Q2. Suffering and Decay

[Charles Sanger]

Jesus

[wifee]

2a) Jesus

[Ramon]

Q2. (Romans 8:17-22) In what ways was suffering Jesus' lot in life? Why do we suffer? Why does all creation seem to be suffering? What will signal the end of that downward cycle of suffering, decay, and death? Is there anything good to look forward to in this present life?

Answer:

1.In what ways was suffering Jesus' lot in life?

He was betrayed: Matthew 27:3- Then Judas, which had betrayed him

[rosegarden]

Q2. (Romans 8:17-22) In what ways was suffering Jesus' lot in life? Why do we suffer? Why does all creation seem to be suffering? What will signal the end of that downward cycle of suffering, decay, and death? Is there anything good to look forward to in this present life?

2. a. Because Jesus came in the flesh to die for mankind. He was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon Him and by His stripes we are healed. He was despised and rejected by men.

b. We suffer because of the curse brought on by the sin of Adam. We suffer in childbirth, pain, grief,rejection, persecution, sin in the world, struggling to pay for our homes, expenses, etc.

c. The ground was cursed, it would produce thorns and thistles, working by the sweat of our brow. Because of man's sin there is frustration, bondage, groaning...man has polluted the environment and made a real mess of things and not at all what the Lord originally created.

d. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.

e. The coming again of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the resurrection and redemption of our bodies where we will spend eternity with Him.

[ljmnkscart]

Jesus the Word came to earth to dwell among us; He came to redeem man who had sinned. And He came in the form of a human being. Heb 2:17-18 (NLT) tells us "Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. 18 Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested"

And Heb 4:15 says " This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin." Jesus lived as a human so that He could be tempted as we are and be an advocate for us when we cry out to God knowing what we go through as humans.

We and creation both suffer because of Adam's decision to eat of the fruit of the tree when God told him not to do so. Because of that sin God had to make good on His word that from that moment man would decay(decay is like a slow death) and die and not only man but the whole creation. Gen 2: 17 "but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die." We suffer because it is the consequence of sin. All suffering is an opportunity for God to use to have us look to Him for His help, to have us depend on Him. We suffer because Phil 1:29 says "For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him." And the suffering is not limited to us; the whole creation moans. "Hosea 4:3 says "Because of this the land mourns, and all who live in it waste away; the beasts of the field and the birds of the air and the fish of the sea are dying."

We only have life through Jesus Christ. Once we acknowledge Him as our Lord and Savior we have eternal life. We can look forward to the day that our physical bodies will be changed and the glory that will be revealed in us. Romans 8:18. And verse 21 tells us that all creation is doing the same thing, looking forward to the day when its death and decay will end.

[Guitar Jim]

Q2. (Romans 8:17-22) In what ways was suffering Jesus' lot in life?

Jesus was born to die . . for us, for all creation. God is a holy god who can't look upon sin simply because He is holy. Because sin is present in all creation and because God lovingly desires to restore the relationship between creation and Himself he provided the perfect Sacrifice to atone for the sins of the world since the fall of man, and creation . . . His only Son (in effect Himself, since Jesus IS God) This is something we take for granted and our minds can't fully grasp.

Why do we suffer?

Everyone suffers. There are no exceptions. The fall of man brought that about. We Christians, in addition, suffer for our faith to some degree or another. There are no exceptions to that either.

Why does all creation seem to be suffering?

Because of sin. Mankind's fall from Grace at creation corrupted everything. Sin now reigns in the world, subject of course to God's sovereign will and to God's celestial timetable.

What will signal the end of that downward cycle of suffering, decay, and death?

Christ's second coming. Even then there will still be suffering decay and death until God's entire plan for mankind and the world comes to fruition. Once Jesus has defeated ALL of God's enemies and God has placed them all as a footstool for His feet, God's Kingdom will once again be in harmony with God.

Is there anything good to look forward to in this present life?

Certainly. The salvation of our families and friends and the promise of Jesus' return.

[Barbara A. Lee]

Q2. (Romans 8:17-22) In what ways was suffering Jesus' lot in life? Why do we suffer? Why does all creation seem to be suffering? What will signal the end of that downward cycle of suffering, decay, and death? Is there anything good to look forward to in this present life?

Even before Jesus went to the Cross He suffered.People ridiculed Him. We even do so today. He laid is life down so that man would be free; all He did was heal people.

We suffer because we have no or very little faith.

Again all of creation is suffering because of the lack of faith. Until we bring about a revival and even then there will be suffering. the whole earth will not be saved...

The downward spiral to the suffering will be the 2nd coming of Christ.

The one thing we have to look forward to si the second coming of Christ...The world will be made new...

[pastor neal]

Q2. (Romans 8:17-22) In what ways was suffering Jesus' lot in life? Why do we suffer? Why does all creation seem to be suffering? What will signal the end of that downward cycle of suffering, decay, and death? Is there anything good to look forward to in this present life?

. Earnest expectations of creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the Sons of god.

. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who suffered "it" in hope.

. We suffer so that we, too, may share in His glory.

. The entire creation seems to be suffering because the world fell following the sinning of Adam and Eve.

. The creation will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of children of God.

[ross_laoshi]

Q2. (Romans 8:17-22) In what ways was suffering Jesus' lot in life? Why do we suffer? Why does all creation seem to be suffering? What will signal the end of that downward cycle of suffering, decay, and death? Is there anything good to look forward to in this present life?

Jesus suffered because he was in a human body like ours and was tempted, got tired, lived in a fallen world surrounded by sin, sickness and suffering humanity. He also suffered because he was opposed by the devil and the unbelievers especially the Pharisees and Saducees.

All creation is suffering because of the curse from God placed on the creation at the fall of man in the garden of Eden.

The signs mentioned in Matt 24 and Revelation will signal the end of this age of suffering and the return of Christ and the final judgment.

In this life we can look forward to the heavenly kingdom.

[Janissi]

(Romans 8:17-22) In what ways was suffering Jesus' lot in life? Because He is the Son of God, when He walked this earth, He was sinless. Because He was a sinless man in a sinful world, a world that was an enemy of His/God's, He suffered because of it. His suffering was being shunned, rejected, lied on, misunderstood, and He was hated. Why? All because of us. Because He took on my/our sin, He had to pay the ultimate price.

Why do we suffer? We suffer for all kinds of reasons. We suffer because we share in Christ's suffering. We suffer for our faith because they hated Him, they'll hate us. We suffer because we live in a fallen world. We suffer because of the first Adam.

Why does all creation seem to be suffering? Because of the Adam and Eve's disobedience. Rebellion against God and the sinful nature of mankind creates all kinds of havoc on creation. The ground was cursed.

What will signal the end of that downward cycle of suffering, decay, and death? I would say, vs. 19: The manifestation of the sons of God.

Is there anything good to look forward to in this present life? Yes! We life for Christ, and while we will suffer, we also have work to do. We will glorify God, and that's something good to look forward to!

[awylie1949@yahoo.co.uk]

Jesus suffered because He was not accepted, He was misunderstood, rejected, ridiculed, mocked and people tried to trap Him and His disciples ran away. In the beginning God made everything good but Adam and Eve listened to the serpent who is out to destroy and they fell which brought the whole curse on mankind and the world. When Jesus comes and we are resurrected. We look forward to unbroken communion with Him if we abide in Him

[Debbe]

Q2. (Romans 8:17-22) In what ways was suffering Jesus' lot in life? Why do we suffer? Why does all creation seem to be suffering? What will signal the end of that downward cycle of suffering, decay, and death? Is there anything good to look forward to in this present life?

Jesus took our punishment upon Himself. His purpose was to come and die as a perfect sacrifice. We suffer because of our fallen state, and creation is suffering because of a curse caused by disobedience. The signal of the end of decay and death will be Christ's return. There is however, good to look forward to in this present life. We can have a personal relationship our Lord and Savior , Jesus Christ. We can enjoy fellowship with Him and fellow believers as we anticipate His return.

[lighthouse2014]

Q2. (Romans 8:17-22) In what ways was suffering Jesus' lot in life? Why do we suffer? Why does all creation seem to be suffering? What will signal the end of that downward cycle of suffering, decay, and death? Is there anything good to look forward to in this present life?

Suffering in Jesus life here on earth was the only way the bondage of sin could be broken. Sin was an offence against God's Holy Law, only God could provide a sacrifice or a propitiation way back to Him, man was sinful and incapable of pleasing God. By His suffering, He took upon Himself the penalty of sin which should been for us.

We suffer in this life because like Christ suffering we also suffer, however, believers we may be, we still have problems like everyone else. Believing in Christ does not mean we have a care free life, we have faith that through His suffering, death and resurrection we are free from the bondage of sin and will reign with Him in the Kingdom of heaven.

Adam and Eve were to be caretakers of God's creation, when they disobeyed God's command in the garden of Eden all creation was also cursed. Man would now have to tile the soil to grow food, but now it would also produce thorns and thistles, plant life would decay, woman would now have pain in child birth and in death would return to dust from which they were created.

When the sons and daughters of Christ are revealed, then all creation will rejoice and be released from the curse God had put all things under.

The future for all the children of those believing in Christ will rejoice, because our redeemed bodies will be complete and all creation will return back to the way God had created it in the beginning of time.      

[WinstonY]

Q2. (Romans 8:17-22) In what ways was suffering Jesus' lot in life? Why do we suffer? Why does all creation seem to be suffering? What will signal the end of that downward cycle of suffering, decay, and death? Is there anything good to look forward to in this present life?

 

"Who has believed what we have heard?" cries Isaiah in 53.1a. What has  been heard? Isaiah is in the midst of telling of the suffering and anguish of the messiah, the suffering servant. Are we not all surprised of the role the anointed of the Lord must play?  we also must suffer as followers of jesus. It is  our lot. It is our role. Today in North America we are not persecuted severely but we have the pressure of modern commercial world system that encourages us to abandon our ethics and turn to commercialization. The flesh calls for us to give in  to the pressure and it is not always easy. People in other parts of the world however are physically persecuted by the system. Many are poverty stricken by the modern system and are barely able to survive. But Isaiah writes "Out of his anguish he shall see the light." We also in our anguish shall see the light of the resurrection of Jesus and we also see in Him our own resurrection on the last day. 

Karl Barth writes " Participation in suffering means to suffer in Christ,  to encounter God as did Jeremiah and Job encountered him; to see him in the tempest, to apprehend him as Light in the darkness, to love him when we only feel the roughness of His Hand."(epistle to the Romans, 302) He continues "Our present human existence- -- is overshadowed by suffering, as by a dark mantle, by a drawn sword, by an overshadowing wall.""(302) But what of this suffering? Is it futile? Barth answers "In the Spirit, suffering endured and apprehended, can become our advance to the glory of God. ...This apprehension of God in suffering, is God's action in us."(302)Thus according to Barth there is purpose in our suffering as we participate in the suffering of the Lord. what greater privilege can humans have than to suffer for the Lord. In medieval times the kings lords and knights felt privileged to fight and day for their earthly king. How much more should we glory in suffering with and for the Lord for suffering "...is also the guarantee that we are the children of God and, as such, heirs of his glory.  Thus this is what we can look forward to in this life- the glory of the kingdom which we experience in this world and the next. In this world in spite of suffering we are able  to experience the joy of the Lord though the work of the Holy spirit who is also a guarantor of our glory in  the world to come. 

The end of this cycle of suffering is only to be ended by the coming of the day of the Lord. This day seems to be two fold. Firstly,  the day of our mortal death and the transfiguration of our bodies and spirits to that of the new creation in Christ and secondly in the day of the New Creation when the new Jerusalem shall come down from heaven to this tortured earth. This is the way of the Lord. 

 

 

[Uncle Dave]

Q2. (Romans 8:17-22) In what ways was suffering Jesus' lot in life? Why do we suffer? Why does all creation seem to be suffering? What will signal the end of that downward cycle of suffering, decay, and death? Is there anything good to look forward to in this present life? 

Jesus suffered an agonizing death which included a severe flogging, which was for man’s healing and also he suffered intensely on the cross to pay the sin debt for ALL of mankind. We suffer because it reminds us of the fact we need Jesus and it increases our faith in Him. All of creation, however appears to be suffering because of it’s fallen state. The end of that cycle of suffering will end when Jesus returns for His church. It is interesting that the words “cataclysmic implications” was used because I my mind often goes to a verse in II Peter when I think of this event: But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up (2Peter 3:10). That pretty much sums up creation as we know it. Of course, there is something to look forward to, it is that day when Jesus does return. Maybe we’ll be in the first batch to go up (the dead in Christ), but we do have that to look forward to. What could be better?

 

 

[Lottie]

Q2. (Romans 8:17-22) In what ways was suffering Jesus' lot in life? Why do we suffer? Why does all creation seem to be suffering? What will signal the end of that downward cycle of suffering, decay, and death? Is there anything good to look forward to in this present life?

Jesus' lot in life was suffering because He chose to come to earth and live as one of us so He could sympathize with us in our struggles. He struggled with being misunderstood and mocked and made fun of among His own family and people. He suffered when He was crucified on the cross for us.

We suffer from Adam's fall and we are all sinful beings and suffer with pain, loss, agony and other things. We suffer when we make bad mistakes and hurt others.

Creation suffers because of the ground being cursed when Adam and Eve sinned. Jesus return to the earth will signal the end of creation's suffering, decay and death. He will make a new heaven and earth.

Yes we have to look forward to a new heaven and a new earth. Where there will be no more sufferings or death.  

[Godswriter]

Q2. (Romans 8:17-22) In what ways was suffering Jesus' lot in life? Why do we suffer? Why does all creation seem to be suffering? What will signal the end of that downward cycle of suffering, decay, and death? Is there anything good to look forward to in this present life?

He suffered rejection, betrayal, separation from His father, scorn from religious leaders, abandonment by disciples, whipped by cat of nine tails, wore a crown of thorns, mocked by soldiers while wearing a purple robe and hit with a reed, made to carry his own cross, had three spikes pounded in his ankles and wrists, had a sword thrust in his side, sweat blood and tears as he prayed. Creation all deals with it because of the fall of man. The end of it will be when the tribulation will come and we are raptured and then 1000 year reign and then everyone is judged according to their deeds. Yes heaven and the fact that Christ is coming back.

[Irmela]

Romans 8:17-22) In what ways was suffering Jesus' lot in life?

Isaiah 53 spells out in a nutshell how He was "received" in this world. This is what He came for, so that He could eventually liberate the world and man from the chains of death and decay. 

Why do we suffer?

Because of sin. 

Why does all creation seem to be suffering?

It suffers because it was in the clasp of sin. 

What will signal the end of that downward cycle of suffering, decay, and death?

Christ's return and revealing of the sons and daughters of God. 

Is there anything good to look forward to in this present life?

Yes, because Christ has come and paid the price of sin and death. Mankind has been set free. We can look forward to eternal life with God our Father. 

[Krissi]

Jesus came to earth to suffer as we do, to take our sins into Himself. 

We suffer because of the fall. All creation suffers or was tainted by the fall. Suffering isn't a topic that pastors like to discuss, these days, but it's real and pervasive. One of my devotionals, written by Lettie Cowman, centres on the theme of suffering. She doesn't cover up her pain, but explores it to learn what God has for her in suffering.  She finds comfort where it can be found and believes suffering has the effect of deepening one's spiritually. Her writings have helped me deal with my own suffering. 

Suffering can be the consequence of one's own bad decisions or behavior, but more often it's just circumstance. God is sovereign, however, and can flip the script on suffering if He chose to do so. God controls circumstance, that is. For most of us who suffer deeply, God has NOT chosen to alleviate our pain. Though He is with us as we suffer, He does not end our suffering. Why He allows suffering to continue unabated is a mystery to which God alone knows the answer.

Only the return of Christ and the restoration of the world to a pre-fallen state will eliminate suffering. In the interim, we will continue to suffer, some more than others.

At times, there seems to be nothing to look forward to in this life. The next life holds all comfort, not this one. "Come, Lord Jesus. Take me home."