Old Erich Proverb - Truth

The truth of God exceeds the study of any human lifetime in this present age.

A Voice from the Past - Spurgeon

It is ours to submit to deprivations with patience, seeing the cold is his cold. That which God sends, whether it be heat or cold, no man can defy with impunity, but he is happy who bows before it with child-like submission. When we cannot stand before God we will gladly bow at his feet, or nestle under his wings.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon, 1834-1892, The Treasury of David, Psalm 147:17 (Henderickson Publishers,Volume 3, p. 419)

How should a Christian respond to suffering? What things can help us to respond this way?

God of the Gaps

One of the ways to try to look at God is to see Him as filling in the gaps that cannot be explained by science. Many atheists want to turn this around and question whether, if science has explained things so far, should we not expect it to fill in the gaps? Now there are indeed some huge gaps that science cannot explain. How anything came into existence at all. How life developed out of non-life. How conscious thought developed out of the purely mechanical. These represent, not just minor difficulties, but huge fundamental complications. But there are more basic problems. We need to be clear on what science does and does not explain. Science tells us that, given certain rules operating on certain events, we can expect predictable results. But science cannot tell us why the laws and events are what they are or where they come from. The rules of grammar and spelling can tell us how letters come together to convey meaning. But they do not tell us if these letters were arranged by William Shakespeare, a third grader doing their homework, or an explosion in a print shop. Nor do they tell you why the rules are that way in the first place.

We would expect an orderly God to do things in an orderly manner. Therefore, the fact the universe has orderly laws does not prove that He does not exist. Even if we had a universe with no unexplained gaps and no miracles, it would not prove there was no God, merely that He had chosen not to intervene. What I see is exactly the opposite, that an ordered universe implies a Creator. It makes sense that God would incorporate into the creatures He made some limited ability to adapt to their environment. But to produce a new type of animal from an existing one, even with radiation to speed up the process, has proved fruitless. This is not surprising; it is like hitting a watch with a hammer and expecting to get a better watch. If you did it with enough watches, you might find something that was an improvement, but it would be very rare and limited. The idea that something as complex as living creatures could have been put together by chance is like throwing a batch of parts out on a plain somewhere and expecting that over time they would become a factory. But even if we had an airtight explanation of how living things came into existence, it would not prove whether this came about by chance or the will of an intelligent Creator. And we, as Christians, need to beware of seeing God merely at work in the gaps, as if the universe normally carried on, on its own, without Him. For science cannot explain the existence of the orderly rules that make science possible, but the existence of an orderly Creator can.    

The Question of Commitment

What should we be committed to? We should be committed to Christ, that is clear (Romans 12:1,2; Colossians 2:6,7; 2 Corinthians 3:18). But what about other people? We need to recognize we are related to other members of the body of Christ (1 John 4:7-11; Romans 12:3-5; Ephesians 4:3-7). This means being involved in the lives of other believers to help and encourage them (Hebrews 10:24,25; James 5:13-20; Philippians 2:1-11). (We must avoid the attitude of Linus Van Pelt of Peanuts: "I love mankind; it's people I can't stand.") This is not always easy. When you are involved with real people, they can hurt you. They can let you down. But God requires us to take the risk. We should not be like ships passing in the night, knowing people on the superficial level, but never getting involved in their lives. Even less should we take the approach of drifting from one congregation to another, never really committing ourselves to any group of people at a deep level. We should also not confuse this with commitment to an organization, a methodology, or a program. Such things are good as long as they help to reach and build people. But it is to God and to people that we need to be really committed.

The Slam Dunk

Some would depict the life of obedience to Christ as easy. Or at least seem to imply that. Some would advocate formulas for instant spirituality. Follow their set of steps, and you will be spiritual. Others would  claim that if we really repented in the first place, we would lead lives of nearly unbroken spirituality. And if we do not, it is questionable if we are even saved at all. Some may recognize the need of more long-term disciplines, such as Bible study and prayer. They may even add in other spiritual disciplines as important. But they still give the impression that if we just get with the program, we will have everything under control. Others will emphasize membership in a congregation (or other Christian organization) and imply that if you are a committed member and are part of the program, participate in the sacraments, and give for the upkeep of the organization, you will be spiritual. And we can then get into the discussion of which is the right organization. But while many of the things listed here are good things, do they really fulfill the role that is commonly given them? What does the Scripture say?

Scripture says that we are saved when we put our faith in Christ (Romans 4:4,5; Ephesians 2:8,9; Philippians 3:9). It also says that this should result in a change of life (Ephesians 2:10; Titus 2:11-14; 2 Corinthians 3:18). But nowhere is this pictured as something simple and easy. It is likened to a battle (Ephesians 6:10-20; 2 Timothy 2:3,4; 2 Corinthians 10:3-6) and an athletic contest (Hebrews 12:1-3; 1 Corinthians 9:24-27; 2 Timothy 2:5). We are told that though we have not attained to perfection, to press on (Philippians 3:12-16; Galatians 5:16,17; Romans 7:14-25). Further, we are warned not to be too sure of ourselves, but to be on guard against temptation (1 Corinthians 10:12,13; 1 Peter 5:8-10; 2 Corinthians 2:11). Now Scripture does call us to genuine commitment (Romans 12:1,2; Matthew 16:24-26; Ephesians 5:18). But nowhere is this presented as an easy or quick procedure. In fact, it is presented as something that requires long, deliberate practice (Hebrews 5:11-14; 1 Timothy 4:7.8; 2 Peter 1:5-11). Now we can only accomplish these things by the power of the Spirit of God working in us (John 15:5: Philippians 2:13; 2 Peter 1:3,4). But it is not something that comes about automatically.

This is important because it does not allow us to become complacent, feeling that we have arrived spiritually. It also helps keep us from becoming discouraged because we feel we cannot live up to this standard. It allows us to be honest with ourselves and others. It is hard to realistically deal with our or others' sins if we do not dare admit to them because it would undermine our belief we have reached a certain level of spirituality. But if we realistically face our sins, we can make progress over time in dealing with them. 

A Touch of Humor - Consistency

How can Christians avoid hating or appearing to hate those who disagree with them? Can we always avoid the appearance of hate?

Old Erich Proverb - Win

God does not call us to win arguments, but to persuade people to accept His love.