All posts tagged gospel

Lesson 3: Cause of Suffering

by Pastor Fritz Foltz on November 16, 2011 in Practical Theology with 2 Comments

After writing, “Suffering is inevitable for all, but some suffer more, and some feel the pains of life more deeply than others, or so it often appears,” Concordia asked, “Is there a point or purpose to any kind of suffering? Does suffering build character?” The answer to those questions is essential for understanding our way for overcoming suffering.

in one of our most beautiful statements of God’s grace, Paul says suffering builds character and leads to endurance (Romans 5: 1-11). He is referring to suffering when persecuted for the sake of the Gospel. The New Testament does speak of this as having a purpose. It is our way of sharing in Christ’s suffering as we contribute to God’s healing of creation. The “character” he describes enables us to endure until Christ makes all right.

This is not suffering from disease, natural disaster, personal loss, bad luck, crime, or broken hearts. The best that can be said of these is that they are signs that things are not as they should be. Christianity does not justify in any way innocent suffering, especially if it applies to children. Unlike Greek tragedy, we do not see any purpose, meaning, beauty, heroism, or benefit from this.

Instead, the Gospel promises God will raise up the fallen and end their suffering. “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.” (Revelation 21: 1- 5) God overcomes suffering; he does not cause it. We often seem to blame him when we ask Voltaire’s question: “If God is all good, and God is all powerful; how come there is any suffering at all?” Voltaire was a deist who thinks the cosmos is running as God intended. We do not.

It is true some parts of the Bible do blame God, claiming he is punishing us for our sins. Preachers like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson use these to blame the ACLU, the court, pagans, abortionists, feminists, gays and lesbians for the 9-11 terrorists’ attacks. They believe the United States is God’s new chosen people whom he has protected for 225 years. He raised his protective curtain to warn us about following the sinners among us.

Jesus certainly does not teach this. He said God loves his world so much he sends rain and sun on both good and evil people; (Matthew 5: 43- 48). In another passage (Luke 13: 1-5), Jesus rejects this idea of punishment with two examples. In the first, he points to Pilate massacring people worshiping in the temple. Obviously, these were not sinning. Pilate acts evilly, opposing God’s will. In the second, bystanders are killed when a tower collapses. Jesus sees this as a natural disaster like earthquakes, famines, and floods, evidence that creation is not operating as God intended. The tribulations that frighten so many ate not punishments but the cleansing of these cosmic malfunctions (Mark 13).

Juan reminded me that with all the injustice and suffering in our present world, “there is a real danger of losing the hope of the Gospel”. That Gospel is good news, because it reminds us “evil will not prevail”. Next week I’ll look at how this offers us a way to overcome our suffering as well. In the passage Concordia cited, God pours his love, the Holy Spirit, into our hearts so we can not only rescue other people from the evil done to them, but also find ways we can recover as well.

Lesson 29: How Does God Operate Through Words? Part 3

by Scott Noon on October 29, 2011 in Doctrine with No comments

Two weeks ago I suggested present day false prophets are either liars or bull-shitters. Bob added a third category- the truly stupid. Last week Myron agreed that “an informed consumer” is our best hope in overcoming these “wolves in sheep’s clothing” and
“money-grubbing televangelist charlatans”. Obviously, the three of us do not like false prophets.

One of the first responses to the abuses of New Testament prophecy was the establishment of the canon, those scriptures considered sacred enough to serve as standards for judging which prophets spoke the Gospel. It was always understood that the canon (Bible) could not stand alone. It had too many differing perspectives and covered a development over several centuries. So a learned clergy, a basic creed, and the baptized community served as interpreters of the canon. This was so successful that New Testament prophets disappeared.

They have reappeared in our time as certain “anointed” Christian celebrities who claim God speaks directly through them. These modern false prophets get around the previous standards by pretending the every word of the Bible has equal weigh. That enables them to cut and paste to fit their agenda.

If you listen to them you soon discover they seldom use the Bible, even though they presented themselves as the true “Bible-believers”. Just about the only passages they quote are Daniel 9: 25-27 and Malachi 3: 8-18. The first has been used only a little over 150 years to design a predetermined timetable for world events. It is imposed on the Book of Revelation to support the state of Israel, the restoration of the temple and animal sacrifice, and nuclear war. The second is used as the basis of the “seed money” law of creation that is really about contributions to their ministries insuring rewards from God. Any quick reading of either of these passage shows they have absolutely nothing to do with these misuses.

Bob is right; we shall always have false prophets among us. However, I think they are much more dangerous in our Electronic Age. The media gives them an exposure that has led even thoughtful Christians to believe their programs have a biblical basis. And then to top it off, the White House and Pentagon invite them to represent all Christians. In religion as in entertainment, the hollow and shallow celebrity is used for profit.

I think one simple step would go a long way in creating an “informed consumer”- recognize that the Gospel serves as the standard for reading the rest of the Bible. This was one of Martin Luther’s primary answers to the problem. Notice the false prophets among us are continually citing Old Testament passages. One way to expose them is to begin by judging all by the four gospels.

A good example is the position of women. The four gospels present women as the mother of Jesus, the first to recognize her birth is not a scandal; the first to anoint him Messiah, the first to receive a Resurrection Appearance, the first missionary, the first to teach Jesus to include the Gentiles, one of the first to confess him Messiah, the only ones brave enough to be at Golgotha and the burial, the first to visit the tomb on Easter. If we started and ended with the gospels, we’d have none of the nonsense about women being quiet in church and allowing men to rule the house.

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