“Does God cause suffering?” That’s the very title of the thread.Jesus is not part of this godless generation. Jesus suffered to keep you from going to hell, as well as me and anyone else who wants to accept it and repent. I do not compare what Jesus did to average people. No one can fill His shoes. The question wasn't about Jesus.
Yes . . . we can read this in 2 Corinthians 7-10. But how to understand this comes with growing in Jesus. You learn what you do, now, but then grow to get better understanding, with experience.There is even a verse saying God’s power is complete when humans are weak."
do you believe God allows suffering or causes it?
All right . . . so you are learning.I'm a semi new Christian
There is even a verse saying God’s power is complete when humans are weak."
Who do you think caused His suffering?Right, not " Why did Jesus suffer?"
I believe we cause our own "suffering." But suffering is not suffering....it is us getting what we desire. I will give you the desires of your heart......what ever they may be. This is bad news to those who believe that if something is "not the His will," they will not get it even after asking.I'm going to repost an OP from a reddit thread
Suffering is seen as a good thing in Christianity. For the most part your average Christian will claim that suffering is simply God attempting to make you better like and train you. In fact it’s even promised in the Bible that followers will suffer. Suffering is glorified in the Bible.
It appears that God even causes it
“I will show him how much he must suffer for my name."
"For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him,"
"For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps."
"So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good."
Christians have been for years preforming self inflicting pain to sanctify themselves and it’s not uncommon for this to be practiced still.
Suffering is glorifying God to some Christians
There is even a verse saying God’s power is complete when humans are weak."
I'm a semi new Christian and I think he made pretty convincing points.
Hello again Saisigh, I thought I should answer your direct question a little more, well, directly (than I did in my last post)....do you believe God allows suffering or causes it?
So how do you intertwine and a loving fatherly God with a God who likes to cause you pain and suffering.Hello again Saisigh, I thought I should answer your direct question a little more, well, directly (than I did in my last post).
My direct answer is "yes", God both allows AND causes suffering, depending on what He knows needs to be accomplished.
As I said earlier, God ordains whatsoever comes to pass, which means that He either 1. causes it to happen or 2. allows it to happen or 3. stops it from happening. If He stopped everything that was outside of His will from happening (which He could certainly do .. like sinning, for instance), then our wills would not be free (in any sense of that word).
--David
I'm going to repost an OP from a reddit thread
Suffering is seen as a good thing in Christianity. For the most part your average Christian will claim that suffering is simply God attempting to make you better like and train you. In fact it’s even promised in the Bible that followers will suffer. Suffering is glorified in the Bible.
“I will show him how much he must suffer for my name."
Christians have been for years preforming self inflicting pain to sanctify themselves and it’s not uncommon for this to be practiced still.
There is even a verse saying God’s power is complete when humans are weak."
I'm a semi new Christian and I think he made pretty convincing points.
Why should He care about a generation that doesn't give Him a second thought?
So how do you intertwine and a loving fatherly God with a God who likes to cause you pain and suffering.
I'm going to repost an OP from a reddit thread
Suffering is seen as a good thing in Christianity. For the most part your average Christian will claim that suffering is simply God attempting to make you better like and train you. In fact it’s even promised in the Bible that followers will suffer. Suffering is glorified in the Bible.
It appears that God even causes it
“I will show him how much he must suffer for my name."
"For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him,"
"For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps."
"So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good."
Christians have been for years preforming self inflicting pain to sanctify themselves and it’s not uncommon for this to be practiced still.
Suffering is glorifying God to some Christians
There is even a verse saying God’s power is complete when humans are weak."
I'm a semi new Christian and I think he made pretty convincing points.
Yes but if God is causing the suffering wouldn't it be his will and thus pleasing him? He wouldn't do something out of his will right? Just trying to understand.Hello @saisigh, the Bible never tells us (or insinuates) that God "likes" to see His children suffer (nor is such a thing true of Him in regards to those who are not/never will be His children). In fact, the Bible tells us that the very opposite is true of Him, yes .. e.g. Ezekiel 33:11?
He never allows us to suffer just for the sake of suffering (that would be sadistic). Rather, He uses suffering for a number of different and very important purposes* in our lives, ~ALL~ of them for our good .. Romans 8:28.
*(I've already documented many of the reasons that God allows His children to suffer on this side of the grave in my earlier posts in this thread. I'm not sure what more I can say about it?)
Eternity, for all of God's saints, will be lived out ~apart~ from suffering of any kind (whether in Heaven or on the New Earth .. e.g. Revelation 21:1-4), and that will still be the case for us even after trillions upon trillions of years have gone by.
However, during our short stay here (a period of time that, for most, will not last 100 years), this will not be the case (though God may choose to bless us with times of joy and happiness apart from suffering, from time to time anyway ).
BTW, joy and happiness can still be ours as Christians, even in the midst of suffering. As the hymn says,
Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace
God bless you!
--David
Yes but if God is causing the suffering wouldn't it be his will and thus pleasing him? He wouldn't do something out of his will right? Just trying to understand.He doesn't like to cause us pain and suffering.
Sometimes he may use sickness or a tragedy to get our attention; that doesn't mean that he deliberately inflicted it for that reason.
C.S Lewis says that God whispers to us in our pleasures but shouts in our pain - it is his megaphone to arouse a deaf world.
Yes but if God is causing the suffering wouldn't it be his will and thus pleasing him? He wouldn't do something out of his will right? Just trying to understand.
Yes but if God is causing the suffering wouldn't it be his will and thus pleasing him? He wouldn't do something out of his will right? Just trying to understand.
Yes but if God is causing the suffering wouldn't it be his will and thus pleasing him? He wouldn't do something out of his will right? Just trying to understand.
"Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?"So how do you intertwine and a loving fatherly God with a God who likes to cause you pain and suffering.
Hi Saisigh, our heavenly Father was "pleased" to send His only, begotten Son here to suffer and die on the Cross ~for us~/~on our behalf~. It was His "will" to do so and it "pleased" Him to do so because it provided the means of our salvation, ~NOT~ because He was pleased to see His Son suffer (do you understand the difference?)....if God is causing the suffering wouldn't it be his will and thus pleasing him? He wouldn't do something out of his will right? Just trying to understand.