Subject: Suffering and God's providence |
Bible Note: Hi Atdcross, Let's back up a step before we talk about rape. You have said that "God does not bring suffering" (post 162232). In that you are "not against the concept of divine discipline", that is to say that you understand and agree that God will on occasion discipline His children as necessary? Is not discipline by nature what we would think of as painful (physically or otherwise), and is this not what the Bible portrays? (Heb 12 "He scourges every son He receives) Does not the use of "scourging" as an example of His discipline indicate what we would think of as severe suffering? Are God's hand's tied that He can only use suffering instigated at the hands of another (i.e. a criminal, or older brother) to bring discipline, or is God sovereign, restricted by no one, and can operate according to how He sees fit? Is not discipline a valid example of suffering, what we call suffering but actually for our good, coming direct from the hand of our God? Does this example not show that what is in our mind suffering is actually, in the eternal scheme, a blessing? What do you think? Love in Christ, Mark |