Ministry of Love

The intention of this blog is to share Biblical messages at least on a weekly basis. Any response is appreciated. I do not expect everyone to agree with my interpretation of Biblical passages. I will try to respond with love and thoughtfulness.

Sunday, January 31, 2010

musings:01/31/10,Christians, Do we Suffer? by John

Christians, Do We Suffer?

Romans 8:16, 17 says, "The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." I remember pastors when I was small talking about the "vicarious suffering" we were expected to do as a Christian. That bothered me then, and it bothers me now. I'm glad no one has used hat word in any sermon I have heard in many years. Let me explain my thought on this.

As Christians, some non-Christians will persecute us without doubt. We certainly have viewed enough history to know that has happened over and over again. Many people still die in various parts of the world today just because they have accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior, but all of us will not suffer that way, so this Scripture either doesn't apply to us, or it applies in a different way.

Let's take a short detour to illustrate something God does in Scripture. One word in Isaiah 7:14 was translated by scholars from Hebrew to English as "virgin." It did not mean virgin to the Jews. It meant "young woman," but even to them that was one meaning of the word. At the time Isaiah gave that prophecy, they did not think he was speaking of a virgin having a child, yet it was possible for that word to refer to an unmarried young woman, and it did. We sometime refer to the manifold fulfillment of prophecy, and this is an example. The first fulfillment came within three years as prophesied. It was fulfilled again when Jesus was conceived and born. Christian scholars translated that word as virgin because Jesus had no earthly father. Matthew simply says Joseph was the husband of Mary. Mary was in David's bloodline as well as Joseph. Being in David's bloodline was an important part of the Messianic prophecies. Now, back to suffering.

I believe the suffering here is more than vicarious. The word "vicarious" refers to being deputized or even taking someone else's place. We don't suffer in Jesus' place. He took our place. I know many who major on our suffering just as Jesus did. Some Christians do, but in this country we don't. Paul writing in Galatians (1:29) said, "For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have." In that I have to be aware God gives good gifts to His children, not evil. Ergo suffering is a good gift. Hebrews 12:11 says, "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."

The kind of suffering most of us experience is caused by our own inward struggle. The world around us is full of things to sate our appetites for anything we happen to think of. Many of these things have a long, deep-seated background in our society, and it is a struggle to give them up and move away from them. When we do, we discover new battles are constantly appearing on the horizon. As Romans 7 tells us, it doesn't take very long for every Christian to discover we have two natures, one spiritual and one prone to revel in the sins of the world. Paul exclaimed in verses 24,25, "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord!"

I think I was about two weeks old when I made my first trip to church and I've been pretty constant in worship and study since then. All of these 82 years are filled with the struggle to be the person God wants me to be. Every day brings new challenges. Every day, Satan approaches with new temptations. My own mind and physical appetites constantly clamor for more attention to things other than Jesus. In Him, I find strength, relief, and forgiveness when I fail. Even in the midst of inward struggle, I have His peace as He promised in John 14:27, "Peace, I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." I can always look back at the events of every day, and thank God for His deliverance. I usually follow that by asking Him for strength for the struggle ahead. One day, I'll be so much closer to being like Jesus than I am now. I look forward to that day. What I do with my Heavenly Father is too important to allow any kind of suffering disrupt my peace, or to take me off course. Again, Romans 8:16, 17 says, "The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order we may also share in his glory." Christ suffered for the sins of the whole world. If my Lord did that, I should expect to receive the same treatment from the world. I shouldn't try to make it happen, but when it does, I should be able to accept it as part of Christian living! And Jesus will give me strength to do it.

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home