What is (are) God's purpose(s) in allowing suffering?

[Jayyycuuup]

A. What is (are) God's purpose(s) in allowing suffering in your view?

What is (are) God’s purpose(s) in allowing suffering?

First regarding suffering the good news is that our suffering in this life is only for a short time when we look at the rest of eternity. (1 Pet. 5:10)

For God’s Glory:

Job is the ultimate story of suffering besides that of Christ. Job lost everything including his children, riches, standing in society. And the incredible aspect of Job’s story is that he did nothing wrong and yet suffered. Yet God’s purpose was to glorify His name in Job. The pain and suffering Job experienced allowed God to share with Job who He was and what He was about.

Chastisement by God:

Sometimes people suffer because His children whom God loves He chastises and rebukes for the purpose of repentance. (Heb. 12:6-8, Rev. 3:19) The purpose is as well for cleansing of our lives of unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

For the Lord Jesus Christ & Furthering of the Gospel:

Jesus healed a man named Lazarus and yet he explained that the man had the sickness for the glory of God. (John 11:2-4) Later it is understood that some who saw this and other miracles believed in Jesus. (John 11:45) Some in particular believed because of Jesus healing Lazarus. (John 12:11) God was in complete control and had a purpose in allowing the sickness.

The story of Jim Elliott comes to mind. Jim was a missionary to natives who never heard the Gospel. They ended up killing Jim. Yet, years later many came to believe and trust in Jesus Christ.

We are told that those who are in Jesus Christ will suffer persecution. (2 Tim 3:12) Jesus Himself promised suffering that if anyone would come after Him they were to deny themselves, take up their cross daily, and follow in His footsteps. (Luke 9:23)

God’s Instruction and Teaching in Suffering:

God is at war with Satan waging the battles for the souls on men. As soldiers of Jesus Christ we’re to endure hardness at times. (2 Tim. 2:3) One of the fruits of the spirit is longsuffering. (Gal. 5:22) Sometimes I wonder if we as Christians gloss over that one when reading the others?

David himself, the man after God’s own heart, said that perhaps it is for good that bad things happened to him so he might learn God’s ways. (Ps. 119:71)

The of course there is the fact that all things work for good for those who love the Lord and are called according to His purposes. (Rom. 8:28) And yet we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. (Phil. 4:13)

Often God doesn’t want to change our circumstances but He wants to change our hearts.

Contrasting This World and Life What is to Come:

In Revelation 21:4 we’re told in the Bible there will be a time where there will be no more tears and death will be no more. There won’t be mourning, crying, or any pain any longer as God creates the New Heaven and New Earth. So perhaps in this life there is suffering to contrast with what is to come?

Conclusion:

If God were to remove all suffering then He would also remove the ability of men to make decisions for good or evil. It would almost be like nullifying the free will that allowed Adam/Eve to choose to sin in the Garden of Eden. Through one man sin entered the world and through One Son of Man God provided a way (John14:6) for the creation of God to become children of God (John 1:12, 1 John3:1). God doesn’t desire mindless servants or a form of robots. God desires a relationship with His creation. God desires to adopt us into His family and become co-heirs with Christ. (Rom. 8:17) God uses the suffering of the world as a result of sin to accomplish His purposes.

Thoughts anyone?

In Christ,

GE

This is my only thought ---->

[His_disciple3]

I preach that sin brings on tribulation so 95 % of our problems: is brought on by our own sin

Rom 6:1 KJV

(1)

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?

God forbid!

then there is 4% of tribulation brought on as most here have said as a test of our faith in God.

then there is 1% I call this 1% the Job Factor, but most don't understand the Job Factor, I even heard one person say that it was a wager between God and Satan, most look or try to preach that Job was done a great injustice by Satan being allow to inflict all that he did to Job, most folks sees Job's Wife as some demonic being telling Job to curse God and die, But we have to see spiritually, woman as the weaker vessel and with what Job lost, Job's wife lost the same also. Now here is how God has given me the Job Factor, God raise Job up above all men that lived at this time, and said satan try Job, he will remain faithful to me, God had faith in Job. It is one thing for man to have faith in God, but for God to have faith in Man! WOW! that should be enough to give anyone the unction to endure any tribulation.

but my question would be, does Psalms 139 teach us to pray for tribulation? :

Psa 139:23-24 KJV

(23)Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:

(24)

And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Edited February 21, 2013 by His_disciple3

[GoldenEagle]

On another forum JJ posted the following in answering this question:

1) We don't need to know: In the case of Job the case of suffering was caused by an angel that was trying to prove that Job only worshiped God because he was blessed by God. But when Job asked "why" God did not answer but He wanted Job to see the comparison between him and God. God felt that it was not important that Job knew why he was suffering. Yet I find it interesting that through the Bible God let everyone else know.

2) It is a test: This is similar to the first in the use of Job. Job was being tested to see if he would still follow God. If we take the test well (often times as suffering) we will harvest righteousness (Heb 12:11). But this is only the case for those who love him (Rom 8:28).

3) Free will: Romans 1 points out that the issue with all of the bad things going on in the world that causes suffering is the result of people leaving God's ways. But I also believe that God still withholds on all of the evil that could fall on the earth. But this is also to show that His way is better. Imagine if everyone was a Christian. Would we have such horrible events as The Newtown shootings, 9/11, or Tiananmen square?

4) To bring people back to Him: Take all of the cases of the Psalms where David was suffering and felt trapped; he could only call out to God for help. In the case of New Testament suffering they likened it to being like Christ or to make a person more like Christ.

5) Punishment: Sodom and Gomorrah, The Flood, and the Plagues of Egypt. These were all instances where God was punishing those that went so far from God that is patience had run out.

The problem is figuring out which one of these reasons we are suffering for. Often times we may be like the disciples and say what sin caused this or such as the teacher that said Paul was not from God because he was suffering. ~ JJ

[Jie]

Suffering produces conditioning, otherwise atrophy sets in and the person becomes undisciplined and unable to discern between evil and good in life in order to choose the good. Recall the end of righteous brother Job's suffering? All of his children were murdered by satan, and he himself was given an horrible disease where he sat himself down in the field and scraped off the sores and scabs from his skin with a piece of pottery shard. He cried against God, saying, "My days not few? Cease, let me alone, that I may take comfort a little before I go, I will not return, to the land of darkness and the shadow of death." Job 10:20,21. After Job's horrible suffering he said to God, "I have heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye sees you. Therefore despise I, and abase in dust and ashes." Job 42:5,6. So Job was blessed by God and God gave him twice as much as he had before his faith was tested- Job 42:10-17.

[Musician4Christ]

I believe original sin was made possible because God loved Adam and Eve, but he would not make them slaves. He wanted them to love him too. If he forced them to love him, his love would not be perfect. Therefore he placed the tree of knowledge in the garden so they could choose. God wanted them to choose him, but they were deceived. "Of this tree thou shalt not eat", he made the conditions clear and that breaking that rule would be going against him, hence not returning the love.

When Jesus returns, Satan will be unable to deceive us for a thousand years and then he will be set free for a short time. He will again have the power to deceive people and will wage war on Jesus and those who live in the New Jerusalem.

But he will lose, and will be cast into the Lake of Fire to be destroyed along with those who reject Jesus.

So in this life, our purpose is to choose our eternal fate. We have to experience the pain that sin brings, so that we can make up our mind. This is why it is impossible to live a life of no sin. We must know sin to be able to make a decision. God loves us, so he gives us the opportunity to choose him!

This is why we must experience the hardships in life, to get perspective so we are able to make a sound decision for our future.