jesus in John 16:33
The good news is God knows and understands (Christ suffered far more than we ever will and for our benefit) our pain. And not only so but he also uses our pain and struggles for our good. In knowing this, we find peace - i.e. "...in me you may have peace."
Though pain continues in this life, it no longer disturbs us in the way it did before. We now see how God uses it for a good purpose if we love and trust Him.
In Christ, we live with ⁷hope, not despair, anxiety or fear.
The greater theevil the greater the opportunity for healing/
Pain and death do not have the final word, life does in and through Christ demonstrated and confirmed by his resurrection. Because he resurrected, we will also in him. This is our hope in our pain.
"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation (The meaning of tribulation in the original Greek - persecution, affliction, distress, pressure). But take heart (i.e. do not be fearful or lose hope); ⁷I have overcome the world.” - Jesus in John 16:33
The good news is God knows and understands (Christ suffered far more than we ever will and for our benefit) our pain. And not only so but he also uses our pain and struggles for our good. In knowing this, we find peace - i.e. "...in me you may have peace."
How do we discover God's love in our pain? click here
For a further discussion on the primary role of pain click here
For a further discussion of how God uses evil for our good click here...and here.
The greater the
grace click here.
For a discussion on the key lesson from the book of Job, click here.
For a discussion on the value of paradox, click here.
For a discussion on the necessity of humility click here
___________________________________Footnotes:
¹Pain reminds us that we were not designed to operate without God. The more we come to see and understand this the more we look to God for true life, and not to "creature comforts."
Coming to see and know God as the true source of life, love, and all things is at the heart of our transformation - growth. Pain is the primary means by which this occurs if we receive it by faith as such, i.e. we do not become angered or embittered by our suffering, pain, or struggles but welcome them as our friends to help us grow deeper roots into God and find Him more and more as our true life and joy.
²We are so blinded by our selfishness we will never see how deep it runs until we are pressed beyond our ability to handle the pain it causes.
³God actually calls us to go through pain to advance us spiritually. We don't think of self-denial as a form of pain. However, self-denial is a call to turn away from those things we find comfort in, to ease our pain, so we might pursue God as our comfort.
To expand on this, Christ says to take up our cross and follow him. The cross is a symbol of pain. Christ is calling us to take on and embrace pain in the same way He did in order to follow him. At first, we might think this is insane. Why would God call us to willingly take on and embrace pain when we spend all our lives trying to avoid it!?
When the world asks how can God be good and just when He does not relieve all the pain and suffering in the world, it reveals the depth of our rebellion towards God. Pain is the organic fruit of our rebellious distrust and independence from God, not as deliberate punishment by some angry supernatural being. It only remains to wean us away from dependence on the creation and turn us to dependence on the Creator for true life where it belongs and where we will flourish and experience life most.
¹Pain reminds us that we were not designed to operate without God. The more we come to see and understand this the more we look to God for true life, and not to "creature comforts."
Coming to see and know God as the true source of life, love, and all things is at the heart of our transformation - growth. Pain is the primary means by which this occurs if we receive it by faith as such, i.e. we do not become angered or embittered by our suffering, pain, or struggles but welcome them as our friends to help us grow deeper roots into God and find Him more and more as our true life and joy.
²We are so blinded by our selfishness we will never see how deep it runs until we are pressed beyond our ability to handle the pain it causes.
³God actually calls us to go through pain to advance us spiritually. We don't think of self-denial as a form of pain. However, self-denial is a call to turn away from those things we find comfort in, to ease our pain, so we might pursue God as our comfort.
To expand on this, Christ says to take up our cross and follow him. The cross is a symbol of pain. Christ is calling us to take on and embrace pain in the same way He did in order to follow him. At first, we might think this is insane. Why would God call us to willingly take on and embrace pain when we spend all our lives trying to avoid it!?
When the world asks how can God be good and just when He does not relieve all the pain and suffering in the world, it reveals the depth of our rebellion towards God. Pain is the organic fruit of our rebellious distrust and independence from God, not as deliberate punishment by some angry supernatural being. It only remains to wean us away from dependence on the creation and turn us to dependence on the Creator for true life where it belongs and where we will flourish and experience life most.
If we allow pain to do this, we will be saved in, by, and through our pain and suffering, i.e. It remains for the exact opposite of what we assume. God ultimately uses it to advance us spiritually, not harm us. But only if we receive it as from His hand for our advancement, not our harm.
⁴The primary directive is that we love God with all that we have and are and our neighbor as ourselves.
⁵Pursuit of something other than God for life is at the heart of our rebellion. This says these other things are more important or valuable than God i.e. they become our God.
⁶The heart of our brokenness - selfishness - is our rebellious commitment to being our own god. We put greater trust in ourselves to gaining what is best than trusting God do what is best for us. This is due to not believing God is who he claims to be... the Source of life, love, and all things. The result is the pursuit of creation itself and making it our god.
⁴The primary directive is that we love God with all that we have and are and our neighbor as ourselves.
⁵Pursuit of something other than God for life is at the heart of our rebellion. This says these other things are more important or valuable than God i.e. they become our God.
⁶The heart of our brokenness - selfishness - is our rebellious commitment to being our own god. We put greater trust in ourselves to gaining what is best than trusting God do what is best for us. This is due to not believing God is who he claims to be... the Source of life, love, and all things. The result is the pursuit of creation itself and making it our god.
How's that working for you so far? Don't worry. It didn't work for me either.
"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.
For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things." - Rom1:18-23
Of course, today we do not worship birds, animals, and creeping things as they did back when Paul penned this. But these are representatives of creation. We naturally ascribe to created things - i.e. anything from our earthly existence - the value and glory that can only be ascribed to God. That is the application and underlying truth of this passage for us today, not the primitive worship of animals.
⁷How did Christ overcome the world? He embraced the world's pain and suffering (including ours) and allowed it to kill him so that we might not have to remain in pain and die. Then He overcame that pain by resurrecting so that we might also resurrect one day if we put our trust in Him.
"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.
For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things." - Rom1:18-23
Of course, today we do not worship birds, animals, and creeping things as they did back when Paul penned this. But these are representatives of creation. We naturally ascribe to created things - i.e. anything from our earthly existence - the value and glory that can only be ascribed to God. That is the application and underlying truth of this passage for us today, not the primitive worship of animals.
⁷How did Christ overcome the world? He embraced the world's pain and suffering (including ours) and allowed it to kill him so that we might not have to remain in pain and die. Then He overcame that pain by resurrecting so that we might also resurrect one day if we put our trust in Him.
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Grace to you
Jim Deal