God and Suffering, Lesson 5

Jesus responds to the curse initiated in the Garden (Genesis 3:15) by giving an example of the joys of childbirth following the pain of the actual birth process. John 16:21-22

The anguish is not remembered because of the joy in seeing the newborn. So, we have sorrow now but our hearts will rejoice and the joy will not be taken away!

Jesus is the ultimate answer to our suffering. We seek to escape it or find a remedy apart from Him. Although the remedies are plentiful and escaping the pain through the remedies are a temporary fix, only in Him will we find comfort that lasts.

In Genesis 3:17, Adam listened to Eve and trusted her authority over God's authority. Adam certainly could have claimed ignorance but, just like my choices reveal, Adam willfully ignored the authority over him and heeded the voice of a lesser authority, Eve.

We simply do not heed good authority that can be trusted. It ends in wreckage.

The implications of not heeding God's authority are found in Genesis 3:17-19-

Ground is cursed
Working the ground in pain our whole life
The fruit will be mixed- sometimes fruitful, sometimes full of thistles
Return to the cursed ground one day
We are dust

The whole earth groans and awaits the return of Christ.

How can we use pain as an appropriate measure of expression for God's love for us?

The first and most obvious, to me, is that it is simply God's most effective way to have stop what we're doing while giving us an opportunity to ponder. Pain often sets us down, slows us down and affords moments of reflection other means don't afford us.

Second, experiencing pain gives us the opportunity to grow in empathy and compassion in order to bear the burdens of those around us when we are without pain.

Ecclesiastes 1:1-18

Romans 3:10-18

There is no peace in the path of misery and ruin because there is no fear of God.