A Theology of Suffering

A Theology of Suffering, Poverty, Martyrdom and the True People of God

 “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God”

The poor—the needy, suffering, outcast, rejected

                Living with shame

The response of Yahweh to the poor

                Justice

                Provision

                Eschatalogical promises

“Martus” as a legal term—the purpose and result of apostolic witness

                Witness for/witness against

Atonement theology as an eschatological theology of suffering

Faith and suffering

Covenantal nomism and suffering

The Eschaton and God’s response to the suffering

Innocence and suffering—Guilt and suffering; Cycle of suffering (Jacob as example); what is innocence?;

Kinds of suffering

                Suffering for sin-- punishment

                Separation from God’s people

                Social suffering—shame, separation, rejection

                Physical suffering—illness,

                Spiritual suffering—demonic oppression; insanity

                Suffering under bondage—Master, government, Satan

                Suffering for love of others

                Suffering for boldness/witness

                Suffering for identification with the suffering

                Suffering for enacting God’s righteousness

                Suffering as a parable of God’s grace/judgement

Authorities and suffering

Responses to suffering

Summaries of theologies of suffering:

                Job—The shame of suffering

                Genesis—The pattern of suffering

                Exodus—Deliverance from suffering

                Deuteronomic History—Blessings and curses; Prophet as alternative suffering representative

                Psalms—Suffering and deliverance

                Habakkuk—Being cursed by the cursed; the place of faith

                Deutero-Isaiah—The suffering representative of the people of God

                I Peter—Suffering for righteousness and submission

                Mark—The pattern of Jesus

                Luke/Acts—Lives of suffering for God

                Romans—The gospel, faith and suffering

                Philippians – The pattern of Jesus

                II Corinthians—The true apostle

                Colossians—Representational suffering

                Hebrews—Suffering and faith

                Revelation—The cry of the witnesses and God’s response

               

Cases in the OT

Abel, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob/Israel, Joseph, Tamar, Children of Israel in Egypt, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Jephthah, Sampson, Ruth, Hannah, David, Nathan, Elijah, Elisha, Naaman, Jehosephat, Hezekiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel and the three, Zechariah (II Chron. 24:20-22), Israel at time of Nehemiah,

Cases in the NT

Apocrypha Righteous suffering

I Maccabees; IV Maccabees; Susanna; Tobit

NT Examples

Those healed by faith; the apostles; Caananite woman; Peter; Stephen; Paul; John; Cornelius; Onesimus