*** SHOW NOTES (not a transcript) ***

Lead:

The problem of evil isn’t a problem for the Christian worldview, it’s a problem for everyone’s worldview. Today: one slice of that — suffering.

Intro:

In my senior year of high school, my girlfriend said something I’ve never forgotten: A real friend is someone who knows all about you but loves you anyway.

I’ve had the good pleasure of having a few of those friends, including one who knows my story better than anyone on the planet. So it was something I didn’t take lightly when he said I should someday write a book on pain and suffering. Well, today’s All Our Minds segment is going to be the closest thing to that happening that’s going to happen anytime soon, and they’re not even my words. This is a big topic, though, and so you’ll want to check out the notes for a few nuggets I won’t probably won’t get to due to our time constraint here.

Before we get there, let’s read about a great high priest who can relate to us in every way as God’s plan and authority continue to be revealed on Jesus’ heading toward Jerusalem.

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Bible Segment:

Passage: Luke 19-20
Translation: NASB (New American Standard Bible)
Verses: 95
Words: ~2031

All Our Minds Segment:

The single biggest objection to Christianity — sometimes even inside the church — is the problem of evil. Today’s let’s look at a theology of suffering with an eye for being able to respond to others, and do not miss the final conclusion.

This is an edited version of what appears in The NIV Application Commentary: Job:(1)

What does a biblical theology of suffering look like?
1. Suffering is divine punishment.
2. Suffering is a divine test or trial of faith.
3. Suffering is part of the gift of human freedom.
4. Suffering is part of the nature and function of the physical world.
5. Suffering is creation in process.
These are not mutually exclusive positions, and I will address them in the following series of propositions.
Suffering is one of the contingencies of creation in process.
Suffering is not intrinsically connected to sin.
Suffering is the lot of all humanity.
Suffering should be faced with trust in God’s wisdom.
We have no language to express the nature of God’s involvement.
Suffering should be viewed as an opportunity to deepen our faith and spiritual maturity as we look forward to understand God’s purposes, rather than backward in an attempt to discern reasons.
Suffering for the gospel gives us the opportunity to participate in Christ’s sufferings.
We should further note that when God, in his wisdom…chose the world in which Jesus would have to suffer and die. His wisdom might seem foolishness to some (1 Cor. 1:18–21), but it includes suffering in a disordered world moving toward order.

The bottom line

Here’s a super-important thing to remember when it comes to evil and suffering: it’s not a problem for the Christian worldview, it’s a problem for everyone’s worldview.

In a way that may twist our little minds, it’s useful to remember two things:

God didn’t create evil, but He can use it.
What other answers do you have? Tell me more. What do you mean by that?

Wisdom Segment:

Passage: Psalm 93
Translation: NASB (New American Standard Bible)
Verses: 5
Words: ~82

Love you!

-R

ForTheHope is a daily audio Bible + apologetics podcast and blog. We’ve got a passion for just keepin’ it real, having conversations like normal people, and living out the love of Jesus better every single day.

Roger Courville, CSP is a globally-recognized expert in digitally-extended communication and connection, an award-winning speaker, award-winning author, and a passionately bad guitarist. Follow him on Twitter -- @RogerCourville and @JoinForTheHope – or his blog: www.forthehope.org.

Sources and resources:

Thank you for supporting this ministry should you choose to use the Amazon affiliate link behind the citation.

(1) John H. Walton and Kelly Lemon Vizcaino, The NIV Application Commentary: Job, ed. Terry Muck et al. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2012), 420–422. (link)

Note that above quote also includes a quote from the following book which is sadly out of print:

R. Becton, Does God Care When We Suffer and Will He Do Anything About It? (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1988), 33–34, with fuller discussion on 43–53.

https://amzn.to/2minohn

#901: Luke 19-20 | Suffering | Psalm 93