Milo

Many people today think religion is “pre-scientific,” bound to the past, and practiced only by the superstitious and ignorant. In their view, we’d be better off without it. John Lennon expressed this sentiment in his song “Imagine” when he wrote, “Imagine there’s no heaven, and no religion too.”

This anti-religious viewpoint has a lot of appeal to people who don’t want their personal moral choices “restricted” by tradition or creed. It appeals to young people who want to “kick over the traces,” and to older people who long to suppress the ache of a guilty conscience. Regardless of its appeal, it doesn’t hold up under examination. Religion is basic to human experience. It is such a basic aspect of our experience that we can’t get rid of it. Other creatures may live without religion, but people can’t. We are religious to the core.

Why are people so incorrigibly religious? Perhaps the main reason is our consciousness of the inevitability of death.

No matter how we try to suppress it, we all know that we are living on borrowed time, making decisions that define us forever. With maturity and age this awareness becomes even more intense and more troubling. Death is approaching; time is limited; the ways we invest our lives express our values and our source of meaning.

Our religion gives us our basic set of values and our source of meaning. Living consciously in the shadow of death, we express our religion involuntarily by the way we live.1 Animals live entirely in the moment, aware only of present time. But human consciousness, which is created in God’s image, constantly scans past and future, searching for patterns of meaning that link the isolated experiences of our lives. Humans can be immersed in the present only for a limited time, like a diver who submerges to see the wonders of a coral reef but inevitably comes back up for air. Meaning is as essential to our survival as the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat. 2

The longing for ultimate meaning has a dark side, as does the longing for greater knowledge. Both religion and science have been misused. People have done terrible things in both their longing for meaning and knowledge. Evil people exploit our longing for meaning and knowledge to promote their agendas. The life-denying effects of false religion are confirmed by Scripture:

Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence (Colossians 2:23).

If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world (James 1:26-27).

But it would be as unreasonable to condemn religion because it is sometimes misused, as it would be unreasonable to condemn science because it is often twisted to evil purposes.

The issue isn’t whether we are religious, because we all are. It is disingenuous to claim that one can live without religion, or that true religion is responsible for evil done by false religion. The crucial issue is whether our basic values are true or false, whether our reason for living brings life or death, whether or not it is aligned with the purposes of the Creator. 3

1. The term religion comes from a Latin word that refers to “the bond between man and the gods.” Worship is uniquely human. For ancient people, the “gods” referred to deities personifying aspects of their experience. But the “gods” also had a symbolic reference — a reference to the transcendent powers that unify human experience and give it meaning.

2. The fact that we are hungry for meaning and concerned with establishing a link between our past and our future doesn’t imply that it is good to be anxious about the future. Jesus Himself spoke of the importance of living fully in the moment. But He didn’t speak of doing so in the context of living like an animal. In fact, He stressed that animal existence couldn’t be our goal. As people, we don’t live on bread alone, “but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). He showed His disciples their potential for enjoying the present because of faith in the Father’s goodness – i.e. because of religion.

3. A final comment to a brilliant popular musician: Doing away with the possibility of final punishment for evil and reward for good — the possibility of ultimate justice — would never make the world a better place. If convinced of “no hell below” and “only sky” above, people would be even less compassionate, more desperate for immediate satisfaction, and less willing to endure personal hardship for the sake of others.

Dan Vander Lugt

John 19:31-37
There was a shout of victory from the cross just before Christ “gave up His spirit.”

It was not the moan of a defeated martyr, nor the sigh of a patient resignation. Jesus triumphantly accomplished the work He was sent by His Father to fulfil, and when He completed it shouted, “Finished!” “Done!” “Complete!” Then He bowed His head and “gave up His spirit.” Jesus’ work of redemption was finished.

Jesus in that moment summoned death to serve Him. John does not say, “He died,” but that “He gave up His spirit.” John is emphasizing the voluntary nature of the act. Augustine said it correctly; “He gave up His life because He willed it, when He willed it, and as He willed it.” You and I cannot say that about our own deaths.

In John 19:31-37 we have the perspective of an eyewitness to the death of Jesus. The apostle John carefully observed something unusual at the crucifixion. These are facts that made such a deep impression on him as he watched the crucifixion take place. The legs of Jesus were not broken as was the case of the other two men crucified that day, and in His case a Roman soldier seeing that He was already dead, thrust a spear into His side and out flowed water and blood.

JESUS WAS CRUCIFIED ON THE DAY OF PREPARATION
It was the day of preparation for the Passover (v. 31), so the Jewish leaders took steps to have all three bodies of the dead removed from the crosses before sundown when the Passover observation would begin. On the afternoon of the crucifixion of Jesus, the people of Israel were busy with their preparations in advance before the Sabbath began in the evening at 6 p.m. when no buying, slaying of the lambs, cooking the food, cleaning, etc., could take place. At sundown when the first star appeared on the horizon, the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Passover meal would commence.

It therefore was of absolute urgency that the Jewish authorities get the bodies buried before the Sabbath would begin as the sun went down. “So that the bodies might not remain on the crosses on the Sabbath (for the Sabbath was a high day), asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away” (John 19:31).

The Old Testament Scriptures made it clear that the land would be defiled if a body was hanging all night on a tree (Deut. 21:22-23; Joshua 8:29). Such defilement would be even worse on the Sabbath, God forbid on the Passover!

The crucifixion was an exceedingly painful, and an unusually slow death. No vital organ of the body was directly affected. Even after death the Roman custom was to leave the bodies of crucified criminals on their crosses as a public example to the community at large. The Jewish leaders had to get permission from Pilate before removing the bodies.

“Pilate wondered if He was dead by this time, and summoning the centurion, he questioned him as to whether He was already dead” (Mark 15:44).

The Roman governor gave permission for the legs to be broken to hasten the death of the victims. To accomplish this the soldier placed a crushing blow to the leg with a heavy iron sledgehammer or mall. This horrible jolt to the body would hasten death, which would otherwise be delayed by several hours or even days.

An archaeological find of a crucifixion skeletal remains revealed that a single blow had shattered the lower legs. The smashing of the lower leg bones was called in Latin the crurifragium. It caused the victim to die rather quickly from shock, loss of blood, and mainly the inability of the person to breathe because the chest cavity would then bear the total pressure of the body’s weight after the legs were broken.

The only way a crucified man could obtain a full lung of air was to raise himself by means of pushing his legs to ease the tension on his arms and chest muscles. Once his legs were broken, he could not possibly raise himself to get air and there would be a grater constriction of the chest, and he would eventually suffocate.

THE FIRST PROOF THAT JESUS WAS DEAD
These Roman soldiers were trained executioners who would make no mistake about a criminal’s death. Pilate ordered the legs broken and they would not dare disobey him unless absolutely sure that Christ was already dead. These hardened Roman soldiers were the first witnesses to Christ’s death.

Jesus had already died so His legs were not broken.
Clearly the eyewitness states that Jesus was dead because when the soldiers came to break His legs to hasten His death, they saw that He was already dead and there was no need to break them (v. 33). John saw them, “coming to Jesus, when they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.” Jesus “was already dead” is in the perfect tense, “having died and was now dead.”

God’s perfect Passover Lamb
As the sun went down over Jerusalem, the day Christ died, John recalled that God’s perfect Lamb fulfilled all of the important Old Testament Scriptures. Jesus as the true Passover lamb, that God provided, did not have any of His bones broken (Ex. 12:46; Num. 9:12; Ps. 34:20).

The slaying of the Passover lambs was taking place in the Temple at this very moment when the Lamb of God was dying on the tree. The Pascal supper would take place in a few hours in Jewish homes across the land just as it had for centuries.

The timing of the death of Jesus at the very hour when the Passover lambs were being slain stuck in the mind of this eyewitness. These things were being done because it was “the day of the preparation” of the Passover celebrating the time when God delivered the people from their slavery in Egypt. Centuries earlier in Egypt the blood of the lamb was spread on the doorposts and lintel of the house over every Jewish home. That night when the angel of death visited every home in Egypt wherever he saw the blood he would “pass over” and spare the first-born (Exodus 12:12-13).

The astounding thing that John pondered was the fact that not a bone of Jesus was broken proving that He was the Passover Lamb that God provided that afternoon. Not one bone of the Passover lamb was broken. God slew His own lamb and made provision in the blood of Jesus so that when the judgment of God comes on us, He will see the blood of His Son and pass over us. Jesus, as God’s perfect lamb died in our place. His blood covers all our sins. The angel of judgment will “pass over” all who trust in God’s Lamb to atone for their sins.

THE SECOND PROOF THAT JESUS WAS DEAD
To make doubly sure that Jesus was dead, or out of one last act of hate, a Roman soldier picked up a spear and thrust it deeply into the side of Jesus (vv. 32-34). Beyond a doubt Jesus was dead. There was no point in breaking his legs. The only reason the legs of Jesus were not broken was that He was already dead. A real man with a real human body, with real human blood, died on the cross that afternoon.

The apostle John tells us he watched the horrible scene as, “One of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately there came out blood and water” (John 19:34).

No simple pricking is in the mind of the eyewitness. He sees the infliction of a wound intended to kill someone. No doubt, the soldier wanted to make doubly sure that Jesus was dead and certify to the centurion and Pilate that He was dead. “If you are not already dead, this will finish you off,” was no doubt his intent.

The wound made in Jesus’ side was a large one and John witnessed “blood and water” flowing out of it. His purpose for stating what he saw was to certify the real death of Jesus. Barclay says, “To John it was the final, unanswerable proof that Jesus was a real man with a real body.” It was the testimony of an eyewitness, testifying in simple language the simple facts the death of his friend.

The gash would be large enough to permit the open hand to be thrust into it. The important thing on the heart of John, years later as he wrote down his testimony, was that he could certify as an eyewitness that Jesus died. He saw the bloody evidence before his own eyes.

Moreover, it had the hand of God all over it, “that the Scriptures might be fulfilled” (John 19:36).

God intervened and the Scriptures were fulfilled
The author tells us that this act was the fulfillment of Jewish Scriptures. Prophecy was fulfilled that afternoon in a most unusual manner. One Scripture said the Saviour’s bones must not be broken, and another said his body must be pierced. The Roman soldiers would have done exactly the opposite that afternoon. They came to break the legs of Jesus as they had the other men. Moreover, they had no intention of piercing the side of Jesus with the spear. To John’s utter amazement that is exactly what the soldiers did that afternoon.

Why was this so important in the mind of John?

God intervened and caused it to happen just as His Word had said it would centuries before. God overruled the circumstances and caused it to happen according to His will. The enemy was unconsciously executing God’s counsels. A sovereign God was in control at Calvary. The soldiers had received instructions to break the legs of Christ, but this had not been done. The soldiers had not received order to pierce the Saviour’s side, but this the soldier did.

C. H. Spurgeon said, “That our Lord’s bones should remain unbroken, and yet that He should be pierced, seemed a very unlikely thing; but it was carried out.” The purpose of God had to be fulfilled. In case of the typical Passover lamb, not one of its bones was broken. Moreover, with the divine protection of a righteous man guaranteed that God “protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken” (Ps. 34:20). Jesus was the only perfect righteous man. He was without sin.

A fountain was opened at Calvary
Another prophecy was fulfilled that day. “I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn” (Zechariah 12:10). A little later the prophet wrote: “In that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for impurity” (13:1).
The blood of Jesus is the only cure for our sin problem. The blood of Jesus Christ purges us of every sin when we trust Him as our Savior. Jesus died in our place. His blood cleanses us of all sin and the judgment of God is turned away and will pass over all who trust in Him.

“For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement” (Leviticus 17:11).

THE THIRD PROOF THAT JESUS WAS DEAD
“Pilate wondered if He was dead by this time, and summoning the centurion, he questioned him as to whether He was already dead. And ascertaining this from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph” (Mark 15:44-45).

Pilate certified from the centurion that Jesus was dead. Pilate had clear evidence that there was no life in Jesus’ body.

Then friends took Him down from the cross and gave Him a proper Jewish burial.

After these things Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but a secret one for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate granted permission. So he came and took away His body. Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds weight. So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen wrappings with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. Therefore because of the Jewish day of preparation, since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there (John 19:38-42).

Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus “wrapped that incorruptible body in spices, for it is to be fragrant for evermore to all His people as the death like which there is no other,” observed F. W. Grant.

SOME ABIDING PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
The whole Gospel of John is centred on the death of Jesus Christ. Without the certainty of His death there can be no resurrection. He is either dead, or He is alive.

We cannot escape the evidence that Jesus Christ died on the cross and was buried the same day in Jerusalem.
The eyewitness testimony is clear. The death of Christ was no figment of the imagination. The explicit details are not a fraud inflicted on humanity. Jesus Christ died on the cross and was buried in a Jewish tomb according to the custom of the Jewish people.

Jesus Christ is the Passover Lamb God provided for His people.
Not a bone of the Passover lamb must be broken in the preparation of the meal. Jesus Christ is the perfect fulfillment of the greater Lamb of God who takes away the sins of all who will believe on Him.

It is only the precious blood of Jesus that will cleanse you and me of all our sins and guilt.

There is a fountain filled with blood
Drawn from Immanuel’s veins;
And sinners plunged beneath that flood
Lose all their guilty stains.

The Roman soldiers, swift to get the crucifixion over with, were unwittingly agents for fulfilling Christ’s promise to the penitent thief, “Today you shall be with Me in paradise.”
The dying thief rejoiced to see
That fountain in his day
And there may I, as vile as he,
Wash all my sins away.

John saw the “blood and the water” come out of the side of Jesus (v. 34). William Cowper applied it to his own sinful heart and wrote:
E’ver since by faith I saw the stream
Thy flowing wounds supply,
Redeeming love has been my theme
And shall be till I die.

Our sin debt was paid in full when Jesus shouted, “It is finished!”
“It is finished!” (John 19:31) The debt is paid in full! Jesus paid in full the righteous demands of a holy law. He paid our debt in full. Only the blood of the Lamb of God can take away the sins of the world (Jn. 1:29, 35-36; Heb. 9:24-28; Jn. 3:14; 8:28; 12:32; Matt. 20:17-19; Jn. 10:11-18). Jesus voluntarily made an end to our sin and our guilt. He accomplished what the Father had sent Him to do. Our atonement had been completed with that victorious shout.

And this is still the hope of every guilty sinner today. The same Lamb of God and His shed blood shall never lose its power to cleanse and save. We are saved by the death of Christ alone. Have you by faith spread the blood of Jesus over the doorpost of your heart?

Dear dying Lamb,
Thy precious blood
Shall never lose its power,
Till all the ransomed church of God
Be saved to sin no more.

The One who was slain as the Lamb of God will one day return as our Judge.
Revelation 1:7 reads, “BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.”

Jesus Christ will return to judge the deeds of every person who has ever lived. One day we will each one stand before Him. People in the future will look on the pierced One. The prophet Zechariah tells us it was Yahweh who is pierced, and the piercing is mortal. Those who pierced Him shall mourn as one mourns for an only son, his firstborn.
Some of those present at the crucifixion were convicted of their horrible sin (Luke 23:48). Those who had been crying, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” were overcome with the proofs of the superhuman exaltation of Jesus. They left the scene “continuing to beat their breasts” and lamenting over the crucified One after they had permitted Him to be crucified.

Can you imagine spending eternity lamenting the decision you made to reject Jesus Christ as your sacrifice for sin? Everyone who rejects Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God who takes away their sins will continue to beat their breasts because they rejected Him.

How will you spend eternity? Will it be in worship to the Lamb who sits on the throne? Or will you spend eternity in hell? Those are the only two choices available. Neutral you cannot be with Christ.

One day the whole universe will stand before Him in judgment. It will then be too late to decide what you will do with the death of Jesus. Have you put your faith in the blood that flowed from that wounded side?

1. Jesus Christ is unique as the only begotten Son of God (Psalm 2:7, 11–12; John 1:14; 3:16; Luke 1:35). Jesus is the “one-of-a-kind” Son of God in that He shares the same divine nature as God.

2. Jesus Christ is unique in that He is eternal. He existed from eternity past, He exists in the present, and He will exist for all eternity in the future (John 1:1–3, 14; John 8:58).

3. Jesus Christ is unique in that He is sinless. He never committed a sin and, although fully human, has no sin nature. He is the Holy One of God (Acts 3:14; John 6:69; 1 Peter 2:22; 1 John 3:5).

4. Jesus Christ is unique because He alone is the One who bore our sins. As our Sin-bearer, He grants us forgiveness and salvation and a right standing with God. No one else could take away our sin (Isaiah 53; Matthew 1:21; John 1:29; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Corinthians 15:1–3).

5. Jesus Christ is unique because He is the only Way to the Father (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1 Timothy 2:5). There is no other way to salvation. He is the only righteous One, and He exchanged His perfect righteousness for our sin (2 Corinthians 5:21).

6. Jesus Christ is unique in that He alone had power over His own death and the ability take back His life again (John 2:19; 10:17–18). Note: His resurrection was not a “spiritual” one, but physical (Luke 24:39). His resurrection from the dead, never to die again, distinguished Him as the unique Son of God (Romans 1:4).

7. Jesus Christ is unique, as seen in the fact that He alone accepted worship as an equal with the Father (John 20:28–29; Philippians 2:6). Indeed, God the Father states that the Son is to be honoured as He is honoured (John 5:23). All others in Scripture, whether Jesus’ disciples or angelic beings, rightly reject that worship (Acts 10:25–26; 14:14–15; Matthew 4:10; Revelation 19:10; 22:9).

8. Jesus Christ is unique in that He has the power to give life to whom He will (John 5:21).

9. Jesus Christ is unique because the Father has committed all judgment to Him (John 5:22). Having lived in this world perfectly, He is the only One qualified to judge the world.

10. Jesus Christ is unique because He was with the Father and directly involved in the creation. It is by the hand of Christ that all things are held together (John 1:1–3; Ephesians 3:9; Hebrews 1:8–10; Colossians 1:17).

11. Jesus Christ is unique in that He will rule the world at the end of this present age (Hebrews 1:8; Isaiah 9:6–7; Daniel 2:35, 44; Revelation 19:11–16).

12. Jesus Christ is unique in that He alone was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:20–23; Luke 1:30–35).

13. Jesus Christ is unique in that He demonstrated the attributes of God. In His ministry, Jesus showed that He had the power to forgive sins and heal the sick (Matthew 9:1–7); to calm the wind and waves (Mark 4:37–41; Psalm 89:8–9); to know people inside and out (Psalm 139; John 1:46–50; 2:23–25); and to raise the dead (John 11; Luke 7:12–15; 8:41–55).

14. Jesus Christ is unique because He fulfilled prophecy. There are a great number of prophecies concerning the Messiah’s birth, life, resurrection, person, and purpose. All were fulfilled by Him and no other (e.g., Isaiah 7:14; 9:6–7; 53; Micah 5:2; Psalm 16:10; 22; Zechariah 11:12–13; 13:7).

It is often asked why is there suffering in the world, if God is all powerful and loving.  Why doesn’t He stop it?  Can He or is He weaker than we think?  Suffering can fall into three simple categories: emotional, mental, and physical suffering.  But, there are a variety of causes for suffering:  morally corrupt (evil) people, disease, earthquakes, floods, famine, etc.

There are different explanations for why God allows suffering, but none of them can satisfy everyone.  Therefore, I will simply list various reasons offered to account for suffering and evil in the world.  

Free will

God has given us freedom of choice. Having this freedom means that we can rebel against God and make choices that are contrary to His desires. Since we can say that evil is anything contrary to God’s perfect and holy will, then anyone who chooses anything contrary to God’s perfection is committing evil. But this is the risk of being able to have freedom of choice.  Evil and suffering are the result of making bad free choices.

But how could this account for natural disasters and sickness that brings suffering?  Biblically, Adam represented not only all of his descendants, but he was also the head of the created order since he was given dominion over the earth.  Therefore, when he fell, sin entered into the world (Rom. 5:12) and with it the effects of being fallen spread to the earth as well as to humanity.

God cannot stop evil and suffering because He is powerless

Of course, this does not stand up to biblical truth.  God allows evil to occur partly for reasons we do know and partly for those we do not.  We know that God uses evil to discipline people (Prov. 3:11) and to teach them (Prov. 15:32). But we cannot know all the reasons that God has for allowing evil and suffering in the world.  It is not logically necessary that since God has not stopped evil and suffering in the world, that He cannot.  God could be using suffering for His divine plan, in order to teach, for discipline, because people are free, etc.  The existence of suffering does not at all mean that God cannot stop all of it.  It means that He simply has chosen not to do so.

How much evil should be stopped?

The question of stopping evil means that if God is to stop evil, then He must stop all evil. This means that the murderer must be stopped along with the thief.  But it also means that thinking evil, which is in rebellion against God, must also be stopped as well; that is, if all evil is to be stopped. Therefore, for God to stop evil and suffering may very well mean that He must remove the ability for people to freely choose what they want to do.  So, if God is going to stop evil, is He required to stop all of it or just some of it?  If only some of it, then the question would still stand.  If He stops all of it, would we be free?

Prevention of further evil

It is possible that human suffering (cancer, disease, etc.) can be a means that God uses to remove the person from further suffering, worse suffering, or future suffering. Of course, this not seem to be a very good option because if God or intending to stop further suffering, why would He use suffering to stop it?  Also, what about floods and earthquakes that cause suffering? How would they fit into God decreasing or stopping suffering except perhaps by people’s deaths which ends suffering?  This is difficult to answer. Though it may be that God might use some suffering to prevent even greater suffering, this explanation cannot answer all issues concerning it.

For the greater plan

 Undoubtedly, God has a plan. Since God knows all things He is not surprised by the presence of evil and sin in the world that brings about suffering.  But if God knows all things from all eternity, then He is perfectly capable of using suffering in the world in His greater plan. The best and simplest example of this is the suffering of Christ at the hands of evil men. It is by Christ’s suffering and death on across that we are able to be redeemed. It was God’s plan from all eternity that Christ die for our sins, yet Christ was crucified by evil people (Acts 4:27-28). This means that God had incorporated into His divine plan the reality of evil and suffering in order to accomplish His will.  Of course, this does not mean that God is the author of evil, but it does mean that God is above it all and can use it to accomplish a greater good.  If this is true on a large-scale, why cannot it also be true on a smaller one in each of our individual lives?

For discipline and instruction

The Bible tells us that God disciplines those whom He loves (Heb. 12:6) and that no true child of God is without discipline and instruction. It is obvious that the results of our rebellion against God brings suffering, and it is also true that we can learn through our suffering that such rebellion is bad. We then could glorify God during and after our suffering by proclaiming the truth of His word that urges us to follow God and His ways.

Sometimes we learn our greatest lessons after having suffered the consequences of our actions — and this is good. If we see that there are consequences through the acts of suffering in this world, it is logical to conclude that there will be suffering in the next as a consequence of our rebellion now. This could easily lead us to conclude that we need to be delivered from our rebellion against God. Of course, Jesus is the answer to this.

It is the result of sin

 Biblically speaking, pain and suffering are the results of sin in the world. Adam, who represented all humanity as well as creation, rebelled against God and brought suffering into the world (Rom. 5:12). Sin is more than simple rebellion and breaking of God’s law. It is permeating throughout all of God’s creation bringing imbalance, famine, earthquakes, disease, etc. This does not mean that God created evil.  Instead, it is God who is allowing evil and suffering to continue for His divine plan.

To serve as a warning

Evil and suffering in the world can serve as a warning against breaking God’s law and then people can see the necessity of following God’s truth. God’s ways are right and good and following them leads to security and safety. The consequences of disobeying God’s word are manifested in suffering. Therefore, suffering in the world easily serves as a demonstration of the need to follow God’s words thereby vindicating what God has said

To make a point

 It is possible that God is simply allowing evil and suffering in the world to prove that rebellion against Him brings pain and suffering. God may be allowing sin to take its natural course in the world so that on the day of judgment God can say “Do you see what rebellion against my words brings?” This may seem overly simplistic but it may prove to be one of the reasons that God allows pain and suffering. After all, did He not make us in His image and give us the freedom to choose? And in our freedom have we not rebelled? Yes, we have. Should God then make us robots or restrict our freedom so much that we have no choices at all? Of course not. But since we are limited in our knowledge and have used our freedom to rebel, God allows us to have what we desire and in the end, our sins will prove that God’s way is the right way.

To serve as a means to bring the Son – Jesus Christ

 The death of the Son is the means by which God has redeemed those who would receive Jesus. This death cannot occur if Jesus were not a man. In order to be a man he had to be born as one. But since Jesus was sinless, death has no power over Him. Therefore, in order to die and in order to redeem us, His death must be at the hands of evil people.  But, without sin, suffering, and evil in the world, Jesus could not have been sent to the cross. So, it could be said that suffering in the world is necessary in order to bring about the cross which in turn demonstrates the great and awesome love of God. Jesus said that the greatest act of love is to lay one’s life down for another (John 15:13). If God is love (1 John 4:8) and love gives (John 3:16), can it be that God must demonstrate the greatest act of love?  If so, it can only be done through suffering in the world.

We don’t know

Biblically speaking, pain and suffering are the results of sin in the world. Adam, who represented all humanity as well as creation, rebelled against God and brought suffering into the world. This sin is more than simple rebellion and breaking of God’s law. It is an offense against a holy God. Sin is permeating throughout all of God’s creation bringing imbalance, famine, earthquakes, disease, etc. This is not God creating things, but it is God who is allowing them to continue for his divine plan.  Ultimately, we can’t know all the reasons why God allows suffering, we just know that He does.

What does the Bible tell us that God has done about evil? It tells us that he sent to his son Jesus to die for our sins and to deliver us from pain and suffering. Ultimately, God is allowing evil in the world for a purpose, otherwise, he would not let it exist. Therefore, we must trust Him that He knows what He is doing.

Some people argue that God is man-made; that is, the concept of God is merely a human fabrication handed down through the generations from those who didn’t know any better. They claim that the idea of a God or gods is simply the way human beings explain things that are too difficult to understand. Some state that belief in the supernatural ignores science and embraces superstition. So, is the idea of God a fantasy based on ignorance and concocted by our forefathers before science proved it to be false?

No, God is not man-made; rather, God made man. Even sceptics’ agree that there is a beginning for every created thing, including man. So, in order for man to have a beginning, there must be a “first cause” that existed before him. Evolutionists argue that the first cause was an impersonal force, a “big bang,” that started the universe. But even that explanation leaves a lot of unanswered questions. The logical response to this line of thinking is, “What caused the Big Bang? What or who put those forces into motion?” No reasonable answer, outside of the Bible, has been offered.

The Bible starts with the fact of God in Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God . . . .” When we set aside prejudice, the Bible’s answer seems to be the most logical explanation for that first cause. In the beginning was God. He was not created and therefore needs no first cause. He has always been and always will be, apart from time and space (Psalm 90:2). He introduced Himself to Moses as I AM (Exodus 3:14). The meaning of His name signifies the eternal aspect of His nature. He always was and always will be the Eternal, Self-existent One (Revelation 1:8; 4:8).

A second consideration in the matter of whether or not God is man-made is the nature of God as He has revealed Himself through the pages of His Book. Many attributes of God are not those that human beings would necessarily think to include if they had invented Him. God’s character includes omniscience (Isaiah 46:9–10), omnipotence (2 Samuel 22:3; Psalm 18:2), patience (2 Peter 3:9), and consistency (Malachi 3:6). He is described as loving (Psalm 25:10), faithful (Psalm 31:23), and desirous of having a relationship with us (Jeremiah 29:13; James 4:8). But He is also perfectly just, and that justice requires payment for man’s high treason against his Creator (Zephaniah 3:5; Romans 6:23). Rather than hand down a list of requirements we must meet in order to gain His favor (as all other religions include), the God of the Bible took on human flesh, lived among us, and then allowed the people He created to torture Him to death while He forgave them (Luke 23:34; Philippians 2:5–11). That kind of selfless, sacrificial love is outside human experience and not present in any man-made religion. Grace is a concept exclusive to the God of the Bible.

Man-made gods are usually fashioned in the image of man. The gods of pagan cultures are fraught with flaws, inconsistencies, and human-like weaknesses. They are petty, selfish, cruel, and capricious; in short, they behave as man-made gods would behave, with the same sins and jealousies found in the human heart. In order for God to be man-made, His nature could only extend as far as man’s imagination. The God of the Bible far surpasses our understanding, yet He leaves hints, like a trail of spiritual breadcrumbs, for us to follow as we come to know Him better.

A third point to consider in the matter of whether or not God is man-made is the spiritual quality of the human soul. Every human being is unique and possesses an innate sense of “me.” We have an inborn understanding of the eternal (Ecclesiastes 3:11) and the sense that there is more beyond this world. Genesis 1:27 says that human beings were fashioned in the image of God; Colossians 1:16 says we were created for His purposes and His pleasure. We were created like Him in some ways, but He is not necessarily like us (Numbers 23:19). If God were merely a human fabrication, then many new questions arise: What makes human beings different from animals? Where do humans get the ideas of justice, benevolence, self-sacrifice, and love—abstract qualities not found in the animal kingdom? Such traits, found in every culture in the world, would never have survived the evolutionary process. However, when we see those traits showcased within the character of God Himself, we understand why we possess them.

Another consideration in the matter of whether or not God is man-made is the trustworthiness of the Bible. In order to contend that God does not exist, one must deal with the accuracy of the Book that tells about Him. Within the pages of the Bible, God has revealed Himself to us and given us hundreds of examples of His dealings with man through the centuries. Many who staunchly argue against the reality of God are also blindly ignorant about the Bible. They often claim it is “an ancient book written by a bunch of Jews.” Statements like that demonstrate the flawed foundation upon which they have constructed their arguments. The Bible is a collection of books written by over 40 different authors, over a 1,500-year time span, from three continents, and in three different languages. Yet it weaves together the pieces of a single story like a jigsaw puzzle fits together. The Bible is God’s story of His relentless pursuit to redeem His fallen creation.

Those who believe that the idea of God is man-made must also consider the manner in which the Bible portrays mankind, especially the Jews. If the Jews wrote the Bible to honour themselves, they failed miserably. Even the Lord Himself is clear that He chose the Israelites for His own reasons, not because they were deserving of special treatment (Deuteronomy 7:7). The failures of the Israelite nation are showcased again and again, right up to the crucifixion of the Son of God (Isaiah 65:2; Mark 15:9–15). Humanity is portrayed realistically, complete with sin, rebellion, and punishment. No group or individual is exalted. This raises the obvious question: if man fabricated the idea of God, what was his motive? Throughout the Old and New Testaments, the only hero is God. Rather than pave the way for personal gain, the truths of the Bible lead to self-sacrifice and surrender. Rather than instruct us how to earn God’s favour, the Bible warns us that no one is righteous (Romans 3:10, 23). Throughout history, those proclaiming the Bible’s truths have been martyred, stoned, and driven into hiding (1 Kings 19:10; Acts 7:58; 2 Corinthians 11:25).

If the idea of God is man-made, then there is no God, really, and the biggest question left unanswered relates to the complexity and apparent design of the universe. A single strand of DNA shows such intricate brilliance that random chance cannot come close to explaining it. Beyond that, the billions of perfectly synchronized atoms, molecules, systems, and universes shout to us about a Designer. Removing God from the realm of possible explanations gives rise to many unanswerable questions. No other explanation makes sense. Theories abound, but none can claim definitive scientific evidence for the startling harmonization of the universe’s complexity. Even Charles Darwin had to admit, “To suppose that the eye, with all its inimitable contrivances for adjusting the focus to different distances, for admitting different amounts of light, and for the correction of spherical and chromatic aberration, could have been formed by natural selection, seems, I freely confess, absurd in the highest possible degree” (The Origin of Species, J. M. Dent & Sons, Ltd., London, 1971, p. 167).

We cannot simply remove the idea of God without replacing that idea with a more reasonable explanation. Questions do not disappear by eliminating the possibility of God. However, when we remove the prejudices and presuppositions that refuse to allow God to be considered, He remains the only logical explanation for this amazing world. Those who have decided that God cannot exist build their worldview around that idea and pretend that their fallible answers fill in the blanks. Denial of God is a strong, almost religious assumption that taints their so-called search for truth. However, those who truly desire to be open-minded and pursue truth wherever it may lead find that the evidence always leads to God.