I was listening a popular national Christian radio station yesterday
and heard the host tell a caller something I’ve heard for what seems like aeons
from Christians across the gambit of church leaders and laymen, from coast to
coast. What the radio host expressed has been repeated from pulpits, in music,
and on the lips of nearly every believer seeking to understand their own
struggles or comfort a brother or sister who’s in anguish. This huge
presumption goes something like this, “One day, when we get to heaven, God will
make all things known. You will you understand all the why’s of this life.” The
problem is that sentiment is not biblical. It’s a huge Christian presumption
that too many of us swallow without looking at it through the lens of Divine
revelation.
The Example of Job
The Book of Job is
often misinterpreted to produce a theology of Christian suffering. I agree with
Wilson, “The popular perception is that Job is a book about suffering, but in
what sense? It does not explore why there is suffering, nor the quandary of
innocent suffering, but rather the question of how a person can respond in the midst
of suffering.”[1]
The issue in Job is not suffering per
se, but whether Job’s faith in God was genuine or not. This is seen in Satan’s
question of 1:9, "Does Job fear God for nothing?" Satan was
accusing God by stating that Job’s faith was based on self-interest and,
therefore, not genuine. Job’s faith is tested through his sufferings and losses
in the rest of the opening section. Therefore, suffering becomes the nothing
more than the setting in which the issue of the book is raised; that being the genuineness
of Job’s faith.
By the time the reader reaches the end of Job, he has
read the exchanges in heaven between God and Satan, Job’s sufferings, and his friends’
input (ch. 1-37). Job, through all his questioning and interaction with his friends
comes to the point where he declares, “'I am innocent, but God denies me
justice” (34:5). The justice Job was demanding was knowing why he was going
through all this suffering; something so many of us also demand of God in the
midst of pain and loss. Finally, it seems Job will have all the answers he
desires as to why he has suffered and lost so much when God himself comes to
speak with Job (ch. 38-41). Nowhere in his discussion with Job does God explain
himself and he never tells Job of Satan’s accusations or the interplay behind
the scenes in heaven. What God does do is remind Job who He is; that He is the
Creator and Ruler of the universe and that Job is nothing more than a creation
and has no right to question God’s sovereign plan (ch. 38-41). Job responds
properly as his horizons are broadened by God, “"I know that you can do
all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted. 3 You asked, 'Who
is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?' Surely I spoke of things I
did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. 4 "You
said, 'Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer
me.' 5 My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. 6
Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes" (42:2-6). At the
end of his trials Job had returned to a place of genuine faith and trust in God
without the need for Divine explanation.
The Christian & Suffering
When we move into the New
Testament we encounter something that seems counter intuitive as Christians.
God promises that we will endure suffering, pain, and hardship in this life
(cf. John 15:18-20; 2 Tim. 3:12, et. al.). I find it interesting that nowhere
in the New Testament are we commanded to ask God why we’re suffering or are
told that God will reveal to us the reasons behind our suffering when we get to
heaven. Even in that great passage that reveals what will happen in heaven we
are not told that God will reveal to us why He allowed suffering in our lives,
nor given any implication that this will take place in heaven (Rev. 21). In
fact, Revelation 21:4 states, “He will wipe every tear from their
eyes. There will be no more death'1 or mourning or crying or pain,
for the old order of things has passed away." That word passed away means “to depart, to leave,
to go away.” The old order of things, the things pertaining to this life, will
be gone. They will be suddenly and eternally irrelevant to us anymore. All the
pain, trials, suffering, and tears – and the reasons behind them – will be done
away with in an instant. Does this mean we won’t remember our lives on this
earth? I don’t think that’s the case. I do think that all of this life will, in
one moment, be put into perfect perspective and the need for us to know the
reasons why won’t be relevant anymore. You see, we will see Jesus as He is and
know experientially and wholly God’s sovereignty and power; for we will see it
without the encumbrance of the presence of sin. All things will have been made
right and creation will be as God intended it once more – sin, and the suffering
it brings, will be gone. There will be no need to look back and wonder why when
we’re in the presence of the Lamb and enjoying His kingdom forever.
What, then, is the purpose for our suffering? I believe
the purpose behind the Christian’s suffering in this life is no different than
it was for Job; the testing and strengthening of our faith. Romans 5:3-4 says, “Not
only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that
suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”
God allows us to go through suffering, not to punish us or because He’s angry
with us, but to strengthen our faith in Him alone. Is Satan behind some of it like
he was with Job? Who cares? God’s purpose is the same; teaching us endurance
(perseverance) to produce a Christ-like character that rests certainly in Him
(hope). This doesn’t mean we won’t suffer the normal repercussions of our sin
(Gal. 6:7-8). If we live selfishly, indulging our flesh sinfully, we will reap
the produce of it. Rest assured, if we live for the glory of God and the spread
of the gospel of His Son, we will be persecuted, and we are commanded to
persevere through that for God’s glory (1 Pet. 2:19-25). Neither of those,
suffering the logical outcomes of indulging the flesh nor suffering persecution
for the sake of the gospel, is what I’m talking about here. The suffering I
have in mind is that which is akin to Job’s; the kind that comes on suddenly
with no seeming explanation as to why. That’s the suffering we all struggle
with and question. That’s the kind of suffering that is intended to strengthen
and deepen our faith. That’s the kind that is most common and with which we
struggle most often.
Conclusion
Let’s go back to my
original objection. There is a huge Christian presumption that says that we can
and should persevere through life’s sufferings because God will one day reveal
all the whys and wherefores behind it and we will finally understand. I take
objection to this as a false theology of Christian living and a gross
misunderstanding of who God is. God is sovereign; He
rules the universe at His discretion and pleasure not at ours. It sounds harsh,
fatalistic, and wrong to say it, but God is God and we are not. God is under no
obligation to reveal anything to men beyond what he’s already revealed in
Scripture. There is nothing in Scripture that even intimates that God owes us
anything, including explanations. Job received no explanation beyond a gentle,
but direct, reorientation of his faulty presumption – that God was being unjust
by not revealing the reasons behind his innocent suffering. While the New
Testament promises we will suffer life’s horrible issues, it never promises a
reason beyond the truth that they are designed to produce endurance, a
Christ-like character, and a certain expectation (hope) – i.e. a deep mature
faith in God.
So what should our response to life’s sufferings be? I
don’t believe it’s wrong to ask God why or even to ask God to remove the source
of our suffering. Paul did it (2 Cor. 12:7-8). Never should we expect God to
toe the line and acquiesce to our demands though. He didn’t do it for Paul.
Rather, He did for Paul what He did for Job. God reoriented Paul’s perspective
by telling him to trust Him and hold tightly to His grace through the trials
and sufferings of life (2 Cor. 12:9). It’s normal for us to want to know why.
It’s normal for us to want to blame someone for our suffering. What we should
never do is presume on God. God has His reason for allowing suffering into our
lives; a reason He’s already revealed in Romans 5:3-4. We need no other reason
than that to persevere. As believers, God is not arbitrarily or vindictively
allowing suffering in our lives. Rather, all suffering has its ultimate purpose
of glorifying God through the deepening of our faith. It is our part to trust
God and lean on His grace as we walk through the suffering of life knowing that
the day is coming when all things will be made right, Christ will reign, and
our faith will be fully perfected; removing all need for any further suffering,
pain, and tears (Rev. 21). It is to that truth we cling in the midst of
suffering and pain, not to the presumptuous need to make God answer to us and tell
us why. That is nothing short of putting the creation before the Creator and
does not produce mature faith.
[1]
Lindsay Wilson, “Job,” in Theological
Interpretation of the Old Testament, Kevin J. Vanhoozer, Gen. ed. 2nd
printing, (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2009), p. 150.
Comments
Post a Comment
Thanks for submitting your comment to Renewed Thinking. All comments will be given serious consideration, and no respectfully worded comment will be left unposted. Your comment is currently being reviewed by the Administrator; you should see it soon.