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Enjoying God Blog

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Yesterday I drew our attention to Paul’s exhortation to Timothy to “remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory” (2 Timothy 2:8-10). Continue reading . . .

Yesterday I drew our attention to Paul’s exhortation to Timothy to “remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory” (2 Timothy 2:8-10).

But something seems amiss. If Jesus is alive, if Jesus was truly raised from the dead and exalted to the right hand of the Father where he is ruling as sovereign Lord over all of heaven and earth, what in the world is Paul doing in prison? There’s something wrong with this picture! How can we say on the one hand that Jesus is the risen, living King over all things and on the other hand that his precious and prized and most preeminent apostle is languishing in chains in a filthy Roman dungeon, on the verge of having his head severed from his body by the tyrannical and sadistic Nero?

In other words, how can Paul say that the truth of Christ’s resurrection is gospel, that is to say, “good news” if it is on account of that very news that he is “bound with chains as a criminal” (v. 9a). I thought “good news” meant things like freedom and prosperity and robust health and a lot of friends and physical comfort. How can it be good news if it lands Paul in a dingy Roman dungeon? Paul, of course, answers this question in v. 10. There may well be suffering in this life for those who embrace and rely upon the gospel of Christ’s resurrection, but it secures for them “salvation” with “eternal glory” in the ages to come!

“But Sam, if Jesus is really alive, as you say, surely he would not permit his chosen apostle to suffer like this, much less die prematurely under such barbaric conditions. Surely, if Jesus is really alive, as you say, he would have the power and authority to orchestrate Paul’s pardon or would in some way secure his release so he could continue to proclaim the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.”

I think it was precisely because Paul was in prison and precisely because he knew that he would never be released that he directed Timothy’s attention and ours as well to Christ as risen. He wanted us to understand that no human demise, no earthly setback, no so-called crushing defeat at the hands of unbelievers could ever reverse God’s purposes or undo the accomplishment of the cross. The reason why the “Word” of God or the gospel is unchained and always flourishing and spreading is because the Christ, the Savior, of whom it speaks is very much alive!

Or again, the word of God is not bound because the Son of God is not dead!

3 Comments

But surely there is something better about the lack of suffering, rather than the presence of suffering. For much more time (the remainder of eternity, as incomprehensible as that is) will lack suffering, compared to these present sufferings (Romans 8:18). God did not choose for suffering to mark our eternal experience through heaven and in the new earth, implying that "not suffering" is better than "suffering." Therefore, if that's the case, then why have even temporal suffering once Christ is risen?

I'm led to believe that something important is happening in our present, temporary suffering that has eternal significance, but is not so important as to warrant the eternal presence of suffering. But I'm also led to ask why? If suffering is good at all (or can be put to a good use, or have a good end), then why shouldn't it exist forever? However, if it's bad enough to be done away with (and in fact, the length of time it will exist will pale in comparison to the length of time it doesn't exist on the new earth), then why wasn't it done away with the resurrection of Jesus?

Because Christ is Lord of the New Earth. We his church proclaim his death until he comes. It is the glory of the Church to be conformed to His sufferings, just as it is the glory of the Church (His Body) to partake of His glory when all corruption is removed.

"He wanted us to understand that no human demise, no earthly setback, no so-called crushing defeat at the hands of unbelievers could ever reverse God’s purposes or undo the accomplishment of the cross."

If this is true and important, then why doesn't it persist for all eternity? Why won't there be suffering on the new earth?

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