VICTORY VS SUFFERING
Contemporary American folk theology is enamored with the theme of God’s victory. From nearly every pulpit in the last two years I have heard the resounding note of triumph and victory preached. Jesus will help you conquer _____ (fill in the blank). God will bless you with ________ (name your own desire). God is superior to ________ (fill in your current struggle).
Without question, the Scriptures proclaim the Good News that Jesus is victorious over sin, death, and the devil. We who believe have read the last page and know that in the end Satan is defeated and God reigns victoriously. All that is true. But what is strikingly neglected in the vast majority of American preaching in our generation is the other predominant theme of Holy Scripture, namely the reality of our suffering. Note the following verses as exemplars:
“For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered” (Ps 44:22).
“In this world you will have trouble” (Jn 16:33)
“We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22)
“In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life will be persecuted. . .” (II Tim 3:12)
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised” (Job 1:21).
The preacher who does not balance their proclamation with the truth of these verses does the congregation a disservice. And, I would strongly argue, such preaching harms our collective witness to nonbelievers. A life of faith is just as marked by suffering as any other human life. The preacher in Ecclesiastes says it best, “the rain falls on the just and the unjust alike.” The consistent preaching of victory without the balanced recognition of our inescapable suffering rings hollow, even false. It is not faithlessness to talk about our suffering. It is rather, a supreme act of faith and trust to publicly and courageously face our suffering head-on with trust in the One who will ultimately end all suffering forevermore. Christians should be known for spitting in the face of suffering and rolling up our sleeves and working to combat the suffering of our neighbors along with our own. What distinguishes Christianity from other world religions is that we do not turn a blind eye to suffering to focus on the romantic notions of panentheism and other untruthful optimisms.
Human life on this side of heaven is possessed of both triumph and tragedy, of victory and suffering. The Holy Scriptures tell this truth in a balanced way. Let us believers do likewise.
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