I normally get caught up thinking crazy things. But I must not be as crazy as I thought because I read a sermon by N.T. Wright and he actually said that Christ is the best answer to the problem of suffering and pain.

As I thought about this a little bit I started to see the point. God came down and suffered. That is nuts if you think about, I mean we always here it so it becomes old news or we jus don't stop and think. Just a rant! If anyone elses wants to add their comments they can.

In Christ,
Blake

Could you explain a bit more how Christ's crucifixion is a solution to the problem of evil? Sounds interesting...

I will have to find the link, it was in one of N.T. Wrights Sermons and he explains it a lot better than I could.

I dont know if it is a absolute answer but I think that it is a sign that Christians should NOT run away from pain and suffering I mean afterall we worship a Crucified and Risen Saviour!

P.S. As soon as I find the link I will post it.
By his Grace,
Blake

That would be cool! I wonder if I have seen it before...

I know that God on the cross certainly says something about God's attitude towards pain and suffering. God doesn't spend eternity aloof on the clouds somewhere. He becomes human and is willing to suffer the same pain and humiliation his creation does.

I actually saved it on to my computer! This was N.T. Wrights Sermon on the Trinity so it is near the bottom where he talks about the Crucifixtion.

Warmly in his Grace,
Blake Reas

I have not read Wright's sermon, but my guess is it would be consistent with my reading of Romans 3:21-26:

Romans 3:21-26 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it- 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Okay to me the crux of this passage is verse 26. The crucifixion is the place where all sin and evil is punished. "that he might be just and justifier of the one..." The POE states that if God is all powerful and loving, why is there evil, correct? Well in this verse we see that God's forebearance is not an escape for evil. All evil is defeated by Christ's finished work. So as far as I see it that God has allowed sin (I'm an infralapsarian) and then He ordained redemption. However, if he allowed sin and evil to exist without punishing it then it would impute unrighteousness to the Godhead, so in the Cross he imputes not just sin, but also evil to Christ, and thus we have Christ bearing the sins of the unredeemed as well as those who are found in Christ. This is a poor description of my take on it but I thought maybe I could give some food for thought here.

GP

The problem of evil is in the hearts of man!

Repent!

Jesus is coming soon!

Unless you remove the evil from your hearts, you have no hope!

The DARK KNIGHT has spoken!

The real problem evil does not lie with the question of where it comes from, rather the question the Christian should ask in the face of evil or suffering is, "What is God calling me to about it?"

Dark Knight:
The problem of evil is in the hearts of man!

Repent!

Jesus is coming soon!

Unless you remove the evil from your hearts, you have no hope!

The DARK KNIGHT has spoken!

Well speak a little more and define 'soon' as used please.


H

Hitch:
Well speak a little more and define 'soon' as used please.


H

As soon as He gets here!

Well that really was not very satisfying.

He is already here!

Dark Knight:


As soon as He gets here!

Unlike yours God's time references are meaningful.

Take care


Hitch

01-27-2003 @ 11:45 PM post located here
GrayPilgrim:


All evil is defeated by Christ's finished work.

Why then do we see evil today? Do you propose that when we become "in Christ", we no longer experience evil. I wouldn't necessarily disagree w/ you.

So as far as I see it that God has allowed sin (I'm an infralapsarian) and then He ordained redemption.

What is an infralapsarian? I assume that it is some degree of Calvinism as I have heard of supralapsarianism.

Is all sin and evil currently punished and are all people currently redeemed?

However, if he allowed sin and evil to exist without punishing it then it would impute unrighteousness to the Godhead,

Would it impute unrighteousness or a lack of justice? Or is a unrighteousness a result of a lack of justice? If you intended to mention an unrighteousness separate from a lack of justice, please explain how this works, i.e. how allowing sin to exist would make the Godhead unrighteous.

so in the Cross he imputes not just sin, but also evil to Christ,

and thus we have Christ bearing the sins of the unredeemed as well as those who are found in Christ.

If you believe that we have Christ bearing the sins of the unredeemed as well as those who are found in Christ, then do you believe that punishment of those people who are "unredeemed" is still waiting for those people, figuratively waiting of course, in hell? I guess I am asking you if you believe that the "unredeemed" will be punished. If so, what do you mean by "unredeemed"? And also, why would they be punished if Christ, who "bearing the sins of the unredeemed", was punished for those sins?

If you don't believe that they will be punished for these sins, then do you believe in universal salvation? If not, then I must be misinterpreting what you are saying. If this is the case, then could you re-explain what your point is? I am really interested as I am not too familiar w/ what I believe I am hearing.

Love and Respect