Through Pain without Stain

Why does God allow pain, people often ask. Do we think that it is God's primary concern is to maky us happy? How about making us perfect! Our perfected souls are what brings the most glory unto Himself. If us being happy brought God the most glory, than He would do all that He possibly could to make us the happiest beings possible; but that is not how it works. When and how are people most glorified? Why, it is when they are honored, when people pay tribute to them, when they are regarded as a more worthy being.

But why does God allow pain? C.S. Lewis once said that "God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world." Pain wakes us up; it allows us to see things differently; it helps us to ask life's more important questions. Most of all, it makes us more aware of the result of sin: death.


Another question may be asked at this point: why does God allow good? I came across this verse while reading Romans 2, and it brilliantly answers this question: "do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?" (emphasis mine). Pain awakens us to God; goodness is meant to lead to repentance. Both pain and pleasure are meant to lead us to God. Fancy that.

I will again quote C.S. Lewis (you can never have too much Lewis): "God, who foresaw your tribulation, has specially armed you to go through it, not without pain but without stain." Pain is a crucible, meant to present the inbiber a more complete person in Christ. Without stain, without blemish, a closer-to-perfect being on the other side. "For to you it has been granted for Christ's sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake" (Phil. 1:29).


Praise be to God for being wiser than us, for suffering is His method of choice to achieve perfected followers. "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing" (James 1: 2-4). May we endure pain with joyful hearts, knowing that our suffering is meant to produce in us Christ-likeness.

God Fully-Clawed

"Fearing God? What are you talking about? God is love!" This is the rallying cry of the misinformed Christians of our day. Since "the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom," it would follow that having no fear of God would leave a person with no wisdom.

But doesn't fearing God mean being afraid of Him? Certainly not! Moses addresses the Israelites, right after delivering the ten commandments, and says, "do not be afraid; for God has come in order to test you, and in order that the fear of Him may remain with you, so that you may not sin" (Ex. 20:20). Do not be afraid. Fear God. These two propositions do not contradict. To be afraid seems to give the connotation of being unaware of consequences or the future, but to fear something, in this case, means that you know well and good what the consequences are. God makes us fully aware what our consequences will be for our sin: death. This fear we are to have for God includes reverence, honor, and respect [Heb. "yir'ah" - awesome or terrifying thing (object causing fear), respect, reverence, piety]. Were it not for Christ, this consequence of eternal seperation from God would be a reality for us all.

All of this to say that modern pagans, and even many Christians, have spent their lives judiciously and fervently declawing God, and in turn His church. Shirking the sharps pains of persecution, ridding ourselves of church purity, emphasizing God's love much more than His other attributes, the list goes on and on. Christians have got to think iconoclastically! We must constantly be vigilant in destroying heretical (wrong-thinking) views of God, and in their place, inserting orthodox (right-thinking) views of God. The ever-present heresy of our day and age is that God is not to be feared. May we rid ourselves of this in order to see God in a more orthodox way, one that honors His omnipotence and wrath toward sin.

Remember, Aslan is not a tame Lion.

Ok, we should fear God, but isn't He "safe?" Don't we know everything there is to know about Him? Don't we have Him in our back pocket? I can say it no better than Mr. Beaver, so I'll let him make response:

"Safe?" said Mr. Beaver. "Don't you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you.

Thank you, Mr. Beaver. Love, in and of itself...is an oxymoron. True love does not exist without fear and trembling and honor, all of which are immortal things. Let's get back to a more robust and honorable view of our King. God is love, certainly, but He also commands fear and trembling from all creation (Phil. 2:12, Heb. 12:21).