Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Is suffering a mark of the church?

Is suffering a mark of the church?
In his letter to persecuted Christians in the Netherlands, Dutch reformer Jean Taffin writes not of love, which is a distinct mark of the church, but a loving word of encouragement for those who suffer. It reads:
“ Dear worthy brothers, Christ’s church on earth is called militant and not without reason from the beginning of the world is compared to a woman in labor, to a ship tempest tossed by the seas, and to a tilled field across which a sharp plow is drawn. The present condition of the church, caught up in so many distresses, assaulted by great and continuous warfare- the mother and nurse of all sorts of calamities- and afflicted by revolts, libertines, profane persons, and heretics of many kinds, is for us a lively mirror, a clear seal, and an example worth noting.
The infirmity of the flesh never leaves the true children of God until they die, but takes occasion to present dangerous temptations and attacks. My obligation and the affection that I have for you compel me to acknowledge my hearts fervent desire for your comfort, steadfastness, and perseverance in the way of salvation.”
It is noteworthy that before the time of Christ, the nation of Israel, or the original chosen race of God, was under tremendous duress from surrounding nations as a result of their calling. Throughout the span of the Old Testament the people of God come under all types of peril, from the slavery in Egypt for 400 years,
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to the times of the prophets. Following the time of the Old Testament we see tremendous duress in the life of the apostles, having eleven of the twelve die as martyrs to the apostle Paul who underwent a lifetime of calamity only to lose his life in Rome. In the earliest of church letters we see the call to endure suffering and it is clear that right along side the truth of the gospel, suffering has been the earliest Christian message and remains the same twenty centuries later.
As we look at the church as a whole, one of the most striking features is its constant persecution and suffering throughout the ages beginning with the church’s leader, none other than Jesus Christ.
Suffering is often misrepresented as the absence of God, the idea that God has abandoned his people. In this paper I plan on showing that God is actually closer to the church in it’s persecutions, differentiating the true elect from the false, to bring out the idea that suffering is a tool for God’s glory and our growth in faith and dependence on him and to show that for the Christian, suffering will always lead to triumph.
I will define five types of suffering that the Christian will undergo. Next we will see how Christ suffered all five on the cross and conquered for us a new view of suffering following the resurrection. Following that we will look at how all human beings, members of the church or not will undergo one or all five of these types of suffering. Last we will see how the church specifically undergoes two of the following five.
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Before we look at suffering and the Christian hope in the gospel we must briefly look at the goodness of God. “There is no darkness is God at all” 1 John 1:5, “He is the rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.” Deuteronomy 32:4 As a result of God’s goodness, he takes action in reversing these horrible effects of our disobedience. The Bible itself centers on how God destroys the root cause, that is sin, and the believer now has hope in a new heaven and a new earth where this persecution and pain will not be experienced any more. In all things we must realize God is good.
THE FIVE TYPES OF SUFFERING
3 That types of suffering that are common but NOT marks of the church
1. Suffering for sin in a fallen world.
It is imperative to realize that the Christian definition of suffering is different than that of the rest of the worlds.
All humanity has fallen under the curse of sin (Gen 3) as a result of the fall. Trials and obstacles will befall of humanity, all of the descendants of Adam. Later in the paper we will see the particulars involving the fall and redemption but it is important to point out that all humanity is fallen from what they were created to be. This fall and its result is called sin, it’s a missing the mark of perfection and with it comes all types of devastation. Sin however, isn’t only affecting the
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human individual but all of the cosmos. As a result of this suffering and pain will befall human beings in general whether they are in the church or not but some individuals will suffer eternal suffering, a suffering Christ suffered but the church will not.
Dietrich Bonhoffer gives us a picture of the infinite offence against God Adam’s failure to confess sin was.
“The woman falls with him and blames the serpent, that is, the creator of the serpent. Adam has not surrendered, he has not confessed. He has appealed to his conscious, is knowledge of good and evil, and in that has blamed his creator. He has not recognized the grace of his creator, which proves itself true by the fact that he calls Adam, by the fact that he does not let him flee. Adam sees this grace only as hate, as wrath and this hate kindle his own hate and rebellion, his will to escape from God. Adam remains in the fall and the results remain infinite. “
After the events unfolded in the Garden of Eden, man and his wife were cast out of perfection, entering into imperfection, a broken world, the one we live in today.
“Each human is guilty of the same sin of Adam, making him a frail, weak guilty sinner. Creation is the beginning of history; the climax of creation is male

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and female in the image of God; the first human is the first sinner; and with that sin comes the misery and suffering of humanity.”
As we look at the world around us, the world the church lives in and serves in and suffers in, all of humanity is in peril as a result of all of humanities sin.
The text is clear when it reminds us “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.” (Romans 3:10-11).
Even though the church is set apart from humanity, they still have sin, even if they are being sanctified from it. This is the reason anyone suffers so we cannot attribute it as a mark of the church although it will play as an ingredient in the bigger picture.
2. Suffering unto death, or dying in general.
Humanity is born into sin and throughout the course of an individual’s life; they are in the process of dying. The reality is that a child is dying the second it is born! Death is the final enemy that humanity will face as a result of that sin we spoke of earlier.
Consider the words of Job:
“Man who is born of a woman, in a few days is full of trouble. He comes out like a flower and withers, he flees like a shadow and continues not.” (Job 14:1-2)
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Death is known as “the great equalizer”.
And the great equalizer, does just that, equalizes all humanity. We all die, whether we are members of the true church or not.
Only a few short chapters after the creation of man we see death all over Genesis 5. It is clear that death is a result of human disobedience and was not supposed to play a part in human affairs.
One question regarding death is if God intended humans to die even without sin and the answer is not clear. One argument however is that he created us mortal in order that humans would not overrun the planet. This would create overpopulation and humanity would be ever breeding but never dying. At any rate, I believe that the Bible is clear that death is a result of sin.
The church should not fear death. Although I wouldn’t define death as a mark of the church I would say that Christians die with faith and not with fear.
“For we know that if the tent, which is our earthly home, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” 2 Corinthians 5:1-2
Paul goes on to explain that we groan in this dwelling (the body) but we wait patiently for our new dwelling.
God is the conqueror and death is the victim.
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“He is the one who looms larger than death- the creator on whom we depend, the Judge before whom we repent, the conqueror to whom we cling with our trust.”
So although that is more devotional in nature it points to the fact that although death is not a mark of the church it is a mark of Christian suffering and an obstacle that is “our last enemy”.
In this, God knows what we, the Christians, go through and we will look soon at what Christ has done about death.
3. Suffering eternally
Christ preached more on the punishments of hell than the reality of heaven. He preached more against sin and the judgment of God than any other topic. Puritan pastors, taking the lead preached extensively on this topic.
The reason to look at this however is to point out the last type of suffering that is not a mark of the church before we look at the two that are.
Humanity struggles with Sin, faces Death and then what? We know the Church has a hope beyond this awful reality but what about those who have no hope in Christ? They seem to have a suffering unlike any that the church will ever undergo.
“And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire, this is the second death.” Revelation 20:14
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“Serpents, generation of vipers, how can you escape the damnation of hell?” Matthew 23:33
The properties of hell are darkness and fire. As a result of mans sin he is to pay the penalty which we mentioned before is infinite.
“In that place their will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Luke 13:28
“The sons of that kingdom will be thrown into outer darkness” Matthew 8:12
These few verses give us an understanding that some are to face judgment and than the punishments of hell.
This is not an excerpt on the doctrine of hell but rather
a. What the church has been saved from
b. What Christ paid for and underwent for the redemption of his elect.
In any event suffering eternally is a form of suffering that befalls humanity, but not the church so it is not a mark.
Sufferings that ARE defined as marks of the church
4. Suffering for God’s glory
“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you: because he trusted in you.” Isaiah 26:3

Amadeo 9 The most good comes when God seems to be the most distant it appears. One example would be that of the cross. We know that Mary, the mother of Jesus was promised a son that would save God’s people from their sins. What cold have been going through Mary’s head at the moment she saw her son nailed on the cross for crucifixion. Some might say that she knew all along what was taking place but I believe at that moment she might have had some serious questions as to what was going on.
Since we know there are no mistakes in God’s economy, it is important to remember that for the Christian even the worst of sufferings eventually play out for their benefit. “For we know all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purposes.” Romans 8:28
And since God is the one who works our suffering for his glory we know what Paul meant by saying we can have peace that “passes all understanding.” Phil 4:7
In order to understand suffering for God’s glory it is important to see that God is in the business of redeeming that, which is unredeemable. This is the whole order of salvation for the individual Christian. And so it seems that God receives glory by comforting and giving purpose and peace to those who are suffering for him.
5. Suffering for righteousness and holiness
“For you have tested us O God, you have refined us as silver is refined.” Psalm 66:10
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You don’t have to be a Christian for any amount of time to learn that God puts you through experiences for the benefit of wisdom and know-how. As we look back throughout Christian history we can see many examples of Christians who, although they didn’t understand the trial at face value, understood the suffering later on.
Christ suffered all 5 at the cross on behalf of his beloved, the church
“Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many were made righteous.” Romans 5:18-19
And so we see that all things revolve around Christ.
So when we define affliction as “something that causes pain or suffering” or suffering as “ subject to something bad or unpleasant” it is important to realize that the Christian does not suffer as one who “has no hope”.
This leads the fallen man to look at Christ in his ultimate suffering on the cross for new life. New life through the gospel revealed and delivered here by the apostle Paul “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures.” 1 Corinthians 15:3-4

Amadeo 11 Those, who had originally been dead in sin, are now alive in Christ by grace through faith in this message. As a result of this Christians, no longer dead in sin, have become new.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17
The new creation, or the Christian, suffers as a child of God, with a hope of future glory. This gives us not only faith in a new life after this one, but comfort and faith to know that despite what we go through here it is all for our good. (Romans 8:28)
The Christian, as a new creation, will be “holy” or separated from the world, which is bound to bring on persecutions and differences. Despite our comforts in Christ, there will be sever discomforts in this “present age”. However, God uses the present trials for our sanctification as a result of our position in his church, unlike trials of non-believers who don’t have the same patience and hope since they are not in Christ. Thus, a challenge to suffer is presented, a willingness to endure.
As a result of living in a fallen world, the true church will always receive opposition.
“This is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and the people loved the darkness more than the light because their deeds were evil.” John 3:19.

Amadeo 12 Paul makes it clear in Philippians that there are those who despise the message that Christians proclaim, that is the gospel.
“For many, of whom I often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.” Philippians 3:18
In conclusion, there are five distinct types of suffering defined above. Christ suffered all five on behalf of the church and God continues to work out two of the five, our suffering for his glory and our righteousness so we can be conformed to the image of his son Jesus Christ. This has been his plan since the beginning.
And so in all things, we share Christ of course, and his cross.

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