Pain and suffering became our reality the minute sin first
entered the world and has been storming out of control ever since. In Genesis 3 we see sin entering into this earth
through Adam and Eve. The rest of the Bible is the story of how sin has severed
our relationship with God and His continual work to redeem us back to Himself.
Today we are affected by the sins of those who are closest to us, but also on a
larger scale by those who influence our culture and humanistic mentality. A
parent’s sinful desire for lust and sexual pleasure can leave a child
struggling with a traumatic experience.
They could spend years trying to makes sense and process the abuse they
experience at the hands of those who were meant to protect and care for them.
We cannot ignore the affect those around us have on our development and health.
In addition to the sins of others, we also deal with our own sins. We continually make poor
decisions that displease God and contribute to our suffering. Despite what we tell ourselves, our sins not only
affect us, but contribute to the suffering of those we love most.
Falling for Half-Truths
When we look at Genesis 3 we see an outline of sin that
consistently repeats itself in our lives today. Satan confronts Eve not with
flat out lies, but with half-truths. The serpent was considered to be one of the
craftiest of all the creatures God created (3:1a). Satan, in his craftiness, begins his assault with a question to frame the attack. He said to the woman,
“Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” (3:1b). His
next move is to challenge the truth that God spoke to Eve, by stating a half
fact, “you shall not surely die”. We all know that Eve and Adam did not fall
down dead, but they did experience immediate separation from God and their
bodies did begin to decay. Satan influences, but does not cause Eve to doubt
God by giving her another reason for why God would not want them to eat the
fruit. “For
God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be
like God, knowing good and evil.”(3:5). Satan is making it out to appear that
God is attempting to keep something from them, something that would give her
power, perhaps even something she deserves. We are frequently lead astray by
well-intended half-truths that deter us from the will of God.
Selfishness that leads to Unbelief
These half-truths appeal to our humanistic reasoning and
logic--they seek to satisfy some form of instant gratification or
pleasure. The fruit was ripe and appealing to the eyes. It only made sense to
take a bite and try it. Eve could
probably taste the meat of the fruit as her saliva glands began to work. The
thought of being like God was most likely even more motivating. We may be
surprised by the next reaction, but Satan was not. Eve ate of the fruit and it
tasted good. She found instant pleasure in her sin. How often do we portray sin
as this ugly thing that offers no gratification? If sin did not appeal to our
reasoning and pleasures no one would partake in it. For that same reason Adam,
out of his own volition, also ate of the fruit. At a decisive moment Adam and
Eve acted in unbelief toward God. Their selfishness lead them to disbelieve God
because they became focused on themselves instead of God.
Pleasures that Do Not Satisfy
The next verse (3:7) we see them beginning to realize that
sin is pleasurable for a moment, but brings upon them eternal consequences.
Their new sense of nakedness was not one of being ashamed of their body image or
some enlightenment that they were not clothed. Their sense of nakedness came
from an inward emptiness that God had once filled before sin entered. In a
frantic attempt, they sought to cover and fill the emptiness and shame with a
physical garment. Emptiness and shame were the first reactions and consequences
to sin. Shame, in this instance, is healthy because they are acknowledging their
inadequacy to fill that void. Where they fell short in their response to the
new void was assuming that they could cover it upon with their own efforts.
Today we are still attempting to resolve our sin in the same
means as Adam and Eve. We attempt to simply address our problems from a
physical standpoint that focuses only on the symptoms and does not address the
heart of the issue. We will try and fill
that void in our life with anything the world can offer to only rediscover the
pleasure and joy of sin only last for a brief moment and our emptiness remains.
Only God can fill the void in our lives and offer us real hope from pain and
suffering. God did not immediately fix Adam and Eve’s problem, however he did not
abandon them and He did actively engage with them in their suffering. As cliche as this sounds, God does
not always take away our pain, but He does always promise to be there with us
and carry us through it (Deut. 31:6).
So What?
Whether you are suffering from a medical disorder
or spiritual emptiness, the core of what you need is still to seek dependence
and wisdom from God. Not only does the
individual going through the pain need to seek God, but also the counselor
or helper that is coming alongside the person suffering. We are all sinners in
need of a Savior. God has provided common forms of grace to aid us through
these temporal pains we experience on earth and He has also given us the means
to find eternal hope and life. God desires to cover us with grace that will fill
the void inside us and fill the gap between our separation from Him. As the
Man of Sorrow, Jesus is a relevant co-sufferer and as our Savior, He is the only one
who can offer us lasting hope in this broken world.
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