All Creation Groans, Pt. 7
Study Guide, September 7, 2025
Pastor Clay Olsen
Since Sharon and I lived in South Dakota, a little story that happened in South Dakota caught my eye. While a family was traveling, they were using both their GPS for navigation and their Bible audio version for their Bible readings. Even though the GPS interrupted occasionally it didn’t distract them much until the time the audio version was going through the account of God leading the Israelites through the wilderness – “And the Lord said to Moses”…and then they heard: “in 2 miles, take Exit 110.”1 Never saw that in the Bible before…
We have been on a journey in our studies seeking to better understand an issue that for many is kind of like a ‘wilderness issue.’ It’s the issue of ‘Suffering.’ And fortunately, we do have a GPS to help us navigate through this wilderness of suffering. We have ‘God’s Promises Service.’ It’s when we know more about what God has promised, and even what God has not promised, that we can both better understand this wilderness issue of suffering and help others better understand it as well. So, let’s explore further.
And because we know that our great God is the God of all love, the God of all hope, the God of all comfort, and on and on, whenever the hurting and suffering people around us ask that universal question of ‘Why does God allow suffering?’ we really should always start with assuring them of God’s great love, and of His care, His compassion, and such…with something like: “Well, what we know for sure is that God cares about our suffering…God shares in our suffering…and God is delivering us in our suffering…delivering us either from our suffering or through our suffering, but delivering us for sure.” Again, those who are suffering are hurting and often confused, and so they need to be assured of our God’s great compassion for them. And then, if they really want to learn more about the reasons for suffering in this fallen and broken world, we can then share what we have been walking through together in our studies on ‘suffering’. But again, basically…be sure to reassure people with what we can know for sure.
For example, as we earlier stated, our deliverance is certain…whereas the timing of our deliverance is what is uncertain. So one thing we have pointed out before is that we must trust God with the timing…trusting is in our hands, but timing is in God’s hands. Remember, the Psalmist revealed: Ps 31:15- “My times are in Your hand…” NASU
And then for those who really do want to know more about what we are to know more about, since we have God’s revelation on the reality of all issues that we face in this world, we can share what we have learned from the Scriptures concerning the issue of suffering. However, also realize this: Many people around us are not receptive to Biblical reality for explaining the reality of this world. We are to realize that a major reason that many people are not open or receptive to Biblical reality is because of man’s nature and habit of living in denial of reality.
For example: There is a Latin phrase that states: ‘Memento mori!’ The phrase means – ‘Remember that you must die.’ Stark as that may sound, it was simply a common practice in ancient times to remind people of their mortality. And by reminding others of the reality of their mortality it provoked them to make the most of their remaining days. That reminds us of the Psalmist’s exhortation to us of Ps 90:12- “So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom.” NASU This brevity of life is a daily call to us to daily call upon our Creator and Redeemer in thanks for being our Lord and Savior and in consecration of worship and commitment to service. It’s a call for us to live in appreciation of the gift of eternal life in Christ rather than any expectation of how we think life ought to be in this temporal life.
The reality of mortality is a major theme of the Scriptures, and it has been a major theme throughout history. But it was never a stand-alone theme, because the Scriptures always connected it with the greater reality of ‘immortality.’ So mortality and immortality were both to be the constant reality that people lived with, and thought about, and talked about, and therefore both influenced them to live their lives in dealing with the one and preparing for the other.
But that practice has mostly become a lost art of living for much of our modern world of ‘Reality deniers.’ And this ‘lost art of living in reality’ has even influenced many well-meaning people to then live with false expectations about how life ought to be in this world. But, as we also mentioned before, if you live with false expectations, it just sets you up for more frustrations, more disappointments, discouragements, and perhaps even worse…a crisis of faith.
Many have walked away from God because they falsely believed that God promised them ‘Immunity’ in this world, when what God has promised His people is ‘Immortality’ in His world! Again, God has not promised ‘Immunity’ from trials, troubles, struggles, and sufferings in this world. God has promised us ‘Immortality’ and perfect health and joy in His world. But until we have immortality in all things we will not have immunity from all things. And some of those things include struggles and suffering because of living in a ‘mortal world.’ And struggles and suffering is part of what mortality means.
Again, what God has promised is that He has promised to deliver us either from all these things or through all these things. And God promises to one day remove our ‘mortality’ from us and to clothe us with ‘immortality!’ 1 Cor 15:53-57- “For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory. “O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” NASU
Suffering is never to be a question about God’s care…suffering is always to be a reminder of our mortality…And a reminder of our coming immortality! And all because of our victory in Jesus Christ…our victory over mortality!
Remember, mortality is the condition of everything in this world, from the planets and stars and galaxies to plants and animals and human beings. In my 1828 Noah Webster ‘pocket’ Dictionary…Mortality is defined as ‘being subject to death’ and ‘having the necessity of dying’ and the ‘irrevocability in the manner that must cause death.’ So again, ‘Memento mori!’ Remember that you must die.
So, mortality means not only being subject to death, but it also means being in the state of ‘Entropy’, as we previously pointed out. And ‘Entropy’ is the slow and ongoing process of decay. Biologically, entropy’ begins at conception. Actually, human life is the slow and ongoing process of decay. Remember the revelation…and we are not being redundant…we are purposefully repeating this from our previous studies…2 Cor 4:16- “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.” NASU So, embedded in the very meaning of ‘mortal’ is ‘suffering’….as ‘mortal’ includes… ‘wasting away, decaying, dying.’ Now, that might be a little depressing when someone asks you “How are you doing?” to always answer the question with “Oh, just wasting away, decaying, and dying”…how are you doing?” The conversation might just end there, too! But you would be entirely accurate in saying that because that is the reality of Mortality.
So the basic answer to “Why does God allow suffering?” is – “Because God allows us to be Mortal!” And mortality includes suffering…Every mortal human being is suffering…in various ways and degrees. Everyone is dying, but just at different rates. That’s why everyone’s only hope is only found in the Lord of Life, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! But for all mortals who are also God’s children, He is delivering them either from their suffering or through their suffering until they exchange their mortal bodies with immortal bodies, which will also then eliminate all bodily suffering for His children!
This is the powerful paradox and reality of life that we are to thoroughly understand as God’s children who are temporarily living in this mortal world. And of course, none of us likes thinking about our mortality, but we ought to love thinking about our coming immortality…and then let that motivate us to tell other mortal people how they too can be assured of becoming immortal in God’s coming world of immortality!
Who doesn’t love the idea of becoming ‘Immortal?’ ‘Immortality’ has been the quest of mortal man from the beginning of mankind. And there’s nothing wrong with this quest for immortality. It’s part of that hunger in the soul for the Creator and God of the soul. What’s wrong is that so many will not repent unto God in their quest for immortality. But as Jesus clearly stated: Luke 13:5- “I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” NASU
Throughout history people have been looking for the key to immortality. World religions are filled with that theme. Many movies have been filled with that theme. Many in science and medicine have been fixated on that theme…all the while the Scriptures have been proclaiming that there is no ‘key’ to immortality, because immortality is only found in a ‘Person’…the Person of Jesus Christ! No one needs a key to immortality and eternal life, but everyone needs a Savior in order to be given immortality and eternal life! Everyone needs the Savior Jesus Christ, for Jesus is the only Way, the only Truth, and the only Life in this mortal world and in the world of immortality ahead.
But when any mortal person neglects or rejects receiving the Lord of life, Jesus Christ, as their personal Lord and Savior, then when their mortal life ends, their soul will not be resurrected unto immortal life but will be resurrected unto immortal death…meaning immortal separation from their Creator and God. Revelation 20:14 calls it ‘the second death.’
Remember, it is important to know that both the saved and the unsaved will be resurrected. And ‘resurrection’ refers to the body that houses the soul. Note what Jesus said in John 5:28-29- “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth — those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.” NKJV Of course, the type of body the unsaved will have will be one that is fitted for existing in the land of Gehenna Hell. That was part of the warning that Jesus gave in Matt 10:28- “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” NKJV
The Apostle Paul also stated that both the saved and the unsaved will be resurrected. Acts 24:15- “I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust.” NKJV The Prophet Daniel also cited the resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous. Dan 12:2- “Many of those whose bodies lie dead and buried will rise up, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting disgrace.” NLT
So the Scriptures do reveal that the unsaved, too, will be resurrected and fitted with
a body that can live forever, or actually…fitted with a body that can ‘die forever’…as their existence is an eternal separation from God, and death essentially means ‘a separation.’ And that is another reason that Paul said to all: 2 Cor 6:2- “At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.” Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.” NLT
That’s why we exhort people so often to make sure of their relationship with God. One reality about ‘mortality’ is that we don’t live in ‘tomorrow’…we live in ‘today’. We don’t have ‘tomorrow’…what we have is that we only have ‘today’. You will always live in the ‘now’. We could actually call it ‘the eternal now’, because ‘now’… ‘today’ is what we have. When ‘tomorrow’ comes, it becomes ‘today’. That’s why everyone needs to make sure that you have a saved relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ today. Remember the Apostle James said: James 4:13-15-“Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” NASU
One clear message that comes from our mortality is that our mortality is a call for us to make sure that we have received the promise of immortality. And, again, the promise of immortality is received by receiving the Person who grants us immortality, grants us eternal life…our Lord Jesus Christ.
We still need to unpack some action steps concerning the issue of suffering. And we’ll do that in our studies ahead. But know that your sense of peace and repose in dealing with the reality of your mortality and suffering is found in the assurance that you can have of having eternal life even now in your born-again relationship with Jesus Christ. If you have any question about that relationship, remember, ‘Today is the day of Salvation.’ Be sure you have asked Jesus Christ to come into your life and be your personal Lord and Savior…while it’s still called ‘Today!’
- Linda Fishel, Reader’s Digest, August/September 2025, p. 18