Since time began, there have been countless natural and human-made disasters so horrendous that they have caused grief and suffering beyond belief. Every human on Earth has experienced suffering to one extent or another. It may have been through quiet tears shed in the silence of the night as they reflected on the wounds inflicted by another or an overwhelming experience they went through.
When tragedy happens, the first reaction is usually to ask an angry “Why?!” Sadly, when people do suffer, the response is often, "It’s not fair, I don’t deserve this!” A loved one is brutalized - a child is abused - a natural disaster destroys whole cities - a family is wiped out in a terrible accident - a marriage breaks apart or disease takes hold of someone, and it is easy for people to quickly blame God for tragedy and calamity as they cry out in agony, "Why did you do this to me?"
Others, too afraid to be angry at God for fear of appearing faithless, play the Blame God Game when they indirectly accuse Him of causing their suffering by saying such things as; "It was God’s will”- "God allowed it" - “God is testing me” - “Everything happens for a reason”- “It was meant to be”- “It was fate”- “It was their time,” etc.
Casting blame upon God is a way to justify ones unwillingness to trust Him in (and through) everything because they are afraid of Him.
There are those who have had a loved one die, or had tragedy befall them while they were living a rebellious life, and have thought; "God is punishing me."
Two soldiers, who are Christians, face each other on the battlefield as members of opposing armies. Both pray for victory, only one army wins the fight. The one who has suffered defeat cries out ‘why?’ to God and the other thanks God for winning the battle. Whose side is God on - the winning side or the losing side? The answer is that God is on the side of both Christians and all He asks is to be trusted in the midst of struggle.
Some have said that natural disasters and acts of war are God’s judgment against a city or a country because of their rebellion and sin. A phrase often heard when immorality is exposed in a city or town is; “If God doesn’t do something about _________ He’ll have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah!”
The truth is, God promised that if He found just ten righteous people, He would not destroy those cities (Gen 18:32). It is hard to comprehend that there aren’t at least ten ‘righteous’ people in every city in the world. The Bible tells us that Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by their “pride, laziness, and gluttony” (Ezek 16:49 NLT). If that is the criteria for sending natural disasters as judgment, then there wouldn’t be one city or town left standing anywhere on the planet! As populations increase so will sin and its effects because more sinners equal more sin!
It is easy to feel betrayed and hard to reconcile “Acts of God” with a God of love. That is especially true if one has been taught that His love would protect them from any harm, keep them from every hurt and pain, or protect them from every sickness.
God Works for the Good
The Bible declares that “in all things, God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (Rom 8:28 NIV).
Historically, this verse has been used to teach that every situation, no matter how terrible, will turn out “good” if a person loves God. The context of the verse is the fallen world, and that the entire world is subject to the bondage of corruption (Rom 8:21). This bondage is so widespread the whole world is groaning in pain (Rom 8:22), the Believer groans in pain (Rom 8:23) and even the Holy Spirit groans in pain (Rom 8:26). The groaning in this context is worldwide and appears to cover all of creation itself.
The Bible and life itself shows us that everything does not always work for good for those who love God. God wants everyone to come to a knowledge of the truth and be saved. He wants people to obey and love Him, but not all people will. It is clear that things don’t work together for good for God either.
God cannot make everything good, but in every situation, He works for the good of those who love Him. Just as by His sovereign power, He entered into the world as human flesh in the person of Jesus. God’s great promise is that He will enter into every life circumstance and put forth His sovereign power on behalf of every Born-Again Believer and work together with them to produce what He knows to be the very best for them because He is a good God and only wants the best for them.
God doesn’t create horrible circumstances so that He can provide “opportunities” to prove He is faithful or so that people can prove they trust Him during hard or trying times or grow spiritually! Nor does He use or allow suffering as ‘loving’ correction of His children. He does not cause or allow bad things to happen so that He can test or try one's faith to make them a “better” or “stronger” person or to discipline or punish them.
The word “allow” is defined as “to forbear or neglect to restrain or prevent.” God desires only the best for His people who He calls His Bride because He is head over heels in love with her (Rev 21:9)! He desires to pour out (not restrain!) blessing upon blessing to those who trust Him with their entire being. He will never neglect His Bride or prevent her from experiencing deep intimacy when she cries out in desperate longing for more of Him. He has blessed her with every spiritual blessing (Eph 1:3). He only gives her gifts that are good and perfect (James 1:17). Pain, suffering, and tragedy are diametrically opposed to good and perfect.
The Real Test
God is all-knowing. He is immovable and immutable. He knows everything exhaustively (See 1 John 3:20). God exists outside of time and can see all future and past events as if they already happened. As a result of all this, He clearly knows what tests of life a person will pass and fail, so He doesn’t need to test anyone. To say that God needs, or wants, to "test" a person is to say that God is not all-knowing. However, every circumstance and situation of life can become a testing place.
“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone.” (James 1:12-13 NIV)
The verb “tempted” is ‘peirazo’ in the Greek. It has a wide range of semantical meanings, but primarily it means to "test, try, tempt, scrutinize, or prove." God cannot be tempted “by evil.” The root word behind "evil" means sickness or depravity. God can’t be tested with evil such as sickness or disease, nor does He use them to test people.
To “test” is to examine or prove. Avoiding an accident while driving tests a person's driving skills. Taking a test at the end of a class demonstrates what was, or wasn’t learned. Testing is necessary and beneficial for the one being tested. A person may think they are ready to graduate, but testing allows them to be confronted with the reality of what the real situation is. Testing usually comes at the end of a lesson not while a person is being trained.
An example of this is when Jesus asked Philip where they could buy the bread needed to feed the multitudes. Jesus already knew the answer, but He asked this indirect question so that Philip could see he had more to learn (See John 6:6).
Life itself is a grand test to help a person act upon God’s Word as they learn to trust Him (See Matt 25:14-30; 1 Peter 1:7). The point of one’s life in this world isn’t comfort - it is training and preparation. This life is just a rehearsal for eternity. The daily experiences of life will test and try every Born-Again Believer to reveal the quality of their trusting-faith before Him. It goes with the territory.
Paul claimed the call of God and the seal of His blessing on his ministry and wrote “but as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the good news, so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God, who is proving our hearts” (1 Thess 2:4 YLT). God was proving Paul’s calling through the fruit of his ministry to those who questioned it.
God doesn’t directly, or indirectly, test or tempt His Bride to see if she is worthy of Him. However, He does observe her as a judge presides over a trial: observing the proceedings, listening to the accuser and the defender make their case as all the facts are presented while making sure the rule of law (His Word) is followed. Judges do not make trials happen, but they can determine their outcome.
The True Source of Suffering
Humanity has an enemy who is determined to terrorize and destroy them. The Bible calls him satan. He is the “accuser of the Brethren” who seeks divine permission to tempt every Believer (Rev 12:10). Pride is what gives the enemy permission to attack because "God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6). The ability to resist the enemy is contingent on walking in humility.
One day Jesus was asked what caused a person to be born blind (John 9). Many people of that time believed that a person could be cursed by their own sin, or even from their parents sin, resulting in sickness, disease, or a physical deformity. Jesus gave an amazing answer by declaring that the works of God were to be manifested in the person regardless of the cause. He said, "It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him” (Jn 9:3 ESV).
Suffering is as much a part of this life as air and water because we live in a sinful world. The Creator doesn’t cause suffering. Only satan, the archenemy of heaven, can be accused of tormenting Christians (Matt 12:22; Acts 10:38; John 10:10; 1 John 3:8). God is not the author of pain and suffering. Jesus is the great healer. He doesn’t make people sick and miserable in suffering so He can then heal them to prove He is good.
The devil, Jesus said, has been a “murderer from the beginning” (John 8:44). Who else would do such terrible things but the liar, deceiver, and accuser himself! Satan is the author of suffering who comes ONLY “to steal, kill, and destroy” (John 10:10a).
Why not give the blame where blame is due? God is not a tormentor! God doesn’t put sickness and disease or great suffering on a Born-Again Christian to teach them something or because they sinned! He doesn’t kill loved ones or sabotage their business.
Jesus came that people "may have life, and have it to the full" (John 10:10b). The Bible tells us that Jesus healed all those who were under the power of the enemy (Acts 10:38). The enemy has NO authority over a Born-Again Christian. In the Greek, the word oppressed means to ‘exercise dominion (rule and authority) against.’
Sickness is part of the devil's kingdom. Through the shed blood of Jesus, every Born-Again Believer has already been ‘rescued’… ‘from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins’ (Col 1:13-14 NIV).
Jesus gave His Disciples power over the devil and all sicknesses (Luke 9:1-2). Every Born-Again Believer has power over the power of the devil because ‘greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world!” (1 John 4:4). Christians have already overcome the enemy (1 John 2:13-14). Jesus destroyed the works of the enemy and now lives within them (1 John 3:8). The physical body is His dwelling place (1 Cor 6:19).
The heavenly Father does not ‘put’ or ‘allow’ suffering into a person’s life to punish them, or teach a lesson, or test their faith, nor does He guarantee deliverance from the suffering of this world. Suffering is inevitable while living on this planet.
Job questioned God about this when he asked, "Why do the wicked live on, growing old and increasing in power?” (Job 21:7). Job shows later on that he acquired a greater understanding of God’s mercy in suffering when he wrote, "But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering; he speaks to them in their affliction” (Job 36:15).
A great deal of suffering that people experience is brought upon by their self. Satan and his minions can’t indwell the spirit, mind, and body of a Christian because it is now God’s dwelling place, His Temple (Greek: 'naos'), the Holy of Holies, but the enemy can motivate them by whispering in their ears. No one can say, "The devil made me do it," but they can say, “I allowed the devil to persuade me to do it."
The mind is the devil’s playground. It is there that he can talk a person into doing something they should not do and it is there that he can talk them into not forgiving their self as well as others. Poor choices and sin cause more suffering in this world than anything else. No one wants to take responsibility for their actions, so they find someone else to blame. The result is that people tend to look to either God or satan to blame when, in fact, it is most often the wrong actions taken on their part and by their own free choice that cause the problems.
Abounding Grace
Where sin abounds, satan abounds, but God’s abounding grace is abundant above all. God’s grace shines the brightest in the darkness of human weakness when confronted by an all-out assault of evil spiritual forces that are hell-bent on destruction and chaos in a person’s family, their finances, and even their health.
The Apostle Paul learned to draw on the grace of God so effectively that he even learned to take pleasure in weaknesses, in adversities, and in trials, for it was in these "weaknesses" that God's strength was "perfected in him!” (2 Cor 12:9-10).
God is not the author of suffering. The belief that He is the author by “allowing” it is a destructive lie perpetrated by the enemy to hinder human beings from experiencing intimacy with God.
The Cause and Effect Relationship
When sin entered the world, it put into motion a cause-and-effect relationship in each event in a person’s life. Things break down and deteriorate as a direct result of sin having entered the world.
Sin affects everything around us. A car’s brakes may fail and cause a terrible accident because they have worn out. An airplane crashes because of a faulty part. The washing machine stops working because the bearings froze from years of use. Even the devastation of a natural disaster is part of the fall. There is no such thing as fate and luck.
The Cost of Freedom
Because God is love, He gave humanity a free will when He created them that provides the freedom to choose whether or not to freely love Him in return and between doing right or wrong. The freedom to love is the basis of relationship. If God had not given mankind freedom to choose they would all be a bunch of mindless robots living preprogrammed lives. However, it is because of that very freedom God gave that there is suffering in the world.
When God decreed, or ordained, by order of His omnipotence (power) to give humanity free will He knew that freedom would also cause sin to come into the world. God did not create sin or suffering. Sin and the suffering it causes is a direct result of satan’s temptations and Adam and Eve’s subsequent disobedience.
God told Adam that because he disobeyed Him, and ate from the tree from which He commanded him not to eat, the very ground he walked upon would be cursed. God then gave over to mankind the full management rights to Earth. All humanity would have to now “eat of it” through “painful toil” the rest of their lives because of his sin.
The Earth from that day forth would: “produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return." (Gen 3:17-19 NIV)
Sin is the reason people have to work their fingers to the bone to get through this world. The sweat on the brow from trying to make ends meet is a part of the suffering due to sin. The words "thorns and thistles" in the previous Scripture verse have a broad meaning in Hebrew and represent both natural evil and suffering in general.
This natural evil would include floods, tsunamis, tornadoes, disease, earthquakes, droughts, hurricanes, volcanoes and so on. The Second Law of Thermodynamics, commonly called ‘Entropy’ states that in all energy exchanges if no energy enters or leaves the system, the potential energy of the state will always be less than that of the initial state. In other words, things wear out because of decay which is ultimately the result of sin entering the world.
It is the sin of Adam and Eve passed down to every human being that first brought about suffering in this world. So blame it on them!
The Sovereignty of God
Because God is sovereign, He can do anything He wants, how He wants, and when He wants. However, He can’t break His promises, lie, or contradict Himself. Free will lets people do whatever they please, even the most heinous of things. There are times when God will overrule the choice and keep a person from doing what they want to do. God gave human beings full control and responsibility for their own lives. People can choose to walk with God or walk on their own. Although God is sovereign, it does not mean that suffering is either authored or allowed by Him.
But it was God’s Will…
Suppose someone dives headfirst into a pool of water without checking to see how deep it is and breaks their neck, did God cause it to happen? Was it really God’s will that they become paralyzed?
If an airplane is loaded with more weight than it can carry and prayer is offered for a safe flight, but it crashes, killing all on board, was it God’s will? Did God make it happen?
If a person gives a loved-one keys to their car and they go out drinking, run into a telephone pole, and are killed, would it be their fault because they gave them the keys to the car? Did they ‘cause’ it or ‘allow’ it to happen? Handing over the keys to the car would not be the cause of the accident, nor by giving the keys, would they be allowing it to happen. The cause of the accident would be directly related to the freedom of choice and actions of the person using the keys.
Sadly, there are those who would blame themselves for the accident because they did give someone the keys to the car. But is it their fault that the person was killed?
How can one blame their self for what someone does with the freedom they have given them? Giving the person the freedom to drive the car into a tree is not the same as willing or causing or allowing the car to run into the tree. That is the difference between God "willing" something to happen and "allowing" it to happen.
The Omniscience of God
The study of Quantum Physics opened the door to a transcendent metaphysical reality beyond what human senses can perceive which shows that, because God is omniscient, He knows, apart from observation, what choice a person will make independently from the actualization of that choice without it being contrary to fact. He knows the outcome of any possible event and of every free choice that could be made whether or not a certain event exists under specified conditions. There are no limitations to God’s divine omniscience.
Because God knows all things apart from His observation He accomplishes His will perfectly in the lives of human beings through the use of His omniscience. God knew before He spoke creation into existence the outcome of every possible creation scenario and also created human beings perfectly free with moral responsibility and individual liberty of thought and action to make whatever choices they desire and then foreordained the world according to His perfect sovereignty and foreknowledge. God also knows the outcome of every seemingly random event to bring about His ultimate will.
Libertarian Free Will
Quantum Physics also helps us to understand that human beings possess libertarian free will to choose or do anything because they are more than mere physical beings. It is a phenomenon of the present rather than the past. God does not want anyone to die an eternal death because of what he or she has done.
“…God our Savior,”… “wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2:4 NIV).
The Triune God wants everyone to accept Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior, repent of his or her rebellion and sin and submit their life to Him as a free act of love. He gave them the freedom to make that choice (Ez 18:23; John 3:16; 2 Pet 3:9).
When a person chooses to accept the free gift of salvation God instantly chooses them out of the world of lost, guilty sinners. This choice was already made in eternity past for those who would call upon Him (Eph 1:4). The purpose of this choice is their perfect standing before Him because of what Jesus did on their behalf.
“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name” (John 15:19 NIV).
As a result of the price Jesus paid for the release from the bondage of sin, a Christian no longer belongs to the world; they now belong to Jesus! When a person becomes a child of God, they are predestined to be conformed, or molded, into the likeness of Jesus.
“For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers” (Rom 8:29 NIV).
The Born-Again Christian should naturally grow and mature as a child of God, so it is only natural that they reflect God’s character and qualities - including love!
God’s Possession
“If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.” (John 15:16 NIV)
Every Christian is God’s possession and is considered “holy and blameless in his sight” (Eph 1:4 NIV). He owns them and has the complete right to authority over them. They are now and forever more without blame. Their sins have been forgiven, and the guilt of sin has been pardoned. They are holy in position because they are completely covered by the righteousness of Jesus.
Their election is according to His foreknowledge, “who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by His blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance” (1 Peter 1:2 NIV).
The proof that a Born-Again Believer is now His possession is made evident by outward signs and will automatically bring about changes in their moral character and behavior. Jesus said that a good tree can only produce good fruit. A bad tree can only produce bad fruit, which is why He will say to them , I never knew you, depart from me” (Matthew 7:18-22). As one of “God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved,” a Christian must “clothe” their self “with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience” (Col 3:12 NIV).
In the Quantum world, God can create universes and worlds in multiple dimensions and then survey all possible worlds and actualize into existence a particular one without manipulating or destroying the free will of human beings in various circumstances. God knows in advance every potential free will choice a person will make and then predestines and saves the one He knows will choose Him. He can enter into every life situation and circumstance and work it out for the best (Rom 8:28).
God knows what human beings would choose independently from the materialization of that choice. He knows the outcome of every possible decision that will, or could, be made. In other words, He knows what free decisions people will make independently of His controlling decree. He knows from eternity past what a person would have done, or would do, in any hypothetical circumstance or situation, but He does not necessarily pronounce what will happen.
Jesus told Bethsaida that if He had come to Sodom and Gomorrah, they would have repented in sackcloth and ashes. He knew this even though it did not happen because He knew what would, and knows what could take place in any given circumstance (Matt 11:21-24; Luke 10:13-14).
God knew what would happen if David remained in Keilah, and what would happen if he did not (1 Sam 23:1-14). God told Moses that the Israelites would forsake God after they were delivered from Egypt (Deut 31:16-17).
God is a good God, and He would never actively bring about overt acts of evil, or suffering or pain, or sin even though He has foreknowledge of evil acts. God does not unilaterally or causally determine every outcome of any unforeseen event as that would be at the expense of human freedom.
Divine Providence in the Quantum World
Because God is omniscient, He knows all possible outcomes and retains His divine providence without hindering the libertarian freedom of humanity (Gen 50:20). He has infinite and perfect knowledge of the past, present, and future because He lives outside of the time-space continuum. God has chosen to know everything.
In the Quantum world, God’s omniscience affords Him the knowledge of all truth in every potential situation, whether before the beginning, in the middle, or at the ending under all possible interpretations of any component. God knows every possible future, and in His infinite wisdom, has planned for every contingency. He knows what each person would do given any possible circumstance and arranges the world in such a way as to bring about His will using their free choices. Before God spoke the world into existence, He knew independently what a person would freely choose if placed in any possible circumstance or situation.
God can see and interact with everything that happens in our multi-dimensional universe. He can act at any time He chooses. God is invisible and cannot be seen except if He elects to reveal Himself in a three-dimensional form that human beings can see. He did that when Jesus “became flesh and made His dwelling among us” (John 1:14 NIV). He is totally trustworthy as defined by His omnipotent, immutable, and omnipresent attributes. All of Creation reveals the infinite perfection of God's wisdom (See Psalm 139).
The science of Quantum Physics has opened the door to the probability that God possesses libertarian anthropology that He actualized using His knowledge of multiple dimensions between His knowledge of necessary truths and His creative decrees (Isaiah 10, 45:7; Matthew 11:21-24).
The sovereignty of God’s providence can both elect Born-Again Believers, and they can also come to God freely by their choice without being contradictory or predetermined. It affirms that God alone grants salvation, while still allowing for every human being to freely accept, resist, or even reject the Gospel message of God’s grace because God definitively knows if a person were placed into a particular situation they would not reject it.
God’s grace is unequivocally necessary for any act towards salvation. He does not create a world based upon the assessment of a person’s choices that are freely made in a specific situation and circumstance and then creates the world based upon that evaluation. The Quantum world allows for God’s providential control and foreknowledge of multiple possibilities that each and every free will choice could bring or cause in just one world. He evaluates in choosing which world to create within His involvement, as well as humans' free response to His involvement.
Because He is Love, He gave human beings the free will to choose to accept or reject Him and to love or hate Him. He knows what choices a person will make, whether they are good or bad, just as a parent can understand the choices their child will make in a given situation, whether or not they actually make them. He perfectly accomplishes His will in their lives (Matthew 11:23). He knew that sin would enter into the world, but He is not the author of sin. God does not actively bring about overt acts of sin or suffering or pain because He is a good God.
Justifying Job
Throughout the centuries the story of Job has been used to help people in times of sorrow and sickness. Many have interpreted that God was responsible by “allowing" satan to afflict Job and therefore He “allows” sorrows, calamities, and sickness to come upon His children.
However, God was not responsible for Job's calamities, satan was! "So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown" (Job 2:7).
Job accused God of bringing about the evil in a conversation he had with his wife about all that had befallen them; “What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?” (Job 2:10 KJV), as well as with family and friends after he had been healed and restored by God: “and they bemoaned him, and comforted him over all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him” (Job 42:11 KJV). Job didn’t know that the devil had made him sick. The people of that time didn’t even know that the devil existed, so they attributed everything to God - including evil.
Job made many foolish and untrue accusations against God, but he did not accuse God of wrongdoing. God rebuked him and Job had to repent. (See Job 38:1-41:34, 42:1-6). God said that Job had "darkened counsel without knowledge" (Job 38:2, 42:3). Job said that he had "uttered that I understood not, things too wonderful for me, that I knew not...Wherefore I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes" (Job 42:3, 6). Once Job repented of his accusations against God he was healed and restored.
Blameless but Wrong!
Job was a man who was “blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil,” but he had to repent for speaking things about God that were not true (Job 1:1 NIV). He lived a morally pure life, but his understanding of the character and nature of God was way off base.
Job was blessed and rich, but he walked in constant worry. He offered his sacrifices in case his relatives had done anything wrong, without even knowing for sure that they had done anything wrong! You can see this in the numerous "insurance" offerings he made on behalf of His children (See Job 1:5). He was the only one in the Bible who did this. Job said, "For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me" (Job 3:25).
Fear is trusting-faith running in reverse gear. It opens windows of opportunity for the enemy and energizes him to terrorize and inflict harm. He did not know that he needed to repent of his fear. Satan took advantage of that and began afflicting Job with many trials.
The Hedge of Protection
God restrained the enemy on behalf of Job. He did not “allow” satan to do all he desired to do even though fear had opened the door for him to do what he did. God didn't commission him to afflict Job! (See Job 2:1-10; 42:1-6, 10-17; also Psalm 91). He placed a hedge of protection around Job (Job 1:10) even though he was not under a covenant with God that excluded satan from afflicting him. Job didn’t have the Old Covenant promises let alone the New Covenant promises to stand on. He did not have any promise he could claim to keep the enemy away because the promises of protection were yet to be given to mankind.
The Egyptians afflicted Israel with cruel servitude for many generations even though the Law of Moses said that an Israelite did not have to be a slave of another nation if they served the Lord (See Deut 28). During the time the Israelites were under bondage in Egypt the Law had not yet been given, so there was no promise of deliverance they could stand upon.
Satan had the authority to afflict Israel in Egypt. However, once God gave His Law through Moses, the enemy’s rights were restricted. He could only bring Israel into bondage if Israel forsook the Lord. God promised that if Israel would walk uprightly before Him, they would not be brought into subjection like that again.
Extraordinary Patience
The real story of Job is that he was a man of truly extraordinary patience who honored God even though he did not understand the why’s of what happened to him. “Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy” (James 5:11 KJV).
One of the great lessons of Job is that God does honor patience but nowhere in the Bible is He commended for being a man of great faith. Job is not our perfect example of patient suffering. The book of Job teaches us that sickness does not come from God for He is the one who heals us.
Job was afflicted by the enemy in many ways for a season (See Job 7:30). His sickness and troubles were just a fraction of his life, perhaps lasting only seven months. Job never asked God to heal and restore him, but the simple fact remains that even though he didn’t ask to be delivered, God healed and delivered him completely! There is no record of Job ever getting sick or afflicted again for the rest of his life up unto the day “he died, an old man who had lived a long, good life” (Job 42:17 NLT).
The Redeemer Lives!
Job did not know the mediator - the great Redeemer; “If only there were a mediator who could bring us together, but there is none. The mediator could make God stop beating me, and I would no longer live in terror of his punishment. Then I could speak to him without fear, but I cannot do that in my own strength” (Job 9:33-10:1 NLT).
The Bible tells us that the one “Mediator” between God and man is Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:5). Job believed that if he had a “Mediator,” if he could just meet his redeemer, he would be free from his troubles. “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth” (Job 19:25 KJV).
Jesus Christ is the great “Redeemer.” He has promised to deliver, heal, and restore. God has placed a hedge of protection around every Christian that is made from the shed blood of Jesus. He will never “allow” the enemy to terrorize His children with sickness and disease, heartache and sorrow. Jesus is faithful and true to His promises
Paul’s Thorny Trial
“And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure” (2 Cor 12:7 NKJV)
The issue of the Apostle Paul’s thorn-in-the-flesh has been hotly debated for centuries. Some have held that this “thorn” was an eye disease that God “allowed” so that Paul would stay humble. In light of what the Bible teaches about humility God would not “allow” Paul to be buffeted so that he would stay humble because God doesn’t humble people, they must humble themselves! (James 4:10). In the Apostle Paul’s list of trials, there is no mention of sickness or disease (2 Cor 11:23-27). Paul asked God to take it away, not heal it because it wasn’t a sickness or disease.
Others have said that satan was trying to stop Paul's ministry from being exalted. The enemy was the one who sent Paul's thorn in the flesh. The adversary didn’t send his messenger to keep Paul from being proud. The enemy is terrified of humility because those who walk in it are a direct reflection of Jesus and diametrically opposite of him.
The Bible says that this "thorn" was a messenger of satan (Greek: 'angelos' or angel) a living being, not a thing or a disease, sent to "buffet" him (defined as to rap against someone or something with the fist repeatedly). It was sent to constantly oppose his life and ministry. Paul was frequently beaten up and tortured in various ways for speaking the truth of God’s Word. Buffeting in the New Testament relates to being abused for preaching the gospel not for being sick. Paul called it a thorn in the flesh not a thorn in my flesh. The Greek word for “my” is not used in this verse. Sickness is not, and never has been, a "thorn in the flesh" that God will not remove!
How Paul Pulled the Thorn
In the midst of this trial, Paul earnestly sought God on the matter three times (2 Cor 12:8). He didn’t passively resign himself to it as if it were God’s will because He “allowed” it. God answered Paul and showed Him that he had already given him the weapon to use for his deliverance. God gave Paul a clear and succinct answer to his prayer. He said that His grace was sufficient for Paul because God’s strength is made perfect in weakness (2 Cor 12:9). God doesn’t make a person strong while at the same time making them weak with sickness so that His strength can make them strong in their weakness!
Paul learned how to appropriate God's all-sufficient grace. The accuser never stopped Paul. God healed Paul every time his persecutors beat him up. God’s grace is what allowed Paul to draw on His power - His character and nature - to enable him to overcome the enemy and always receive healing and deliverance whenever he needed it.
Paul told Timothy that God delivered him from all persecutions and afflictions he ever faced, including this one! (See 2 Timothy 3:11; 4:17,18). God kept Paul alive until he had accomplished all that He wanted him to do.
Every Born-Again Believer has been given this same power to overcome the enemy. Christians are to overcome the enemy by the blood of the Lamb, the word of their testimony and by laying down their life in humility at the feet of Jesus (See Rev 1:6; 5:10; 12:10,11).
Teaching, Training, And Discipline
Because God is love He disciplines His children. Many believe that means He ‘punishes’ or ‘scolds’ or ‘spanks.’ However, He doesn’t use sickness or disease or suffering as His “rod of correction,” only the devil does.
The root word in discipline is “disciple.” A disciple is a student. Discipline primarily refers to educating and training. When God “corrects” it is primarily to redirect one's path by making course corrections as they travel on the road of salvation. Sometimes it can even be a complete paradigm shift.
The Bible says that Christians are not to: “make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son." Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?” (Heb 12:7-11 NIV)
The words “discipline” and “chastening” that are found in Scripture are the Greek words 'paideia' and ‘paideuo.’ Their primary meaning is tutoring, educating, training, or nurturing. The fundamental context of the Hebrews passages listed above is that God is a GOOD and LOVING Father who educates and trains His children by nurturing them in love. The Bible admonishes earthly fathers not to provoke their “children to wrath but bring them up” (nourish them) in the nurture” (Gk: paideia) “and admonition” (mild reproof) of the Lord” (Eph 6:4). God doesn’t use corporal punishment as a way to discipline His Bride.
These passages in Hebrews are teaching us that God’s way of disciplining is by not supernaturally intervening on a person’s behalf when they step over into darkness by walking in pride and refusing to learn or rejecting His training. They initiate their own discipline by opening up windows of opportunity for the enemy to gain strongholds. God is ready and waiting to supernaturally pull the person out of the darkness the instant they repent. The primary teacher and trainer of every child of God is the Holy Spirit not sickness, suffering or disease (Luke 12:12, John 14:26).
Communion Concerns
When a person partakes of Communion the Bible commands that they are to “examine” and judge their self as David did (1 Cor 11:28).
“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24 KJV).
This was the failure of the Corinthian church. A person must spend time on their knees before the Lord, seeking His face to search their heart for hidden sin, so that the Lord can reveal such things as unforgiveness, anger, rebellion, bitterness, fear, worry, anxiety, resentment, pride, envy, etc., in their life so that they can acknowledge it, appropriate the blood to it and repent. If the sin is against another person, then they must make it right with that person. Reconciliation is the ministry of EVERY Born-Again Believer (2 Cor 5:18).
If a person does not examine their heart BEFORE they take communion, and sin is actively present, it will open the door to the punishing effects of sickness and disease; “For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself not discerning the Lord's body. For this reason, many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world” (1 Cor 11:27-32 NIV).
After decades of study, it is my firm belief that this is the most significant reason why there is so much sickness and disease in the Church. The importance of this can’t be overstated.
Lying and Dying
The Bible tells us about two members of the early church who were husband and wife named Ananias and Sapphira (See Acts 5:1-10). They decided to sell some land and give the proceeds to the church after they had seen how Barnabas was recognized and praised for a similar deed. However, they arrogantly decided to keep a portion for themselves. When Peter asked them what amount they had received for the sale Ananias and Sapphira allowed their pride to open the door for satan to influence their hearts and yield to the temptation to “lie to the Holy Spirit" (vs. 3).
As a result of their prideful lying, they dropped dead. Some have suggested that this was a punishment from God. Others have said that it was the devil that killed them. The Bible does not explicitly say, but it does clearly show us that Ananias and Sapphira brought it upon themselves. It could be argued that they were not yet Born-Again Christians and that they were among those who joined themselves to the church rather than being added to it by the Spirit, but the fact remains they were at the very least churchgoers (See Acts 5:13-14). This was not the work of God or satan but fallen human nature at work as their sinful hearts were gripped by such tormenting fear that it caused instant death.
The Father’s Heart
The heavenly Father knows each person intimately. "Even the very hairs of your head are all numbered" (Matt 10:30). He desires only what is in their best interest. Here are just a fraction of His promises:
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." (James 1:17)
"And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." (Phil 4:19)
“He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber." (Psalm 121:3)
Satanic Insinuation
When satan spoke to Eve in the Garden, he insinuated that the Lord was trying to hold back something good from Adam and her. "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil" (Gen 3:4-5).
Since then, satan has been trying to make mankind believe that God does not want them to be happy or to enjoy life to the fullest, so he makes them think that sin is good and following God is bad. Just the opposite is true: "For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world" (1 John 2:16 NIV).
The Bible says that God “has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy" (Acts 14:17 NIV).
The heavenly Father is always seeking the welfare of His people. "For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless" (Psalms 84:11 NIV).
The Lord’s ultimate purpose is to prepare His people to become His possession: "Who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good." (Titus 2:14 NIV)
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." (1 Peter 2:9 NIV)
On an even more intimate level, He calls every Christian His Bride: "Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb" (Rev 21:9 NIV).
Not only are Born-Again Christians His Bride, but He has promised to have a most intimate one on one relationship with them: "I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a Bride beautifully dressed for her husband” (Rev 21:2 NIV).
The Creator of the Universe became human to walk among humanity and ultimately to die for them. He sent the Holy Spirit and gave the Bible to prove His love and help prepare them for the day when they will see Him face to face. Jesus said that He causes “the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous" (Matthew 5:45 NIV).
The Character And Nature Of God
The Bible shows us clearly the depth of God’s character and nature. Please note that I have replaced the words "charity or love" with the name of Jesus.
Jesus suffers long
Jesus is kind
Jesus envies not
Jesus doesn’t boast of Himself
Jesus is not puffed up
Jesus does not behave Himself unseemly
Jesus seeks not His own
Jesus is not easily provoked
Jesus thinks no evil
Jesus rejoices not in iniquity
Jesus rejoices in the truth
Jesus bears all things
Jesus believes all things
Jesus hopes all things
Jesus endures all things
Jesus never fails (1 Cor 13:4-8a)
When we see the Lord for who He really is - LOVE incarnate - we can truly understand and "rely on the love God has for us," because, "God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him" (1 John 4:16).
Jesus redeemed mankind from the curse of the law. He voluntarily and systematically took upon His own body the full curse of EVERY sin, sickness, disease, perversion, and pain. He paid the FULL and FINAL penalty for every person to be born on this planet (See Isaiah 53). Jesus wasn’t made perfect by His suffering on the Cross because He was already the perfect sacrifice before He went to the Cross.
The Law Of Grace
The heavenly Father gives to His children "every good and perfect gift" (James 1:17). Many people see the Lord depicted in the Old Testament as always angry, quick to punish and destroy. But, there is a marked difference between how the Lord was perceived to respond in the Old Testament and how He responds now. The Lord is not mad; He is madly in love! In the Old Testament God is WITH those who trust Him. Now, as a result of the Cross, God is IN those who put their trust in Jesus Christ.
Christians are now under the law of grace, not the law of works. The grace of God was provided to every Born-Again Believer through the finished sacrificial work of Jesus Christ on the Cross. It is “by grace” people are saved (Eph 2:8). And it is by grace that God imparts to every Born-Again Believer His limitless life, His provisions, and gifts, through the power of the Holy Spirit so that they can do His will.
Christians have been bought and paid for by Jesus’ shed blood and adopted into the family of God. Their relationship with the Creator is more intimate than a parent and child. No loving, caring parent would intentionally or directly cause a terrible accident to happen to their child. It is absolutely inconceivable that such a thought could ever cross a loving parent’s mind. If someone was accused of what God is most often blamed for, they would be arrested for child abuse! Why then do so many accuse the heavenly Father of the very things they would never do or conceive of? God’s nature and character are directly opposed to it!
Controls and Limitations
Grace saves us, and His mercy sustains us. God’s mercy has a purpose. That purpose is to see every human brought to repentance: "Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance, and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance?” (Romans 2:4 NIV)
Since humans are the work of the Creator, they ultimately fall far short in their ability to understand, let alone comprehend the how’s and why’s of God’s ways. Paul wrote "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?" (Romans 11:33-34 NIV).
When temptation comes, "No one should say, ‘God is tempting me;’ for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone" (James 1:13 NIV). Remember that when someone is tempted to sin, "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it" (1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV).
The Lord determines the limits of those things that happen to people. He is not the one who causes evil!
"For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world" (1 John 2:16 NIV).
When Job was going through his terrible ordeal, satan had to get the Lord’s permission first before he could touch Job.
"The Lord said to Satan, ’Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man, himself do not lay a finger.’ Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD." (Job 1:12 NIV)
Note that it is the Holy Spirit who restrains the evil of sin from taking its full toll on the earth. "For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work, but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way" (2 Thessalonians 2:7 NIV).
The Lord does allow some sin to fully manifest itself by letting it run its course. When envoys were sent by the rulers of Babylon to ask King Hezekiah about the miraculous sign that had occurred in the land, the Bible says that God withdrew from him “to test him and to know everything that was in his heart" (2 Chronicles 32:31 NIV).
Elsewhere, we find God giving people: “over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices. If my people would but listen to me, if Israel would follow my ways, how quickly would I subdue their enemies" (Psalm 81:12-14 NIV).
"In the past, he let all nations go their own way" (Acts 14:16 NIV).
Paul understood this when he wrote to the church in Rome: “Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done” (Rom 1:24-28 NIV).
The Lord also prevents some sins: "Then God said to him in the dream, ‘Yes, I know you did this with a clear conscience, and so I have kept you from sinning against me. That is why I did not let you touch her’” (Genesis 20:6 NIV).
God can keep a person’s enemies from carrying out their plans against them, and He can keep them from sin in their hour of great temptation!
Listen: "To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy" (Jude 1:24 NIV).
The Bible teaches us that God will ultimately be glorified, no matter what the circumstance or situation. Every event that takes place has as its ultimate purpose to manifest His glory, holiness, righteousness, power, wisdom, and love:
"For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this. How can I let myself be defamed? I will not yield my glory to another." (Isaiah 48:11)
The Fellowship of His Suffering
The Apostle Paul said he wanted: “to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like him in His death" (Philippians 3:10 NIV).
Paul was able to rejoice in suffering for the sake of Jesus because he knew what suffering had produced in his life. He admonishes us to:
“rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us” (Romans 5:3-5 NIV).
God has also promised that when we do suffer while in this world for Jesus, we actually share in the suffering that He went through because of sin. Through His suffering, Jesus proves He was the perfect “author of our salvation.” God the Father guaranteed that every Christian is made perfect and shares in Christ’s glory when they experience suffering, and as His child, they are an heir of God and co-heir with Christ: “We share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory”(Romans 8:17 NIV).
Paul continues in verses 18-19, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.” The sons of God are: “Those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God” (vs 14).
Listen! Good news! Those who have accepted Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior and are led by the Holy Spirit will be revealed to the world in all of HIS splendor! What a prospect—and they don’t have to wait until they die to inherit it!
The universe lies in: “frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies" (Romans 8:19-23 NIV).
It is imperative that suffering as a Christian is understood as a part of discipleship and should be counted as part of the cost of surrendering one's life to Jesus.
The problems and struggles Christians face: “are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18 NIV).
God’s heart aches as He yearns and longs for a reconciled relationship with mankind. Jesus died to pay the penalty for sin.
He shed His blood so that every human being could have a renewed relationship with Him. He suffered a brutal death on the Cross while suffering the pain and agony of mankind’s rejection of His offer of forgiving love.
The Suffering of God
Jesus willingly became the perfect sacrifice of all sacrifices. He was the Passover Lamb as well as the Atonement Aza'zel or scapegoat upon which was placed all the sins, evils, faults, iniquities, punishments and curses, (including the full curse of the law) of mankind at the Cross (See Deut 28:15-61).
“Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes, we are healed” (Isaiah 53:4-5 KJV).
Jesus took all of these things upon Himself so that those who would make Him their Lord and Savior would not have to because this was the penalty for Adam's sin.
However, Jesus’ suffering didn’t end when He took His last breath on the Cross! He also suffers when people rebel against Him. He suffers each time they turn their back on Him, each time they think of themselves more highly than their earthly brothers and sisters, each time they don’t forgive another and offer reconciliation! Human pride and selfish ambitions are the sources of His suffering.
God Is All-Sufficient
Jesus is the only one who can handle all that a person lays before Him. It is so important that Christians always stay focused on Him! Peter gives the admonishment to “cast all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7 NKJ).
Jesus laid aside His deity in order to become a human being and in doing so experienced great agony and suffering. There are three keys to understanding how Jesus was able to endure.
First, He had an incredible relationship with the Father. This produced an incomprehensible peace that helped Him to persevere throughout His life. The world’s definition of peace is the absence of war and conflict. God’s definition of peace is serenity in the midst of turmoil and trials. We can only experience the peace that passes all understanding when we are plugged into the Prince of Peace who lives inside every Christian.
Second, was His understanding of the total picture. Rather than looking at isolated circumstances, He understood everything to be for the glory of the Father and that all things do work out for the best. When this is understood, and the key is accepted, tremendous growth will be experienced.
Third, Jesus had great hope. He knew that He would eventually be back with the Father, sitting at His right hand. We also have a hope. Our ultimate hope is that we know one day we will be with the Lord, either when we are taken in the twinkling of an eye, or pass from this life to the next through death (1 Cor 15:52-53). It is because of that hope we can persevere in times of suffering and hardship.
Trying to blame someone or something for personal suffering never resolves anything. Humans are essentially imperfect and sinful beings who will always make a lot of mistakes. The only answer is to forgive others, including one's self, when mistakes are made.
Ultimately, suffering is necessary for the death of self. Unless we die to self, we will never have the comfort of true hope to offer anyone else. Suffering should be used as a training school to learn to help others. It causes us to understand and experience the heart of God. When we forgive, we are brought into the glorious freedom of knowing Jesus in the power of the resurrection because we have shared in His suffering for the sake of humanity.
Until people begin to love and forgive each other, His suffering will never end. Jesus didn’t deserve to suffer, yet He, who knew no sin, suffered in our place and while dying an agonizing death on the Cross, cried out, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do" (Luke 23:33). Jesus provided the way to find freedom from sin’s consequences.
There is no real escape from suffering while in this world. But there is a place we can go to find peace and comfort – under the shadow of His wings! (Psalm 57:1). Jesus said; "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33 NIV). People can choose to live their life tossed around by the devil and his tormenting fears, or they can boldly believe the Word of God. God is not to blame for the god-less suffering of sickness, disease, murder, wars, and hatred. Humans “allow” this by the choices they make.
God has "allowed" peace, joy, and hope to be available to every person who proclaims that Jesus Christ is Lord and entrusts their entire being to Him. Through the shed blood of Jesus complete spiritual, emotional, and physical healing-deliverance was provided.
Trusting-Faith
One day while Jesus and the disciples were out fishing, "Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, ‘Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!’ He replied, ‘You of little faith, why are you so afraid?’ Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm" (Matthew 8:24-26 NIV).
Why did Jesus say to them "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Didn’t they prove they had faith in Jesus by going to Him in the first place? Too many people think that faith in Jesus is a guarantee that they won’t have bad experiences, yet here Jesus is telling them that faith is believing that He will get a person though it—not just keep them away from it. Jesus didn’t abandon them. He was right there with them through the storm. When a person learns to trust God during the storms of life, they will then find it easy to forgive Him for those storms.
Trusting-Faith Defined
The word “faith” comes from the Greek word “pistis”. It means assurance, persuasion, conviction, and reliance upon another. The root of “pistis” is “peitho” which is a primary verb, an action word that is in a continual state of being, moving forward or reverse. It means to convince actively, to rely, to assent, to have confidence. It is best described as Trusting-Faith.
One of the biggest errors that have crept into the church over the years has been the teaching of faith as if it were a thing or power to obtain or possess. It is the absolute fundamental essential of Christianity. The world cannot exist without faith. It is just milk, a tricycle with training wheels in the nursery school of discipleship (Heb 5:12-6:3).
Without faith, it is impossible to become a Christian and please God. It is the basic element of Christianity. There is no exhausting it. God gave every Christian all the faith they needed to believe Jesus is the Savior. It is God who gives them the faith to trust Him. They must learn to put on the faith He has given, just as one puts on their clothes each day.
"But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet” (1 Thessalonians 5:8 NIV).
Christian’s have the faith of Jesus!
“Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:” (Romans 3:22 KJV)
The righteousness of God" is not a “law” righteousness but a “faith” righteousness. It comes through the faith possessed by Jesus and is imparted to all who are willing to receive. Faith, as described in the Bible, is God's gracious gift:
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves." (Ephesians 2:8 NIV)
To believe is to respond to God's gracious gift, exercising the faith He offers to all. Jesus is the “author and finisher” of faith. (Hebrews 12:2 NIV)
“For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." (James 2:26 KJV)
God does not want the Christian walk to be an emotional roller coaster of chasing experiences, needing constant visitations, and living from glory to glory. He wants them living by trusting Him alone through “faith and not by sight” (2 Cor 5:7 KJV).
The word “believe” in the Bible is “pisteuo” in Greek which means to have faith in God and entrust your well-being to Him alone. “Believe” is an action verb that is never stationary or stagnant and is actively trusting in faith that is continuously laying everything down at the feet of Jesus and walking away. Jesus said that if a person has complete Trusting-Faith in Him when they “pray for anything”… according to His will they “will receive it" (Matt 21:22 NLT). It does not say they will receive it because their “belief” thought it into existence. Prayer is not a thought dialogue with “self” but rather a dialogue with the Creator of “self” and all things within the Cosmos!
Jesus taught His Disciples to keep in communion with the Father and remain (abide) in Him through constant prayer (John 15:1). He told them that if they place their full trust in Him they should “keep on asking” and they “…will receive”… “keep on seeking”…and they “will find”, “…keep on knocking, and the door will be opened…” to them (Luke 11:9-10 NLT). Christians are to pray without ceasing according to the will of God (1 Thessalonians 5:17). The answers to prayer are not found in the human mind but in the loving heart of God who has only good thoughts for us.
Conclusion - The Mystery Revealed
God has already made known “the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself” (Ephesians 1:9 KJV). Every Christian is to be “filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding” (Colossians 1:9 KJV). God doesn’t have some secret, mysterious, individual "will" for each person on the planet. The Bible is the will of God!
The beautiful God wants only the best for His people. He has already laid out His plan: “For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. You will find me when you seek me, if you look for me in earnest (Jeremiah 29:11-13 LB - Emphasis mine).
“When I think of the wisdom and scope of God's plan, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources he will give you mighty inner strength through his Holy Spirit. And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now glory be to God! By His mighty power at work within us, He is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope. May He be given glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever through endless ages. Amen” (Ephesians 3:14-21 NLT).
No matter what has (or will) happen in a person’s life, no matter what they have done or anything they will ever do can stop Jesus from being head over heels and madly in love with them for He takes great “delight in you as a Bridegroom rejoices over his Bride” (Isa 62:4-5). The inheritance of God, the dowry of the Bridegroom King, has been guaranteed! (Ephesians 1:11-14).
Jesus longs for His Bride to go deep into the Inner Chamber so He can consume her with His love. An intimate relationship with the Creator of the Universe is possible! There is more for those who are ready and desire to journey deeper into the Beauty Realm and loving arms of the Savior. It requires that Jesus becomes their ENTIRE life not just a “part” of their life.
Now is the time to fall more madly in love with Jesus, the beautiful God! It is no longer the time to weep tears of sorrow. Forgiveness has been given! His shed blood has paid the price for mankind’s redemption! It is time to cry tears of joy! It is time for dancing in the streets! It is time to jump and shout in celebration for the Bridegroom is coming! Blow the trumpets in Zion! Sound the alarm! Make way for the day of His appearing is near!
Jesus was without sin. Jesus was not free from problems and hardships. Although Jesus is God the Son, “he learned obedience from what he suffered” (Heb 5:8). Christians are an heir of the Father and co-heir with Christ:
“We share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory” (Romans 8:17).
All Christians will suffer in this life. However, the suffering talked about for the New Testament Believer is always persecution, not disease. All who want to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution, but nowhere do we read that all who want to live godly in Christ Jesus must suffer sickness.
The Cross reminds us that God is no stranger to suffering. Because God is love evil will still flourish for a time on the Earth. He loves every person on this planet so much that He waits for them to turn from their sin and surrender to Him. A day is coming when all evil will be annihilated. One day soon a new Heaven and a new Earth will be created, and there will be no more tears and no more suffering! (Revelation 21:1).
"The Lord is not slow about his promise, but he is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9).
Jesus promised those who have experienced deep pain and suffering, heartache and sorrow in this world that He would give them peace that passes all understanding because He has overcome the world (Phillipians 4:7; John 16:33).
"..take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)
There are no easy answers to the hardships of life - except one - Jesus is THE answer!
