Does God Suffer?
So today was my first day of a week long intensive seminary class at Reformed Theological Seminary here in the nations capital. The class is Systematic Theology: God and Scripture. It lasts from 9 am - 5 pm every day this week. I am suprised how well I held up today. I think it was because I was typing the whole time. I took 18 pages of notes on my computer.
I reckon thats a lot. At this rate I will have nearly 100 pages worth of notes. Hmm...maybe I should slow down a little bit.
It is really good stuff and I am loving it but even though this is my first seminary class it still feels like I am going over some stuff I already know. I guess thats the payoff for being brilliant. But I am not claiming that my comprehensive knowledge of the incomprehensiveable God is equivocal rather it is better to say I have an analogical understanding and knowledge of God. Meaning that I understand God in a human manner rather than in a divine manner. I have a true knowledge of God but in a human way and to the degree that God has shown me.
(I know what your thinking, and your right, that was almost straight from my notes today, cool stuff huh?)
Anyway...the teacher is from England and he uses proper King James speech when naturally communicating and in a very dry monotone that only slightly keeps your ears perked due to the accent. Most days...probably 9.5 out of 10...I would have felt myself dozing off to sleep but today was different. I loved hearing everything that was taught.
The minute you start to treat seminary as simply an academic act then I surmise that it is very possible to loose your desire to stay interested.
I think it was Calvin which said that the purpose of theology was not simply to use it to fill your head but rather view it as an act of worship. I pray that I may be able to do that this week as I wade through the course.
One question the professor asked was this, "Does God suffer?"
When asked the question he broke us into two groups and had us discuss the topic.
So what do you think, does God suffer? How does he relate to us in suffering or does he? In the Bible and OT especially God displays a full array of emotions, he is jealous, wrathful, he changes his mind, he both strikes down and holds up with his mighty hand.
What are the implications of a God meets us in our suffering? If you were a cancer patient would you want a doctor who laid down to next to you and sympathize with you by saying I know what your going through even though he didnt have cancer?
Or would you want a doctor who had cancer to lay down next to you?
And does God really experience our emotions or is that simply a form of anthromorphism?
(giving human characteristics to God)
Does it take away his sovereignty and omnipotence if we say that God can suffer? He is all powerful and the creator of everything so what would it mean for him to suffer?
It seems like a dilemma and it seems like there is two sides and two answers...or is there one?
Does God suffer?
What say you?
(I might tell you the "answer" later)
I dont usually intercede my thoughts in class but I spoke up for our group and in laymans terms answered the question hoping I wouldn't be way off and labeled a heretic. It took about 10 minutes for me to realize that the professor was confirming my answer as his King James speech and superior intellectual mind finally penetrated the smallness of my brain.
posted by Jordan @ 5:03 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
i'm not sure exactly what the question is, as many questions were asked.
my answer: john 11.35, the easiest verse in the bible to memorize, yet the simplicity of it reveals a great deal about the love of Christ.
Christ weeps with those who are in pain. THEN he raises lazarus from the dead. this timeline is not coincidental. He Loves us enough to cry with us when we are in pain, to suffer with us, not just hold us while we cry.
one of the most moving moments of my life was when a friend arrived at my home in shambles over a relationship in her own life. when she began to cry, i could not keep from crying with her, despite that i knew she would be okay after the dust settled.
this is, to me, what the Love of Christ is like. even though He knows the answer, He cannot help but suffer with us when we suffer because He Loves us so incredibly much. therefore, "Does it take away his sovereignty and omnipotence if we say that God can suffer?" absolutely not. it is merely evidence of His Love.
hmmm, wow that's such a good question to ask. I had to read your post a couple of times, before I decided how I would even begin to answer a question like that. Or I guess I could have not said anything at all...
In my very limited and simple knowledge of the Bible I would answer that I don't think that God suffers at least in the way that we do, we suffer because we are separated from God through our sin. We are made in God's image so part of that is reflected in our ability to feel and think. Like you said, in the Old Testament, it says things about God's anger. But is there a difference between suffering and sadness if suffering is an action and sadness an emotion, can you even separate those two things? ahh probably not.
But I think that God the father doesn't suffer, but God the son did suffer. Christ identifies with our suffering because he put on our identity as a man even though he was sinless he suffered from living in the sinful world and being sinned against and of course we talk about Christ's suffering on the cross. So
from a trintarian viewpoint perhaps we can say that yes God does suffer.... well Jordan I think you should just tell us the answer so I stop writing things that don't make any sense.
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