High on the list of objections to Christianity is the problem of evil and suffering. This is not particularly surprising, as one needs to only catch a glimpse of newspapers and news channels. They are brimming with reports of all manner of atrocities and disasters, natural and man-made alike. This ill does not spare any known category under the sun. Rich or poor. Educated or not so educated. Royal or plebeian. Male or female. Whatever category one considers, varying degrees of suffering cut across all strata of human existence. Even the wider set of (non-human) living things are not spared.
Some calamities can be attributed to visible causes, and are subsequently ‘explainable’, but others remain shrouded in mystery. To such grim reality, the Bible speaks. Not in mere intellectual rhetoric or trite religious platitudes, but empathetically and ultimately in Christ, a man of suffering and one familiar with pain (Isaiah 53:3).
For the Christian, suffering brings into focus the question of how an all-powerful, all loving God could possibly exist in the face of pervasive evil and suffering.
Depending on individual taste and appreciation of nature, upscale hotel lodgers – given the choice – are known to opt for rooms with a view. I suppose the rationale behind that choice is very understandable indeed – there’s something refreshingly captivating about gazing far into a beautiful horizon with no obstructions. In a moment, the viewer is transported right into the midst of majestic beauty and calmness, leaving behind the frazzle of a noisy and busy life. What could possibly be more enticing?
The Game-changer
Christians all over the world have just celebrated Easter, commemorating the death and resurrection of Christ. Given that this remembrance happens every year since that first Easter weekend hundreds of years ago, there’s a tendency to take for granted the significance of this history-defining event. It therefore bears recalling and retelling, for as the Apostle Paul asserts:
“And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.” 1 Cor. 15: 14 – 16
In other words, our faith hinges on the event of that first
Easter weekend!
Keeping an eternal perspective
The account of Jesus’ death and resurrection features not in isolation, but within a wider sweep of redemptive history, where God in His mercy is reconciling sinners to Himself. Our alienation from God as a result of sin was dealt with at the cross, and His wrath placated. As such, we no longer stand condemned – not now, not ever. Hallelujah, what a Saviour!
Admittedly, the reality of our present circumstances may tempt us to question how much of good news the gospel really is. But Paul again helps us put things in perspective:
“16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer selfis wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” 2 Cor. 4:16-18.
Whilst a lodger can temporarily revel in the joys of a hotel room with a transcendent view, the gospel offers us something more eternal. Because Christ has indeed been raised, our faith is not futile, and through that empty tomb, we are offered a view that changes everything both here and now, and in the life after.
Is it really true that we are what we eat? Leaving the detailed answer to that question to nutrition and medical experts, most people will readily admit that unhealthy food choices take a toll on our bodies. What we consume affects our bodies, and generally accounts for the state of our physical health.
Drawing a parallel between the physical and the spiritual, a person’s outlook on life results from what one ‘eats’, be it intentionally or not. Acquiring a biblical worldview is therefore an inevitable result of faithfully engaging with the Bible, i.e., having our perception of the world shaped by Biblical principles. Continue reading “Conforming or Transforming?”
I should wear my glasses regularly, but I rarely do. ‘Why?’, you may ask. I am living in denial. I really don’t want to accept that I need them, so I end up squinting around sometimes. I don’t think I’ll be getting away with this act of self-denial for much longer anyway, as the reality of my need is oh so undeniable, and I also recently received a reminder that I am due for an eye test. Continue reading “Helped to see”
