Now we come to the topic of sufferings. This topic is not connected to the topic in the previous chapter, nor is it related to the topic in the next chapter. Nevertheless, we need to consider this matter because believers encounter sufferings in this life.
In our experiences we know that there are sufferings in the world and that people encounter many misfortunes, but we often wonder why believers experience so many sufferings after they are saved. According to the Bible, these sufferings are related to three things.
1. “Because you...have eaten of the tree concerning which I commanded you, saying, You shall not eat of it; Cursed is the ground because of you; / In toil will you eat of it / All the days of your life. / And thorns and thistles will it bring forth for you... / By the sweat of your face / You will eat bread” (Gen. 3:17-19; see also Rom. 8:20-23).
When God created man, there was no such thing as sufferings. Man was in a peaceful and joyous environment created and prepared for him by God. Outwardly he lived in a paradise, and inwardly his heart was at rest. He did not have any anxious considerations about his living. Natural disasters, human accidents, sickness, pain, and even death did not exist. However, when man sinned and fell, his sin brought in God’s curse and with this curse, suffering. After man fell, God walked in the garden in the cool of the day (Gen. 3:8). The word cool literally means “breeze.” This word has deep significance. The garden of Eden was warm, but after the fall there was a cool breeze, indicating that man was no longer in harmony with God. Because man rebelled against God, broke His commandment, and ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, God and man came into conflict with one another, and with this conflict there were sufferings. Man brought these sufferings not only upon himself but also upon the land and all the creatures. God ordained man to be the head of all creation. When man was cursed, the creation that he represented also received the curse that was placed upon man. Consequently, the earth, which once worked for man and produced food for man without any hindrance, was cursed, and it became a source of trouble for man by growing thorns and thistles. Following the curse, man had to toil all the days of his life and eat bread by the sweat of his face in order to survive. Moreover, the entire creation was trapped in the slavery of corruption and began to groan and travail together in pain (Rom. 8:20-22). In this changed environment, the heart and body of man were also affected; his heart was no longer at rest, and his body was affected by sickness, weakness, and even death. With the corruption of creation, disharmony, conflict, and dangers arose. Thus, the initially peaceful and joyous earth became a place of suffering, a place full of disasters, accidents, distress, sickness, pain, and death. Thus, the fall of man, based on the sin of man, is the first cause of human suffering.
Romans 8:20-23 says very clearly that all creation is suffering because of the fall of man. The phrases in this portion provide a sense of desolation: subject to vanity, the slavery of corruption, the whole creation groans together, and we ourselves groan in ourselves. Man’s fall is the cause of this desolation, including vanity, corruption, and groaning. In addition, there are also labor and suffering. Because of the fall of man, all creation is under vanity and the slavery of corruption, and it is groaning and travailing. This corruption can be seen in iron, which rusts in a very short time, and in things that break quickly (Col. 2:22). Furthermore, as man lives, he becomes weaker, older, and sicker day by day until he dies. All these things are related to the corruption of creation. There is also vanity. The result of a piece of land or a house is vanity. Riches are vanity, and children also are vanity. All creation is subject to vanity, and vanity works together with corruption to enslave the whole creation, producing groaning and suffering among all creatures. Corruption and vanity are part of a natural law in the universe since the fall of man.
When a baby leaves its mother’s womb, a cry is its first sound. This is a natural condition of fallen humanity. It is quite rare for a child to be born laughing or for a person to die smiling. People are born crying, and they die crying. Today man tries to use all kinds of knowledge to improve human life, but man is still born crying and still dies crying. This is something that science cannot change. Man also cannot control the weather, and he cannot control his surroundings. Both of these limitations cause sufferings. Since the fall of man, human suffering is a natural condition of man.
Today mosquitoes and fleas bite people, flies harm people, and wild animals eat people. All creatures and human beings hurt and kill one another. This state of conflict is the result of man’s rebellion against God. As the representative of all creation before God, man brought all of creation into conflict with God through the fall. This produced discord at all levels of creation. In the millennial kingdom, when man submits to God’s authority, all creation will be brought into harmony. The wolf will live with the lamb, and the lion will be in the same herd as the calf. Children will lead them, and infants will play in the viper’s den. Nothing will harm man or other creatures because there will be no conflict between God and man (Isa. 11:6-9). Those who submit to God’s authority and who are at peace with God have the possibility of a foretaste of this condition. Over the centuries, some have not been touched by the dangers in creation brought about by the conflict between God and man. Daniel’s three friends, for example, were thrown into a blazing furnace of fire that was made seven times hotter than normal, but the fire had no effect on them (Dan. 3:19-27). Daniel himself was thrown into a lions’ den, but he was not bitten or eaten by the lions (6:16-24). The Lord Jesus was in the wilderness with wild animals for forty days and forty nights, but He was not harmed (Mark 1:13). Paul was bitten by a viper, but he suffered no harm (Acts 28:3-5). Many believers throughout the centuries have had experiences similar to Paul’s (Mark 16:18). When we submit to God’s authority and are in harmony with Him, some of the conflicts in creation brought in by man’s rebellion against God can be avoided.
God has an established order in the universe. God is over man, and man is over all the creatures. When man rebelled against God and was no longer in harmony with Him, the creatures under man rebelled against man and created troubles for him. The universe is in a state of chaos. This chaos is the source of suffering in the world today. Until this chaos is resolved, there will be sufferings in the world. As long as there is chaos in creation, there will be suffering as well. This has been a natural condition in the universe since the fall of man.
Even though, as believers, we are called out of fallen humanity, we still live on the earth and suffer from the consequences of its chaos. For example, we cannot avoid all the sufferings that come from natural disasters and sicknesses. Even if we have some deeper experiences of God’s salvation because of our faith, love, and holiness with sobriety (1 Tim. 2:15), we still live in the flesh in this age. Consequently, it is very difficult to be completely free of the sufferings related to the natural world or to avoid the inward groaning that is associated with these sufferings.