The Cause of Suffering:
Of this we can be sure:
Suffering came in with sin in Genesis Chp 3.
When sin is removed, suffering will be removed (Rev21:4).
The whole history of fallen humanity between Gen 3 and Rev 21 is marked by suffering
Suffering has been caused by sin and is caused by sin but it is not always the case that personal suffering is caused by personal sin.
In 1 Peter we saw 3 separate paths which lead to the same destination of suffering. When we considered these 3 separate paths we have been at pains to stress that only in 1 of those paths which lead to suffering does my own personal sin lead to my own personal suffering, those of:
Retributive Sufferings:
1Peter 2:20 : “For your faults”
1Peter 3:17: “For evil doing”
1Peter 4:15: “let none of you suffer as a murderer…”
Suffering which comes about as a direct result of our own sin:
By Human Law
By Moral Law: “whatsoever a man sows that shall he also reap” – a man caught in a net of drugs and addiction: ‘well I suppose I’ve only got myself to blame,’ – he recognised the inevitable consequences of his actions.
By Divine Law: Sometimes in time, eg Sodom and Gomorrah, Ananias and Sapphira, always in eternity.
But we wish to see that in some way all 3 types of suffering are linked to sin:
Redemptive sufferings:
1Peter3:18 – expiatory, substitutionary, reconciliatory and victorious
“Christ hath once suffered for sin…” – not of course His own sin but that of others, in Christs redemptive sufferings He has put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
This is suffering vicariously and victoriously on behalf of others.
Had there been no sin there would have been no Calvary.
So sin was at the root of the sufferings of Christ at Calvary, although not His own sin.
Righteous Sufferings:
1Peter 2:20 : “If when ye do well and suffer for it”
1Peter 3:17: “Suffer for well doing”
1Peter 4:16: “yet if any man suffer as a Christian…”
Quite clearly this suffering is not a result of my personal sin, we are not suffering as a direct consequence of our own sins but rather because of our moral, personal, spiritual relationship with Christ.
If we are like Him morally then the world must reject us as it did Him
Again as we pause and reflect on this we can clearly see that if there was no sin in the world there would be no righteous sufferings either. Why? Because these sufferings only arise as a result of the rejection by sinners of Christ:
“If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.” (John15:18)
“And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” (John1:5).
We also notice interestingly that suffering also only comes about because there is good!
Christs redemptive sufferings were only possible because of His Love towards us, sin was not sufficient to cause Calvary, in the absence of the love of God our sin would have brought the complete judgement of God upon us! Calvary was where the love and mercy of God met sinful man in his need.
Likewise the righteous sufferings of the believer come about because of any Christ likeness in the life of the believer, “men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil.”
Even in retributive sufferings ultimately there cause lies not only in sin but in the nature of a Holy and Righteous God who must judge sin and reject sin and who has built into the universe a set of laws which reflect His character. Hence such suffering is really a reflection of Gods Righteous character, revealed in nature that the consequences of sin might not be hid form man (Eccl7:14) and that man might be brought to repentance (Psalm73 & Job33).
We can see these 3 kinds of suffering in the opening chapters of our Bible:
Righteous sufferings of Abel, referred to as “righteous” in Heb11:4, slain out of envy and wrath by his jealous brother, having done well before God, (Gen4:4-6,8).
Retributive sufferings upon Cain (Gen4:10-13) brought as “punishment” by a righteous God.
Picture of redemptive sufferings (Gen4:4,7).
Having noted all of that, there is a very important principle which I draw your attention to which applies both to sin and to suffering; the principle of defilement or spread.
We have said 2 things which may at first appear contradictory we have asserted over the past few weeks that suffering does not necessarily come about because of my sin: righteous sufferings and redemptive sufferings and yet we have affirmed tonight that all suffering finds its origins in sin! How can this be? This is because of the principle of contamination or defilement. The sin of another can affect me. You cannot keep the effects of your sin to yourself and I cannot keep the effects of my sin to myself. I can suffer as a result of someone elses sin and someone else can suffer as a result of my sin!
This is a principle clearly taught in scripture:
Lev12:1-8 – Woman & Childbirth – unclean for 40 days, not permitted to enter the sanctuary, why? God would teach that her ceremonial uncleanness would affect those around her.
Lev13 – The Leper – “All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled, he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be.” (13:46)
Lev 14 – The Leprous House – “And he shall break down the house, the stones of it, and the timber thereof, and all the mortar of the house; and he shall carry them forth out of the city into an unclean place. 46Moreover he that goeth into the house all the while that it is shut up shall be unclean until the even. 47And he that lieth in the house shall wash his clothes; and he that eateth in the house shall wash his clothes.” (14:45-47)
Lev 15 – Bodily Discharge – 15:4-7, 11, 12.
This truth that sin and its effects spread is seen typically in Leviticus but doctrinally elsewhere:
Mans sin spread corruption and permeated defilement throughout the whole of creation (Rom8:20-23; Gen3:14-18)
When it comes to the assembly, “Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?” (1Co5:6).
Note also Hag2:13.
Having taught the principle in OT ceremony and in NT Doctrine God cannot run the world on a different basis.
We see that the nature of sin is that it spreads and that it defiles all that is around it.
This leads on to the greatest challenge posed by suffering: the challenge of the suffering of the innocent.
The scriptures acknowledge that there is such a thing as the suffering of the innocent cf. Rom9:11.
The whole of creation has been affected by Adams sin (Rom5:12ff, 8:22).
The suffering of the innocent is not ignored in scripture
It is very interesting that the suffering of the innocent child is linked with:
Linked with Christ:
Matt2:16ff, not only a massacre recorded but a massacre prophesied (Jer31:15), children 2 years old and under, note they are linked to Bethlehem, linked to Christ, linked to Rachael
Linked with Resurrection:
It is of interest to note that amongst the resurrections of scripture about half of them are of children, we have:
Jarius’ daughter (Luke8:41ff), aged 12, raised up by Christ
Widow of Zarephaths son raised up by Elijah (1Kings17:19), he was small enough for the widow woman to hand him over to Elijah.
The Shunammite womans son raised up by Elisha (2Kings4) – small enough to sit on her knees (2Kings4:2).
Note how these children were committed to the hands of Elijah, Elisha and Christ.
Notice that of the remaining resurrections in the scripture we have:
Dorcas in Acts 9, she was a disciple, “full of good works and alms deeds” – she was a believer
Eutychus (Acts20:9), he appears to have been a “disciple” (Acts20:7)
Lazarus (John11), he was a believer, “He whom thou lovest is sick” (Jo11:3)
In addition to this there are the unspecified resurrections linked to the death and resurrection of Christ (Matt27:52-53), these were the bodies of , “the saints.”
The widow of Nain's son (Luke 7)
There is only one other man who was raised from the dead and whose spiritual status is unknown, the man of 2Kings13:21.
It would appear that either only or mainly saved individuals were raised up again from the dead other than the children. Is there a lesson here? Is the resurrection of the innocent dead to be amongst those of the saints?
Yet again the suffering innocent are linked in, not with the ungodly but with Christ and with believers.
Following the death of the son of David and Bathsheba, “But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.” (2Sam12:23).
Is there in all of this the anticipation of the resurrection to life of those whose life has innocently been brought to an end?
That is not to say of course that there is a means to heaven other than by Christ, but that Christ is able to save those who have never committed a knowing sin and have had no opportunity in time either believe or to repent of sin not worked out.
Linked with Heaven:
A further interesting pointer to the destiny of those who suffer and die in innocence is to be found in the scriptural teaching of the ‘book of life.’
Those who are saved have there names written in the ‘lambs book of life’ (Rev20:12,14)
Those who are lost not only do they not have their names in the book of life but their name has been blotted out of the book of life (Ex32:32-33; Ps69:21). From this we would take the following: that every man begins with his name in the book of life, but when he actively rejects God and rebels against Him, ie. when he sins his name is removed from the Book of Life
Those who are saved do not have their names removed from the book of life (Rev3:5), but rather Christ will confess his name before the Father.
We would conclude that a child having never personally and actively sinned against God will not be blotted out of the book of life (Ex32:33; Ps69:28).
Not only that but since the condemnation of the Great White Throne Judgement is according to works, “and they were judged every man according to their works” (Rev20:13) then those who have never committed any works cannot be condemned at that judgement.
Bear in mind the interesting privilege promised to the redeemed in Rev3:5, “but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels,” now compare this to the position afforded already to the child in innocence (Matt18:10), I think that we have a little pointer there of there position before God.
The Consequence of Suffering:
The consequences of sin are seen in suffering
Sin is incompatible with the Divine nature and with the eternal peace and harmony of the universe, sin must be forever put away.
Suffering points to the necessity of the expulsion of sin and suffering forever!
For God to allow sin to continue would mean that God and the redeemed would need to be prepared to tolerate suffering forever.
The presence of suffering in the world necessitates hell
It is this truth that the writer of Ecclesiastes grasped onto (Eccl7:14).
Suffering is evidence that our final hopes and aspirations cannot be fulfilled here, and that our world as we see it cannot continue for it is utterly opposed to Christ.
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