AB316

Category: Articles

  • Romans 5:3-5 and the Blessing of Suffering

    Romans 5:3-5 and the Blessing of Suffering

    It is common for us to think of suffering as a curse. Because we do so, we often think of suffering as the opposite of blessing. However, the Bible teaches us that suffering can function both as a curse and a blessing. While much has been written about suffering being a curse (or think of punishment due sin), I want to explain how suffering is a blessing. In order to demonstrate that suffering is a blessing, I want to explain Romans 5:3-5.

    Romans 5:3-5

    3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

    Romans 5:3-5

    Romans 5 begins by stating that because we have been justified by faith, we have peace and grace from God and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Verse three begins with “not only that,” meaning not only do we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God, but because we have been justified by faith, we can also rejoice in our sufferings.

    Rejoicing in sufferings doesn’t mean that we go around with a smile while we are enduring pain or tribulation. It doesn’t mean that we break one arm and say “thank God I didn’t break both arms”. We can do that. But rejoicing in suffering is more than an external measure. It’s an internal joy. Not a rejoicing at what is happening to us necessarily, but a rejoicing at what it will produce.

    Suffering Produces Endurance

    The first thing that suffering produces in endurance. How can suffering produce endurance? Perhaps the best illustration of this is physical exercise, especially running. It is the beginning of the new year and many will be setting resolutions about fitness and cardio health. They will begin to run. As they do so, they will discover that they can run only to a certain point before their body starts to hurt – their lungs burn, their legs feel like rubber – and their brain tells them they should stop. However, we know that many do not stop there. They persevere; they endure. They override what their body and brain are telling them and they keep running. When they do that, a crazy thing happens – they grown in endurance. Slowly, but surely, they can run a little longer than they used to be able to do so.

    In the same way, when we go through tribulations and trials (isn’t it interesting that Paul doesn’t say “if”, but just assumes suffering will happen?) and instead of stopping or giving into bitterness and complaining, we look to Jesus as our joy and hope, our faith endures. It perseveres. It grows. And we can go just a little further than before. We don’t break. We don’t stop. We endure. But the only way to gain this sort of endurance is to go through the pain that would cause you to look to Jesus.

    Endurance produces character

    What is interesting to note here is that Paul uses the word dokimē, which means “proven character”. The key word is the word “proven”. This is in reference to steel or metal. As you probably know, when you are strengthening metal, you put it in fire. As it sits in the fire, the impurities come out. The metal worker then scrapes away the impurities and hardens the blade. The end result is a proven blade. A proven blade can be trusted because the impurities have been removed and what is left is strong metal.

    When Paul speaks about producing character, he is not talking about an inherited character, but the character we become. Suffering serves as a refining fire. Through our endurance, we become stronger. We become pure and proven. Because the impurities of our lives were revealed and removed, we are stronger than before we entered the fire.

    Endurance produces hope

    As we read that, we may wonder how that can be the case? But I think the answer is as simple as reading the last part. We are stronger. We are proven. We have confidence that we really are children of God. In other words, one of the obstacles that we face as Christians is wondering if we are really living up to what we say we believe. We wonder if we are hypocrites. Suffering produces endurance, which produces character – it reveals to us the genuine nature of our faith. So, we grow in hope. It gives us hope that we really will inherit the promises. It gives us hope that we really do want the glory of God.

    But also, we realize that God has been there with us. He never left us. In fact, he got us through the suffering. So our hope in him grows. We know we can trust Him.

    When I was a kid, I knew that God was our provider, but I never experienced God as our provider. Then my dad went through a period when he did not have a steady job. Life was hard. There was a time when my family and I could not live together for a season. And, even after we were able to live together again, we were struggling financially. I remember once seeing my mom crying on the couch because of our inability to pay the bills. But when we got the mail that day, a check from the insurance company came. My mom had been in a car wreck years earlier and they were just discovering that she had not received the full payment. The amount allowed us to pay our bills! It came at just the right time. God had provided!

    I knew about God providing in theory, but that taught me about him being our provider in reality! My hope in Him grew because I saw him keep his promises. But it was only in going through the trial that I was able to see that truth revealed. He teaches us hope.

    And that hope doesn’t disappoint. It’s a hope that teaches us we can trust him, that we are saved, and that he does deserve glory.

    But to see this, we had to suffer. We had to go through the fire. Not to be punished but to be blessed. Because suffering produced endurance, endurances produced character, and character produced hope. There’s not a plan B. There’s not an option of getting the endurance, character, and hope without the suffering. The suffering is necessary.

    And, because of what it produces, the suffering is a blessing.

  • Suffering: A Promise

    Suffering: A Promise

    I had been in East Africa for only a short time when the principal of our institution spoke these words during a chapel service, “Everyone is talking about claiming the promises of God, but I never hear anyone claim the promise to suffer – that’s a promise; you know?” The students responded with an awkward laugh. They knew the principal was correct; no one was claiming that promise. However, for many of them, it was probably the first time they had ever heard that suffering was a promise.

    One of the worst exports from America is a damnable heresy known as the Prosperity Gospel. Like most heresies, the Prosperity Gospel takes a truth of Scripture and then twists it to make man the focus. They twist it the truth to appeal to the desires of man. In this case, they teach that God desires for man to be healthy and wealthy…and to keep him from all suffering. Therefore, if you are not healthy and wealthy, or if you are suffering, it is because you do not have enough faith.

    But this is not exactly what the Bible teaches. While this article will focus on the suffering aspect, this podcast by Dr. David Jones addresses the other aspects.

    Promised because of Sin

    The Biblical truth is that we are promised suffering. John 16:33 says “…in this world you will have tribulation…” Suffering is a part of this world. We are promised suffering because we live in a fallen world. Because of Adam and Eve’s sin, the world was subjected to sin (Romans 8:18-22). That means that disease and natural disasters will occur. They will occur for everyone – Christians and non-Christians.

    In addition to the suffering that comes from the world being corrupted by sin, mankind is also corrupted by sin. Therefore, hate, violence, and oppression exist. A result of man’s fallen state is that we mistreated each other. We cause suffering for one another. Christians and non-Christians alike face this suffering.

    Sin has corrupted the natural world and humans. Christians and non-Christians face the consequences of this corruption. Sin causes disease, oppression, mistreatment through violence and oppression, and natural disasters. Because this world is fallen, because sin still exists, there will be suffering – for everyone.

    Promised for Christians

    However, for Christians, there is an even more specific promise of suffering. There is a promise that we will suffer because we are Christ followers (John 15:18-21). Because the world is fallen and man is trapped in his sin, they hate righteousness. They hate God. They war against God (Romans 5:10, Ephesians 2:1-3, Philippians 3:18) Because they hate God, they hate all associated with God. This is why when God became flesh and dwelt among us, they rejected and murdered him. Because they hate God, they hate all associated with God – including his followers. Since they treated him in such a way, we should expect the same. We will suffer because of our faith.

    This suffering may present itself in different manners. For the early Christians, and even now for Christians living in certain areas of the world, suffering may come in the form of physical torture and even death. For many reading this, you are not experiencing that level of suffering – yet. But you may face suffering of losing your job, or being rejected by friends and family, slander from others, and mockery. While there seems to be a disproportionate separation in degree of suffering, all of these are in fact suffering. And as we strive to live faithfully for Christ in this fallen world, we expect this sort of suffering.

    It is not true that our faith will keep us from suffering. In fact, it is our faith that will lead to additional suffering. Suffering will happen. It is promised. But, while we do not go looking for suffering, we do not fear it either because we know that suffering has a purpose. It is not meaningless. In the next part of this series, we will look at the purpose, the blessing, of suffering.

  • Suffering: The Cause

    Suffering: The Cause

    Almost fourteen years ago, a terrible tragedy occurred. My wife and I lost our child to a miscarriage. It was the second miscarriage we experienced. It was the second straight pregnancy that ended with a miscarriage. We felt crushed. Friends and family tried to comfort us. Some genuinely did, but others exacerbated the pain. There were many questions and comments made, but the question that sticks out in my mind, the question I can still hear echoing was: “What did you do?”

    I remember that question hitting me like a ton of bricks. What did we do?? Was this our fault? Are they saying the pain we are experiencing and even the death of our child was our fault? Was God punishing us? What did we do?

    Those questions are often asked during times of suffering. Often the first thought, even of the ones experiencing the suffering, is “why?” and wondering if it is the result of something they did. Does suffering occur because of our actions? Is it our fault? The simple answer is: yes….and no. Not exactly cleared up, but maybe a little more thorough examination will help. Why does suffering occur?

    When we answer this question, we begin by stating: suffering is not part of God’s original design. I don’t want to say that it is not his plan, as surely he knew it was coming, but it was not part of creation originally. The Bible tells us that when God had finished creation, he looked at it and saw that it was not only good, but it was very good (Genesis 1:31). Suffering, pain, death – those things were not there. They came when Adam and Eve disobeyed God (Genesis 3:1-4).

    Their disobedience, the entrance of sin, brought with it death (Genesis 3:3, 19), separation from God (Genesis 3:9-10), curses (Genesis 3:14-19), enmity (Genesis 3:15), pain (Genesis 3:16), struggles in personal relationships (Genesis 3:16), and hard work (Genesis 3:17-18). Sin brought with it suffering. Suffering exists because of sin. If you find yourself asking “but why does God allow it? Why is it necessary?”, you will want to make sure you tune into the third part of this series, but, for now, it’s important to note that the cause of suffering is sin.

    This is important to keep in mind for a couple reasons. First, it reminds us of the goodness of God. When he created everything, suffering was not present. This is vital to recall when we are going through suffering; the goodness of God is our anchor, our hope, our refuge, and our stay. Second, it reminds us of the wickedness, the heinousness of sin. The consequences of an action, can reveal the severity of the action. The consequences of sin is a separation from God that results in death, pain, and suffering.

    The Fall corrupted creation (Romans 8:22). Things are not as they are supposed to be. We live in a fallen world. Separation from God exists, therefore, death, pain, and suffering also exist. Suffering exists. That means that the suffering we experience is not always a result of individual decisions (see Mark 3:1-6 and Luke 13:1-4 for examples of those who experienced suffering that was not the result of a their own sin) . Surely, sometimes it is the consequences of our individual personal sins (see Jonah as an example of those who suffer because of their personal sin), but other times, suffering occurs simply because sin has corrupted creation.

    Suffering exists because we live in a fallen world – sin has corrupted creation. That can sound discouraging. You don’t even have to do anything “wrong” to experience suffering. That sounds bleak. But, as we think of the cause of suffering, we also are reminded of the cure of suffering. As soon as sin entered the world, God, the One who had been sinned against, announced a cure (Genesis 3:15). Immediately, there was a promise of the seed of the woman (Christ) crushing the head of the serpent (Satan). And, of course, at this time of year, we remember the incarnation. Christ became flesh, and dwelt among us; he suffered for us, died for us, and rose again (Romans 5:6-6:11; 2 Corinthians 5:11-21).

    Sin is the cause of suffering. But God is the cause of the relief from suffering!

  • Preview: A Primer on Suffering

    Preview: A Primer on Suffering

    In July of this year, my wife decided to go to the doctor. She had been tired and not feeling right for weeks. And then a whirlwind hit our family and our lives were flipped upside down. The doctors told my wife she had Leukemia. She was immediately flown from our home in Uganda to Kenya, and then, a few days later, to the United States, where we are currently living. 

                Over the last six months, I’ve watched my wife go through multiple rounds of chemotherapy. I’ve watched a woman who has been healthy her whole life, have her body wrecked with fevers, pain, weakness, and blood vessels bursting. On top of that, I’ve had to pull my sons, already feeling the weight of concern for their mother, from their friends and move them across the world – as we remain stranded from our home and ministry in Uganda, in a state of limbo, not knowing for how long or what the outcome will be. All the while, I sit – able to observe, but powerless to change any of these circumstances. On that hand, it has not been a great six months. 

                But, on the other hand, it has been a great six months. I’ve seen the Church, local and global, act like the Church by grieving with us, but also by encouraging us with prayer and provisions. I’ve seen my wife, my sons, and myself grow more fervent (and frequent) in our prayers to, and dependence upon, God. I’ve watched my wife suffer well and be an encouragement to others. God has taken this horrible curse and made it a blessing. 

                As I have walked through these last six months, I have spent a lot of time thinking about suffering. I don’t have to tell you about suffering. You know about it. You’ve experienced it. You’ve felt the hunger, fought the sickness, held the dying, and wept with the heartbroken and discouraged. You’ve even been the heartbroken and discouraged. 

                We all know suffering exists. The questions are “why?” and “for what purpose?”. Many answers to these questions have been given. I am convinced that the answers most frequently being given are often the least Biblical answers that we could give. Therefore, I want to try to explain a Biblical perspective on suffering. I want to give a primer on suffering. This series will consist of four parts:

    • Part 1: The Reason for Suffering
    • Part 2: The Promise of Suffering
    • Part 3: The Blessing of Suffering
    • Part 4: The Faith to Suffer

         I hope that you will read along.          

  • Transaction or True Love?

    Transaction or True Love?

    Do not owe anyone anything, except to love one another, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. (Romans 13:8)

    “Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.” (Matthew 22: 36-40)

    Levels of Christian Maturity:

    When we come to Christ as Savior and Lord, we begin a journey where we are to obey and follow Him for the rest of our lives. There are different stages of growth in our Christian walk; unfortunately, we tend to get stuck on one plateau or another. I believe that the depth of our Christian commitment can be demonstrated by the kinds of questions we are asking.

    When we initially come to Christ, most of our focus is on the “what?” questions. What does the bible teach? What am I supposed to do? What does God require of me? We spend a lot of time learning and figuring out what it means to be a believer and “what” the bible teaches. Basically, we have a “just give me the facts” approach where we desire to know the rules and the protocols of being a Christian. When someone becomes more mature and goes deeper theologically, they might also start asking the “how?” questions. Yes, I need to be baptized (the what), but the Scripture teaches I need to be baptized by immersion (the how). We realize as we grow that God desires us to do the right things the right way. For example, we should pray (what) in Jesus’ name (how). We should give our tithes and offerings (what), but we have to give cheerfully and liberally (how).

    Asking what we must do to serve Him and ensuring we are doing those things God’s way is essential. Yet, there is a third question, and it is probably the most important one. This is the question of “why?” Unfortunately, this is the question that few of us ask, which keeps us immature instead of going on to greater heights with Jesus. The “why?” question is what separates a Pharisee from a devoted disciple of Jesus. It takes a good bit of biblical and theological knowledge to answer the “what” and the “how.” We cannot negate the importance of what and how. However, if you know what to do and how to do it but you have the wrong motives, then you are like the Pharisees who had the correct information but the wrong motivation. Legalists who focus so much on doing the right thing the right way without examining their own heart tend to become unteachable and unpliable. The new Christian is at least open to learning, and open hearts are required for sanctification.

    A Love Relationship or a Transactional Relationship?

    When we consider the issue of motives, that is where the rubber meets the road in our Christian walk. The more I dive into this issue, the more convicted I become about my own motives and the more convinced I become that many churchgoers are either lost or immature believers at best.  

    I lived and worked in Africa for years and have observed that Africa is a relational society. Most anthropologists agree that Americans tend to be individualistic and independent, while Africans are relational and interdependent within their network. The assumption has long been that this relational prowess of the African Christian makes them better equipped to relate to God and their fellow believers. Yet, relationships are based on different motivations or different “whys,” and this has to be considered when judging the quality of one’s Christianity. One can do the right thing in the right way but still be wrong if it is done for the wrong reason.

    The more I meditate on this topic, the more I am convinced that there are two basic motivations in any given relationship: genuine love or give and take (transactions). This statement is not a judgment on transactional relationships because we all have them. When I go to a local shop and buy something, I enter into a transactional relationship with that shop owner. I give him money, and I expect that he will, in turn, give me a product I desire at an agreed price. This win/win relationship ensures that I will continue to frequent his shop to get what I need, and he will make a profit to get what he needs. Transactional relationships involve someone getting something for giving, and we need those in life.

    Genuine love relationships, on the other hand, are entirely different. In this case, we give, serve, or do something just because we love the other person. In these relationships, there is no transaction taking place. Instead, one is benefitting, and the other person does not benefit at all. If they do benefit, it is a secondary result and not a motivating factor. This is the relationship that God has with you. “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace!” (Ephesians 2:4-5). God does not need you, and you gain everything in this relationship without having to pay anything.

    Our relationship with God as believers should be based on unconditional love, not a transaction. Think about it, we were saved by grace and not by works. There is nothing we can do to earn salvation. There was no transaction between God and us; Jesus paid the price, we did not. Yes, repentance and faith are necessary to experience that payment, but even repentance and faith are gifts from Him. There is nothing in you or me that deserves His grace.

    Additionally, from our perspective, we must relate to God because of love. He owes us nothing, but He gives freely because of His love and grace. Why should we serve Him? We shouldn’t serve Him to get something from Him, but we should serve and obey Him because we love Him and desire His glory. Standing on God’s promises to you does not mean you have the right to leverage or command Him. Even if I suffer or if God never helps or blesses me, I still should serve Him because I love Him and because He is worthy. This is the flaw of the prosperity gospel. Our relationship with God is not based on a transaction where I do something for God, and He must do something for me. That is transactional thinking. My relationship with God is not predicated on what He does or will do; my relationship is based on obedience grounded in love. I love Him, and I desire His glory because I love Him. Therefore I obey for the right reason.

    Consider Luke 17:7-10 “Which one of you having a servant tending sheep or plowing will say to him when he comes in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’? Instead, will he not tell him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat, get ready, and serve me while I eat and drink; later you can eat and drink’? Does he thank that servant because he did what was commanded? In the same way, when you have done all that you were commanded, you should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we’ve only done our duty.’” (Luke 17:7-10)

    African Culture is Relational:

    Africans tend to be much more relational than people in the West. However, it still begs the question of the “why.” What is the motivation underlying many of these relationships? My observation is that while Africans are intensely relational people, these relationships are usually based on transactions and not unconditional love. I am not saying Americans are better. By virtue of their individualism, Americans are the most selfish people on the planet, and this self-centeredness is on display for all the world to see. Many are proud of this fact and boldly proclaim they “look out for number one.” The relational nature of Africans causes them to appear less self-centered on the surface, but when they honestly answer the “why” question, you find selfishness is prevalent here too.

    As I said earlier, transactional relationships are not all bad. We need these kinds of relationships with some people. Let me use an African illustration. In my city, we have a fried treat called a mandazi. Often you will find ladies who walk around with buckets of these delicious treats, selling one for 10 shillings (10c). If I approach one of these ladies and ask for a mandazi, I am beginning a transactional relationship; she will give me a mandazi, and I will give her 10 shillings. Suppose, though, that I reach into my pocket and realize I don’t have any money with me; what will happen next? Africans are very hospitable, and she might just give me one for free. Does this mean that her motivation is one of love and not a transaction? Not necessarily. She could assume I will bring her the money another day or that even if she gives me one for free today, I will become her regular customer and continue to buy more later. That is still transactional. She might even think that since I am a “man of God,” she might actually get some spiritual blessing from God or get promoted by me to my other friends. Those are still transactional motivations; she still expects something from giving something. It is not wrong for her to profit from her business, but the motivation is not unconditional love.

    However, if her 2-year-old child is hungry and wants a mandazi, she will likely give it to him, but the motivation is different. This is now a motivation based on love. It could be transactional, like if he is misbehaving and she is trying to quiet him down, but typically mothers do things for their children because of love. Mothers still care for their children if the child is disrespectful or misbehaving. They don’t do something to get something; they simply do it because they love them and feel it is their duty. A relationship motivated by love means you don’t consider what you will gain, only what you can give.

    While Africans are super relational people, I am convinced that most relationships are based on transactions. Typical statements I hear include: “When my family member needs something, I give it to them because someday I will need something, and they will return the favor.” Others say, “If I say “no,” I will be labeled as “selfish” and so I need to give so that one day I will also benefit.” Or, “I cannot afford to go to this funeral, but I will go because if I don’t, people will suspect I was the cause of the death, or they won’t help with my funeral when I die.” Culturally, Africans are people who almost always do the right thing in the right way, but the motivation is based on a cost/reward transactional perspective. When someone does something for their neighbor or family without expecting anything at all (of any kind) in return, this is not transactional but a love-motivated relationship. I believe these instances are rare.

    One reason is the historical foundations of Animism and African Traditional Religion that are still latent in African culture. Animism is by nature a transactional religion, where one does the right things the right way because if you do not, you will suffer punishment from the ancestors. People don’t obey the rules because they love their ancestors, but because they need their favor and fear their wrath. African Traditional Religion is all about using spiritual means to manipulate spiritual forces. If one can get the right medicine and use it correctly, he will have the power to control his circumstances.

    What About You?

    Now, if we consider these things spiritually, it reveals how much of our relationship with God is based on transactions and how much is based on genuine love. I believe this is one reason many people struggle with the concept of grace. Receiving unmerited favor from God for doing absolutely nothing is difficult for many people to get their minds around. Our penchant for transactional relationships is why works-based religions are so prevalent. That is why people (even some Baptists) believe you can lose your salvation. Most people are fundamentally wired to believe that to receive something, you must give something; to get a blessing, you must first make a sacrifice. Concepts like unmerited grace and mercy are foreign to many African cultures, and the idea of doing something nice for someone else without expecting anything in return is rare.

    As mature believers, we must ask these “why” questions regarding how we view God and the church. Why do you come to church? Are you coming to get something or to give something? I think most people attend the Sunday service because they expect a spiritual benefit. They think that if I sing right, dance right, and pray right, I will receive something from God. They have a transactional perspective of God. This is why the prosperity gospel has found such fertile ground in the African church. The entire premise of the prosperity gospel is that if we do the right things the right way, God has to bless us. The prosperity gospel is purely transactional. There is no love for God or desire for His glory, but a means to an end or a way to get what I want. Instead, we must have a love motivation where we come to worship just because we love God and want Him to receive the glory He is due.

    Why do you give? Do you give because you expect something in return, or are you giving to God and others, expecting nothing and simply to show love? Why do you obey? Is it because you fear God’s punishment and desire mercy, or is it just to show Him love? Are you serving because you know others are watching and are worried about what they will think? That is transactional; receiving appreciation for service rendered. Why are you praying? Is it to talk with the one you love and express your love to Him, or are your prayers filled with requests? Yes, we do need certain things, and some transactions are necessary. We need to pray and trust that God will answer and meet our needs, but when we ask the why question, we get to the heart of our motivations.

    Why we do what we do is an indicator of our spiritual growth. Let us deeply examine our hearts and ask God to reveal our motivations in everything we do, say, and think. Perhaps some would realize they started wrong in the beginning. They approached God transactionally; “Let me pray this prayer so God will spare me from hell.” What motivated your repentance and faith? Were you trying to gain something from God, or were you broken because of your sin and desperate to love Him? There is a transactional aspect to our salvation, but He paid the price, not us. We are simply the recipients of His grace.