Hope of Glory said:
What is the grace of God? 2 Corinthians 12:9 says, “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
What about those who are producing fruit? Look in verse 2. [John 15:2 last half]. He’s pruning those who are being productive so they can be more productive.
But, He’s pruning those who are being productive so they can be more productive. Is pruning a pleasant experience? No! It’s painful! That’s the same word as we were looking at in Mark: Kathairo. Those who aren’t being fruitful, he lifts or supports, at least for a while; those who are being fruitful aren’t in need of being lifted up; they have a firm foundation already. But, the fruitful branches can expect tribulation and pruning in their lives.
Dr. Ironside once told this story about a woman who came up to him and asked him to pray that she would have more patience. He said, “Let’s pray right now”, bowed his head and said, “Oh, Lord, please bring tribulation upon this dear lady.”
She interrupted him and said, “No, no, no! You misunderstood! I want patience.” What does Romans 5:3 tell us? It tells us that tribulation brings about patience or endurance. Those that are being productive; those bearing fruit; can expect tribulation. They can expect to be pruned. If the fruit is not used and replaced, it rots on the branch; then what good is it? We are to continue in being productive and producing fruit.
Just because our lives are going well doesn’t mean that we are being pleasing to God. Of course, just because our lives are going well doesn’t mean that God’s unhappy with us, either. Much of it may be attitude. When I broke my ankle, I had the comfort of knowing that God would provide and God had a purpose and a plan for my life. Without that comfort, this may well have been devastating.
God doesn’t unjustly cause tribulation, but He permits it. He also will not allow more than we can handle. He will lift us up and protect us from tribulation that is too much.
We’re to produce fruit; we’re to produce the fruit that cheers the heart of God and men. If we’re being unproductive, God will support us for a while; if we’re being productive, we can expect pruning and tribulation that we may be more productive. We’re to abide in Christ; we’re to be after His heart, and if we permit Him to abide in our heart, we will produce much fruit!
This interpretation of these passages often has the reverse effect of the "fruit" of cheering up our bretheren. Instead, we just coldly throw these scriptures at them, because "their pain is good for them", and then judge them if they do not go through it with "the right attitude" (further adding to their distress).
But many of these passages are being taken out of their context. Here is a sample:
1 Cor.10:13, and James 1:2,3. "There has no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who
will not suffer you to be tempted above that all of you are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that all of you may be able to bear it".
"count it all joy when all of you fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith works patience",
and also passages like Rom.5:3 and others about "being happy in suffering" From these passages, it is for all purposes taught that the suffering person's pain is good for them! The way the teaching goes; is that if God is allowing this painful circumstance, He knows it is good for what He wants to make you into (His plan for your future, or just "molding you to the image of His Son"), and you can handle it.
It is even taught that when you ask God for patience, He responds by "sending" hardships which supposedly "develop patience in you" —if you respond the right way! (So we're actually
asking for it!) But these all have in their context the persecution of the day, and their deliverance from the system of the Law (the temple institution, which was actually the instigator of much of that persecution). So these are not to be applied to people suffering just any "pain" today, which is common to all of man in this fallen world, and not specific persecutions for the faith.
The problem in these passages is that "Trials" and "temptations" are read as "painful circumstances". But the word translated "temptation" (peirazo/peirasmos) means just that:
temptation. Even "try/trial" (dokimos) used here conveys a similar meaning. (other words; such as purosis, "fiery trial", or thilipsis, "pressure/trouble" address painful situations, but these are not used here! Strong's does say that peirasmos "by impl." means "adversity"; but this is from a projection of the common misunderstanding of the word; and not its actual definition based on how it is used in the text!) If the common interpretation of this being God "sending tests" were right, then the Bible blatantly contradicts itself; because James then says "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am
tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil,
neither tempts he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed". This is the same word used in Cor. and we see that it means what we commonly understand as "temptation to sin"; not a painful situation. Yet how many times do we see Christian teachers, counselors and books tell a suffering person "God brought this hardship into your life to test you. You can bear it no matter what it is, because He said you could, and He did it for your good". "Accept it from the hand of the Lord". If he rejects it; complains too much, etc, then he is "despising the chastening of the Lord"*. If that is what "test" (tempt) means, then
they are the ones contradicting scripture and accusing God, not the sufferer who says the situation is too much for him to bear!
Now, to use persecution as an example of what "tempting" was; when the Christians were being persecuted; it was a painful circumstance, indeed; but they were at the same time being
tempted to either renounce Christ, or return evil for evil. Thus; they were also being "tried" or "tested". The trial or test itself was not the pain or even the circumstance itself (and thus
not what was "good for them", or given by God for their "good"), but rather the temptation to do wrong! It's
resisting temptation to sin that makes us grow! Else, should we tell children that have been molested (who generally have severe emotional damage, that many cannot recover from) that if God allowed this, then it must be good for them, regardless of what they feel? Most would not say that directly; but ultimately, it is what they believe! (If the person complains too much, questions God and doesn't get over it, then they might eventually tell him that when they run out of patience, after all, they are "sinning" by not getting over it!)
The commonly used
2 Cor.12:10 (“thorn in the flesh to buffet me”) involves a heavenly vision Paul was given, which might have caused self-exaltation. The
["sufficient"] "grace" used there actually is the same "charis" meaning "unmerited favor", involving once again
salvation from the curse of the Law. (which is gradually worked out in growth). Let us not overgeneralize something like this.
Heb.12 "run with patience the race set before us", and
"chastening of the Lord", doesn't even say it is speaking of physical tribulation. The previous chapter is the "faith hall of fame" which mentioned some saints who suffered as inspiration; along with Jesus Himself right in v.2 and 3; but the immediate context of this passage seems to be personal sin. (in fact, v.4 says their struggle hasn't even come to "shedding of blood" yet!)
The "chastisement" is to be "rebuked", meaning conviction (see Greek). Even "scourge" allows a figurative meaning, so this is
spiritual, not physical or emotional torment!
Finally, as for the "pruning", The key word there, "kathairo", meaning "to cleanse", or to "prune"; fig. to "expiate" (it's where the word "catharsis" comes from). This is always assumed to be "unpleasant circumstances", but the passage says nothing about that. Once again,
conviction is what God prunes or cleanses us with, (and it can be painful in a way), but there is nothing in this to suggest God manipulating circumstances in the material world to some unfavorablle condition just to get at us.
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This is all very important, especially in adiscussion of eternal security, because many teachers do use many of these passages to deny people's walk with God or even salvation based on their attitude toward general pain not being right, which they interpret as "fruit" and "endurance". But you end up actually teaching a works-salvation (and trusting in one's self)when these passages are not taken in context. That in addition to not bearing the "fruit" of patience with, and compassion towards one another.
