Week 1: The Threat of Pain

God has solved the problem of pain through the death and resurrection of Jesus, but not on our timeline or in the way we would choose. Pain that is misunderstood and mismanaged can drive us away from God, and the pursuit of comfort can choke out faith just as surely. Scripture names five sources of suffering: spiritual evil, other people’s sin, our own sin, God’s loving discipline, and disease, disaster, and accidents in a sin-infected world. Telling them apart keeps us from blaming God for what we caused and from blaming ourselves for what we did not. Jesus has secured a new heaven and new earth where every tear will be wiped away, but that promise belongs to the world to come, not this one. Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. Hold fast to Jesus, endure with patience, and don’t give up the world to come because you haven’t gotten an answer on your timeline.