God Doesn’t Suffer, But He Did Anyway

This is the first in a series of posts examining characteristics of God. Scholars call this Theology Proper. The point we are seeking to make clear is that what we believe about God is relevant to us today. Justin, the author of this post, lives what he preaches and his heart and mind are focused on helping the Church as a whole wrestle with these concepts and come to a clearer understanding of the God we live for and worship.

-----

Ring Ring…..Ring. Your familiar ringtone stirs you from peaceful sleep. Hello? You muster in a groggy voice. It’s your mom…she….she is in the hospital….they don’t think she has much time. You jolt up in your bed. The next few hours are nothing like you wanted them to be. You rush to throw on some clothes and get to the hospital, details flood in but none of it seems real. Life was perfect only a couple hours ago but now…this. You say goodbye as best as you know how. In the mix of emotions you yell at God and wonder how He let this happen. You want Him to be there. You want Him to fix this…to comfort you. Sure she is in heaven now but what about you? You are the one left with your dad and brother to deal with the aftermath. You are the one who has to live through Christmas without her, Thanksgiving without her, birthdays without her. Through the tears you may only be able to look towards the sky and wonder why.

Does God even care?

Does God suffer? You may have never asked this question, but it needs to be asked. How you decide to answer this question determines how much hope can be found in human suffering. You may have a few questions like:

What about Jesus on the cross? That looks a lot like suffering.

Doesn’t God suffer alongside me? That is how He comforts us isn’t it?

Does a suffering God mean a weaker God? Could an all-powerful God suffer?

Well, the answer may surprise you.


First off, we need to understand that suffering has a couple definitions. The one I’m guessing you think of first has to do with experiencing pain. The definition you may not have thought of means “to be subject to.” If anything else has power over you it could be said that you “suffered” under it. I’m going to ask you to think like a philosopher for a minute. If you are experiencing a painful event in your life you are suffering because it hurts and you are suffering because something beyond you causes you to hurt. The loss of a loved one is beyond you but it causes you pain. You could also talk about anyone who has authority over you as causing you to suffer because you are subject to them. People can suffer under the rule of a king. That doesn’t necessarily mean the suffering is painful. It could just be something or someone causing you to feel or act a certain way. We are going to focus on suffering as in being subject to something because that captures what is ultimately happening when you suffer in a painful way.



So, from here on out when you read “suffer” think “to be subject to” not “feeling pain.”

I believe if we want to understand how God suffers we need to look at the Cross.
(When I capitalize “Cross” I am talking about the event of Jesus’ crucifixion which includes the redemptive action of Jesus saving us by dying. Lowercase “cross” is about the physical wooden cross.)

So let me ask you this, who nailed Jesus to the cross? If the Jewish leaders did then God suffered or was subject to a group of humans. That doesn’t portray God as being all-powerful, especially since He made us. The same could be said if Rome did it. If Satan did it then that somehow would mean God was defeated by evil. That isn’t a good answer either.

So, who nailed Jesus to the cross?

God did! 

It was God’s will for Jesus to die on the cross.

The cross wasn’t a surprise to God. He knew it was coming because He planned it. Read the Old Testament. The cross has always been part of the plan.

Here’s the kicker:

God’s suffering is self-inflicted. 

God suffers only because He is a Trinity . God is the only being that can suffer by being subject to Himself. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit can subject each other to their wills. Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane said, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” (Luke 22:42 NIV84) The Son submitted to the will of the Father. That is why it says elsewhere, “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered.” (Hebrews 5:7-8 NIV84)

But what about the painful side? God only suffered in the painful sense once. I do believe Jesus felt pain when he was beaten, whipped, and nailed to the cross. I also think this suffering can be extended to the time Jesus spent on earth because he would get hungry, thirsty, hot and tired.

I believe that God suffered once to redeem suffering forever. 

Think of the rest of the New Testament. People do not talk about or experience suffering the same after Jesus dies. Think of the Israelites. When they suffered they cried out for God to save them. In the New Testament it is about enduring persecution because of the example of Jesus on the cross. Paul and Silas sang in prison and Stephen welcomed death at the hands of the Sanhedrin. Suffering is not the same.

We suffer with hope.

We suffer with God inside of us.

When we suffer God does not suffer again with us. If that were true God would always be suffering every time a human being went through suffering. I believe that for the Cross to be the powerful event that is was we need to talk about it that way. The Cross saved us and for that to be true it also needs to be the one time God suffered for all of humanity. We don’t recrucify Jesus every time we experience the pain of this world. Jesus suffered once to redeem the pain of this world.

Take this illustration, if a man is trapped in a burning building, what would be more helpful to him: His best friend trapped and suffering with him or a firefighter equipped to come in and get him out? In the face of suffering God is the firefighter. He will get you out because He already went through it.

I’m not trying to say that the suffering will be easier. I’m not saying the tears shouldn’t come but I am saying Jesus conquered suffering too. The image I want us to have in our minds when we suffer is not Jesus standing with us feeling the suffering too but our mighty King with nail pierced hands picking us up. He carries us when we cannot walk. The pain doesn’t harm Him. He is the Alpha and Omega. The Beginning and the End. He promised one day He will wipe away every tear from our eyes. We aren’t there yet but that doesn’t mean He won’t wipe away some of the tears now. Yes, the suffering still affects us, but it has no power over us. Death isn’t the end and persecution makes the church grow.

Christmas may always seem different without her there. Raising children without their Grandma will hurt but God will get you through it. The pain won’t stop your king. It can’t. He is bigger than your suffering yet close enough to be your strength.

 ----

This is an incredibly deep theological subject that has been summarized and simplified. For more information, these resources can help:

Keating, James F. and Thomas Joseph White. Ed. Divine Impassibility and the Mystery of Human Suffering. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2009.

Lister, Rob. God is Impassible and Impassioned: Toward a Theology of Divine Emotion. Wheaton: Crossway, 2013. Kindle Edition.

Weinandy, Thomas G. Does God Suffer? Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 2000.

-----

 

Justin Dewell 

is currently a student at Ozark Christian College studying New Testament Theology. He works as an assistant in the preaching department and in the library. He serves on staff at College Heights Christian Church for the College Age Ministry, and this summer is interning in Indianapolis at East 91st Street Christian Church. In his free time you can find him running, playing video games, or reading something by Andy Stanley. He wants to plant a church someday and by God's grace watch it grow.





* All views in this post are the author's and not necessarily that of Ozark Christian College, E91st Street Christian Church, College Heights Christian Church, or any other organization other than Inside and Overneath.