only that they would be able stand<\/a> when their time comes. We\u2019re not even worthy to suffer for Christ like that. <\/p>\nOur life in Christ is not about ease. It\u2019s not about comfort or security or the trappings of wealth. God may bless some with those things. Praise him for it. But God is far more concerned about whether we love him and our neighbor in whatever station we may be. He\u2019s concerned about a life lived in witness to his love.<\/p>\n
Any theology that leaves little room for suffering is a suspect theology. If Jesus himself experienced pain, loneliness, frustration, etc., then we should be ready for the same. If the apostles and the early Christians were willing to lay down their lives, certainly we should not expect uninterrupted peace and tranquility. <\/p>\n
The disruption may in fact be central to our sanctification. What if, for instance, you struggle with a sin over which you can\u2019t seem to get victory: greed, lust, anxiety, anger, doubt? That\u2019s your cross to bear. And a good theology will illumine the struggle; it will sanctify the suffering so that we can see it as God\u2019s tool to shape us into the image of his Son. Rather than fleeing suffering, (preaching to myself here) we should welcome the chance to grow because that\u2019s why God permits and even sends it. Our best life includes our current struggles and setbacks, and God wouldn\u2019t have it any other way.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s pathology afoot in any other view. A theology with no room for suffering forces us to hide our failures and our faults, even from ourselves, maybe even from God. Of course such a maneuver is bound to fail as well, and then we stand alone with our sin, condemned by our very existence. <\/p>\n
Instead we should remember that God uses our sufferings to sanctify and save. We stand in the arms of a loving, forgiving savior who helps us bear the weight and keep going.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
There is a strain of Christianity that promises material blessing as a sign of God\u2019s favor: cars, homes, bank accounts, etc. Given the economic downturn over the last few years, this strain should strain all credibility. Did God decide to withhold 30 to 40 percent of his favor across whole neighborhoods as their housing values […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1270,"featured_media":2811,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[229,295,505,607,633,649,653],"class_list":["post-2492","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-theology","tag-failure","tag-growth","tag-pain","tag-sanctification","tag-sin","tag-struggle","tag-suffering"],"yoast_head":"\n
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