All Creation Groans, Pt. 3
Study Guide, August 3, 2025
Pastor Clay Olsen
One of the most indescribable realities of the Christian life is the wonder of the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit in our life. No doubt the Disciples were stunned when Jesus told them this: John 14:16-17- “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.” NASU And in these present days, in this ‘Church Age’, Jesus revealed that not only is our God our ‘Immanuel…God with us’, but our God is also the God who ‘Indwells us!’ When we ask Christ into our heart and life, He not only comes into our life, but by His Spirit, He unites His Spirit to our spirit. And thus, we not only now share in God’s own eternal life and Spirit, but God shares in our life and our spirit…and even…well, let’s let the Apostle Paul unveil this wonder to us.
1 Cor 6:19-20- “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.” NASU
Now, we revel in this truth, knowing that through our redemption in Christ that we fully belong to God, body, soul, and spirit. But even though the implications and the ramifications of this reality that God Himself has both united His Spirit with our reborn spirit and even indwells our physical body as His temple on Earth are beyond our understanding…thankfully, they are not beyond our trust and our hope. And one of the most wonderous implications of this directly relates to what we have been examining for a couple of studies now…and that is, the realty and the effects of suffering in our lives. In fact, it raises another question about suffering, for you see, since God now shares in both our spirit and our body, that means that whatever affects our spirit and our body also affects our God, who has united Himself to our spirit and actually does indwell our body as His temple.
Therefore, the often-asked question of ‘why does God allow suffering’ reaches an even higher and deeper question of ‘why does God allow Himself to suffer with us, and even in us?’ For this now means that, as children of God, since our life is forever shared with God, God now shares in whatever we are going through in our life. Oh yes, to be sure…God even shares in our sufferings.
Recall that before Paul’s conversion to Christ, he persecuted followers of Jesus, arresting and taking many to prison, even hounding some to death, as the Scriptures state. But then, on his way to Damascus, Jesus came to him. And do you remember what Jesus said to Paul? Acts 22:6-8- “But it happened that as I was on my way, approaching Damascus about noontime, a very bright light suddenly flashed from heaven all around me, and I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ And I answered, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said to me, ‘I am Jesus the Nazarene, whom you are persecuting.’ NASU
Jesus didn’t ask Saul why he was persecuting His people…Jesus asked him… “Why are you persecuting Me?” In Jesus’ union with His people and in His indwelling ministry in His people, whatever Jesus’ own people were going through in their sufferings of persecution, Jesus was going through their suffering as well…going through it with them!
This is a powerful truth, and a powerfully stunning truth, and a powerfully comforting truth to realize that whatever sufferings we have gone through or are going through or will go through, our God has gone through it with us or is going through it with us or will go through it with us. But again, why God allows Himself to suffer along with us in our sufferings adds an even further layer to the mystery of suffering.
But it’s not all mystery, because there are some things about suffering that God has already revealed to us that God intends to help us deal with what has not yet been revealed. And we have been reviewing many of those reasons for the existence of suffering in this fallen, broken, and cursed world. Which, even in saying this we see several reasons for the existence of suffering in this world. And yet, how amazing that there are still so many vestiges of beauty in the earth, and still so many experiences of comfort and joy in relationships, and still so many days of health and healings, and other enjoyments, in spite of living in a decaying and dying world. That in itself is a grand testament to the mercies and the graces of God that are new each morning! But we should think further, actually we should dwell most on what God has revealed about how our suffering affects our God.
In one of the most remarkable passages unveiling more about the Personhood of God, which we are also going to explore more about in the weeks ahead…but as the Prophet Isaiah is reminding the people about God’s works and ways with them over the years, he then reveals this to them: Isa 63:7-9- “I shall make mention of the lovingkindnesses of the Lord, the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord has granted us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which He has granted them according to His compassion and according to the abundance of His lovingkindnesses. For He said, “Surely, they are My people, Sons who will not deal falsely.” So He became their Savior. In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the angel of His presence saved them; in His love and in His mercy He redeemed them, and He lifted them and carried them all the days of old.” NASU
Again, this one of the most moving expressions of the compassionate love of God in the Old Testament. Contrary to some portrayals of God as distant and detached or unaffected by the plans and the plight of man, in many ways and in many places throughout the Scriptures God reveals His deep emotional bond with His people. God’s heart is a heart of a perfect parent…our perfect parent, our Heavenly Father, who feels more deeply and cares more deeply over the afflictions and sufferings of His children than any earthly parent ever could. And we know how deeply the suffering of children affects loving earthly parents. Multiply that exponentially about our Heavenly Father!
So, whenever the question of suffering in God’s people arises, just like we shared about the unfathomable love of God for us, we must reassure and remind ourselves and others of this great truth of God’s immeasurable compassion and care for His children, and this great truth that our Heavenly Father suffers right along with us…in fact, even more than us, for “In all our afflictions, our God is afflicted.” Thus, even when we don’t have a hold on the understanding of each instance of suffering, we can have a complete hold on this complete assurance that God cares even deeper about our suffering than even we do or even can. And we can also have a hold on our blessed hope, because Jesus Himself is our Blessed Hope, and thus, we can rest assured knowing that Jesus is working on whatever both He and we are going through in whatever instance of suffering that it is.
Now, to expand on some further ‘helps’ in better understanding the issue of suffering in this present world we must realize that there is another common misunderstanding and false assumption about the issue of suffering. And it is directly linked to this: Many unmet expectations in this life and world are due to so many unrealistic expectations about this life and world. Without a realistic understanding of what followers of Jesus may have to face in this world, you will carry unrealistic expectations of how life ought to be for you in this world. And unrealistic expectations create further unbiblical beliefs. And unbiblical beliefs create more and more inner conflicts…mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically…on top of whatever trial or suffering that you are facing. So as we have been emphasizing in our studies, our expectations about this world are to be those that God has told us to expect in and from this world. And in one of the clearest statements about what we are to expect, Jesus put it this way: John 16:33- “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” NASU
Notice what Jesus didn’t say. He didn’t say – “In this world you may have peace”. No, essentially Jesus said ‘In this world you will have tribulation…in this world you will have troubles…in this world you will have trials…in this world you will have sufferings…in this world you will have persecutions…it’s only IN ME that you may have peace.’ In other words, don’t look for peace in anything in this world because our peace is found only in a Person…the Person of Jesus Christ! Our peace is not found in our circumstances of life, but only in the life of our God and Savior. Our peace is not found in our possessions, or in our pleasures, or in our health, or in our talents, or in our abilities, or in our accomplishments, or in anything other than in the Person of Jesus Christ alone. And note, our peace is not even found in the answers to our ‘Whys’, but only in our trusting in ‘Who’…trusting in ‘Who’ it is that loves us with an everlasting love and is walking us through this world of sufferings and tribulations. Our peace is only found in our union with Jesus’ own eternal life and in resting in His presence and relying on His sufficient grace in our daily life and in His promises for our eternal days.
If you expect to find peace in anything else in this world, you are not living in the real world. In fact, what Jesus told us to expect in this world is tribulation…trials, troubles, struggles, sufferings. This is what Jesus told us to expect in this world, but, thankfully, He also told us what to expect in Him and from Him…peace, and courage, and hope, and the understanding that He has already overcome it all, and therefore, in time…so shall we…and yes, sometimes in this world, but all in the better world of our real Home. As overcomers with Christ, to be sure, we will overcome all tribulations, overcome all trials, overcome all sufferings, overcome all struggles…but, again, as long as we live in this world, we must be ready for either…either overcoming them now or going through them now.
And one of the clearest teachings that reveals to us that God’s people are to be prepared to be ready for either is from the chapter on the heroes of the faith in Hebrews 11. We have looked at that before, but it’s right here, in connection with these believer’s experience in this world that we clearly see what is possible for even faithful believers to experience in this fallen, broken, cursed, decaying, and dying world.
Notice: And the revelation starts with the examples of overcoming in their present times:
Heb 11:32-38- “And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection…”
But then the attention turns to the suffering parts…to the examples of saints going through sufferings in their present times. “…and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, (which history records happened to the Prophet Isaiah), they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground.”
So here we are shown two groups of believers, both in the ‘Heroes of the Faith’ chapter of Hebrews, both men and women of faith, both under the favor and graces and workings of God in their lives, both with no reasons that anything was wrong with their faith nor anything wrong with God’s working in their lives. But both had drastically different experiences in either overcoming the struggles they were facing or going through the sufferings they faced. No explanation is given as to why they were in the group they were in, other than that this world was not worthy of them…not worthy of having God’s people, the salt of the Earth and the lights of the world living in their midst. The thing is: Both sets of saints were Ready for Either. Which implies the next question for us – “Are you?” Are you Ready for Either?
What this passage does explain is the reality of this world in which we live, and it explains what the possibilities are for God’s people living in this world of tribulations and sufferings. The realistic possibilities are that even God’s people may have to face similar struggles and sufferings while traveling through this fallen, broken, cursed, decaying, and dying world. The realistic possibilities are that while traveling through this world of suffering, that a child of God will have to deal with fallen sinful people, will have to handle broken social structures, will have to exist in a cursed environment, will wrestle with decaying mortal physical bodies, and will minister to a lost and dying world. And in some of these settings the realistic possibilities are that you may experience things experienced by the first group of Heroes…great victories in battle, miraculous healings, and amazing escapes…or…or you may experience things experienced by the other group of Heroes…social persecution, physical persecution, destitution, physical sufferings, or even martyrdom. And the thing is, in either one, like with these Heroes, nothing will by wrong with your faith that cause it, nothing will be wrong with your works to bring it on, and certainly nothing will be wrong with God or with God’s works on your behalf.
So right there we do have several answers for the ‘whys’ about suffering that we can scratch off the list. We’ve scratched off the ‘why’ about God’s love…and the ‘why’ about God’s care…and the ‘why’ about God’s compassion – oh, it’s just the opposite really, as the Scriptures clearly reveal God’s very own passion for us…even His own suffering with us. And now we can scratch of that ‘why’ that’s often connected with thinking there must be something wrong in our faith…scratch that off! And we can especially scratch off any ‘why’ about there being something wrong with God’s works or God’s will. Never! Not even possible! So there is no mystery about any of those ‘whys’ in connection with suffering, as the Scriptures clearly answer all of those. And those answers are what we need to share with so many who have so many ‘whys’ about suffering.
We have more to explore even further in this last passage, but for now we clearly see, like with Job, when it comes to the issue of ‘suffering’, the more clearly you come to understand ‘Who’ God is and ‘who’ we are in relation to Him, our Perfect Eternal Parent, the more peace you will have about the ‘why’s of everything else in this life. For the better you understand the heart of your God, the more settled your hope will be that in time, in God’s time, you will come to better understand the reasons for everything else in your world…even about tribulations and sufferings. Plus, knowing ‘Who’ is with us in our sufferings, our Lord Jesus Christ, is what empowers us to go through any sufferings in this world as ‘Overcomers with us in Christ and Overcomers with Christ in us!’