Partake - The Christian Disciple and the Bible 2

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The Bible as we have seen, tells of how God has spoken to all of humanity. God has spoken through revelation, inspiration and illumination. The next question you may well now be asking is this. Just how does the Holy Spirit illuminate the Bible to me? How can I see the Bible’s perspicuity; understand what it says about God and get to know God more?

Keys To Understanding the Bible.

Firstly, pray that the Holy Spirit will help you as you read. That is part of His role in your life as a Christian Disciple and believer. He will use the Bible to enlighten and illuminate your mind, heart and will as you seek to be obedient to Him.

Secondly, the Bible is inerrant, or without error, and that it is totally trustworthy. It does not contain errors or mistakes in its original form. That is in the original manuscripts and languages. It is not inerrant, however, in so far as the translation from those languages. As Christian Disciples, we do maintain the Bible as our final authority over all things.

Thirdly, no part of the Bible will explicitly contradict another part. It is a balanced and unified message from a God who does not change. God is not a God of confusion, but a God of order. As you read it regularly and consistently, you will be amazed how it holds together.

Fourthly, we are to keep what we are reading in context - not only in its immediate context, but also in context with the rest of the Bible. Take for example Psalm 14:1 where the Bible says “There is no God”. What Psalm 14:1 actually says is that the fool in his heart has said “There is no God”. It is also out of context with the rest of the Bible where God is said to exist, such as Genesis chapter 1. You can make the Bible say whatever you want it to say, by merely taking sections out of context, and thus creating pretexts. Ask yourself questions about the passage: How, who, when, where, why and what?

Fifthly, use a Bible you can read easily. There are many translations available to suit the taste of anybody. You may like to use a Bible reading plan, which will take you through the Bible in a year.

Lastly, expect to be changed when reading the Bible. Read it with an obedient heart, mind and will. The Bible is God’s Written Word because it is active, and God will not cease transforming you into the image of Jesus the Living Word - which is the goal of Christian Discipleship.

The Bible Equips For Service!

One of the main ways that the Bible helps you, is by equipping you as a Christian for active service! There are at least four ways, in which the Bible does this in your life as a Christian!

Firstly, is that the Bible both equips, and is useful for, evangelism and pointing others to Jesus Christ. When Philip the evangelist was talking to the Ethiopian about the Christ, it was Isaiah 53, which was the point of query.

The bible also equips in order for you to give counsel & instruction to others seeking help. An example of this is seen when Paul urged Timothy to use Scripture when teaching others.

Thirdly, the Bible equips you as a Christian to use your spiritual gifts. A spiritual gift is an ability given by the Holy Spirit, to you the believer, so that the church as a whole is encouraged and God is glorified. Your spiritual maturity derives from building Bible knowledge, which in turn helps you use your spiritual gifts in the best way possible.

Finally, it also equips you for doing battle with Satan and resisting temptation. In writing to the Ephesians, Paul likened the believers’ spiritual armor to that used by Roman foot soldiers. In this anecdote, the Bible is compared to a soldier’s sword. A sword is not only used to defend, but also used to attack. Jesus fended off and attacked Satan by using Scripture to negate the temptation. You can use all these methods in order to live the Christian life, and also to grow into spiritual maturity. This is as you read your Bible regularly, asking the Holy Spirit to illuminate it to you, as you do so.

The Bible Helps Know God More

One of the very key teachings from the Bible is that God can be known personally. People are not naturally born possessing this knowledge, even though they know the very existence of God. Knowing that God exists is not the same as actually knowing God personally. In the same way that I know about the Queen, I don’t know her personally. That is the same state people are in, with regards to God. Personal knowledge of God is ultimately crucial however, since knowing God personally and developing the relationship is what being a Christian is all about. As a Christian believer, you should be rejoicing that God earnestly desires you to attain this knowledge of Him, in order to know Him more and more. For this reason, He has spoken to you through His written Word, the Bible, revealing Himself and disclosing how you may know Him more.

Whilst God can be known, your knowledge of God is partial and you will never know everything there is to be known about Him. Knowledge of Him is both wondrous and without end. As you grow spiritually, knowing the Bible and thus knowing Him more, you will grow in spiritual maturity.

The Apostle Peter commands that you grow in the knowledge of Jesus. You do this as part of your spiritual journey, in order to become more like Jesus Christ. One of the Christian life’s’ greatest delights, is developing an intimate knowledge of God and of developing an intimacy with Him.

The gospel, or the news of Jesus you share with other people, is rightly entitled:”the power of God to salvation”. The Bible, and its gospel whereby people come to know God, are found in that the gospel is the agent of the new birth. The gospel is the soap or cleansing agent whereby God gives the believing sinner a spiritual bath resulting in salvation and the Bible is a teacher that brings wisdom, which leads to salvation.

The Bible Helps Know God’s Will

God has a program for the universe and it is revealed only in the Bible. The overall will of God, is that all people come to believe and trust in Jesus Christ as their Lord and their Saviour. After starting the Christian life, you discover God’s program from humbly reading His written word, the Bible.

God’s initial will for those who believe is the changing and conforming of the believer into the likeness of Jesus. But this is only the beginning of God’s work in you! This serves as merely an introduction into the lifelong process of becoming like Jesus. Paul writes “God who began the good work in you, will keep on working in you until the day Jesus Christ comes again”. God will not abandon you, but will keep working in you, transforming you to be like Jesus Christ. Obeying God’s will as revealed in the Bible, helps speed this transforming work along. It is work, because sometimes obedience is difficult and involves cost, yet worthwhile in the light of eternity.

Secondly, as a Christian believer, you should not overlook God’s work in this world. Was it not Jesus’ who commanded all his followers to tell all men about Himself? God uses people to tell this gospel and conviction comes through the work of the Holy Spirit. This includes you, if you allow Him and seize every opportunity!

Finally, believe it or not, God is at work in and through the church - His church. The church is to be a dynamic organism ordained by Jesus to do work for God. As the church reflects biblical truths to the world, God works through His Holy Spirit and through his followers in order to strengthen and bless the church.

For more to think about please read in the Bible, Luke 24:25-35; Matthew Chapter 4:1-11; 2 Peter 3:14-18. Philippians 1:3-6. Ask yourself the following questions, writing them down if you can, and see how you respond or react to them. Then why not share your answers with your spouse or a close friend, so that you can pray over any issues together. 1. What do I understand by the word “inerrant” and authority in regards to the Bible?

2. What is my expectation when I read the Bible and in what ways can I use the Bible every day to be cleansed and grow in spiritual maturity?

3. How does the Bible help my relationship with God and allow God to reveal His will and programme?

4. Why should I reflect biblical truths in my life to those who do not know God?

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Partake - The Christian Disciple and the Bible 1

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A God Who Roars!

I once heard a lion roaring! He was in London zoo and I was in Regents Park in the quiet of the early morning. I wasn’t able to make him roar. That happened in his own time, usually when he was alone early in the morning, when things were quiet and still. Then, his roar would bellow over the trees and buildings, cutting right through any traffic noise.

Has God ever roared? As Christian Disciples, we believe that God has indeed roared. We believe that God has spoken to this world because He loves this world. 1 John 4:16 tells us that God is love. Part of love is a desire to both know, and to be known. That is why the prophets spoke and the Bible were written. This is why God became man in Jesus Christ, because God wanted to know and be known in the fullest, human way possible.

God speaks to the world by three methods.:

• Revelation: where God has caused the truth to be revealed. • Inspiration: Where God causes the truth to be recorded. • Illumination: because God causes the truth to be understood.

These three words, revelation, inspiration and illumination are what Christian Disciples believe about the Bible. It is God’s revealed word about His Son Jesus Christ, inspired by His Holy Spirit and only illuminated within us, as we seek Him earnestly.

God Speaks by Revelation.

Revelation is how God has communicated truths to people, who otherwise would not know them. The story of creation in Genesis 1 and 2 is a good example of this. As humanity was not created until the sixth day, it must have been God who revealed the knowledge about what occurred on the first five days to the author of Genesis, or it would not be possible to know what occurred.

We know God did speak to those who wrote the Bible; but how did He speak? Was it in Hebrew? Greek? Some form of angelic language? We know that He spoke to them in their own language, as he did to young Samuel in the temple. Samuel at first thought that the voice was that of Eli the priest. At other times God spoke through angels, as when the angel Gabriel informed Mary that she would give birth to Jesus.

Another method of communication used by God was through dreams and visions. An example of this is in the birth story of Jesus Christ, whereby the wise men were warned in a dream not to return to King Herod. God has also communicated by way of a burning bush and from within of a cloud . God has even spoken through a donkey, as the prophet Balaam can testify!

In the Old Testament, often God spoke through the “Angel of the Lord”, which some believe to have been Jesus before He came to earth as a human.

The Bible, as God’s written word, is revelation because through its pages, the Bible reveals the Living Word, Jesus Christ.

God Speaks by Inspiration.

The actual word inspiration is only found once in the New Testament, where Paul explicitly states, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God” or more literally “God-breathed.” Divine inspiration naturally proceeds from divine revelation. Whilst through revelation God speaks to man’s ear, it is by inspiration that God works the pen, thus ensuring that the message is written correctly.

This process of inspiration has several theories attached to it. One theory called the content theory, suggests that the author garnered the main idea from God, but God allowed the writer to choose his own words. Another is the natural theory, whereby the Biblical writers were inspired in the same sense that William Shakespeare was inspired. God did not suppress the writers’ personalities. For example, the differences between the writing style of John and the writing style of Paul are easily recognizable.

However, Jesus said that God chose the very letters of the words. This view states that God inspires all the words of the Bible. God was able to use humans, even with their limitations to say all that He needed to say. God wanted to communicate to ordinary people, so He used ordinary people to write and produce the Bible.

In response to temptation by satan, Jesus said that man is to live by each of these God inspired words. Writers in the bible, such as Peter that knew their writings were being God guided. Peter said this was true of the Old Testament authors, his own writings and also true of Paul’s.

However inspiration does not guarantee the inspiration of any translation of the Bible, but only of the original manuscripts written in Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic.

God Speaks by Illumination

God has spoken and He has communicated His Written Word to us. Firstly by revelation when God spoke to the writers. Secondly, through inspiration as the writers were divinely guided by God, in the process of writing His message. However, in order to understand God’s revealed and inspired message, illumination is required. This is where God causes the Bible to be understood by both the human heart and the mind.

Why do we need of illumination? Without illumination, the reader is blinded both by his nature and by Satan. Just as a light bulb needs power in order to give light, so does the Bible need somebody to provide the power! The person, who does this illuminating, is God the Holy Spirit. He was promised by Jesus to illuminate the Bible to the hearts and minds of all people willing to listen, both Christian and non-Christian. Take for example the Holy Spirit’s use of God’s Word to illuminate sinners at Pentecost, where after hearing Simon Peter preach, three thousand people became Christian Disciples.

However, as a Christian Disciple, you also need this illumination to help you understand God’s Word. The Holy Spirit will show these tremendous truths to you as you read the Bible regularly, and ask for His help in understanding it.

By the Holy Spirit illuminating the Bible, people’s lives are transformed and changed. By way of the Holy Spirit illuminating the Bible as God’s inspired written word, God’s Living Word Jesus Christ is revealed.

So, why not pray for His help when ever you read the Bible and ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate it to you?

For more to think about, please read in the Bible, 2 Timothy 3:14-16; Deuteronomy 29:29; Isaiah 59:21; 1 Corinthians 2:10-16. Ask yourself the following questions, writing them down if you can, and see how you respond or react to them. Then why not share your answers with your spouse or a close friend, so that you can pray over any issues together.

1. What are the 3 methods in the Bible that God has used to speak to the world, and how would you define them?

2. Write down some examples from the Bible of “revelation”.

3. What are the roles played by God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit in regards to the Bible?

4. Can you tell the difference between two writers, such as the writer of 3 John and the writer of 2 Peter?

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88. Partake - The Christian Disciple and Doctrine

Paul writes in Titus 2v1: “You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine.“

In a lot of churches today, the word ‘doctrine’ is unfashionable. Doctrine belongs to a time gone by, they say, and new experiences of God and miracles from God are the way forward for the church. Some churches teach only what they think people want to hear, tickling the ears instead of exposing them to biblical truth led by the Holy Spirit. Paul wrote about this in 2 Timothy 4:3 “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” Is that not indicative of where some parts of the church, particularly in the west, are today? Teachers preferring to tickle the ears of their listeners, instead of stirring people into living transformed lives for Jesus Christ.

What is Doctrine?

The words translated as “doctrine” are found frequently in the letters written by Paul, chiefly in what are called the Pastoral Epistles: 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus. Doctrine is the study of God, as revealed through the pages of the Bible. The more the Christian Disciple learns about the God they choose to follow, the more

• The Christian Disciple will be able to deal with the daily pressures of living in a society ever distancing and alienating itself from God;
• ·The Christian Disciple will continue learning and understanding the very nature of God and be able to both act and react, rightly in varying circumstances
• ·Will continue to develop the relationship between themselves and the God they serve

Who is Doctrine for?

Doctrine is for all Christian Disciples,

• ·regardless of the level of academic achievement (or none);
• ·regardless of the length of time they have been a Christian Disciple;
• ·regardless of their status in the church they attend, whether the Christian Disciple is a church leader or an ordinary church member who sits in the congregation.

Doctrine Matters

So, for every Christian Disciple, doctrine matters. Doctrine matters because what you believe about God, ultimately affects how you will behave. If the Christian Disciple has solid, biblical doctrine being practised in their life, they will live a life of total obedience to Jesus Christ. For the Christian Disciple is to hunger and thirst after righteousness (Matthew 5v6) and this can only come about through the work of the indwelling Holy Spirit. As the mind is renewed and transformed (Romans 12v1) with teaching about Jesus Christ, and the Christian Disciple puts into practice what the mind learns, the life of the Christian Disciple is transformed. Then people will ask questions. Questions regarding the reason why the Christian Disciple has been transformed. Questions asking about the reason for the hope the Christian Disciples hold onto. That way the Gospel and Good News of Jesus Christ is spread. That is one of the ultimate reasons why doctrine is important – it is also evangelism.

Learn and practice

The need to learn and practice true biblical Doctrine is ultimately important when faced with persecution for being a Christian Disciple. If the Christian Disciple’s faith is based on anything less than the belief in Jesus Christ as both God and Man, then ultimately that foundation will break, and there can be no hope. If the Christian Disciple is only seeking to have their ears tickled with what they want to hear, then enduring persecution for being a Christian Disciple is much harder than if that Christian Disciple has had a solid Doctrinal teaching about living the Christian life. With solid Doctrinal teaching, the Christian Disciple has hope, and an unending hope, enabling them to endure persecution.

True or false

Another reason, learning solid doctrine is important is so that the Christian Disciple will be able to discern true Apostolic & biblical teaching from the false teaching of heretics and those who want to lead Christian Disciples astray. Titus 1v9: “He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.” Or as Paul writes to Timothy in 1 Timothy 1v3 “As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer.” Or further on 1 Timothy 6v3-4: “If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, he is conceited and understands nothing.”

Christian Discipleship is fulltime, for 24 hours of the day, every day. The Christian Disciple is to partake of righteousness as commanded by our Lord Jesus Christ, as well as other things as commanded and instructed in the Bible. The Christian Disciple, can engage in Active Daily Discipleship, through learning true Biblical doctrine. By learning biblical doctrine, the Christian Disciple will be enabled to start discerning true beliefs from false beliefs and ultimately engage biblical doctrine into living a life worthy of Jesus Christ. Experiences and miracles are important, but to base Christian Discipleship upon them and not on solid biblical doctrine, produces a rollercoaster effect and not the constant reliance on the indwelling Holy Spirit for direction, guidance and trust.

For more to think about please do read for yourself the book of Titus. It is 3 short chapters and won’t take very long. Ask yourself the following questions, writing them down if you can, and see how you respond or react to them. Then why not share your answers with your spouse or a close friend, so that you can pray over any issues together.

Q1. How does what I believe about God, change the way I live for God?

Q2. As I look back on my Christian life, can I notice discernable differences in how my life has changed as I put into practise my beliefs?

Q3. When engaging with others, do I seek to have my ears tickled with what I want to hear or do I seek to be exposed to apostolic truths about the God I profess to serve?

Finally, here are a couple of recommended books to help your study of Doctrine. Both of these are well written, easy to read, easy to understand and pack a punch.

• Knowing God by JI Packer
• Basic Christianity by JRW Stott

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69. Partake - The Christian Disciple and Unity

Paul writing in Ephesians 2v19-21: “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.”

As the church, we are to be one and unified through and in Jesus Christ! The universal Church is one around Jesus Christ, but churches on a local level frequently engage in acts of disunity rather than unity. Churches and Church denominations fight over minor details. So how can we as Christian Disciples show unity, to a world that sees the Church fragmented. Paul when writing to the Ephesians challenged the two groups of believers, Jews and Gentiles, to be unified in order for the church to grow and Jesus Christ to be glorified.

1. Alienation – Jews and Gentiles

There was alienation, evident in the church. Most of the converts in the church of Ephesus were Gentiles. For centuries Jews (the “circumcision”) looked down upon the Gentiles (the “uncircumcision”) as an inferior people. Israel (the Jews) were to be the light of God to the whole world. However, the physical mark of being a Jew was no proof of a man was a man of faith (Romans 2v25-29; Galatians 5v6, 6v15)

The best word to describe the Gentiles is without

a Without Christ

b Without citizenship

c Without covenants

d Without hope

e Without God

2. Reconciliation – One Jesus Christ

“But now…” (Ephesians 2v13) is linked with “But God…” (Ephesians 2v4). This is God’s grace and reconciliation. Enmity is a feeling of war and hostility. Reconciliation means to make peace between enemies and to bring together again. Sin is the separator – Adam & Eve; Cain & Abel; the Flood; Tower of Babel; leading to Abraham & Israel (Genesis 12)

a. Enmity between Jew and Gentile

Jews were different from Gentiles in religion, dress, diet and laws. Until Peter was sent to the Gentiles (Acts 10), the church had no problems. But placing the salvation of the Gentiles on the same level as the Jews caused problems.

Acts 11 – Peter was told off for going to the Gentiles and eating with them.

Acts 15 – Apostles meeting – both Jews and Gentiles are saved in the same way.

The barrier or wall between Jew and Gentile was the Law (Leviticus 11v44-47; Ezekiel 44v23).

Jesus breaks the barrier in His death (Galatians 3v10-13). Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved (Romans 10v12-13)

The Lord Jesus is our peace (Ephesians 2v14) and made our peace with God (Ephesians 2v15)

The Gentiles

b. Enmity between God and man

God had put a difference between Jew and Gentiles, so that His purpose would be done. These differences were erased through the reconciliation of Jesus’ work.

Acts 15 – All people both Jew and Gentile need Jesus’ reconciliation.

3. Jesus’ Living Work

1. Jesus work has made

i both Jew and Gentile one (Ephesians 2v.14)

¨ “one new man” (Ephesians 2v.15)

¨ “one body” (Ephesians 2v.16)

¨ “one Spirit” (Ephesians 2v.18)

2. Jesus has made

i one nation (Ephesians 2v.19a)

ii one family (Ephesians 2v.19b)

iii one temple (Ephesians 2v20-22)

¨ God lived with His people (Exodus 25v8)

¨ God lived in His tabernacle (Exodus 25v8)

¨ God lived in His temple (1 Kings 8v1-11)

¨ God lived in Jesus (John 1v14)

¨ God lives in His people through the Holy Spirit that indwells us. (1 Corinthians 6v19-20)

¨ God lives in the church, His body (Ephesians 2v20-22)

3. Jesus is the chief cornerstone (Psalm118v22; Isaiah 8v14; Ephesians 2v21, 4v16)

A Cornerstone is the main part of a building and it holds the whole structure together. Jesus said in Matthew 16v18 “I will build my church”. Jesus Christ has united the Jews and Gentiles. Just as even though the universal church has many different denominations, Jesus Christ holds them together in unity. But how can we as Christian Disciples show unity when we have so many diverse parts to the church? Where does the source of authority for our unity lie?

Authority

By authority, I do not mean authoritarian, but rather total obedience to a power or force. However, the world today baulks at both. People constantly rebel against the authority of the Police and Government. Today, particularly in the Western world, the only authority a lot of people accept particularly in regards to morality and how to live is their own self-deducted authority.

As Christian Disciples, our supreme authority is to be God Himself. We are of course free to disobey His authority, but in doing so, ignore His better wisdom. When this occurs our conscience testifies that God’s authority regarding His wisdom and we repent of our disobedience.

Source of authority

So if God is to be our authority, where can this authority be found?

Historically, the church has had several sources of authority. There are the historical creeds and confessions such as the Apostles Creed and the Westminster Confession. Creeds are valuable in order to gain insight on Christian doctrine, but there are two main problems concerning ultimate authority. Firstly they are too general and in no way be used to fully explain Church doctrines and beliefs. Secondly, the creeds and confessions are under authority themselves as they are based on the teachings of Jesus and the Apostles.

Then there is the “mind of the church”. This dictates that God’s mind & will can be discovered through opinion and consultation. This is of course, partly true. However, it is not our ultimate authority due to individual belief concerning such things as the sacraments, Spirit baptism and other doctrines. If there isn’t unity of mind on these things, then how can the church progress past the impasse?

Then of course there is experience in the life of the Christian Disciple. Whilst experiencing God is vital, how can we know our experiences are truly under His authority and not just our old sinful nature raising its head? Again it is not the ultimate authority, because many great Christian truths fall outside of personal experience.

Whilst the creeds, confessions and “church mind” are indicative of the historical Church, they are not of themselves to be our ultimate authority. God as Father, Son and Spirit are to be the ultimate authority for the Christian Disciple. This triune God is known through the Bible, and the Bible is our authority. It is God-breathed and is to be revered and obeyed. By submitting to the authority of Scripture, we bow the knee to the God who is alive in us through the indwelling Spirit. In doing so, we give authority to Jesus Christ, who has the “supremacy over all things” (Colossians 1v18). Before His ascension, He said “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matthew 28v18). As His Christian Disciples, Jesus Christ is to be our ultimate authority and the Bible reveals Him supremely to us.

For more to think about please do read John 17v6-25. Ask yourself the following questions, writing them down if you can, and see how you respond or react to them. Then why not share your answers with your spouse or a close friend, so that you can pray over any issues together.

Q1. How can I exhibit unity with those I disagree with regarding points of bible teaching?

Q2. Are there those in my local church with whom I need to reconcile with?

Q3. What and who is the source of my authority as a Christian Disciple?

As ever, if you have any comments to make on this, please do contact me at partake(at)hotmail.co.uk. Thank you.

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67. Partake – The Christian Disciple and Suffering

Jeremiah 37v11-16: After the Babylonian army had withdrawn from Jerusalem because of Pharaoh’s army, 12 Jeremiah started to leave the city to go to the territory of Benjamin to get his share of the property among the people there.  But when he reached the Benjamin Gate, the captain of the guard, whose name was Irijah son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah, arrested him and said, “You are deserting to the Babylonians!”

“That’s not true!” Jeremiah said. “I am not deserting to the Babylonians.” But Irijah would not listen to him; instead, he arrested Jeremiah and brought him to the officials. They were angry with Jeremiah and had him beaten and imprisoned in the house of Jonathan the secretary, which they had made into a prison.

Quite possibly the biggest question Christian Disciples ask themselves or is asked of them by others concerns the problem of suffering. I will start out by saying I don’t have all the answers, but hope to give some idea as to what the Bible says about suffering.  Many people mention suffering as the main reason they do not believe in any form of God, whether that be a personal God or an impassive God.  What is true of all humans, is that we all suffer in some way.  It is an endemic part of human life.  Suffering of any kind leaves some sort of scar or mark.  Do you have scars?  Physical, emotional or mental scars due to sickness, somebody else sinning against you or as a result of your own sins?  Scars come as a result of human life.  Are you suffering today from sickness?  Are you suffering today because of somebody else?

One man, who knew suffering, was the man Jeremiah.  Not just the suffering in the passage we read earlier but he also endured:

a. Persecution from his family (Jeremiah 12v6)

b. Mocked and despised by his peers (Jeremiah 20v1-9)

c. Arrested, beaten and falsely imprisoned (Jeremiah 37v11-16)

Kinds of suffering

There is man’s inhumanity to man, which causes suffering.  There is suffering from man’s wilful disobedience against God as when Adam ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 3). Suffering was not part of God’s original creation and only came in after this event.   There is also suffering as a result of the actions of others, as in the story of Joseph being sold into slavery (Genesis 37).    There is physical suffering (John 9v1) and mental suffering (1 Corinthians 2).  Finally there are spiritual sufferings: the work of satan, such as Job endured (Job 2v7); from the world (1 john 2v15-17); persecution because of maintaining Christian beliefs (Acts 16v19-24) and the Christian Disciple’s old and deceptive sinful nature (Romans 7v18-24).

Purposes of suffering

Often when confronted with suffering, the main question asked is “Why would a loving God allow suffering?”

Scripture offers a little insight into the purposes of suffering.

a. Suffering produces fruit such as patience (Hebrews 10v36); joy (Psalm 126v6); wisdom (Psalm 94v12) and maturity (1 Peter 5v10).

b. To silence satan.  Just as God allowed satan to cause Job to suffer, in order for Job to prove that he loved God for who God was and not for what God gave him (Job 1v8-11).

c. That God is glorified (John 11v1-4)

d. To continue transform us into the image of Jesus who being fully God and fully man, endured the suffering of the cross for the sake of humanity (Philippians 3v10).

e. To teach us dependence upon God and to have faith in Him (John 15v1-5).

f. To increase our witness to those outside of the Christian faith (2 Corinthians 1v3-7).

Responding to suffering

How is the Christian Disciple to respond to suffering?  Naturally, we either treat it too flippantly or we take it far too seriously.  The response that God wants His disciples to have to suffering is to be exercised by it.  The Christian Disciple is to commit any suffering we endure to God and understand that He is faithful and that it will eventuate in His glory and for our own good (Romans 8v28; 1 Peter 4v18).  We are to be joyful when enduring suffering (James 1v2).  Now I admit, that  that can be hard to do, but we are not left alone.  The Holy Spirit indwells us and as one of His names suggests, as the Comforter, He provides comfort during the times of suffering.

What is God doing about suffering?

We know that God is personal and we know that as Jesus was both fully God and fully human, that God has suffered.  God, who is without sin, became sin.  The great God, who is outside of time, entered time. The God of the Christian Disciple intimately knows what suffering is like, because of the suffering Jesus endured on the Cross.  Before He was arrested, Jesus suffered such anxiety, that he perspired blood (Luke 22v44).  That is why as Christian Disciples we have a hope.  Because the God we serve, personally knows our suffering and has endured suffering just like us.  That is why we know God is a personal God.  And what is God doing now about suffering?

Well one day, one glorious day, every kind of suffering will be banished for those of us who love Him.  Revelation 21v4: “God will wipe away our tears.  There will be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying and no more pain, for former things have passed away.” Take that verse to heart.  What a glorious day it will be for those of us who love Him now.  God Himself, with our face in His hands, wiping away our tears…  When our King returns, there will be no more terrorism, missiles, guns, wars or bombs.  No more will man’s inhumanity to man be allowed.  No more torture, rapes, muggings or robberies.  No more poverty or famine.  No more religion, idols or icons.  No more gossip, fornication, adultery, lying or debauchery.  No more cowardice.  No more pain.  No more death.  No more suffering. No more sin.  Humanity’s sin is the creator of suffering, not God, as critics of the church maintain.

For more to think about please do read for yourself: 1 Peter 3v13 to 1 Peter 4v19. Ask yourself the following questions, writing them down if you can, and see how you respond or react to them.  Then why not share your answers with your spouse or a close friend, so that you can pray over any issues together.

Q1. How am I to respond to the suffering I endure?

Q2. What is my reaction to knowing that God suffered?

Q3. What hope does Jesus’ resurrection from the dead give me to endure suffering?

As ever, if you have any comments to make on this, please do contact me at partake(at)hotmail.co.uk.  Thank you.

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