Some Christians believe that we should be immune to suffering and are very surprised when they experience it’s painful touch. D.A. Carson gives five reasons why he believes this is the case. This diagnostic might be helpful for each of us to consider in the face of past suffering, current suffering or suffering that will certainly grip us all in this short life. Here is his first reason:
We may get the balance of Scripture wrong. We remember the wonderful triumphs of Joseph, Gideon, and David; we meditate continuously on the miraculous healing of the man born blind, or on the resurrection of Lazarus. We are less inclined to think through the sufferings of Jeremiah, the constant ailments of Timothy, the illness of Trophimus, or the thorn in Paul’s flesh. A righteous man like Naboth perishes under trumped up charges (1 Kings 21). The “good guys” do not always win. We shall have occasion to return to such topics. For now it is enough to note that we may be infected by a pious version of the raw triumphalism that prevails in much of the surrounding culture because we have not taken care to follow the balance of Scripture.- D.A. Carson, How Long O Lord?, p. 25
3 comments:
I've heard that this book is good.
D.A. Carson spoke at our church in October of 2008 regarding this book. You can follow the link to his speaker page on Omaha Bible Church's website here:
http://www.omahabiblechurch.org/audio_files/speakers/speaker_detail?speakerId=ceqr0ewXKA4sJ_BDNEnf4Q
It was a wonderful conference and we certainly enjoyed the blessing of spending time with Mr. Carson.
Apostrophe alert. First paragraph. Sorry. It's all I can see in this post right now.
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