 Good morning and welcome everyone to our lecture today on BC 212, our course on Christian apologetics. I'm actually pre-recording this lecture because I'm going to be traveling this week. So this is a pre-recorded lecture. I thought I'll record one lesson, one lecture and then give you something to work on in the second lecture. I'm traveling this week, when it's due to Saturday, just ministering in another city at a conference. So let's just pray together before we get started. Father, we thank you for this opportunity to connect online and we thank you for everyone who are listening to this lecture or going to listen to this lecture. We just pray that Father that understanding and knowledge and revelation be brought into our hearts and maybe be drawn closer to you. Maybe be drawn closer to your heart, Father, even as we study and consider these things in Jesus name. Okay, we are getting into lesson number 15. So you could follow along on the PDF and I have this also open here. And you could, lesson number 15, we're going to spend some time talking about biblical understanding of suffering. So we are going to really try and address this important question about questions about suffering. Why is there suffering? And yeah, the common question people ask is if there is a good God, if God really cares about us, if God created everything, why is there so much sin and so much suffering in this world? What is God doing? Why isn't he just stepping in and sorting everything out and making everything good? Why does God allow so many things to continue on the earth? And what purpose does this serve? And you know, to add to the complexity of these questions, some people may even ask why do good people suffer bad things? Why do believers, people who love God, why do they suffer bad things? And so things can get really, really intense, really complex as we think about suffering itself. So we're going to do our best to give us a framework, a perspective on how to think about suffering and how we can address the questions that might come to us. You know, the things that we're going to learn obviously is not something we can speak to everybody. You know, it does require people who are willing to look into the scriptures and look at things from a biblical perspective. If that is not there, it's not going to be easy for us to explain all of these things to somebody who may not necessarily agree with what the scriptures teach us. But let's do our best and let us be clear on the basis of scripture why suffering happens. And some of the things that we're going to be looking at is we're going to address some areas. We're going to understand God's heart in the light of His original intent. We're going to look at that. We're going to look at the fact that suffering is a present reality. And we're going to then examine, you know, different reasons for suffering. What are some biblical reasons from the Bible? What can we understand? And so we'll outline several of those reasons and then get into some other questions and why do believers suffer and what should our minds be when we face suffering and do its persecution as well. So it's quite a lot of ground that we want to cover. We'll cover some ground today and then we'll continue this next week. Now, first and the most important thing for us is to understand the heart of God in the light of His original intent. That means let's look at what was God's original intent and therefore that will tell us the heart of God. Now what is God's heart? That's where we want to come from. Rather than assuming things based on what our experiences tells us and what we're observing around us, we need to try to understand the heart of God. So let's look at the original intent or when God first created everything. How were things? Genesis 1 and verse 3, one tells us that when God created everything, it was all good. There was no sin. There was no suffering. There was no pain. There was no sickness. There was no wickedness. It was all good. And we also see in Genesis 2,9 that in the garden, the God had placed man, there was a tree of life. And he told man, you can partake of the tree of life. You can eat of the tree of life. Now what is the tree of life? When we look in the book of Revelation, Revelation chapter 21, verses 1 to 4, also Revelation 22 verse 3, we see that the tree of life, the leaves of the tree of life are for the healing of the nations. That means it doesn't mean that there's going to be sickness and therefore they need to be healed, but rather it means that the tree of life is going to help keep people. And it's going to help sustain life strength holds and that's what it symbolizes and that's the purpose it serves. So in an environment where everything was perfect, that means there was no sickness, there was no pain, God placed the tree of life. And the purpose was to keep everything good, strong, healthy, whole. And so that's it. You can partake of this tree and in some way it served that purpose. But I think more importantly, it speaks to us of the fact that in an environment that was perfect, God had a way by which he would sustain that perfection, that wholeness, that health, that life, that place where there was no sickness and pain. So it is safe for us to conclude and obviously we conclude that suffering, pain, sorrow, tears and wish these were not part of God's original desire. It wasn't there in the God in the Eden and you don't see it also in Revelation that there are new heavens and the new earth, you don't see it. So it is not part of God's original intent for man and neither is it going to be something that man is going to continue on forever. Now in new heavens and new earth, it's going to be a place where there'll be no more suffering, pain, sorrow, tears or anguish. And so forth. Therefore, we can understand the heart of God. What is the heart of God? That God does not want these people to suffer. That is not the will of God. That is not the intent of God. If God wanted suffering to be a part of our experience, He would have put it right there in the garden of Eden before the fall. And if God thinks suffering is good for us, then He would definitely put it in the new heavens and the new earth. But it's not there in the garden and neither is it that He happens in the new earth. So that is not God's will for us. Suffering and pain and sorrow and tears is not part of God's intent for us. It's not something He considers as good for us. We can state that with absolute confidence. So we must be careful today as we are journeying in between the perfection in which things began and the perfection in which things will become. We are in between that. As we journey now through this imperfect world that there is pain, there is suffering. We should be careful that we do not accuse God for our pain and suffering. We must not accuse God for our pain and suffering. That's something we must not do. So how did suffering come in? Now we obviously are very aware of the fall of man. We know that Adam and Eve had no knowledge of evil. They did not have any predisposition to sin or to do evil, to harm, to hurt. They didn't have any of that. Lucifer had fallen. He had been cast out of heaven and he was looking for a place of entry into the earth. The earth was given to man. Psalm 115 verse 16. Man was in charge. Man was put into meaning on the earth. And Lucifer was trying to gain entrance here and he was trying to gain control of the earth. And we know what happened. He came in, he deceived Adam and Eve and he got them to disobey God. And through one man's disobedience, sin entered the world and through sin death gained entrance. So Romans 5 verse 12, for by one man sin came into this world and death passed on all men for all that have sinned. So one man's disobedience brought sin into this world and it brought death into this world. Now remember, neither sin nor everything that followed it, all kinds of evil. None of these were part of God's original intent. They were not part of God's original intent. So it came in because of Adam's disobedience, of sin or the fall of man. So we must keep that in mind that sin and all of its consequences, everything we are experiencing here today is not part of God's design, original design. Neither is it part of God's original intent. It's not part of his desire for you and me. It's not what God wanted for us. So we know from Scripture Jeremiah 20 chapter 9 verse 18 to 24 that it is God who executes loving kindness, justice and righteousness. So it's not God who's executing evil, but God works loving kindness, justice and righteousness on the earth. Now of course because of sin, God has to judge sin. God is a holy God. He's a just God and he has to judge sin. But even in that we can see the righteousness and the mercy of God, grace and truth being executed. Now as we think about suffering, having understood that background, it is also recognized that suffering is a present reality. So we can't deny it. We can't say, oh, there's no suffering or neither can we say for a believer there will be no suffering. No, even believers face suffering. Jesus said in John 1633, speaking to his own disciples, he said, in the world you will have tribulation. He's talking about himself. He says, in me you will have peace, but in the world you will have tribulation. So as believers we know that in Christ we can have peace, but we still have to live in this world and in this world that is going to be all of these suffering and pain and pressures and sin and hardship and persecution, all those things that we have. So we are in Christ and yet we're in this world. And so we are going to face these things and he said, be a good chair because I have overcome the world. He has overcome these things and so therefore we can walk with good chair. We can walk with that sense of joy, confidence, assurance, even though there is suffering all around us. Now, we are aware that we experience suffering in all three brands, so there is spiritual, there is emotional, there is physical. People can suffer spiritually, which sometimes is due to satanic oppression, bondage to sin and so on. People can suffer emotionally, which is a trouble in the area of the mind, emotions, oppression, depression, all kinds of things, and physically and all of these three are tightly coupled. So oftentimes suffering in one area affects the other areas and so on. So they're all interconnected. So the fact is we experience suffering in all three brands. I told, it's not like we will never face challenges in any of these areas. We will face challenges in all these areas and we need to learn how to face them, overcome them and still live victorious in the midst of all of these things. So what are some of the reasons for suffering? We're going to look at six of these reasons in this lesson. We might just start upon one or two of these in this lecture, but we just outline these six reasons and then we get into them as we progress. So the first reason we are going to look at is suffering due to the bondage of corruption. We'll explain what that means and we find this in Romans chapter 8. Second reason why they could be suffering is because of one's own actions. People do wrong things and they face the consequences of their own actions. They can be suffering due to satanic oppression. So there is a devil who attacks, who torments, who trespasses and it does evil things. He comes to steal, kill and destroy. Number four, there is a suffering due to other people's actions. So sometimes some people suffer because of the actions of other people. So our actions are intertwined many times and what some people do affects others and so they're suffering because of that. Suffering due to judgment and God and judges are wrong doing the reap of what we have sown. We suffer and they're suffering due to willing sacrifice. So some people are willing, make willing sacrifice and that sacrifice causes them to face suffering and your challenges. And that's another sixth reason we're going to look at. So let's go into each of these one by one in a little greater detail. Number one, suffering due to the bondage of corruption. For this, we're going to turn it on by books to Romans 8 chapter, verses 17 to 23, Romans 8, 17 to 23. The apostle Paul says here, and we are children that we are heirs, heirs of God and joined as with Christ. If indeed we suffer with them that they may also be glorified together. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was not subjective utility. For the creation was subject, sorry, verse 20, for the creation was subject to futility. Not willingly, but because of him who subjected it in hope. Because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pines until now. Not only that, but we also who have the first fruits of the spirit, even the ourselves grown within ourselves eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. So what is the apostle Paul telling us here in Romans chapter 8 verses 17 to 23? He says, look, we are heirs of God, we are joined as with Christ. So God has done such an amazing thing, but he would place us in this precious position of being heirs of God and joined as with Christ. We have such a wonderful place in Christ. And yet immediately he reminds us that though we are heirs of God and joined as with Christ, we are royalty yet we suffer with him. And that's the earthly part. That means here on earth, as we journey through this life, we are going to suffer. We're going to face hardships and all the other things that are around us. And then he begins to explain something to us. He tells us in verse 18 he says, yeah, you know, we are heirs of God, we are joined as with Christ, yet we're going to suffer and yet the suffering that we face here on earth, it pales in comparison to the glory that we are going to experience, that we are going to enjoy as heirs of God and joined as with Christ. And verse 19 he says, creation, all of creation is eagerly waiting and has an earnest expectation. That means creation is longing for, is looking forward to something and is looking forward to the revealing of the sons of God. So looking forward to this time when the sons of God, we are heirs of God and joined as with Christ will come forth, will be manifested, will be revealed. So creation is looking forward for that time, even creation is anticipating or eagerly looking forward to that time. What is happening right now? Verse 20. And why is creation looking forward to that? Verse 20. Creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him was subjected in hope. That means all of creation was put in subjection to futility. It is put in subjection to this present state of what seems so futile, what seems so empty, what seems so painful. All of creation was subjected to this. God let it go and God allowed creation to become subject to what we are seeing right now. And God did it not willingly, that was not the plan of God, that was not the will or the intent of God. But he let it go because he had a hope, he had a future, he knew that in the future this would be reversed. Creation will be brought out of this place of being in subjection to all of this vanity and the futility that we see around us. Verse 21. Because the creation itself will be delivered from the bondage of corruption. That means this coming a time when creation will be delivered will be brought out of this bondage of corruption. That means the right at present all of creation is in a state where it is subjected to futility. Or verse 21, it is in bondage to corruption. The word corruption means decay. It's a deviation from God's original design. So today creation is in a state of decay. It has deviated from the original design of God. So when God created everything, it was perfect. Everything was perfect, our bodies were never created to get old and die. That was not the way it was created. But today we know that our bodies do get old, they bear out and they die. They decay. Why? Because all of creation was subjected to futility. All of creation is under the bondage of corruption. So everything around us is in a corrupted state, meaning it's gone away from its original design. And God subjected it. It means God let it go, not willingly. It was not part of his original plan, but he let it go. So when we think of why is there suffering? This is something very important for us to understand. That all of creation has been in a state of decline. And it's been deviating from its original state of perfection, the order in which God created it. But for example, God did not create this earth to have earthquakes and tsunamis and pandemics and, you know, catastrophic weather conditions that are so destructive. God didn't create the earth like that. But the reason we are seeing all that happening is because all of these things are an expression of creation being in bondage to corruption. Creation has deviated from its original design. And therefore all these things are happening. So why are people born? Bodies are born deformed or babies are born with birth defects. And so many other things that we think of and say, how could these things be happening? How could God be creating, I mean, doing these things? No, God is not doing these things. These are the results. These things that we are seeing happening are the result of creation being in subject to corruption or being in bondage to corruption. It has deviated from its original design. And so we are seeing all of these things happening. Therefore, we must not blame God. We are seeing God created that person like that or God sent the tsunami or God sent the earthquake or God sent, you know, that very destructive thing that killed thousands of people. No, no, no, God didn't do it. These weather conditions or other things that we see happening are because all of creation is subject is in bondage to corruption. The good news is that God will reverse this as Paul writes here. The creation will be delivered from the bondage of corruption. Creation will be brought out to be set free from its present state of being in bondage to corruption. There is going to be new heavens and a new earth where that creation will not be in subject to corruption. It will not be in subject to futility. So there's going to be that time. And we see that, you know, written for us there in second Peter chapter three was 5 to 14 and also in Revelation 21 verse 1 to 5. So take some time to think about this. This is one reason why there is suffering in this world. Because all of creation came in subjection to decay, to decline, to deviation from its original state of perfection. And this causes the suffering, a lot of the suffering that we see and people experience around us. So think about that. And the next time when we read about an earthquake or a hurricane or a tsunami or volcanic eruption, that's just that's so destructive or fires that destroy acres and acres of forest and disrupt life and so on and so forth. We shouldn't look and blame God and say God is doing that. It's not because of God doing that. It's because creation has deviated from its original state of perfection. And this happened because of sin. When Adam sinned, everything here on earth was given over to imperfection. Death, which is a form of decay, set in into everything and got subjected it. Not because that was his will, but in hope or with the expectation or with the anticipation that all this will be redeemed and brought into a state of perfection. So I'm going to pause here for today. And that was the second one. We will pick up from point number two next week. But I want what I wanted to want you to do after the break, after this class first lecture break is I want you to spend some time looking at Romans eight, 17 to 23 very carefully. And also, please read through the entire passage of starting from second Corinthians chapter four was 16. And you read right through to second Corinthians chapter five verse five and study these, these are portions of scripture. And think about think about what is it telling us about the world in which we currently are that is the world after the fall. What is it telling us about that. And what is all what is it also telling us about the way things are going to be. Now some of these things we've already spoken up, but I want you to just study these two passages in the next lecture oven and think about these two things. What are the what are these passages tell us about the world in which we are currently. And what does it tell us second, what does it tell us about the way things are going to be. So if you want to you can just write it down or if you want to stick and ponder about it and meditate on it. Now, I want to just share a thought here and then we close the reason God has annoying one of the reasons why God has anointed us with the power of the Holy Spirit and given us the authority of the name of Jesus today. What is that through the power of the Holy Spirit. We can undo some of the effects of the bondage of corruption. What does that mean. You think about the Lord Jesus in its ministry. Think about the man in John chapter nine was born blind. Now why was he born blind. He said it's not his sin or his parents sin. Why was he born blind God didn't make him that way. The reason he was born blind is because of the bondage of corruption meaning everything in creation is deviated from its original design and so there are some were born blind. That's a defect. It's a deviation from original design. But what did Jesus do in that situation. He said we must work the works of God. We must do what God would do. And what did God do. He undid the effect of this bondage of corruption. He restored sight to this blind man. And so I want you to keep this thought in mind that you and I today as believers are unmounted by the Holy Spirit. To bring relief. To the effects of the bondage of corruption. I'm not saying we're going to solve everything. But like Jesus how we minister to certain individuals. He mentioned the people he healed them. He restored sight. He made the main hall. He made the lame to walk. Those who were born lame. He made them walk and deaf and dumb. He healed them. He was by the power of God reversing the effects of the bondage of corruption. So you and I can do the same thing. By the power of God. By the power of the Holy Spirit. We reverse the effects of the bondage of corruption. As we minister healing to people. And the power of God can do it. And so when we see these things. By the power of God and through faith in God and through the authority given to us in the name of Jesus. We confront these effects of the bondage of corruption. And we can undo it. And deal with it. So when you saw Jesus going on the boat. And there was this storm coming. Who sent the storm? Did God the Father send the storm? I said okay let me check my son out. And cause a storm on the sea. No. Why was there a storm on the sea? Did God create that? No. It is a result of what we call creation being a subjection to corruption. It's deviated from its original design. And so here comes the storm and the sea that could potentially destroy lives. What did Jesus do? Through faith in God. He countered that. He said peace, peace still. The winds, the waves calmed down. He turned to his disciples and he said where is your faith? So that's what we need. Our faith in God and the power of God will reverse the effects of bondage of corruption. Wherever we confront it. And as the Lord leads us to work against it. Right. So think about that. And let's wrap up. Thank you for your listening. Thank you for your patient listening. Let's pray and close. And the next lecture I'd request you to think through on these two passages that we just mentioned. Let's pray a little bit close. Father, we thank you for this time of learning for the insights that we were able to gain. And we pray that you give us understanding. And help us Lord to grasp these things and then meaningfully serve people and serve you and glorify you. Thank you Father in Jesus name. Amen. Thanks everyone. God bless each other the rest of your day.