SUFFERING FAITH

Of all the challenges thrown at Christianity in modern times, perhaps the most difficult is explaining the problem of suffering. How can a loving God allow suffering to continue in the world which He created? For those who have endured massive suffering themselves, this is much more than a philosophical issue, but a deep-seated personal and emotional one. How does the Bible address this issue? Does the Bible give us any examples of suffering and some indicators on how to deal with it?

The Bible is startlingly realistic when it comes to the problem of endured suffering. For one thing, the Bible devotes an entire book to dealing with the problem. This book concerns a man named Job. It begins with a scene in heaven which provides the reader with the background of Job’s suffering. Job suffers because God contested with Satan. As far as we know, this was never known by Job or any of his friends. It is therefore not surprising that they all struggle to explain Job’s suffering from the perspective of their ignorance, until Job finally rests in nothing but the faithfulness of God and the hope of His redemption. Neither Job nor his friends understood at the time the reasons for his suffering. In fact, when Job is finally confronted by the Lord, Job is silent. Job’s silent response does not in any way trivialize the intense pain and loss he had so patiently endured. Rather, it underscores the importance of trusting God’s purposes in the midst of suffering, even when we don’t know what those purposes are. Suffering, like all other human experiences, is directed by the sovereign wisdom of God. In the end, we learn that we may never know the specific reason for our suffering, but we must trust in our sovereign God. That is the real answer to suffering.

The Christian faith is a suffering faith. (See Philippians 1:29-30) While our Lord was on this planet He offered prayers and pleadings with loud cry and tears. He prayed to be rescued from death. His prayers were heard. He learned obedience from the things He suffered. (Hebrews 5:7-8)

Suffering and pain reveals who we are. It’s one thing to rejoice and be happy when things are going our way, but how do we respond when things are not going our way? How do we respond when we are sick? How do we respond when we are confined? Why does God allow this? One of the reasons is to find out who we are. We think we are strong, patient, and all of a sudden we are lying sick in bed, in awful pain and we don’t have an answer. And what happens. We recognize our need for God. Paul discovered this when God did not remove his thorn in the flesh which constantly tormented him. Paul discovered the sufficiency of God, who said to him my grace is sufficient for you for my strength is made perfect in weakness.

There are some things we need to learn from pain and suffering which we cannot learn in any other way. It is realizing that when we come to a point in life that we are helpless we tell God we have no other solution but Him, and anything that drives us to God is good for us. What do we learn from our experiences? We learn how to cope. We learn how to help others and other people who are going through the same experiences. There is something about experiencing difficulty, hardships and struggle that equips us to help others and discover the awesome power of God to comfort us. Anything that draws us to God, whether we like it or not, is good for us.

Romans 8:28 contains some comforting words for those enduring hardship and suffering: “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” In His providence, God orchestrates every event in our lives—even suffering, temptation and sin—to accomplish both our temporal and eternal benefit.

Christ, the eternal Son of God in whom the fullness of God dwells, has lived on earth as a human being and has endured hunger, thirst, temptation, shame, persecution, nakedness, bereavement, betrayal, mockery, injustice and death. Therefore, He is in a position to fulfill the longing of Job: “If only there were someone to arbitrate between us, to lay his hand upon us both, someone to remove God’s rod from me, so that his terror would frighten me no more. Then I would speak up without fear of him, but as it now stands with me, I cannot” (Job 9:33).

Christian theism is, in fact, the only worldview which can consistently make sense of the problem of evil and suffering. Christians serve a God who has lived on this earth and endured trauma, temptation, bereavement, torture, hunger, thirst, persecution and even execution. The cross of Christ can be regarded as the ultimate manifestation of God’s justice. When asked how much God cares about the problem of evil and suffering, the Christian God can point to the cross and say, “That much.” Christ experienced physical pain as well as feelings of rejection and abandonment. He experienced the same suffering as many people today who know the bitterness of isolation, pain, and anguish.

A STRANGE EXHORTATION

A STRANGE EXHORTATION

James 1:2-4 Living Bible (TLB)

² Dear brothers, is your life full of difficulties and temptations? Then be happy, ³ for when the way is rough, your patience has a chance to grow. ⁴ So let it grow, and don’t try to squirm out of your problems. For when your patience is finally in full bloom, then you will be ready for anything, strong in character, full and complete.

COUNTING IT ALL JOY IN TIMES OF TRIAL

The Apostle James is one of my favorite Gospel writers. He is direct, and downright practical. He doesn’t mince words when he talks about the subject of faith which he asserts should be a living faith. In the first chapter of his  Epistle, he begins to deal with the subject of trials and temptations. These are objective realities which confront everyone of us especially Christians. The great Apostle directly confronts the believer not to have the wrong impression that when one comes to faith in Christ Jesus everything will fall into place, and life, will proverbially be, a bed of roses so that when trials, or tough times come, one begins to question “Why?” On the contrary the good Apostle might probably answer “Why not?”

There is a popular theology today known as the  health and wealth gospel. The problem with this gospel is that it contradicts the true gospel, and goes against the historical experience of God’s people through the generations. The remarkable history of trials, and testing.

The great Apostle Peter dealt with the same subject in his Epistle reminding the believers that for a little while, if need be, they have been grieved by various trials. (1 Peter 1:6-9).

“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:6-9).

The James passage clearly states that the testing of our faith produces perseverance. And the Peter passage states that our faith, which is priceless, will be proved genuine and result in praise to God.

It is clear that Christians are not immune from trials and temptations because if we look closely at the writings of the two Apostles, they tell us we  should even welcome them and rejoice in them so that the genuineness of our faith may be tested and given a chance to grow.

St. James teaches that when we face trials of any kind, we should consider them joy. How are we supposed to do that? 

Trials, difficulties, hardships, adversities, misfortunes, do not bring joy. They bring sadness, pain, unhappiness, fear,  suffering, and anguish.

We need to confront the teaching of James with honesty because this is a tough issue. How in the world are we going to count it joy when we fall into various trials. Can we Christians do that?

Those who would argue that we should do so, have failed to grasp the real meaning of the exhortation. Counting it all joy when you fall into trials does not mean that we simply are to falsely rejoice in hardships, or we simply are to rejoice by putting up a strong face, like a stoic philosopher pretending and acting as if everything is fine when things are hard.

St. James seems to teach that we have to use trials and hardships as means to strengthen our character and develop our ability to endure the difficulties of life.

Let’ go back to James. He said count it all joy or be happy when you are surrounded by trials of every sort. What a very strange statement. How can there be joy in trying times? St. James is getting across the message that our faith can only be tested in the crucible or fire of testing and temptation.

THE TESTING OF OUR FAITH PRODUCES PATIENCE

James is dogmatic in proclaiming that the testing of our faith produces patience. James addressed his epistle to the Jews who were scattered abroad. There was the dispersal of the Jews  throughout the world. This was a national tragedy for them. They experienced diverse trials. James exhorted them saying, “Count it all joy when you are surrounded by trials of every sort” “for when the way is rough your patience has a chance to grow”.

Patience is a godly virtue which is very hard to achieve in this age where everything is quick and fast. We push buttons and get quick results.  We eat fast-food served in less than a minute. We go to places with speed. We hate it when we are made to wait. We discard gadgets which are slow and replace them with the latest versions which are faster or fastest. Waiting is a torture for some. We are short tempered as we are impatient.

The Greek word patience translated in the New Testament is a compound word. It is a preposition meaning “endure” and a verb meaning “to abide”. Patience means to abide, endure and hold steady whatever the condition.

There are two aspects in the word patience in the context of Scripture. Patience may be passive- that is steadfastness without agitation or reactive action or avoidance. Patience may be active-  a bearing of the load. Both aspects according to St. James are profitable in the Christian life.

“Be patient,” James said, “as you wait for the coming of the Lord.”

Waiting is not a useless, waste of time.  It may be viewed as passive but actually it is active, for in the course of waiting something is happening, which will bear fruit at the right time. To the believers the coming of the Lord is the most awaited event. They do not know exactly know, when, but they observe and wait for the signs and the seasons, and are assured that the Lord’s coming is certain. It would take a lot of patient waiting to welcome His arrival.

The Apostle James affirms patience as helpful in perfecting the Christian life. One does not stand in his own strength in occasions which call for patience, for God empowers him to be steadfast. The Bible does not convey the message that the followers and disciples of Christ would have easy, comfortable, trouble free, prosperous lives, all the way. The journey of the Christian is not smooth all the way. There are bumps, curves, valleys, plains, hills, rocks, deserts, and wilderness..

The apostle James seems to imply that the key is to look at the trials from an intellectual not an emotional perspective. If one should view the various trials he undergoes from God’s perspective and recognize them, as producing something very valuable in his life, notwithstanding the unpleasant experience, the benefits derived is joy.

There is no joy in the trial itself, but the benefits derived are joyful.

Job describes it this way: But He knoweth the way that I take; when He hath tried me I shall come forth as gold. (Job 23:10)

The Apostle James uses the phrase “the testing of your faith” which calls for the proving of our faith. Faith can grow and be refined by being tested.

Patience grows out of trials. Faith develops and become steadfast in trials. As muscles develop strength by being used and made to endure heavy lifting, patience develops and grows from the exercise of faith. We are encouraged to apply the grace of patience in our lives. We need to seek God’s Hand in our trials and trust Him, even if we do not understand what is happening and pray He will reveal what He is teaching us in these trying times. St. James says, “Let patience have its perfect work.”

TRIALS PRODUCE GROWTH AND MATURITY

Trials produce growth and maturity. The Christian who passes through testing under the Heavenly Father’s watchful care, will fully develop as a mature believer.

The Apostle James is saying that  no Christian can mature in faith without undergoing the fire of testing brought about by the unpredictable  circumstances of life. The testing of our faith produces trust and belief, a confidence that God is still in control no matter what.

We cannot develop that trust and unshakable confidence in God's presence and power without experiencing hardships. We cannot exactly rejoice in our hardships but we can use the hardships and trials as means of growing in faith, as means of testing our trust and relying on God again and again and again discovering that God never fails.

Strengthening our character means that we develop within us a core of faith and belief, a central focus of trust in God,  through the experience of enduring trials.

We live in a fallen world, and  Christianity is the only religion that teaches the fall of man, that humanity is a fallen race without hope of redemption if not for the saving grace of God. Many of the problems we face are the direct result of our own sinfulness, pride, self centeredness and spiritual blindness. God does not tempt us. Pride, selfishness, lust, jealousies, anger, hate, greed, arrogance, deceitfulness, covetousness, all these and other human weaknesses  conspire to tempt us and lead us into problems and hardships when we give in to them. The problem with most people is that they want to blame someone, something, or God,   for their troubles and difficulties.   James said the source of our troubles is not God. He explains that we face trials and difficulties not because these are God's intention for our life but because of the sin nature in us.

Throughout the New Testament, we can find a common theme: testing will come to all God’s people. The only questions are when and what kind will they be.  Times of testing are neither an indication that we have been abandoned  nor selected for an attack by the enemy. They are the result of living in a broken world.

St. Peter addressed the whole issue when he wrote to the suffering brothers and sisters in Rome. He said that the proper response should be threefold: First we should rejoice, just as James said, no matter how strange the logic is, for suffering has a far deeper purpose in building our faith. Second we should commit ourselves to the loving care of our Heavenly Father, and third, we should continue doing what is right, no matter what others say or do.

There is a common perception today that in this world faith in Christ will exempt one from hardships in life especially those associated with one’s health, happiness and prosperity. This is not true. Preaching a Christianity that is easy, pleasurable and indulgent is a high form of deception. A hostile world is out there. Finances are short, expenses are mounting, debts are overdue, a child is sick, the employer is losing, health is failing. The strain and stress of the world are very real. When they come the human tendency is to  point an accusing finger at circumstances, which one cannot change, or blame God for not preventing them.

If we are to grow in our faith we should look for God’s Hand in our trials and trust Him even in the darkness of our despair. Look for what God is revealing to us in our trials. To the Christian,  going through adversities should drive him closer to God.

The issue is how will God’s people respond?  The  people of God are not left helpless. God is saying “Cease striving and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). Be still and know Me, He said. He assures that “in quietness and confidence shall be your strength” ( Isaiah 30;15). 

God has given us His promises. First He promised to be with us always. He goes with us through the fiery trials. Second he promised to protect us. Nothing can happen to us apart from the will and protection of our Father. Third He promised to refine us so that we can come out pure in our faith that His power may be demonstrated in our lives.