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Who is God? Part III
One of the oldest questions ever asked since the creation of the universe must have been, “Who is God?” From the dawn of civilization, people have posited the fact that this creation must have a Creator. They understood that all this did not come from nothing. According to the Bible, this Creator made Himself known to His creation in the Garden of Eden. But because of man rebellion in the Garden, he has been separated, cut off even, from his Creator. Yet, God did not leave Himself without a testimony. Through over 40 writers on three continents over thirty-five hundred years, God gave His people a personal testimony of Who He is. Over the last two posts, we have discovered some of God’s self-witness: some of who God says He is. In this post, we will look at four more attributes of God—Creator, Judge, Love, and Triune.
Creator. He is the Maker, the Creator of all things, both the heavens and the earth, things seen and unseen. Genesis 1:1 tell us that “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Its companion passage, John 1:1-3 says of Jesus, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.” Colossians 1:16-17 adds, “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Psalm 24:1-2 reminds us that “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, 2 for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.” When Job questioned God as why he was suffering, God asked him:
“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell me, if you have understanding.
5 Who determined its measurements—surely you know!
Or who stretched the line upon it?
6 On what were its bases sunk,
or who laid its cornerstone,
7 when the morning stars sang together
and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (Job 38:4-7)
Romans 1 accuses mankind in that we know God is the Creator but we (evil mankind) suppress that truth and come up with lies to explain creation so that they do not have to acknowledge Someone to whom they will one day give an account. Men would rather believe a lie and exchange the glory of God for foolishness. Believing and professing themselves to be wise they become foolish and futile in their thinking. They attempt to explain away God and creation with nonsense and even compel others to believe it.
Judge. As the creation, we must give an account to the Creator for what we have done with the resources (life, talent, treasure) He has given us. God will judge us based on those works. The Bible teaches that only that which is done for Christ will last. All the righteousness and works of the wicked are as filthy rags before a holy God (Isaiah 64:6). God must punish sin or His justice is perverted. A Stalin or a Hitler or a Bin Laden should not inherit the same heaven as a Paul or a Timothy or a Billy Graham. If ‘good’ people went to heaven, the heaven would become polluted like earth. God will judge the wicked. They will suffer eternally because eternally is how long they’ll live.
The question has been asked, why would a loving God send people to Hell? The reason there is a hell in the first place is to punish the devil and his angels because of their rebellion against God (Isaiah 14:12-15). The reason people will go to hell is because, since they share in the devil’s rebellion—rejection of God’s authority, they will share in his punishment.
God will judge us, His Saints, as righteous, not based on any work that we have done, but based on the work Christ did on the cross. Isaiah 1 says, “Though our sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow.” 1 Corinthians 5:21 says, “God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we may become the righteousness of God in Him.”
Love. Many know the phrase, God is love. Love is just one attribute of God. Yes, He loves us. It does not mean that He has some warm, fuzzy feeling for us but that He chose to act in our best interest whether we deserved it or not. His loves us unconditionally and He demonstrated it for us sacrificially. Unconditional love does not mean that God loves us just the way we are and we do not have to change. On the contrary, God loves us the way we are and because of His love for us, we will change for we are called to be confirmed into the image of His Son (Romans 8:29). Conformation means change. He loves us just the way we are but loves us too much to leave us the way we are. He knows the plans He has for us. He knows what He made us to be. We are a love gift to His Son and God does not give junk gifts. Yes, He loves us. He saved us from ourselves and from a fate we rightly deserve. But love does not mean that God overlooks sin. It is not his will that any should perish but that all would come to the knowledge of the truth. He made it possible for people to do that through His greatest demonstration of love—His Son, whom He sent to be punished for our sins so we can be rewarded with His righteousness.
Trinity. Of all of God’s attributes or characteristics, that of being three Persons in one is the most difficult to understand or explain. Three persons in one? Do Christians worship three Gods? No. Christianity is a monotheistic faith. We worship one God. “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.” God is one in essence but manifests Himself in three different persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each of them were present at creation (Genesis1:1-2, John 1:1-2). Each were present at Jesus’ baptism (Matthew 3:13-17). We are to baptize in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (not names). One God—three individual manifestations.
How can God be one in three? I believe the grandest illustration is man. In Psalm 8:5, the Psalmist writes, “You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor.” The term angels, is Elohim, God. So the verse could also be interpreted, “You have made them a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor.” In Genesis 1:26, God said, Let Us make man in Our image and after Our likeness…” There are many ways we are made like God. We have the power of choice. We have emotions. We can think. We are self-aware. We know the difference between good and evil. But another way we are made like God, I believe, is our makeup. We are made triune beings—not to the extent of God, but we are soul and spirit that live in flesh. Paul alluded to this in Romans 7:
21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being (spirit), 23 but I see in my members (flesh) another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.
We believe in the Trinity even if we do not understand it. We pray to the Father through the Spirit (or in the Spirit) in the name of Jesus. We recognize that salvation is being reconciled to the Father through the Son and later indwelt by the Spirit. Jesus said in John 15, my Father and I will make our home in you. How will they do this? They will do it through the Holy Spirit.
This is just a short study on who God is. As someone pointed out, even throughout eternity, we will never fully understand God—mainly because we are the creation and He is the Creator—our minds will only understand so much and yet our God is so great!
GOD’S GRACE
It is through the writings of the Apostle Paul that we best come to understand the doctrine of Grace. Through Paul’s teachings, we understand that Grace comes by faith, and that the faith that brings Grace comes from God and not from ourselves. We do not work for Grace. If we did then it is not Grace but it is something we earned and therefore not a gift. Paul would open each of his letters to the various churches and to his friends, Timothy, Titus, and Philemon with a blessing of grace and peace. How did Paul come to understand the doctrine of grace? He experienced it.
Saul, Paul’s Jewish name, was a man of two worlds. He was a Jew whose father was likely a Roman because Paul claimed Roman citizenship many times in his writings. He was not only a Jew but a member of the ruling body known as the Pharisees. The Pharisees were the keepers and teachers of the Jewish Law. As a Pharisee, Paul was zealous for the Jewish faith. He was zealous to the point that he was present at the stoning of Stephen (Acts 8:1). He was a persecutor of the church leading men and women to prison and death (Acts 8:3, 22:4). He not only persecuted the church but likely blasphemed Jesus as a heretic and as well as those who followed him (1Timothy 1:13). Though he was such a man, God spared him and used him in a great and powerful way.
God, through His infinite love and great mercy, decided to extend his generosity to Saul by visiting him one day on his was to Damascus. When going to Damascus to arrest the Christians there to bring them back to Jerusalem to be tried and imprisoned (or worse), he was intercepted by Jesus who appeared in a light brighter than the sun. He spoke with a loud voice that knocked Paul off his beast (Acts 9). Through this powerful voice, He asked, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” Saul responded, “Who are you, Lord?” The voice came back, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.” From that day on, Paul was on fire for Jesus and for spreading the Gospel. Why? Because he realized that he had been spared the wrath of God. He realized that he was fighting against the very God he was trying to defend. He realized that his actions warranted death but God had mercy on him. As a result, he could write, “ that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge…(Ephesians 3:17b-19)”
God’s Grace to us is powered by His love for us. He loved us enough to create us and to desire fellowship with us (Genesis 1:27-28). He loved us enough to tabernacle with us when we were lost in the wilderness of sin (Exodus 40:34, 1 Kings 8:10-13). He loved us enough to tabernacle in us through His Spirit because of the blood of His Son (John 14:15-18, Acts 2:1-4). He loves us enough to allow us to one day tabernacle with Him in the Eternal City (Revelation 21:3). It was God’s Grace that elevated a murderous persecutor and blasphemer like Paul to the role of Apostle, planter of numerous churches, and writer of nearly one half of the New Testament. It was also God’s Grace that elevated a lowly rebel like me to the heights of a saint, a priest, and a king (Revelation 5:10).
Have you experienced God’s grace in your life? Paul, Moses, Abraham, all can tell you that it doesn’t matter what type of background you have. It doesn’t matter what sins or wrongs you have committed. It doesn’t matter how bad you have been or you think you have been. He offers you mercy instead of wrath. He offers you adoption instead of separation. He offers you love. He offers you faith. By trusting in the work of His Son, Jesus Christ, on the cross of Calvary, you, too, can experience the same grace Paul experienced—the same grace every believer has experienced (and continue to experience). God offers grace that leads to eternal life rather than justice that leads to death. Which will you choose?
My Commentary on First Timothy 1:12-20
1 Timothy 1:12-17
Paul closed out his previous instruction by saying that the Gospel was entrusted to him [among others]. He then proceeds to recount his own shameful past and how he was a recipient of the grace and mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ. The first thing he does is give thanks to Jesus who gave him strength and appointed him to the gospel ministry. Why did Jesus save and call Paul. In Paul’s own words: He considered me faithful. Jesus knew that Paul was zealous for God just on the wrong side of the Cross. He knew that once Paul was saved, that same zeal would be used to promote the Gospel was than persecute it. Was He not right? Paul started numerous churches and is credited with writing nearly half of the New Testament. Talk about faithful.
1 Timothy 1:18-20
In this passage, Paul encouraged Timothy to be faithful. He said the purpose he gave this instructions was in keeping with the prophecies that were made about Timothy. The Bible does not say when these prophecies were made but they apparently spoke about how God would use Timothy to strengthen the believers and refute the false teachers.
His instruction to Timothy was to engage in battle and not just sit on the sidelines. Those who teach false doctrine needs to be rebuked. Those who attempt to divide the church need to be confronted. The Word of God needs to go forth. The command of Jesus was to make disciples and that means teaching the Word to the hearers giving them a foundation upon which to stand against false teaching.
Timothy’s motivation was to teach from faith and a good conscience. Paul said there were some who rejected their faith in the oracles and providence of God and the desire good conscience and, as a result, their faith (walk with God) was destroyed. He then goes on to list two such people, Hymenaeus and Alexander, who were known for their blasphemies. Paul said he had delivered them to Satan, or rather he has asked God to show them the error of their ways.
My Commentary on First Timothy 1
The epistles to Timothy are among my favorite books in the Bible. In fact, I do not believe enough teaching is done on them in churches perhaps due to the fact that most see them as being written to a pastor who how to conduct his ministry. However, there is a lot of doctrine in these letters. Not to mention, these instructions can be useful to all of us—after all we have a ministry whether paid or not, big or small. We are all charged with the responsibility of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
So since I do not hear a lot of teaching on these epistles, I thought I’d do my own.
Timothy 1:1-2
Verses 1 and 2 give us both the author, Paul, and the addressee of the letter, Timothy. Paul, again reaffirming his apostleship and stating he is an apostle “by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope.” Paul called Timothy his true son in the faith. Apparently, Timothy was led to Christ by Paul and has been a faithful disciple of Paul ever since.
To his son, Paul, opened his letter with a benediction (or blessing). He pronounced “grace, mercy, and peace” to him which only comes from God our Father and Jesus Christ, our Lord. In this benediction, he reminded Timothy that his real Father was God (who would supply all he needed) and that Jesus Christ was Lord.
1 Timothy 1:3-11
Apparently while Paul was in Ephesus there were those who were preaching other doctrine, doctrine that was contrary to the doctrine Paul had taught them. As a result, when he was called away, he urged Timothy to remain and confront them and give instruction to the congregants not to receive such teaching. These false doctrines included “fables” (untrue accounts) and “endless genealogies” (disputes on lineages of people and possibly of Christ himself). This doctrines lead to disputes that are profitless. They are designed to tear down the body and not build it up. What builds up the body—trusting in God and living in that trust—just as Abraham did.
True doctrine is to unify not divide. Division comes when people attempt to put their own spin on what God has said. But when we listen to the Spirit to understand the true meaning of the word, we will be unified. Just as it is written in Ephesians: “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all (Ephesians 4:4-6, ESV).”
So what is the purpose of the law and doctrine: love. Many don’t believe that but love is the essence of the Christian faith. Mainly because we do no demonstrate it but Jesus said that the demonstration of our love for one another will be the way we show that we are His disciples. We are to manifest love that comes from a “pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith.” When we abide in Christ, His love is manifested in and through us. Unfortunately, many church members do not demonstrate love but selfishness, self-righteousness, and jealousy. Those who manifest these behaviors are like those Paul talks about who have strayed from the faith and turned aside to things that do not edify the Body or glory Christ.
Paul said they want to be teachers of the law but they don’t understand what they teach or affirm. When I think about the churches in America, I am reminded of this statement. Many of the largest churches in America are led by people who do not teach God’s Word of repentance and salvation but a social gospel (I’m Ok, you’re OK) or a prosperity gospel (where God’s favor equals material blessings). These take scriptures out of context and do not hold the Law of God in any esteem. Instead they esteem the goodness of man and the value of worthless, earthly things. However, the Law of God was not done away with just because Christ came.
Christ came to fulfill the Law but those who are apart from Christ are still under the Law. Only those who have accepted Christ as Savior have been forgiven and are not under the Law (John 3:16-17, Romans 3:19, Galatians 4:4-5). And those who are under the Law, whether they recognize the Law or not, will be judged by the Law (Romans 2:12).
So what does Paul say about the Law and doctrine? It is good if it is properly applied. The Law is our schoolmaster. It sets the boundaries of how far we can go. To those who keep the Law, the Law means nothing. Think of a person who never drives. Does a speed limit sign mean anything to him or her? The Law is only a bully to those who refuse to keep it—the rebel, the sinner, whom Paul name: “those who kill their fathers and mothers, for murderers, for the sexually immoral and homosexuals, for kidnappers, liars, perjurers and for whatever else is contrary to the sound teaching”.
The Great Falling Away: The Apostasy of the Church
One of the lessons we can learn from the first three chapters of the Book of Revelation is that the church has cycles (or a cycle). Much like any organization, there is growth, a plateau, then a decline. After the decline there can be a rebound, another incline, or death. The church will not die. History has taught us that and Jesus has promised it. Yet, the church does have a cycle that it seems to follow.
In the beginning, when the people first come to Christ, they are on fire for Him. They worship in spirit and truth. They serve. They give generously. Then the fire starts to cool. Worldly cares seep in. People don’t read their Bibles like they once did. People don’t pray like they once did. People don’t attend church like they once did. Preachers don’t preach like they used to. Preachers and teachers don’t prepare like they used to. As Jesus said, they will have left their first love. Eventually, in the life of the believer, as in the life of the church itself, worship goes from relationship to ritual.
It is no longer about Christ. It becomes more about the process than the Person. People just go through the motions. The come; they read; they pray; they give; they leave but no real change has taken place. They had no real encounter with the Savior. They received no fuel to carry them throughout the week. Like a charcoal removed from the fire, they all soon grow cold. Now, they no longer have a faith, they have a religion.
I believe every church started out on fire for God. I believe this is true of the Catholics, the Methodists, the Presbyterians, the Baptist. But over time, their love for the Lord has started to grow cold. Their devotion, our devotion, is moving from relationship to ritual. Once we move in this direction, it won’t be long before the church is compromising with the world—embracing ecumenism in the name of peace.
In several of Paul’s letters, he speaks of the falling away or the apostasy of the church. In 1 Timothy he wrote that people would ‘depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons’. In 2 Timothy he wrote that the time is coming when people would no longer tolerate sound doctrine but will acquire for themselves teachers that teach things that appease the flesh. In 2 Thessalonians he wrote that the falling away would precede the Rapture of the Church.
What is the ‘falling away’ that Paul refers to? As one preacher once said, I don’t believe that it is some mass exodus from the church and that Jesus has to come back or there would be no Church for Him to come back for. Instead, I believe the falling away is encompassed in the words of Paul.
First, there would be a drop in church attendance. It is no secret that church attendance is on the decline. Many churches have more empty pews now than they had in the past. This is likely due to several factors. Parents stopped teaching their children the fear of the Lord. When these children grew up, church was not on their radar. Another reason is that people are too busy with the cares of the world. Many people work on Sunday because businesses are open 7 days a week. People also use Sunday as a day of rest and Saturday (the Biblical day of rest) as pleasure day. Society frowns on church and religion. It is mocked in the media. It is satire on television. It is outlawed in schools and public buildings. Of course, the biggest reason is sin. Sin draws people from God not to Him. And since sin is so prevalent and even welcomed in today’s society, church attendance suffers.
Second, people will depart from the faith. It is not that they stopped attending church. It’s just that they attend churches that don’t preach sin and repentance, hellfire and brimstone. Instead, these churches preach a social gospel—an I’m-OK-you’re-OK gospel. In this gospel, people don’t sin, they err. Yet, even without Christ, they can still live their best life yet. Regardless as to whether they are a Christian or not, everyday can still be a Friday. Others preach a prosperity gospel—a name-it-and-claim-it, call-it-and-haul-it gospel. Preachers in this gospel say all you have to do is lay your hands on it and claim it in the name of Jesus. God told Joshua that anyplace your feet trod I will give to you. Therefore, if you want a piece of land, walk its distance and claim God’s promise in the name of Jesus. If you want God’s best for your life, all you have to do is plant this faith seed and God will send you a harvest. As I said in my first book, God cannot be bribed!
Finally, mainstream religions will depart from the fundamentals of the faith. Pastors (and deacons) are committing all sorts of immoral acts and the churches (congregations) are not holding them accountable. Instead, they are standing by their pastor or priest. There are Christian denominations that actually question the infallibility (without error) of God’s Word. There are Christian faiths that actually question the deity of Christ—who actually do not believe that Christ was God. Now there are Christian denominations that are ordaining homosexual ministers—people who are living in open defiance to God’s command. First of all, God called homosexuality a sin, not me. (Lev. 20:13, Romans 1:26-27) Second, God, through Paul, told Christians to avoid people who ‘have a form of godliness but deny its power (2 Timothy 3:5). Third, Paul said that all homosexuals will have their part in the Lake of Fire (1 Cor. 6:9). Not only are they ordaining homosexuals, some are even performing civil unions for them!
In these last days, the apostasy is only going to grow. This is why it will be easier for the antichrist to come into power. What “Christians” are left behind will be so ignorant of the Word that they won’t recognize him until it is too late. On the other hand, the Bible encourages us to stay read up and prayed up. We are to work out our own soul salvation. We are to make our call and election sure. In other words, we are to stay on the straight and narrow and not to stray from God Word. We are to read it, learn it, and hide it in our hearts. We are to cling to it and stick with it no matter what the world or the church does. God’s Word is the only thing that will last. Jesus is not coming back for a congregation. He is coming back for a Bride who has made herself ready and who has remained faithful to Him.
The Bible–Book of Truth
“If you are not willing to live for Jesus on Earth, don’t expect to live with Jesus in Heaven.” I say this both to those who call themselves Christians and don’t live like it as well as to those who deny Christ and the Bible. Frankly, I don’t understand how people can deny that the Bible is a book of truth instead of a book of fantasy (as I have heard some people say). The problem with Bible haters is that it is not the Bible that they take issue with but its message. The arguments they use to dispute the Bible are only excuses used to cover the fact that they just don’t believe in its message or in the God it reveals.
Why is the Bible considered a book of fantasy? There are those who say it is because it speaks of an invisible God. Revelation 20 tells us that the world won’t follow a visible God either. Therefore, that argument is moot. The disputers also say there are contradictions in the Bible, yet they can’t point out any. What they fail to realize is that the Bible was written over thousands of years by dozens of people. Even if the Bible spoke with “one voice” and there were none of these perceived contradictions, these same disputers would argue that the Bible seems too cohesive, too much of a solo voice for it to have been written by so many people over such a long period of time. So, there no pleasing them either way. These are different books (and letters) written by different people with different voices and different perspectives but the same unified message. In this hub, I hope to show why the Bible is to be a trusted authority.
First, the Bible is a book of wisdom. Psalms 1 tells the reader not to hang with ungodly people because their end is destruction and you don’t want to be caught up in their fate. This sentiment is echoed in the Proverbs. Proverbs 1:15 says, “My son, do not walk in the way with them (sinners), Keep your foot from their path…” Proverbs 6:9-11 describes the plight of the lazy—poverty. “How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep— 11 So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler, And your need like an armed man.” Ruth and Esther are both examples of women who placed their faith in God and were rewarded for it. Hannah and Job are examples of what happens when you take your problems to the Lord and leave them there. David and Peter are examples of how men of God can fall, repent, and be restored by God’s mercy and forgiveness.
Second, the Bible is a book of prophecy. There is no other book of any religion that contains prophecy in such detail. God is able to say what is going to happen because He knows the end from the beginning. God revealed to Ezekiel, Daniel, Isaiah, Zachariah, and John the Revelator how it is all going to work out in the end. As we see the words prophesied over two millennia before come to pass, how much more should we believe and receive the Word of God.
Isaiah 66:8 asks, “Shall the earth be made to give birth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once?” This speaks about the rebirth of the nation of Israel, May 6, 1948. Jesus said the generation that saw this happen would not pass away before they see the coming of the Son of Man in the clouds with power and great glory (Matthew 24:34). In Ezekiel 37, God proclaims how He will cause all His people who are scattered among the nations to return to their land. Ezekiel 38 describes the nations that will side against Israel in the last days. Those nations are Rosh [Russia], Meshech [Moscow], Tubal [Tobolsk], Persia [Iran], Ethiopia, Libya, Gomer [Germany?], and Togarmah [Turkey?]. We can see from the news today that Russia is partnering with Iran to give them nuclear capability with which they will attack Israel. Look at the events that have happened in Libya, Egypt, and Syria. This is not a coincidence.
The Bible has also predicted that in these last days there would be wars and threats of wars, ethnic groups will rise against ethnic groups, there would be earthquakes, famines, and pestilences in various places. Last year central Arkansas recorded over 700 earthquakes. This week a 5.6 registered earthquake rocked the east coast. Famines and diseases are also becoming commonplace. These signs were recorded two thousand years ago and are coming to pass in our lifetimes. Revelation 11:7-9 describes the martyr of the two witnesses and that the whole world would see their bodies in the street. Fifty years ago this would not have been possible, but now with CNN, MSNBC, and FoxNews, along with worldwide affiliates, people can watch breaking news instantly on their televisions, computers, iPads, iPods, and Smartphones.
The Bible is the Word of God. In it, God gives wisdom. God uses the example of the Old Testament Saints to show us both how to live and how not to live. Only in the Bible does God give you His game plan up front. He tells you how it is all going to go down. Its your choice whether you want to believe Him or not. Paul says the Bible is difficult to understand for those who don’t believe because it takes God’s Spirit to reveal its truths to you. Fortunately, you can ask God for wisdom and He will give it to you because it is His desire for you to know and understand Him and His will for your life.
God Is Ultimately Responsible for All Suffering
Sometime ago I was listening to a sermon by Pastor Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Church, Dallas. The sermon was titled “God is Ultimately Responsible for All Suffering.” It was part of a sermon series he is preaching, called “Politically Incorrect.” The sermon title got me to thinking. As I thought about the title and listened to the sermon, I realized that, as Baptists, we essentially say the same thing only in a different way.
Like some of you, initially, when I read the sermon title, I took it to mean that God brought about or caused all suffering in the world. But that was not the case. Pastor Jeffress’ sermon essentially said that if God is all powerful and is the Sovereign of His universe, then He is ultimately responsible for everything that happens in it. God doesn’t cause the suffering but He does allow it to happen. As Baptist, we certainly say that God is All-powerful and All-knowing. Therefore, if He knows what’s going to happen and is able to stop it but don’t He is ultimately responsible for the consequences it brings.
Job is the prime example. God was aware of what Satan was going to do and even put limitations on how far he could go. Therefore, He was ultimately responsible for the tragedies in Job’s life. Even Job did not discount this. For he said:
God has delivered me to the ungodly,
And turned me over to the hands of the wicked. (Job 16:11)
He also said,
What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? (Job 2:10)
As I begin to think over what I was listening to, it came to me that it was God who sent calamity upon the Israelites. God testified that it was He who raised up the Babylonians who would later lead Judah into captivity (see Ezek. 23:22-24). It was God who sent the flood over the world. Therefore, God is ultimately responsible for all suffering whether He caused it or allowed it.
Think about this: if you allowed your child to touch a hot stove because you wanted to teach them that stoves are hot, you will be ultimately responsible for any suffering that child goes through as a result of their touching the hot stove. Likewise, God is ultimately responsible for any suffering we go through because He allowed it.
Here’s the good news. Since God is ultimately responsible for all suffering, He is also responsible for how much suffering we have to endure. Perhaps you’ve heard the old saying, “God will never put more on us than we are able to bear.” Although it is not in the Bible, there is some truth to it. God may put more on us than we think we are able to bear, but I don’t believe He allows situations to crush us. We may not know the full council of God, we do know that He allows us to undergo some situations to draw us closer to Him. Jesus said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light (Matthew 11-28-.30).”
He also allows suffering because it is through suffering that we learn obedience (Heb. 5:8). I think He also allows suffering to remind us that we live in a fallen world that is governed by a fallen angel and co-inhabited by fallen people. In short, we live in a sin-filled world. Someone once said, we don’t learn anything when times are good. It is in difficult times that we grow and are shaken from our comfort zones.
Therefore, take courage. In the world, we shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer for Jesus has overcome the world. He that is with you is greater than he who is with them. And finally, if God be for you, no one can be against you. For like Paul, I am convinced that there is nothing, no trial, tribulation, or calamity that can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus.
Cyber-Discipleship 