You Asked for It: Why Do Good People Suffer? Sunday School Curriculum May 4, 2014 Romans 8:26-30 Introduction Life is filled with a variety of crises of belief. While not the most uplifting of topics to discuss, if we are honest about the experiences that have contributed to who we are today, how we view the world, and even certain beliefs we have about God, a large portion of those experiences would involve a crisis of belief. Crises of belief are those seasons in our lives when the stress and burden of our circumstances leave us at a point where the pat answers we have practiced in the past are no longer capable of calming the feverish questioning that swirls around in our souls. In those difficult seasons, our faith is forced to either struggle to grow deeper roots, or wither. Crises of belief can take many forms and are as varied as the people who experience them. It might be the loss of a job. It could be the loss of a child or a pregnancy. Sometimes it can take the form of a spouse at the end of themselves in a marriage that is nothing like they anticipated on their wedding day. Maybe it s the pain of uncertainty during a life-defining decision. Maybe it s the despair of crushing loneliness. Regardless of the form that the crisis takes, the occurrence of the crisis has the power to draw us to question what we thought we knew about God like no other experience can. There is pain in the crisis and pain has a unique way of cutting through figurative strawmen that prove to be more than capable of deflecting lesser challenges. Questions that we wouldn t even dare speak fly through our minds in an instant. The phrasing of the questions we ask God during the moments of anguish or uncertainty vary in their details, but the essence of the questions that seem to go unanswered is Why? In the midst of the crisis, we tell ourselves that we could make it through and persevere if only we knew why we had to endure it in the first place. What possible reason could there be for such anguish? As we read through the Scriptures, we find no shortage of people that God called to follow him that would have plenty of opportunities to ask the same question we wrestle with today: Why do good people suffer? On one hand, we know as believers that none of us is righteous, not one. On the other hand, when we suffer through no fault of our own, especially when we are pursuing God, it forces us to a crisis of belief. In his mercy, God has given us insight into how we should understand why good people suffer in the life of history s most prolific church-planter. Biblical Background The Apostle Paul came to know a thing or two about pain and anguish over the course of his missionary ministry. In 2 Corinthians 11:22 33, as part of the ceaseless effort of to justify himself as an apostle of Christ to the Corinthian congregation, Paul lists in bulleted format the number of different persecutions that he had endured since his conversion experience on the road to Damascus. His sufferings were not a surprise to God. In fact, in Acts 9:15 16, God tells Ananias, whom He has sent to restore a blinded Saul s (would 1
become Paul) sight that Saul, who had become known for imprisoning and murdering Christians, was His chosen instrument for taking the gospel to the Gentiles. God follows up His glimpse of Saul s purpose to Ananias with, for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name s sake. Paul had not even started his ministry for God yet and God already knew the suffering that would befall Paul. True to His word to Ananias, suffering was an incredible part of Paul s ministry. Going back to the 2 Corinthians passage, Paul mentions being beaten times without number, shipwrecked overnight on the sea, flogged mercilessly, imprisoned repeatedly, and even stoned an act that typically resulted in death. In addition, Paul reports as lesser hardships hunger and thirst, danger of exposure to the elements, and difficult labor. In light of all the relentless affliction and persecution that Paul faced throughout his ministry, when he penned the letter to the Romans he was extremely clear on the providential working of God. The text that we will look at in relation to the purpose in pain is a familiar one to many people, found in Romans 8:26 30. As we look at our passage in Romans this week, we get the sense that we are coming in halfway into a conversation. That is true in some sense. In the preceding verses, Paul had been instructing the Roman believers in the theology of their identity in Christ. Specifically, that the one who believes in Christ is a fellow heir of Christ. For that reason, Paul states that he considers the suffering of this world as nothing in comparison to the glory that awaits the believer in eternity. When Paul talks about suffering, he has a profound understanding of what that means. So to not consider the suffering he experienced worth of comparison screams the praise of God in the glory of heaven that awaited him. Paul continues to tell the Roman believers how everything in creation in this fallen state suffers and groans for the return of Christ so that creation might be put right again. Existing in this fallen, putrid state is agonizing, even for creation. The Text Picking up in verse 26, Paul offers a word of consolation to the believers in Rome, who faced immense persecution themselves. That s important to realize, entering a conversation about why good people suffer, because one of our first inclinations in that moment is to think that God doesn t realize what s going on that somehow he s turned his omnipotent eye away from his beloved. Paul assures us that is not the case. Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. (Romans 8:26 27) Have you ever been so distraught, so confused, or so completely overwhelmed by your circumstances that you did not know what to do or even say? Or that whatever you did say just did not seem to do justice to your angst or rage? What about those moments when you don t even know the right things to pray for, when you are spiritually speechless? In those seemingly endless moments, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us in our weakness and frailty. Not only does the Spirit of God intercede for us, but He does so in utterances and groanings the depths of whose meaning exceeds our words. That means when we do not have the 2
words to express our turmoil, God understands it deeper than we can even conceive. Have you ever had the patronizingly painful experience of someone telling you they understand how you feel when you know there is no possible way they can? God not only knows how we feel, He could teach us volumes about how we feel. The second part of Paul s sentence tells that the Holy Spirit is not the only person of the Godhead that is involved in our consolation ministry of our prayers. God knows the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit prays to God. It is an incredibly deep concept to fathom. Essentially, though, the Holy Spirit ministers to the broken heart of the believer and prays to God as our Helper so that God knows with complete perfection the condition of our fragile soul. Understanding that God is intimately acquainted with our pain only serves to heighten our desire to know - why? If God understands our pain and he is powerful enough to stop it, why doesn t he? The answer from Paul is that God is at work in our pain. He has a purpose for it. When the reader comes to verse 28, the eyes fall across one of the most familiar passages in times of grief. There is great danger in uttering this verse flippantly, as doing so can trivialize the sovereign work of God in our lives even during seasons of great pain. And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28) When spoken flippantly, this verse can take on a tone similar to the phrase well it s for the best. Nothing could be further from Paul s intent. Bear in mind that Paul concluded verse 27 by saying the Spirit prays to God on behalf of believers according to God s will. That does not mean that the Spirit tells God to make our pain go away. It much more closely means that the Spirit implores God to bring His purpose in our lives to pass. If Paul had stopped right there, the feeling for the distressed reader is uncertain. They are already being persecuted and are in pain. Maybe they think that God wants that for their lives. Paul offers words of assurance by reminding the Roman believers and us that when the Spirit intercedes on our behalf for God s will to come to pass in our lives, that is a wonderful thing. The reason it is a wonderful thing is because God s will is that all things that befall a believer will ultimately achieve the goodness of God s perfect will. He is sovereign, trustworthy, and gracious. However, because the workings of His plan are not instant, Paul encourages the believer by assuring them that God not only has a purpose for the pain and difficulty, but He is actively at work in achieving that purpose. While that purpose may not be realized in the present by the believer, the long-term result is guaranteed to be good. The Purpose of Our Pain Expounding on what God s purpose for us is, Paul continues following the incredible promise of Romans 8:28 that the difficulty and pain that we experience has purpose far beyond the present moment of suffering. In verses 29 30, Paul draws the reader s attention back to the limitless sovereignty of God. 3
For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. (Romans 8:29 30) The concepts in these two verses are extremely complex, but their aim is not. In teaching that God foreknew and predestined believers, Paul is driving home to the reader that God is the One who initiated relationship with believers. Not only that, He predestined believers to become conformed to the image of Christ. The image of Christ, of the many things it entails, is characterized by suffering that ultimately leads to surpassing glory. The reason that God conforms us to Christlikeness is so that Christ may ultimately have many brothers that are co-heirs with Him eternally. That means that our pain actually serves to make us more like Christ. In verse 30, Paul walks through a progression of sorts of how we become like Christ through pain or suffering. Believers were not only predestined for being conformed like Christ, but so that might take place, God called those who would believe to Himself. God initiates the relationship and draws us to Himself. God then justifies those who respond in faith to His drawing. Justifies means that the sin that has separated God and the believer is removed through the sacrificial act of Christ on the cross. The curious ending of the chain of progression is that glorified is in the past tense. For the believer, they have certainly been called and justified, but from the believer s point of view glorification still lies in the future. From God s perspective though, the glory of the believer is assured and settled. The Text in Life The processing of the pain we experience in light of a relationship with a loving God can seem painfully incongruent. However, Paul gives us important insight into how we understand suffering as believers. First, there is consolation to be had in realizing that God understands the depths of our confusion, anxiety, and even rage in midst of it all. In the middle of processing pain and suffering, whatever the form, it is natural to encounter a feeling of forsakenness. As believers who share the indwelling of God in the Holy Spirit, we must hold such thoughts against the truth of God s presence with us. He knows our pain and our suffering more thoroughly and profoundly than we do ourselves. He is always with us. Second, God is at work in our suffering. There is nothing random or pointless about it. Frequently it feels like it is random, particularly when we feel it is undeserved or unwarranted. Again, we must hold such perceptions up against the truth of God s Word. Our pain is one way in which God brings about his purposes in our lives. What is more, because our pain ultimately leads to God s purposes for our lives being accomplished, it is for our ultimate good. Third, in the seasons when we experience such pain, we are actually becoming more like Christ, who gave up His life in the most excruciating way possible for us. It was not pain that He deserved or wanted, according to His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane immediately before His betrayal. Also like Christ, then, we will ultimately be glorified by God on the other side of our pain. 4
That is not to say that knowing the purpose of our pain lessens the pain. Paul felt every hunger pang, every scourge on his back, and the consistent plaguing of whatever the thorn in his side was. However, it does raise our eyes beyond ourselves in the difficulty of pain. We see a grander purpose, a faithful God that is sovereign over our circumstances, and the assurance of glory. Such certainty offers strength for perseverance and intimacy with God for the believer. Discussion Questions 1. How do you initially respond to pain in your life? 2. How does having a friend who has experienced the difficult season you are going through aid in the consolation process? 3. Do you think pain whose purpose is difficult to detect is more difficult to deal with than pain that you anticipate? Why? 4. According to Romans 8:29 30, if you are a believer, God thought about you specifically and started a relationship with you. How does that change the way you think about difficulty? 5. Read 2 Corinthians 12:7 10. What does Paul reveal about viewing suffering in the light of God s purposes? 6. Other than physical pain, what other types of duress have you encountered in your life that have turned your focus intensely on God? 7. In asking why good people suffer, how would you identify someone as a good person? Read Romans 3:9 12. How does God s Word speak of a good person? 8. When you think of Jesus suffering, although he was perfect in every way, how does that shape your understanding of your own hardship? 5