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The Problem of suffering and How We Approach it

The topic of human suffering is a subject many Christians struggle with, and is an issue many theologians have written about over the centuries — so it's definitely not something I can fully address in a single blog post! But there are some general principles we can find in Scripture that many Christians can/do accept, which should act as a starting point to addressing this subject, such as: We live in a fallen world due to sin (Gen 3), and so things aren’t perfect and neither are people, therefore suffering can happen from illness, nature, and human action (or inaction). Not all suffering is necessarily “bad”, from a Christian perspective. For exam...

BOOK REVIEW: Four Views on Hell 2nd edition

...amount of suffering is sufficient to atone for it.”8 Burk counters: “This is a statement without biblical warrant”9, but then simply repeats his definition of the ‘Status Principle’ without giving it ‘biblical warrant’ either. Stackhouse tellingly flags up the glaring absence of any biblical evidence for Burk’s point: “Nowhere in Scripture does any biblical author say, ‘Because God is infinitely great, sin against God is infinitely bad and therefore entails everlasting punishing.’ ”10 Conditionalists also object that such a medieval, even feudal idea is invalid for modern times, since it is not only the status of the offended but of...

Before The Pumpkins: The Road To The Lions

...his Lord suffering as he did. His martyrdom was not an act of “fanaticism” but of deep love, a participation in the suffering of Christ, and he viewed it as a way to complete his race (2 Timothy 4:7). Sharing in Christ’s Passion In Philippians 3:10, Paul writes of his desire “to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings, becoming like him in his death”. Ignatius embodied this verse (and many others with a similar theme) to the letter. His understanding of discipleship was not one of half-measures but of total surrender, even to the point of death. To the Roman believers who pleaded for his rescue, he responded...

Before The Pumpkins: The Day Two Women Defied Rome

...rds their suffering and her unshakable resolve and faith. After she was arrested with her companions, she wrote of a moment when her father came and tried to persuade her to sacrifice to the Emperor and deny her faith: When my father, out of love for me, tried to turn me from my faith, I said to him: ‘Father, do you see this vessel here — a water pot or whatever it may be? Can it be called by any other name than what it is?’ He answered, ‘No.’ Then I said to him, ‘So too I cannot call myself anything other than what I am — a Christian.’ A few days after this they were all baptised while imprisoned under house arrest awaiting their trial...

Before the Pumpkins: The Barbecued Deacon

...titute or suffering. On the third day, he presented them before the prefect and declared: These are the treasures of the Church. Behold the gold and silver that I promised thee — the eternal jewels in whom Christ dwells. The prefect, enraged at being mocked, ordered that Lawrence be scourged and tortured, then laid upon an iron gridiron above a slow fire. The Martyrdom The ancient texts, mingling reverence and humour, tell the story that has echoed down the ages and had left an impact on me purely for the humour that I find in it! They laid him upon the iron bed, and beneath it kindled coals, that his flesh might be roasted little by little. And Lawre...

The Battle for the Trinity: Historical Heresies and Church Defences

...ation and suffering were real, as this is essential for our salvation. Jesus’ true humanity allows Him to truly represent us and atone for our sins. Patristic Quote: Ignatius of Antioch stressed the reality of Jesus’ incarnation and suffering: “He was truly of the seed of David according to the flesh, and the Son of God according to the will and power of God; truly born of a virgin… He was truly nailed up in the flesh for our sakes” (Letter to the Smyrnaeans, I). The Athanasian Creed Another important aspect of understanding the Trinity is the Athanasian Creed, which dates back to around the 5th century. This creed provides a clear and detailed ex...