Theodicy and the Day of the Lord

The blog has not fared well since Cohen was born - I think I'll shoot for one post a week and see how that goes. The new semester just started, and my mind is once again overloaded with all that I'm learning and thinking about in my classes. This is a wonderful thing! I'm blessed to absolutely love what I'm studying. I can't say the same was true for my undergrad.

Anyway, I'm taking a class on Joel and Amos. We take the Hebrew text verse by verse, discussing both textual and theological issues. We've only had two classes thus far, and so we've just been talking about introductory matters. I want to post some thoughts about theodicy that we briefly discussed on Thursday. My professor only barely began the discussion before class ended, but I think I know where he's going. I'll find out on Tuesday.

The Locust Plague - Chapter 1
Joel chapter one is about a locust plague that strikes Jerusalem. It is catastrophic, wiping out both crop and livestock. Joel goes into great poetic detail of the destruction and devastation that the locusts bring. It's hard for us to imagine such an event, and furthermore to imagine locusts being the cause of the demise of our very livelihood. The event was much more serious than most of us probably understand when we read the text.

The Invading Army - Chapter 2
In Chapter 2 Joel describes the invasion of Jerusalem by a foreign army, employing the language of the locust plague from chapter 1. This is likely a prophecy of the impending exile of Judah in 586 B.C. (depending on the dating of the book, which is a rather difficult task). This event is also catastrophic, bringing life as they knew it to an end.

The Last Judgment - Chapter 3
Finally, in chapter 3, Joel prophecies the last judgment, where the Lord enters into judgment with all the nations of the earth. This is the decisive and cataclysmic event of history. For those who have not bowed their knee to the God of Israel, all joy and goodness are forever lost.

Typology and the problem of evil
My professor made this point with regard to the connection between the three event and the term "the day of the Lord":

Each of these events is "the day of the Lord". The prophets employed a system of typology - using initial events to describe and point to future events. For example, David is a type of Christ, the exodus is a type of the salvation that is found through Christ, etc. For the inhabitants of Jerusalem at the time of the locust plague, nothing in their minds could have been worse than what they experienced. The same goes for those who lived through the sack of Jerusalem and the exile to Syria. One points to the next, and each one can legitimately be called "the day of the Lord". There will be, however, a final and ultimate "day of the Lord" with each preceding event finally points to.

What does this have to do with the problem of evil? Before I make the connection let me give several alternative views to the question, "Why do evil things happen?" Take as an example the earthquake in Haiti - how is it that God, would we describe as good, would allow such a thing to happen? Here are some possibilities:

1) God is not good, but finds pleasure in doing harm to earth and its creatures. (rejection of God's goodness)
2) God and Satan are opposing powers, and God is unable to prevent Satan from all the evil that he desires to do. (rejection of God's omnipotence)
3) The world is fallen and as a result calamities and evil things happen. It's so much that God or anyone/anything else purposes them, they are simply a result of living in a fallen world. (this can sound tempting, but I would consider it radically unbiblical and a rejection of God's sovereignty as the Bible describes it)
4) There is no God, events are random and purposeless. If this is true, then the words "good" and "evil" have no objective meaning and the conversation isn't even worth having. Furthermore, we have no right to complain about any "evil' thing that anyone does to us, because it is simply their preference to do it.

Now for what I believe is the view of the Bible. Let me preface this by saying that I believe that God's design in suffering is much more complex than this one aspect I will present. I don't mean to attempt to explain the purpose of suffering and calamities. That being said, I do believe that this is a significant one and is very important for the Christian to understand.

In the book of Joel, each disastrous event points to the next, and ultimately to the final event, the last judgment. God's design in purposing disastrous events is that such events would point people to consider the last judgment, and to repent. God is completely and utterly sovereign over all things, including earthquakes, tsunamis, and genocides. His sovereignty does not remove the responsibility of humans where human volition is involved. But neither does human volition remove God's sovereignty.

Therefore, whether we ourselves are involved in some life-altering disaster, or whether we simply see one one the news, the proper response is mourning and repentance. For the Christian, this morning can be followed by joyful thanksgiving that at the last judgment we will stand covered with the blood of Christ and will be welcomed into eternity as sons and daughters of God.

Grace in the wilderness

Jeremiah 31:2-6

2 Thus says the Lord:

“The people who survived the sword

found grace in the wilderness;

when Israel sought for rest,

3 the Lord appeared to him from far away.

I have loved you with an everlasting love;

therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.

4 Again I will build you, and you shall be built,

O virgin Israel!

Again you shall adorn yourself with tambourines

and shall go forth in the dance of the merrymakers.

5 Again you shall plant vineyards

on the mountains of Samaria;

the planters shall plant

and shall enjoy the fruit.

6 For there shall be a day when watchmen will call

in the hill country of Ephraim:

‘Arise, and let us go up to Zion,

to the Lord our God.’ ”

I just love this passage and wanted to share it. Verse 2 has been mulling in my mind for a few weeks. I have escaped the sword of God's wrath through the cross of Christ, and found grace in the wilderness. I think the Christian life can be described as a continual receiving of grace in the wilderness for those who have survived the sword. The book of Jeremiah was written during the time of Judah's being driven into exile for their idolatry. In the midst of this, God speaks these words to his people - his filthy, undeserving, and rebellious people. The wilderness is the only possible place where a person can find grace, and God is the only one who can give it.

Managing our attitudes toward pain

You'll have to excuse yet another post on pain and suffering. I don't intend to be morbid, I simply find again and again that the theology of pain and suffering is of the utmost importance in how we view ourselves and how we view God.

I recently stumbled across a blog post of John Piper's from July 2008. You can read the whole thing here, I remember reading it when he posted it and finding it extremely helpful, but had until recently forgotten. Here's the gist:

One of the reasons God rarely gives micro reasons for his painful providences, but regularly gives magnificent macro reasons, is that there are too many micro reasons for us to manage, namely, millions and millions and millions and millions and millions.

Knowing the limitations of our finiteness, God doesn't reveal to us the micro reasons of our pain but directs us to faith. Pain is one of the best opportunities to grow in trusting God, especially when we are completely powerless to take the pain away. All of sudden, challenges raise in our minds to God's love, God's sovereignty, God's goodness. All of these questions are resolved, if dealt with, during an experience of pain. Either God is loving, sovereign, and good, and this pain is therefore for my ultimate good - despite the fact that I don't understand all of the micro reasons for my current suffering. Or, this pain is so terrible that God cannot possibly be loving, sovereign, and good. The former response is bolstering to one's faith. The latter is a rejection of faith. Suffering shows us who we are.

Over the past several years, Daniel 9 has been an encouraging passage for me with regard to managing pain. It presents a perfect example of God's general policy to direct the suffering to grand and magnificent hope and not on minute details. Here's the story: Apparently, Daniel had been reading Jeremiah, and had come across the prophecy where God proclaimed that Israel would be in captivity for 70 years. He began to pour out his heart toward God, asking for mercy for the Jewish people. Eventually, the angel Gabriel brings Daniel God's answer. The answer does not include small details of Israel's suffering, but rather points to God's magnificent and overarching plan. God's response declares a much greater return from exile than Daniel was even asking for. Namely, the coming of the Messiah, who would "put an end to sin, and atone for iniquity".

One of the hardest things to do when in pain is to pick your head up and look at the big picture. This is precisely what God calls us to do time and time again throughout Scripture. But he doesn't expect us to do it with our own power or with some self-manufactured hope. Only with the hope of the gospel - that Christ has come in the flesh and atoned for our sins and purchased our righteousness - only in this hope can we pick up our heads. Then we can even rejoice in our pain, knowing that it is working for us an eternal glory in Christ.

Christian Patience

Over the last few days I've been typing out the manuscript for the first sermon that I will ever preach. It's for my introductory preaching class. The text is James 5:7-11. Below is a paragraph from my conclusion. I'm not sure if this will make it in the final cut or not, but I thought I'd post it here. In 1 Timothy 4:16, Paul says, "Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers." God has truly ministered to me in the perparation of this sermon. A pastor who faithfully prepares and preaches sermons is uniquely ministered to by his very work. It's been a pleasure to experience this.

Christian patience is radical, and it is radically different from anything that the world would label as patience. What makes us different is our God. If God is sovereign over the time of Christ’s return and the end of history, then he also sovereignly allows all of the suffering which we endure until that day. The ability to be patient is directly related to one’s faith that there is a purpose to the time spent waiting. As pain increases, hope more easily decreases, and impatience easily takes over. To the unbelieving mind, time spent waiting is time wasted. Time spent suffering is certainly wasted, and is meaningless. Consider the logic behind those who support assisted suicide. We hear reasoning like this, “He was in so much pain. Life just wasn’t worth living.” The Christian perspective is incomprehensible to the unregenerate mind. Not only is the end worthwhile, but the present is as well. And we have the promise from God that our pain will never go unmatched by the grace which he provides. God is merciful, he is compassionate, he gives only good things to his children.

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

Granted to believe and to suffer

I've been memorizing Philippians chapter 1 - verse 29 is astonishing:

For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake

1. It has been granted to us to believe. Belief in God is not simply an act of my own will, rather, it is a gift of God.

2. In the same way that it has been granted us to believe, it has also been granted to us to suffer! This is the part that blows me away. What should I understand about suffering from this verse?

a. Suffering comes from the hand of God.
b. The gift of suffering goes hand in hand with belief. And it is a gift! It is good for me!

3. Both my belief and my suffering are for the sake of Christ. Paul is so adamant about this that he says it twice in this short verse. My faith is for Christ's sake. My suffering is for Christ's sake.

Would Paul use Pascal's Wager?

Pascal' Wager is a well known argument for belief in God. It was formulated by 17th century mathematician Blaise Pascal in his famous work Pensees. It goes like this:

If you erroneously believe in God, you lose nothing (assuming that death is the absolute end), whereas if you correctly believe in God, you gain everything (eternal bliss). But if you correctly disbelieve in God, you gain nothing (death ends all), whereas if you erroneously disbelieve in God, you lose everything (eternal damnation).

Last year, Time Magazine moderated a debate between Rick Warren (Purpose driven Life) and well known atheist Sam Harris (Letter to a Christian Nation). Warren ended the debate by quoting Pascal's Wager.


My question is, does the New Testament say anything similar to Pascal's Wager? The answer is Yes and No, but mostly No.


Yes. Living life in willful obedience to God's Word makes life go smoother in many respects. If by God's grace the fruit of the Spirit is demonstrated in our lives then we will have fulfilling relationships and healthy marriages. Fleeing from sin enables to to avoid the problems which sin brings about.


No. In 1 Corinthians 15:19 Paul says, "If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied." Paul is talking about the resurrection in this passage, and he's saying that if we're wrong about the resurrection, then we are the most pitiable of people in the world! This is starkly different from Pascal's Wager.


Why Does Paul say this? He gives his answer in 1 Corinthians 11:16-33 - since becoming a Christian, Paul had faced extreme suffering on a regular basis, consistently being upon the edge of death. To have faced such suffering for a lie - which would be the case if Christ was not raised, and if there is no God - would be infinitely foolish and pitiable. In short, Paul was sold out for Christ, willing to stake his entire life on what he knew to be true. This is much more radical than Pascal's Wager.


And why was Paul willing to be sold out for Christ in this radical way? Hebrews 10:34 gives the answer:

For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.

This possession is Christ, who is the supreme treasure of every one of his followers.

Thankful for pain

I've been keeping a running tab in my head of all of the reasons why I am thankful to God for allowing my chronic head and ear pain to continue. This December marks 4 years that I've had daily, continual pain, and it's taken me as long to be able to genuinely thank God for his grace not only in spite of the pain, but in it as well. Here are 15 reasons, though I'm sure there are many more.

1) It causes me to yearn for eternity and to dwell on heavenly things. (Rom. 8:18)
2) Keeps me from being numbed into apathy by comfort.
3) Humbles me, in my inability to take away the pain. (2 Cor. 12:7-10, Phil. 2:8)
4) In humbling me, leads to me greater obedience. (Phil. 2:8,12; Heb. 12:11)
5) Constantly reminds me of the reality of death, which all pain points to. (Rom. 8:20-22)
6) Places me in the position to be empowered by God rather than try to rely on my own
strength. (2 Cor. 1:9)
7) Gives me a daily example of the reality of Romans 8:28
8) Affirms that I am a child of God, for he disciplines all his children. (Heb 12:7)
9) Leads me to repentance, as pain is a result of the curse, brought about by sin. (Lk 13:1-5,
Job 36:7-10)
10) Produces endurance, character, and hope. (Rom. 5:3-5; James 1:2-3)
11) Glorifies God by displaying his worth through my peace and joy in the midst of pain. (Rom.
5:3-5, 1 Pet. 4:16)
12) Gives me greater communion with Christ, who suffered much physical pain. (1 Pet. 4:13; 2
Tim. 2:3; Phil. 3:10)
13) According to David (and Luther), affliction enables me to better learn God's Word. (Ps
119:71)
14) Many who know about my headaches pray for me, though they otherwise might not.
15) I’m learning to rely on God in the midst of pain at an early age. I know that as life goes on,
pain only increases. (Lam. 3:27)