Death comes to all, but great achievements build a monument which shall endure until the sun grows cold.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
The issues of pain and death rank among the greatest challenges in believing in and experiencing the goodness of God. "Jesus wept" is the shortest verse in the Bible. It's also among the most telling. Why did Christ weep prior to raising Lazarus from the dead? In a word, "Compassion." And that on a variety of levels.
Sadly, rather than use the considerable resources at our disposal to better understand our Creator and the precarious nature of our existence, more often than not we adopt lifestyles of denial to distract and insulate ourselves from the inevitable. Such an ostrich defense may seem to work well for a while, but eventually the realities of life and death catch up and threaten to overwhelm. Wisdom would suggest that before they do, we take the time to carefully consider the unseen causes behind human suffering and why a merciful and loving God would permit pain and death to be so prevalent.
On trial and facing a death sentence for his teachings, Socrates defiantly refused to recant, explaining "the unexamined life is not worth living" or "fully human."
Certainly issues like pain and death encourage us to carefully consider the nature of our existence. Unpleasant realities can challenge shallow perceptions of what's truly important. Pain knocks at the door of life, often calling for a reconsideration of our preconceptions and priorities. In "The Problem With Pain" C. S. Lewis notes, "God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world."
Quotes and sentiments like that above are insightful, yet they fall short of acknowledging, much less addressing, a great problem. What satisfactory answer is there to the question of why a competent Creator should create a universe hostile and even deadly to sentient life He loves and desires to love Him? This paradox is among the most notable objections to the existence of God, itself an indisputable fact. The mystery deepens further when considering the omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresent necessary for the fantastic fine tuning parameters becoming increasingly evident to modern science.
Adding to the intrigue is the massive evidence for Biblical inspiration and scripture's continual declaration of Omnity's affinity for man. Moved by Divine love, faithfulness and mercy, God even goes so far as to pay the ultimate price to become a Man and the Savior of them. Examined closely, such an act far exceeds all human standards for what is good and fair, yet even this begs the question why design a scenario where such a sacrifice is necessary? The ultimate answer lies beyond the simplistic apologetic of limited free will. The choices of mere created beings, be they glorious angels or mortal men, could never be a rock too heavy for God to lift.
The Bible must be studied with a degree of diligence and honesty if we are to begin to grasp the big picture and appreciate the unfolding cosmic drama presented by scripture. A little Biblical forensics reveals an astounding history of eternity greatly effecting every aspect of human life. Beginning with a Luciferian rebellion incited by the original sin of entitlement, the Devil or Prosecutor has spent eons in a Trial before the Supreme Court of Heaven that has spilled over into our universe. Accusing humanity "day and night" Satan's part in these proceedings and his malevolent temptation, deception and influence upon mankind have wreaked havoc on the earth for millennia.
Human Face of Suffering
It's been said, "life's hard then you die." As the only species to bury it's dead, humanity alone acknowledges the grief of loss and the misery of mortality. A precursor of what awaits us all, the grave is an indiscriminate and inglorious end showing no mercy.
Modern society works hard to distract itself from the inevitable. Phenomenal blessings in the areas of occupation and education, entertainment and travel insulate 1st World citizens from the specter of pain and death prevalent elsewhere. Unprecedented wealth and technology further hide evidence of mortality. Consider the convenience of a simple grocery store. Instead of raising and killing, cleaning and plucking a chicken we buy it bloodless, pre-packaged or already cooked. Hospitals and hospices help keep the harsher realities of sickness and aging at bay, aiding and abetting mass denial as to the finality of the earthly life.
Amazing advances in health care are great gifts easily taken for granted. Yet even the faith of the thankful can be shaken in the face of tragedy. The real "problem of pain" is that it hurts. Physical and mental, emotional and social suffering wounds, scars and even kills. At such moments humanity is most keenly aware of its vulnerability and need of Divine help and comfort. Nothing so emphasizes the tenuousness of existence as suffering.
Yet dealing with painful realities can be a two edged sword. On the one hand, pain can be a blessing in disguise when it rouses us from sleepwalking through life, ignoring its ultimate concerns. On the other, open wounds that refuse to heal create unresolved issues with God. Loneliness and depression, bitterness and distress more often than not end in increased anger and unbelief rather than a willingness to seek God for faith. Hearts can harden without satisfactory answers, direction and help from on high.
The gravity of mortal existence weighs heavy on mankind. Without genuine faith in the true, living God man wonders the earth alone. Yet even those seeking and serving God often feel burdened and pressured by the great paradox of Omnity's apparent silence and distance. Most find the immensity of humanity's desperate situation overwhelming. Even the vast majority of believers quickly give up earnestly attempting to approach God, opting instead to put on a smile, sing and quote a scripture or two rather than pursue the kingdom of God diligently.
Through the words and example of the Apostle Paul scripture directs true Christians to work as hard as athletes, farmers and soldiers at growing in our most holy faith. At birth our physical bodies must be fed and cared for or we sicken and die. So too, after conversion, spiritually we must grow or we risk anemia. Living faith requires robust exercise and a nutritious diet of Bible study and prayer. Just as there's more to life than simply being born or even childhood, mature believers recognize the importance of what the Apostle Peter describes as essential additions to faith. Commitment to Christ is costly. Yet to such as these, Christ promises to share His triumph over earthly pain and victory over death itself:
- "I need to emphasize, friends, that our natural, earthy lives don't in themselves lead us by their very nature into the kingdom of God. Their very "nature" is to die, so how could they "naturally" end up in the Life kingdom? But let me tell you something wonderful, a mystery I'll probably never fully understand. We're not all going to die—but we are all going to be changed. You hear a blast to end all blasts from a trumpet, and in the time that you look up and blink your eyes—it's over. On signal from that trumpet from heaven, the dead will be up and out of their graves, beyond the reach of death, never to die again. At the same moment and in the same way, we'll all be changed. In the resurrection scheme of things, this has to happen: everything perishable taken off the shelves and replaced by the imperishable, this mortal replaced by the immortal. Then the saying will come true: Death swallowed by triumphant Life! Who got the last word, oh, Death? Oh, Death, who's afraid of you now? It was sin that made death so frightening and law-code guilt that gave sin its leverage, its destructive power. But now in a single victorious stroke of Life, all three—sin, guilt, death—are gone, the gift of our Master, Jesus Christ. Thank God! With all this going for us, my dear, dear friends, stand your ground. And don't hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort." 1 Corinthians 15:50-57 The Message
Scripture's Advice
The Bible's filled with fantastic promises such as the hope of being resurrected from mortality into the glories of immortality! Sadly, for a variety of reason we experience so little of the presence and power of the Spirit in modern life many promises seem too fantastic to be believed. Such faith is the great work and challenge of human life. Amidst so many distractions, diversions and deceptions, will we admit our overwhelming need of deliverance from the inevitability of pain, death and judgment in time and eternity?
The world we live in is far from perfect. Even so, modern life for most in First World Nations is nearer perfection than any proceeding generation would have dared dreamed. Still, a myriad of serious challenges daunt us. Some are thrust upon us while others are of our own making. All behoove us to identify and investigate life's ultimate mysteries. The great question is how much of our time and resource will we invest doing so before pain, and even death is upon us? Scripture is clear that the time to seek God's presence and power, provision and protection is before we are overtaken by temptation, deception or loss:
- "Seventy years are given to us! Some even live to eighty. But even the best years are filled with pain and trouble; soon they disappear, and we fly away. Who can comprehend the power of your anger? Your wrath is as awesome as the fear you deserve. Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom." Psalm 90:10-12 by Moses
- "Honor and enjoy your Creator while you're still young, before the years take their toll and your vigor wanes, before your vision dims and the world blurs and the winter years keep you close to the fire. In old age, your body no longer serves you so well. Muscles slacken, grip weakens, joints stiffen. The shades are pulled down on the world. You can't come and go at will. Things grind to a halt. The hum of the household fades away. You are wakened now by bird-song. Hikes to the mountains are a thing of the past. Even a stroll down the road has its terrors. Your hair turns apple-blossom white, adorning a fragile and impotent matchstick body. Yes, you're well on your way to eternal rest, while your friends make plans for your funeral. Life, lovely while it lasts, is soon over. Life as we know it, precious and beautiful, ends. The body is put back in the same ground it came from. The spirit returns to God, who first breathed it." Ecclesiastes 12:1-7 The Message
- "So get yourselves together. Shape up! You're a nation without a clue about what it wants. Do it before you're blown away like leaves in a windstorm, before God's Judgment-anger sweeps down on you, before God's Judgment Day wrath descends with full force. Seek God, all you quietly disciplined people who live by God's justice. Seek God's right ways. Seek a quiet and disciplined life. Perhaps you'll be hidden on the Day of God's anger." Zephaniah 2:1-3 The Message
- "But be on your guard. Don't let the sharp edge of your expectation get dulled by parties and drinking and shopping. Otherwise, that Day is going to take you by complete surprise, spring on you suddenly like a trap, for it's going to come on everyone, everywhere, at once. So, whatever you do, don't go to sleep at the switch. Pray constantly that you will have the strength and wits to make it through everything that's coming and end up on your feet before the Son of Man." Luke 21:34-36 The Message
- "Stay alert; be in prayer so you don't wander into temptation without even knowing you're in danger. There is a part of you that is eager, ready for anything in God. But there's another part that's as lazy as an old dog sleeping by the fire." Matthew 26:41-42 The Message
Another reason time is of the essence is that the Creator and Savior's offer of the free gift of salvation avails only those who please Him. Scripture explains that while God's unwilling that any should perish, tragically most will do so for failure to diligently seek and serve Him. Therefore it's incumbent on the few taking the narrow to persuade the masses walking the broad path that leads to destruction. Such a great task requires the redeemed approach God acceptable and often, entreating the Lord "early while He may be found and call ing upon Him when He's near" for not only for themselves and immediate family but on behalf of all their friends and neighbors.
Current levels of unnecessary pain, premature death and the rejection of God's gracious offer of salvation are indicators that something is terribly amiss. No less than the Apostles Peter and Paul attest to the fact that God greatly desires all come to the knowledge of truth, repentance and salvation yet only a fraction of humanity seems to be doing so. According a global census only 34% of mankind prefers Jesus to other religious icons or non at all. Such figures simply reflect choosing Christ over Muhammad as one might McDonald's Big Mac over Burger King's Whopper. The same survey's figures recorded 90% of Americans prefer Jesus yet perhaps 25% or less of the US population currently have Biblical lifestyles.
As the larger part of an iceberg lay below the surface, so the greater tragedy of unbelief and disobedience waits to be revealed in eternity. Sadly, as seen in many of Christ's serious warnings such as the Ten Virgins and the Rich Man and Lazarus, death settles the situation. Perhaps 10% of humanity may have a saving knowledge of Jesus as Lord and therefore Savior.
Such an unseen everlasting tragedy goes a long way towards explaining why a compassionate God continues to use pain and even death to "rouse a deaf world." Yet how many among us is willing to really listen and "hear what the Spirit is saying" to mankind and even the church? Mankind has a thousand questions that demand satisfactory answers if we ever hope to easy our pain. We desperately need revival. A new Pentecost on an unprecedented global scale but how few are ready and willing to pay the price?
Sadly, until we do, until Christians avail themselves of the fullness of God and His offer of help through the power and gifts of the Spirit such as miraculously healing the sick, the human tragedy of pain and death will continue it's relentless occupation of planet Earth.
More information
In the Red Dropdown Icon you'll find resources that we hope will both stimulate and facilitate your pursuit of and understanding of the God of the Bible. To get started simply place your cursor on a category of interest and see where it leads. You can also join the discussion in a variety of ways including posting comments to God Blogs as well as making comments or asking questions by email or text.
Copyright 2018 All Rights Reserved