Jul
06
2012
Glorious Ruin: How Suffering Sets You Free
On October 1, my next book Glorious Ruin: How Suffering Sets You Free will be released. This is by far the most important book I’ve written to date.
But it begs the question, what need is there for another book on suffering?
Certainly we have enough works on the topic already, books that attempt to explain why God allows suffering, presumably in a way that ultimately lets God off the hook. And while much smarter people than me have constructed elaborate systems in this pursuit—the fancy word for such a theory is theodicy—they are all by definition exercises in speculation. To know the Why would be to grasp the mind of God, which is something none of us can do.
We also have enough books tackling the How. That is, how suffering can and will transform our lives, how we can leverage pain and tragedy to make us better people. Results, results, results! Underneath this hopeful veneer, such philosophies tend to fall flat when things don’t go according to plan, when we find out that our power, especially in the face of suffering, is a lot more limited than we thought. Pain would not be pain if we could harness it for personal gain, though the tendency to attempt to do so is a universal one.
This is not one of those books either.
This is not to say that How and Why are not honest questions. Of course they are! And Glorious Ruin explores a few common attempts to answer them. But How and Why can also be a prison. They can leave us cold and confused, just as they left Job cold and confused when his friends tried to formulate their own tedious answers. Information is seldom enough to heal a wounded heart.
The question I emphasize instead—and the only one that will ultimately point us toward the truth—is the Who amid our suffering. Which is the only question that God has seen fit to answer, concretely, in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
Answers to prayers for help are a problem only when you look on God as a divine vending machine programmed to dispense Cokes, Camels, lost keys, and freedom from gall-bladder trouble to anyone who has the right coins. It isn’t that [God] has a principle about not starting cars—or about starting them. What he has a principle about is you…. He loves you; his chief concern is to be himself for you. (Robert Capon)
Do you see it? We may not ever fully understand why God allows the suffering that devastates our lives. We may not ever find the right answers to how we’ll dig ourselves out. There may not be any silver lining, especially not in the ways we would like. But we don’t need answers as much as we need God’s presence in and through the suffering itself.
For the life of the believer, one thing is beautifully and abundantly true: God’s chief concern in your suffering is to be with you and be Himself for you. In other words, our ruin may not ultimately spell our undoing. It may in fact spell the beginning of faith. And in the end, that is enough. Gloriously so.
(I’ll be traveling extensively this fall to speak about the book. Check here to see how you and your church can participate.)
12 Comments
Pastor
It’s not like I have nothing to read but I am waiting impatiently for the book to be sent. I preordered.
Pastor
In my opinion pain is somehting we all like to avoid but the reality is we cannot avoid a painless life as a Christian. I also believe pain is not the objective of God but love. Of course the pain Jesus suffered saves us. I don’t believe the pain we suffer saves us, but may help us to move closer to God.
that’s all I’m worth.
Suffering which turns us to the Lord and removes the law-veil of Moses from our hearts is glorious suffering indeed. For it acquaints us with the life-giving Gospel power and freedom which only the Spirit of the Lord brings! And thereby causes us to be transformed into the image of Christ from one degree of glory to another.
2 Cor 3:15-18 – Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
‘God’s chief concern in your suffering is to be with you and be Himself for you. In other words, our ruin may not ultimately spell our undoing. It may in fact spell the beginning of faith. And in the end, that is enough.’
Amen, Tullian – faith is the goal. And I think ‘Glorious Ruin’ is certainly a good book.
Suffering…It just doesn’t seem that easy and I don’t know how it feels to be free when I am in the midst of a trial. But what can I do? I can’t help you, I can’t help me – I can’t help anybody when I feel like being captured by circumstances I wouldn’t have chosen myself. Sometimes it is difficult to trust in God’s inscrutable and incomprehensible ways although I know that this is true:
“Oh Lord, Your name remains forever and Your love burns bright – even in the pain of the darkest night. “
Tullian, this is really great and I cannot wait to read your book. I have gone through a lot of suffering lately so I am looking forward to what you book has to speak into my life.
Of all the Calvinists I’ve read, Tullian is the least annoying — so I will probably buy this book.
Thank you for being so faithful to honor the Person of Christ in exalting the sufficiency of His work and Person on our behalf, that in God we may glory and in Him rest eternally.
http://onceforalldelivered.blogspot.com/
Pastor
I know I handle pain much differently than I did. mainly because I know more and have more experience in handling pain. There is not much pain in my life now and what there is it’s easily blown off. What hurt me at one time actually helps me, Bring on the pain. Just kidding.
John Calvin was in constant pain from what I read. And died at the age of 54. And also inspired thousands if not millions of Christians in spite of the afflictions.
Paul,
Your comment makes me think of the thorn in Paul’s side (2 Corinthians 12:7-10) and after Paul pleaded with God about his situation God told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” This to me speaks of the “who” amid our suffering.
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We found this to be absolutely true when we lost our baby over 2 years ago. The pain was – as I heard someone saying “a cold burning sensation” in our heart, but the Lord was there WITH us.