Recently I was talking with my older son and he mentioned the subject of euthanasia and embryonic stem cell research. He was of the opinion that the most Christian position would be to support both euthanasia and embryonic stem cell research. Since euthanasia was relieving pain and with the consent of the individual involved, why should we not help death along? If the person is going to die anyway and endure prolonged suffering before hand, isn’t the most loving position the one which loves that person enough to put him out of his misery? My son’s position was, that since Christianity is love, if it’s anything, the most loving position in the hypothetical cases that he presented, was assisted suicide.
In the case of embryonic stem cell research, since the end was the saving of lives and since the embryonic stem cells were not going to develop into a child, why should we not support the research, which in the end, may save lives and lead to cures for genetic diseases and others? If through embryonic stem cell research man could grow organs and those organs could be used to save the life of a child, wouldn’t that justify the means? The embryonic stem cells, fertilized human eggs, were not ones that would be used to form a child. They were extra and just sitting on ice, so to speak. Why should we not allow science to do its thing in search for cures for human sickness and suffering?
I was quite shocked that he would take such a position as he had been raised in a Christian home and had studied under a Christian curriculum. I explained to him my position based on my belief that the Bible is the Word of God. Yes, God is love and love is the most important commandment and the sum of the law and the prophets. However, when asked by questioning religious leaders what was the most important commandment, Jesus did not respond, “Love thy neighbour as thyself.” He put first things first and responded,
“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”[1]
“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”[1]
Yes, love is important. But the most important aspect of our faith is not loving our neighbour as ourselves. The most important aspect of our faith is to love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind and with all our strength.[2] God want us to love Him, before anything else. He chose out the Jewish people to be an example of a nation that would love Him first. He tested Abraham, the father of faith, with the commandment to offer his beloved son Isaac by his beloved wife Sarah, as a sacrifice to God. It is not a very loving thing to kill your own son. God judged the heathen nations for their practice of infanticide and later chastened His own people for the same sin, even allowing Jerusalem to be conquered and destroyed by the Babylonians.
But at that moment, God was testing Abraham to see if he would do as God said, even if it seemed contrary to God’s own nature and Abraham’s natural understanding. In the end, God does not let Abraham go through with the act, but stops him just before. Abraham passes the test and is today considered the Father of Faith of three great religions: Judaism, Islam and Christianity. Later we see Moses lead God’s people out of Egypt and God gives them the Ten Commandments. The first four commandments have to do with our relationship with God.
“I am the Lord thy God, …, thou shalt have none other gods before me.”[3]
That’s the first commandment. Here’s the second:
“Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.”[4]
“I am the Lord thy God, …, thou shalt have none other gods before me.”[3]
That’s the first commandment. Here’s the second:
“Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.”[4]
The third commandment you are familiar with says,
“Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain.”[5]
Wow, today’s modern generation needs to hear these things and television and movie producers. The fourth commandment is also quite easy to remember as the Seven Day Adventist have made it part of their main doctrine:
“Keep the Sabbath day to sanctify it, as the Lord thy God has commanded thee.”[6]
All these first four commandments pertain to our relationship with God. He wants us to have Him in first place in our lives. He wants us to rest and take time with Him on a weekly bases. Since God is a spirit, he wants to be worshiped in spirit and in truth by the way we live our lives, by the words we say, by our actions and deeds.
“Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain.”[5]
Wow, today’s modern generation needs to hear these things and television and movie producers. The fourth commandment is also quite easy to remember as the Seven Day Adventist have made it part of their main doctrine:
“Keep the Sabbath day to sanctify it, as the Lord thy God has commanded thee.”[6]
All these first four commandments pertain to our relationship with God. He wants us to have Him in first place in our lives. He wants us to rest and take time with Him on a weekly bases. Since God is a spirit, he wants to be worshiped in spirit and in truth by the way we live our lives, by the words we say, by our actions and deeds.
The fifth commandment in fact has a blessing to those who obey it,
“Honour thy father and thy mother, as the Lord thy God has commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.”[7]
The structure of a society is built on the family unit. God had chosen Abraham because he said,
“For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.”[8]
What was it that God had spoken of Abraham earlier? God had said,
“And I will make thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: … and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”[9]
But how did God know this future promise was going to come to pass. He knew Abraham would “command his children and his household after him.”[10] In other words, Abraham would instruct and teach them how to follow God, and they would.
“Honour thy father and thy mother, as the Lord thy God has commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.”[7]
The structure of a society is built on the family unit. God had chosen Abraham because he said,
“For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.”[8]
What was it that God had spoken of Abraham earlier? God had said,
“And I will make thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: … and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”[9]
But how did God know this future promise was going to come to pass. He knew Abraham would “command his children and his household after him.”[10] In other words, Abraham would instruct and teach them how to follow God, and they would.
However, later as God’s people had abandoned His precepts in Isaiah we read,
“As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.”[11]
Today’s new generation has little respect for the older generation. We put them away in old folk’s homes so we can be free of the problem of taking care of them. Many fathers no longer have authority in the home. The wife and the children rule over him. These are symptoms of a degenerated society where the traditional family structure has been weakened. When you go to a third world country one of the first things you notice is the children still obey their parents. And the father is still an authoritative figure in the house.
“As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.”[11]
Today’s new generation has little respect for the older generation. We put them away in old folk’s homes so we can be free of the problem of taking care of them. Many fathers no longer have authority in the home. The wife and the children rule over him. These are symptoms of a degenerated society where the traditional family structure has been weakened. When you go to a third world country one of the first things you notice is the children still obey their parents. And the father is still an authoritative figure in the house.
The sixth commandment is “Thou shalt not kill.”[12] Traditionally the Judaic Christian philosophy has been that life is sacred. Pope John Paul II clarified that the Catholic Church does not support euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research, the day after pill or abortion. Many evangelicals agree with the Catholic Churches position.
The problem of pain and suffering has been looked at by many philosophical thinkers and professors. C.S.Lewis wrote a book called “The Problem of Pain.” Here are some interesting quotes from Lewis:
“We can ignore even pleasure. But pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”[13]
Lewis is saying God especially uses those times when we are in pain to speak with us as we yearn for solace and deliverance from pain. But modern man wants a pain free life. He takes pain-killers at the slightest sign or indication of pain. I’m really strange, as I hardly will take an aspirin.
“We can ignore even pleasure. But pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”[13]
Lewis is saying God especially uses those times when we are in pain to speak with us as we yearn for solace and deliverance from pain. But modern man wants a pain free life. He takes pain-killers at the slightest sign or indication of pain. I’m really strange, as I hardly will take an aspirin.
Last Christmas I had problem with my back after too many days working on my feet with little rest, I suddenly had so much pain I couldn’t walk. I started to faint as my body shut down to relieve the pain and stop me from further injuring my body. The sciatic nerve in my left upper leg gave a excruciating pain throughout my leg. I couldn’t put any pressure on that leg. I needed support to be able to walk. The first night, a friend of mine convinced me to take a pain-killer to rest better, and so I did. But afterwards, I refused to take the pill. I wanted to know if my body was recuperating and so, I did not want to take a pill as I would be tempted to continue working. Instead, I rested. I stayed in bed until noon and then stayed in bed until my body began to mend and heal itself.
What was God teaching me? He was teaching me that He didn’t want me doing what all the volunteers were doing in the Christmas campaign. He wanted me to oversee and do less physical work, and more overseeing, more encouraging, more counselling. Lewis also wrote,
“Try to exclude the possibility of suffering which the order of nature and the existence of free-wills involve, and you find that you have excluded life itself.”[14]
As I was thinking back to other times when I had health problems, at each time God was trying to deepen my relationship with him and make a change in my habits or character. In fact some years ago, I attended a one day seminar on reaching ones potential as a human being. We learned that it was the problems in our lives which had had the biggest influence in our development as a person.
“Try to exclude the possibility of suffering which the order of nature and the existence of free-wills involve, and you find that you have excluded life itself.”[14]
As I was thinking back to other times when I had health problems, at each time God was trying to deepen my relationship with him and make a change in my habits or character. In fact some years ago, I attended a one day seminar on reaching ones potential as a human being. We learned that it was the problems in our lives which had had the biggest influence in our development as a person.
In other words, problems meant development of character. My temper as a young child caused me to see my potential evil and seek for God to overcome. Later my shyness in public speaking caused me to develop my writing abilities and taught me to be sensitive to others. It also taught me that he who had the biggest mouth, doesn’t necessarily have the most loving heart. But power to sway and influence others comes through poignant public speaking. Those who could speak well, were those who gained significant influence over others whether or not they were morally superior or not.
Going through a divorce and losing custody of my children were also two difficult events and periods in my life. However, it was during those times that my relationship with God deepened, as He was my only source of comfort and strength. The unexpected death of my 27 year-old son in a swimming accident and later the similar death of my 1 ½ year old grandson broke my hardened heart and re-establish the importance of love in my life.
Heart problems caused me to re-evaluate my diet, my schedule and my ability to handle stress. I started exercising more, working smart instead of stress-fully and watching my diet. King David of Israel wrote a beautiful song in which he says,
“In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.”[15]
In all the distresses of life, God has been my fortress and my strength, in Him I could surely trust.[16] I can only affirm what the Psalmist wrote,
“It is good for me to have been afflicted, that I might learn thy statutes.”[17]
“In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.”[15]
In all the distresses of life, God has been my fortress and my strength, in Him I could surely trust.[16] I can only affirm what the Psalmist wrote,
“It is good for me to have been afflicted, that I might learn thy statutes.”[17]
Lewis also wrote,
“The problem of reconciling human suffering with the existence of a God who loves, is only insoluble so long as we attach a trivial meaning to the word "love", and look on things as if man were the centre of them. Man is not the centre. God does not exist for the sake of man. Man does not exist for his own sake. "Thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." We were made not primarily that we may love God (though we were made for that too) but that God may love us, that we may become objects in which the divine love may rest "well pleased".”[18]
The Bible says,
“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.”[19]
Like the old poem “God has not promised.”[20]
“The problem of reconciling human suffering with the existence of a God who loves, is only insoluble so long as we attach a trivial meaning to the word "love", and look on things as if man were the centre of them. Man is not the centre. God does not exist for the sake of man. Man does not exist for his own sake. "Thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." We were made not primarily that we may love God (though we were made for that too) but that God may love us, that we may become objects in which the divine love may rest "well pleased".”[18]
The Bible says,
“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.”[19]
Like the old poem “God has not promised.”[20]
God hath not promised skies always blue,
Flower-strewn pathways all our lives through;
God hath not promised sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow, peace without pain
But God hath promised strength for the day,
Rest for the labor, light for the way,
Grace for the trials, help from above,
Unfailing sympathy, undying love
God hath not promised we shall not know
Toil and temptation, trouble and woe;
He hath not told us we shall not bear
Many a burden, many a care.
But God hath promised strength for the day,
Rest for the labor, light for the way,
Grace for the trials, help from above,
Unfailing sympathy, undying love
God hath not promised smooth roads and wide,
Swift, easy travel, needing no guide;
Never a mountain, rocky and steep,
Never a river, turbid and deep.
But God hath promised strength for the day,
Rest for the labor, light for the way,
Grace for the trials, help from above,
Unfailing sympathy, undying love
After speaking with my son on the topic of euthanasia and embryonic stem cell research, I went to bed thinking about how I could have better answered his position. When I woke in the morning , the first thought that entered my mind was
“Jesus learned obedience through the things which he suffered.”[21]
Suffering wasn’t bad, we learn obedience to God through it. As C.S. Lewis acknowledged,
“If tribulation is a necessary element in redemption, we must anticipate that it will never cease till God sees the world to be either redeemed or no further redeemable.”[22]
“Jesus learned obedience through the things which he suffered.”[21]
Suffering wasn’t bad, we learn obedience to God through it. As C.S. Lewis acknowledged,
“If tribulation is a necessary element in redemption, we must anticipate that it will never cease till God sees the world to be either redeemed or no further redeemable.”[22]
Jana Harmon a Teaching Fellow at C.S. Lewis Institute in Atlanta writes the following about Lewis analysis of pain:
“We all have some sense of justice. We all want evil to be punished, to be recognized for what it is, especially in others. Yet we deceive ourselves into thinking that all is well with us. Pain reveals the reality of our own evil and gives us a choice to either resist and rebel against the ultimate standard bearer or recognize our sin, repent, and surrender to Him. “Pain shatters the illusion that all is well . . . that what we have, whether good or bad in itself, is our own and enough for us.” Pain takes away our false sense of happiness, draws our attention to God and our need for Him. Even in “good, decent people,” the illusion of self-sufficiency must be shattered. And, like a good and loving Father, God is willing to accept whatever surrender and sacrifice we have to offer. Our desires must be changed from pleasing self to pleasing God, which in the end produces our greatest happiness. We must lose ourselves to find ourselves, truly satisfied, in God.
“Lewis does not dismiss the fact that pain is pain and it hurts. But he reminds us that the supreme act of self-surrender was found in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Christ knows pain and suffering, intimately, personally, profoundly. His loving sacrifice was for the redemption of us, the sinners whom He loves. His followers are similarly called to lives of submission, to “walk as Jesus did." Pain reminds us of our humility and utter dependence upon God, upon our true source of goodness, strength, and happiness in Christ. When pain is withdrawn, we tend to forget God and return toward self-sufficiency and sin. Pain does its work on those whose hearts are willing to receive, to grow, to love in greater and more godly ways—to surrender self to God.
"Pain, then, in and of itself is not completely bad or evil. It can come from the hand of a good, loving, and powerful God who desires the best for His creation, who genuinely allows for us to be free agents who make free choices. The possibility and reality of pain and suffering is palpable and at times devastating to both victim and perpetrator. Regardless, pain can and does serve redemptive purposes in the lives of those who turn toward God. In light of this, our constant prayer to our loving, good, and powerful Father in heaven should be that of the psalmist: “Deal with your servant according to your love.”
"Yes, God is completely good.
Yes, God is completely powerful.
Yes, pain and suffering exists.
Yes, God is completely powerful.
Yes, pain and suffering exists.
"The existence of pain does not negate the presence of an omnipotent, loving God. When understood in the fullness of its context, we realize that it is the very presence of God that provides meaning and hope amid the pain. Christ was the ultimate, innocent bearer of unjust suffering. In the face of abject pain, self-sacrificial love, goodness, and power are met on the cross.”[23]
Therefore, pain and suffering to the Christian psychic should not necessarily be looked as evil, because God has promised that all things will work together for good to them that love God.[24] Suffering for Christ’s sake is a Christian discipline. Christians throughout history and persecution have embraced suffering. Godly men of faith in the Old Testament also embraced suffering, ridicule and problems for God’s sake.
Paul tells us,
“And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”[25]
He also notes,
“If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us.”[26]
“And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”[25]
He also notes,
“If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us.”[26]
Peter says something similar;
“For this is thank-worthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps.”[27]
“For this is thank-worthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps.”[27]
Peter continues further and says,
“Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;”[28]
“Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.”[29]
“Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. … Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.”[30]
In the book of Hebrews we find a list of Old Testament saints who suffered for their faith:
“And others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: and others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment.”[31]
The very next chapter in Hebrews tells of how suffering, though it doesn’t seem joyous when we are going through it,
“yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness., unto to them which are exercised thereby.”[32]
So suffering in fact equals good.
“And others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: and others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment.”[31]
The very next chapter in Hebrews tells of how suffering, though it doesn’t seem joyous when we are going through it,
“yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness., unto to them which are exercised thereby.”[32]
So suffering in fact equals good.
The Greeks felt suffering helped to deepen one’s character. The Greek word “catharsis” has as one of its meanings as “a purification or purgation that brings about spiritual renewal.”[33] The main characters in the Greek tragedies usually personified the purification process through their suffering. Like C.S.Lewis expressed quite accurately and we have seen earlier,
“Try to exclude the possibility of suffering which the order of nature and the existence of free-wills involve, and you find that you have excluded life itself.”[34]
“Try to exclude the possibility of suffering which the order of nature and the existence of free-wills involve, and you find that you have excluded life itself.”[34]
As Christians our life is bound up with suffering as Paul said,
“For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake.”[35]
Pain and suffering are not necessarily evil or bad, in themselves, in fact, they can be good, if they draw us closer to God. Just as we see in Joseph’s lecture to his brother’s who had sold him into slavery many years before. as recorded in the book of Genesis. He said,
“But as for you, ye thought evil against me, but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.”[36]
“For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake.”[35]
Pain and suffering are not necessarily evil or bad, in themselves, in fact, they can be good, if they draw us closer to God. Just as we see in Joseph’s lecture to his brother’s who had sold him into slavery many years before. as recorded in the book of Genesis. He said,
“But as for you, ye thought evil against me, but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.”[36]
In my own life, it was the possibility of going to Vietnam to kill and or be killed, that made me seek God. My friends at college who knew they were not headed for Vietnam after graduation ate, drank and were merry through the course of our college education, but I could not. My low lottery draft number assured me of induction into the military after graduation and forced me to seek His face. I am certain my draft problem led to the deepening of my character and in the end helped me to find God in my youth!
In this article, I have made a defense for life, a defense of God’s Word, and defense of suffering. But today’s pleasure generation sees anything that does not make them happy as undesirable. They see suffering as bad and to be avoided at all costs. They see the relieving of suffering in euthanasia as ethically correct, as the avoidance of suffering is one of the mantras of today’s generation. But life is sacred. God has said it in His Word. He has also given His own loving example for us to follow. His Word over and over again admonishes us that suffering is for our good to bring about the peaceable fruits of righteousness in our character.
We should not take things into our own hands and commit murder in order to avoid suffering. Abortion, day-after pills, or assisted suicide and embryonic stem cell research are against God’s commandment to not kill. I can understand the seemingly good reason for an abortion. I have been there. When I was sixteen I helped to pay for the abortion my brother’s girlfriend had. I had been brought up in a strong Catholic home and my mother had instilled in us the strong Catholic stand against abortion. Nevertheless, when my 18 year old brother needed the money, which I had been saving for many years, I gave it to him without a doubt. I didn’t even think of talking to my mother about it. I needed to help my brother out of that mess, that problem he had, and so, a little child never saw the breath of day.
But the problem is that God has drawn the line in the sand and told us not to cross it. Adam and Eve made the mistake and doubted God’s Word and crossed the line. Will we not learn from the mistakes of others? Can we not learn to embrace suffering? Can we not follow Christ’s example and learn obedience to God through the things that we suffer? Not crossing that line in the sand will cause us to suffer, but our conscience will be clean. God will use the suffering we experience, because we refused to cross the line, for our good.
A true story found in Field Marshall Montgomery’s biography may make a good ending. Field Marshal Montgomery was 88 years old and he knew he was nearing the end of his life. Unable to sleep at night, he called for one of his closest friends to come and talk with him. His conscience was bothering him. He was soon to face God. How could Montgomery justify the deaths of all those English and Scottish lads who had died under his command in WWII? Montgomery’s conscience was causing him to suffer and bringing him to the point of accepting his sin, and seeing his and mankind’s vileness, in the presence of God. What at one point in time seemed justifiable in the eyes of man, suddenly seemed insufficient reason in the soon presence of God.[37]
Whether or not Montgomery’s friend helped him find consolation and forgiveness in the arms of Christ is not mentioned in the story. We know God's mercy is everlasting, as we have read earlier in one of the Ten Commandments:
“visiting iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.”[38]
Will you love God and keep His commandments, which are not grievous to complete?[39] Will you refuse to cross the line?
“visiting iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.”[38]
Will you love God and keep His commandments, which are not grievous to complete?[39] Will you refuse to cross the line?
Footnotes:
[1] Matthew 22:36-40
[2] Mark 12:29-31
[3] Deuteronomy 5:5
[4] Deuteronomy 5:8-10
[5] Deuteronomy 5:
[6] Deuteronomy 5:
[7] Deuteronomy 5:
[8] Genesis 18:19
[9] Genesis 12:3-4
[10] Génesis 18:19
[11] Isaiah
[12] Deuteronomy 5:
[13] Lewis, C.S.; The Problem of Pain,
[14] Lewis, C.S.; The Problem of Pain,
[15] Psalm 18:6
[16] Psalm 18:2
[17] Psalm 119:165
[18] Lewis, C.S.; The Problem of Pain
[19] Psalm 34:18?
[20] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34LpvmJKAnI
[21] Hebrews 5:8
[22] Lewis, C.S.; The Problem of Pain,
[23] Hamon, http://www.cslewisinstitute.org/C_S_Lewis_on_the_Problem_of_Pain_FullArticle
[24] Romans 8:28
[25] Romans 8:17
[26] 2Timothy 2:12
[27] 1Peter 2:19-21
[28] 1Peter 4:1
[29] 1Peter 4:12-13
[30] 1Peter 4:16 & 19
[31] Hebrews 11:35-36
[32] Hebrews 12:11
[33] http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/catharsis
[34] Lewis, C.S.; The Problem of Pain,
[35] Philippians 1:29
[36] Génesis 50:20
[37] Spufford, Francis; Unapologetic: Why, Despite Everything, Christianity Can Still Make Surprising Emotional Sense
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