In Chapter 13 of The Cross of Christ, Stott writes, "The fact of suffering undoubtedly constitutes the single greatest challenge to the Christian faith, and has been in every generation. Its distribution and degree appear to be entirely random and therefore unfair. Sensitive spirits ask if it can possibly be reconciled with God's justice and love. ...Suffering comes in many unwelcome forms, and sometimes we not only ask God our agonized questions 'Why?' and 'Why me?' but even like Job rage against him, accusing him of injustice and indifference."
He further points out, "the Bible supplies no thorough solution to the problem of evil, whether 'natural' evil or 'moral', that is, whether in the form of suffering or of sin. Its purpose is more practical than philosophical. Consequently, although there are references to sin and suffering on virtually every page, its concern is not to explain their origin but to help us to overcome them. My object in this chapter is to explore what relation there might be between the cross of Christ and our sufferings." In this first look at Chapter 13 are Stott's overview of general biblical considerations concerning suffering.
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"Suffering and Glory"
First, according to the Bible suffering is an alien intrusion into God's good world, and will have no part in his new universe. It is a Satanic and destructive onslaught against the Creator. The Book of Job makes that clear. So do Jesus' description of an infirm woman as 'bound by Satan' (Lk.13:16), his 'rebuking' of disease as he rebuked demons (Lk.4:35, 39), Paul's reference to his 'thorn in the flesh' as 'a messenger of Satan' (2Cor.12:7) and Peters portrayal of Jesus' ministry as 'healing all who were under the power of the devil' (Acts 10:38). So whatever may be said later about the 'good' which God can bring out of suffering, we must not forget that it is good out of evil.
Secondly, suffering is often due to sin. Of course originally disease and death entered the world through sin. But I am now thinking of contemporary sin. Sometimes suffering is due to the sin of others, as when children suffer from unloving or irresponsible parents, the poor and hungry from economic injustice, refugees from the cruelties of war, and road casualties caused by drunken drivers. At other times suffering can be the consequence of our own sin (the reckless use of our freedom) and even its penalty. .. At the same time we must firmly repudiate the dreadful Hindu doctrine of karma which attributes all suffering to wrong-doing in this or a previous existence, and the almost equally dreadful doctrine of Job's so-called comforters. They trotted out their conventional orthodoxy that all personal suffering is due to personal sin, and one of the major purposes of the Book of Job is to contradict that popular but wrong-headed notion. Jesus categorically rejected it too. (Lk.13:1-5; Jn.9:1-3)
Thirdly, suffering is due to our human sensitivity to pain. Misfortune is made worse by the hurt (physical and emotional) which we feel. But the pain sensors of the central nervous system give valuable warning-signals, necessary for personal and social survival. ...Nerve reactions have to hurt if we are to protect ourselves.
Fourthly, suffering is due to the kind of environment in which God has placed us. ...natural disasters such as flood, hurricane, earthquake and drought. ...If we lived in a world in which God prevented every evil from happening, like Superman in Alexander Salkind's films, free and responsible activity would be impossible. Jesus spoke of suffering as being both 'for God's glory', that God's Son might be glorified through it, and 'so that the work of God might be displayed' (Jn.11:4, 9:3).
Next time we'll look at how Stott believes the cross speaks to us in our pain.
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