The Purpose of Suffering (R. C. Sproul)

“The war begins in the mind. Hostilities break out when people come to different conclusions on how to live.” – R. C. Sproul

With the Christian, all things are working toward our good and God’s glory, even when we do not have the answers. Eventually, this temporal pain will be just a vapor, and then gone. We do not need to live thinking suffering is all for nothing.

I’ve reworded somethings given in this message into questions to encourage you to view the video. Points given by R. C. Sproul

Senseless Tragedy – why is this an oxymoron?
A senseless tragedy is not compatible with a Christian thought, why?
Nothing that happens is senseless
Teleology – end goal or purpose
The question that remains out of bounds is the question of why?
What do Christians not allow to take place in their life?
Can we read God’s mind?
Can we give a reason for tragedies?
Could tragedy be an act of judgment?
John Ch. 9 – a man is blind from birth, who sinned him or his parents?
Either Or Fallacy, what is it?
There is a connection between sin and tragedy, but that is not always the case
Connection of John Ch. 9 and Job’s friends
There are times God will use pain as judgment
We cannot assume there is always a correlation between pain and sin
We should not rush to judgment
Ultimately, there are no tragedies with God. Christians, the pain is temporal, not to be compared with glory that is to come.

Check Out: The Purpose of Suffering When Worlds Collide by R. C. Sproul

The Gospel Message– The Gospel message is good news, which means there’s bad news. We all are sinners and condemned. We all deserve the just punishment of God’s wrath. Christianity is unlike any other religion because we cannot earn our way into Heaven. God saw the weakness of man and his utter depravity. Yet, He showed us grace. Jesus, God, One Person of the Trinity, became God in the flesh, the God-Man. He was always perfect and sinless. And His humanity was perfected on the cross, living the full sinless life. He became our atonement sacrifice. Dying in our place, taking on the wrath of God upon Himself. He died on the cross, and He was resurrected because death could not hold Him. Jesus is the answer. We, as guilty sinners, need His blood to pay off our debt of sin. For all who put their faith in Him – meaning eyes are opened to the Gospel, we see ourselves as a sinner, we see the need for Christ, we desire our Savior, and we see the ugliness of our sin. Putting our faith in Jesus, we seek HIs forgiveness and repent from our sins, we turn away from our old way of life. We, through the work of the Holy Spirit, continue to become convicted of sin daily. Our eyes will never be the same again. We see things in a different light, and the truth of Christ affects how we live and serve Him. Christ tells us to count the cost. Salvation is a serious topic, it is not to be taken lightly. For a breakdown of this powerful message, understanding how Christ could be God and Man, why God required sacrifices, and more -please see: Why Did A Loving God Kill His Son? (Does God Hate?)

If you think you know the Gospel, check out these questions and see how prepared you are for the day someone might ask you why you believe: The Gospel Challenge (30 Question Quiz) – Are You Ready To Defend Your Faith?