Comments on: The Paradox of Suffering http://www.joshbyers.com/the-paradox-of-suffering/ A Digital Playground of Fun and Frivolity Thu, 20 Nov 2008 18:03:56 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7-beta1 hourly 1 By: Karl Swedberg http://www.joshbyers.com/the-paradox-of-suffering/comment-page-1/#comment-41 Karl Swedberg Wed, 07 Dec 2005 22:21:00 +0000 http://www.byershome.com/?p=54#comment-41 Thanks for the thought-provoking entry, Josh. I'm glad that you emphasized the part about suffering <I>for Christ</I>, because this whole joy of suffering business can be very dangerous spiritually. As with most things, it's easy to let the suffering become an end in itself, a masochism of sorts, even an addiction. For Christians, one danger is the distortion of suffering into some kind of "works righteousness," to use a jargony Christian term. "dad" -- you raise a very interesting point about one of the Bible's thorniest (for me, at least) issues. I could be misreading your comment, so forgive me if I'm way off base, but it looks like you're saying that (a) We can only believe in God insofar as he grants us the ability to do so, (b) God has predetermined how much of this gift of faith He's going to give to each of us, and (c) our salvation is dependent on our faith. Can it be that for our salvation God requires of us something that only he can give us and that he has already -- since the beginning of time maybe -- determined whether he'll grant to us or withhold from us? It all seems a bit arbitrary to me. And yet, there's something in there that I do believe. Thanks for the thought-provoking entry, Josh. I’m glad that you emphasized the part about suffering for Christ, because this whole joy of suffering business can be very dangerous spiritually. As with most things, it’s easy to let the suffering become an end in itself, a masochism of sorts, even an addiction. For Christians, one danger is the distortion of suffering into some kind of “works righteousness,” to use a jargony Christian term.

“dad” — you raise a very interesting point about one of the Bible’s thorniest (for me, at least) issues. I could be misreading your comment, so forgive me if I’m way off base, but it looks like you’re saying that (a) We can only believe in God insofar as he grants us the ability to do so, (b) God has predetermined how much of this gift of faith He’s going to give to each of us, and (c) our salvation is dependent on our faith. Can it be that for our salvation God requires of us something that only he can give us and that he has already — since the beginning of time maybe — determined whether he’ll grant to us or withhold from us? It all seems a bit arbitrary to me. And yet, there’s something in there that I do believe.

]]> By: Dad http://www.joshbyers.com/the-paradox-of-suffering/comment-page-1/#comment-40 Dad Mon, 05 Dec 2005 11:35:00 +0000 http://www.byershome.com/?p=54#comment-40 I agree with you completely but wanted to add one more thought from that verse which meshes nicely with Ephesians 2:8 which is that the ability to believe is a gift which was given to us. In other words, we are so depraved that we wouldn't even be able to have faith and believe unless God gave us that ability which is a cornerstone of the doctrine of election. I agree with you completely but wanted to add one more thought from that verse which meshes nicely with Ephesians 2:8 which is that the ability to believe is a gift which was given to us. In other words, we are so depraved that we wouldn’t even be able to have faith and believe unless God gave us that ability which is a cornerstone of the doctrine of election.

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