He delivers the afflicted by their affliction

My head has been hurting quite a lot this week, and I've returned recently to meditating on what the Word teaches us about God's purposes in our pain and affliction. The more I meditate on these things, the more I see how central they are in day to day living, even apart from my headaches. The following thoughts are not new, but God has been driving them deeper into me, so maybe I can express them more clearly than I have before.

In some places in the Bible, suffering clearly refers to persecution. Jesus tells his disciples that they will be persecuted for his sake. James and Peter encourage the churches to remain steadfast in their suffering for the cause of Christ. This is a kind of suffering that all Christians should experience at some point in our lives, albeit probably not to the extent that the apostles did. 1 Timothy 3:16 says that "All who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted."

But this isn't the only kind of suffering that the Bible discusses. Many people, myself included in times past, are discouraged when they read passages about suffering because they think that the only suffering that the Bible has in mind is persecution. This is absolutely not true. The book of Job is one of the best places to go to begin to understand God's purpose in non-persecution-type pain, affliction, discomfort, etc.

In Job 36, Elihu gives a theology of suffering. I believe that Elihu, the final friend to speak to Job, should not be lumped together with the other 3. His speech is true to the rest of Scripture, and God does not rebuke him like He does the other 3 friends.

First, Elihu gives God's purpose in suffering, then he gives two possible responses. Finally, he gives us the reason why we should respond the one way and not the other.

Job 36:8-9

"And if they are bound in chains
and caught in the cords of
affliction,
then he declares to them their
work
and their transgressions, that
they are behaving
arrogantly.
He opens their ears to instruction
and commands that they return from iniquity."

The purpose of affliction is to awaken us to our arrogance (which is continual), reveal to us our sin, and humble us before God. The design is so that we might turn to him and more fully live with respect to Him, obeying him from the heart as a manner of life.

The negative response is this, in verse 13:

"The godless in heart cherish
anger;
they do not cry for help when he binds them."

Their pride wells up, causing them to respond in anger. They say to themselves, "I don't deserve this suffering!" Rather than having their eyes opened to the reality of their rebellion, they harden their hearts in pride and anger, and turn further from God. In effect, they deny both their own smallness and God's bigness.

The positive response, verses 11, 15

"If they listen and serve him,
they complete their days in prosperity,
and their years in pleasantness."

"He delivers the afflicted by their affliction
and opens their ear by adversity."

We might expect this verse to say, "He delivers the afflicted from their affliction." But it doesn't say that. What then, are they afflicted being delivered from? Verse 16 gives the answer - he delivers them from closed ears. That is, he delivers them from not perceiving themselves and God according to what is true. He reveals to them their sinfulness and finitude, but God's greatness and majesty and perfection. This is the amazing mercy of God in afflicting his children.

We don't understand what life truly is. We think that life is about being comfortable, successful, and full. Even we Christians act this way, and we prove it by the way that we respond to pain and affliction.

Romans 8 gives a New Testament cap to this discussion. Romans 8:1 says, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." For those who are in Christ - that is, those who have believed with their hearts that Christ's death counts on their behalf, as evidenced by patterns of joyful obedience - for these people, nothing in life should be considered 'condemnation'. 8:31 says, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" The implied answer is 'nothing and no one." For the one who has trusted Christ, no difficulty, affliction, failure, pain, or loss is the result of God's punishment or condemnation. Christ has absorbed all of the punishment that we deserve.

Then, if affliction is not God's punishment or condemnation towards me, what is the point? Paul gives the answer in 8:28, one of the most glorious verses in the Bible, "And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."

Pain and affliction are God's gifts to his children, who see dimly and hear faintly. I long for God to teach this truth more fully to my heart at a young age. All of life on this earth is affliction. As I age my comfort will not increase.

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us." - Rom 8:18

Economic Crisis in China

There's an article on cnn.com (read here) today about the difficulties that many rural Chinese are having as a result of the current global economic crisis. It's quite eye-opening. Few people in America will suffer as severely as those in other countries. While we were in China, one of the traits of the Chinese that continued to amaze us was their ability to press on and not complain. They accept hardship and learn to cope.

With Christianity on the rise in China I can't help but wonder what role this crisis is playing in God's design.

The Holocaust and the Resurrection

There's been a story in the news this week about a Catholic priest whom the Pope recently reinstated. Almost immediately after being reinstated, this priest made a public statement denying the holocaust. Catholics and Jews around the world are protesting the Pope's decision and calling for action. As I was listening to recent updates on NPR yesterday I was astonished to hear how many holocaust-deniers there are in the US and in the world. Something as recent and well documented as the holocaust leaves little (or no) room for doubt in my mind. How is it that so many actually deny it?

There's a certain parallel here with the resurrection and with belief in general. What is the cause of unbelief? Is it a lack of evidence? Many say that if God showed himself to them, in a way that they could see and experience, then they would believe. This was a common thing that we heard in China. But is it true? How many would actually believe in God if they saw him?

The holocaust took place about 60 years ago. There are innumerable photographs and even video footage of the concentration camps. We have testimony after testimony of guards who worked in concentration camps, describing the horrors that occurred there. We have the eyewitness testimonies of soldiers, some of whom are still alive, who walked through the concentration camps and saw the famished captives there. And finally, we have the testimony of prisoners who were released and lived to tell about their experiences, some of whom are also still alive. Is there any lack of evidence that the holocaust occurred? Absolutely not. The issue of people denying the holocaust has nothing whatsoever to do with evidence. What we see, rather, is the ability of the human heart to twist any amount of evidence in order to serve its ends, its preconceived beliefs.

When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead (Jn 11), there was a division among the people. Some believed. Some, however, did not believe, but went and reported what Jesus did to the Pharisees. They believed, in a sense, in what Jesus had done. But they did not believe in Him. They wanted him dead, that's why they told the Pharisees. The issue was not one of evidence, but of the heart.

The next time I have a conversation with someone who doesn't believe in Christ because of a lack of evidence, I'm going to ask them what they think about those why deny the holocaust. I think that the comparison is striking.

Biblical Imagery of Conversion

There's a lot of powerful imagery in the Bible that God uses to get across his point. Metaphors and similes are usually only used to make a single point of emphasis, often highlighting either human sin or God's grace. For example, the common OT metaphor of Israel as a prostitute is meant to vividly portray their idolatry in turning from God to worship man-made things. Some of the most powerful metaphors are used to reveal the nature of conversion. As a rule, these metaphors should not be pushed to have multiple and complex meanings. The surface-level meanings are profound enough.

What I see in each of the following passages is that conversion is solely God's work and is completely dependent on his will alone. God uses means to accomplish his purposes, and these means are also his designs. Consider these passages

New Birth: John 3:1-15
"Jesus answered him, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."

Creation: 2 Corinthians 4:6, 5:17
"For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."

5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."

Abandoned Newborn: Ezekiel 16:4-6 and following

"And as for your birth, on the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to cleanse you, nor rubbed with salt, nor wrapped in swaddling cloths. 5 No eye pitied you, to do any of these things to you out of compassion for you, but you were cast out on the open field, for you were abhorred, on the day that you were born.

6 “And when I passed by you and saw you wallowing in your blood, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’ I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’"

I believe that the message of these metaphors is simple and powerful: Conversion is God's work alone. Does a newborn lying on the ground decide to accept the grace of the person who picks him up and cares for him? Does a baby consent to being born? (in fact, if babies could choose, they'd probably prefer to stay in the womb rather than come out!) Does an uncreated thing agree to being created? The obvious answer to each of these questions is 'NO'. God is not restricted by humans, and it is his free decision to overcome and change the human will in conversion. On the most basic level we have no say in the matter.