Chapter Three: Suffering on Purpose (Chapter Four, too)
by Elizabeth de Barros
“God nowhere promises us temporal prosperity, but the way he has redeemed us makes all of our trials cruciform,
that is, shaped not by the circumstances themselves,
but by the suffering and victory of Christ.”
— Michael Horton
WEEK 3
Enjoying the book so far? Michael Horton covers a lot of ground in these next two chapters. If by now you understand a “theology of glory” vs. a “theology of the cross,” it should be clear sailing from here, as Horton has placed a sort of theological compass in your hand. Tip: Allow it to inform you the rest of the way, as we’re going to pick up the pace by covering two chapters a week. I’ll offer a brief summary for each and I’ll be pulling more quotes. Also, today’s chapter 4 summary has a few terms linked to their definitions just in case they’re new to some. Hey, maybe next time I’ll get tricky and throw out a question from the back of the book:) But for now, grab your favorite drink, get comfy and let’s have another go-round. By the way, I’m making mine a latte!
SUMMARY of CHAPTER 3
In “Suffering on Purpose,” Horton sets the tone for the rest of the book by affirming that just as Christ suffered on purpose, so do we. Nothing we undergo is in vain or wasted. God uses every bit to conform us into the likeness of His Son. And he reminds that God is not aloof or heartless as He carries out His secret plan, but He is working all things together for good. In all our troubles, God offers “more than chicken soup for our souls” — we have an anchor of hope that has “entered the inner sanctuary behind the curtain.”¹ He goes on to detail how Jesus’ first coming was not to reign as Glorious King, as the disciples were expecting, but as Suffering Servant sent to die. God’s unfolding plan of redemption on the timeline of history was a theology of the cross — purposeful — yet terribly misunderstood. While the disciples were hankering for the best seat in the house and wondering who would get to sit on His left and right in glory, He was preparing to wear a crown of thorns, pour out His blood, and have a spear thrust into his side for the forgiveness of their sins — and ours.
1. Hebrews 6:19b
SUMMARY of CHAPTER 4
In defense of Truth, Horton calls the shots in “Is Your God Big Enough?” One by one, he lines up and fires away “execution-style” the prevailing lies of this postmodern age. By first taking aim at pragmatism, he quickly disposes of the view “God is useful” and the notion “if it works, it must be true.” He makes target practice out of moralistic therapeutic deism, a term coined by sociologist Christian Smith to describe what the average card-carrying American teen believes in the name of religion: “God is whatever I need.” He cleans up by offering a perspective on perhaps what is the most common detriment to genuine faith, that “fatal combination: experience-centeredness and sentimentalized pictures of God.” From this vantage point, Horton challenges the reader to believe God to be “most present precisely where He seems most absent.” He then bravely moves in for the kill. While he sympathizes with the problem of evil and suffering in our lives, he states that apart from Christ, there is no practical solution. His message? Our hope must be in a God bigger than ourselves, our experiences, and our understanding. Horton then points to where we must place our trust: In the promise of redemption — both now and in the future, that day when He wipes the last tear from our eyes.
“It is the Christian doctrine of God, as maintained within historic Christianity, that invalidates both hyper-immanence (pantheism) and hyper-transcendence (deism). Jesus Christ not only teaches us but exhibits to us that the God of Israel is both the Lord over and beyond us and Immanuel, “God with us.”
MY TAKE
Growing up, my family experience was less than wonderful. By God’s grace, I endured the chaos from having been reared by an alcoholic father and an emotionally fragile mother. We sustained much collateral damage as sin tore at each of our souls in different ways. As the youngest, I learned to adapt and cope in the midst of an emotional war-zone, finding little comfort for my heartache. But at age 12, God saw me in my distress and caused me to cry out to Him. With great compassion, He met me in my need. Somehow, I knew that God had a purpose in it all. By the time I turned 16, that glimmer of hope turned into “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” I had become a Christian. And I discovered this: Time spent in the furnace of affliction was no mere happenstance, but allowed by God to bring me to Himself. I knew what things I had suffered would be used for His good purpose. After all, He was God. Looking back, that was the extent of my theology. All I could do was lean on Him with all my weight…little did I know He was carrying me.
Years later, I needed my God to be bigger than He had ever been. Newly married and about to turn 30, I received word that my dear older brother, Johnny, 32, had committed suicide. That September evening, it was as though time stood still while everything else changed.
How could someone in his prime, just married, so full of talent and flashes of brilliance be so deeply broken and distraught? This was my brother, my friend, the one with whom I had shared faith in Christ, played the game “I See Something Blue” on the grassy hill near our home, and survived alongside of in our own private holocaust. Now he was gone. That was the day I experienced the point of no return and what it means to “Trust God” — when all sense of control is lost and nothing makes sense. The moment when all the oxygen was being sucked from my lungs. I was devastated.
This is grace: In the midst of my grief and anguish, God got bigger — apart from anything I did, really. In the aftermath of such horrible tragedy, Grief became my closest friend. She accompanied my every sigh and left gold nuggets at the bottom of each puddle of tears. During that time, I learned this: There’s nothing that comes into my life that hasn’t already passed God’s white-glove inspection. He knows the exact number of all my days from before the foundations of the world and God perfectly understands my sorrow. His compassion is very great, and He rules in Majesty over all from a high and holy place. He is beyond finding out.
WORTH REPEATING
“We’re going to Jerusalem all right,” Jesus kept saying, “but it will be nothing like what you have in mind.” (p. 41)
“In Christ — that is, under his guardianship — we are assured that God, not Satan, is king; life, not death, has the last word; righteousness, not sin, reigns over us; blessing, not condemnation, is our inheritance here and now.” (p. 46)
“It is finished!”
“But the theology of the cross proclaimed, embraced, and enacted by the Suffering Servant has stripped from the powers of darkness their ultimate threat and will in due season trample all enemies underfoot.” (p. 50)
“We know that we have drilled into reality when its gushing intensity throws us off balance.” (p.53)
“There is no theology-free experience.”
“It is all interpreted, and the question is whether there is something outside our experience to critique it, to let it know whether it got things right. ” (p. 55)
“The God who comes to us in revelation is not a projection, but a Person. He wrestles us to the ground, takes away our pride, and leaves us walking with a limp so that we will never forget the encounter.” (p. 58)
God is self-sufficient…God is unchangeable in his nature and purposes…God has all knowledge and all power over every circumstance…God is everywhere…These “invisible attributes”…are not sufficient to arouse hope in the midst of crises, but they are essential presuppositions of it. Unless God is God, nothing else matters.” (pp.61, 62, 63)
“That God knows everything about us and has sovereign power over our destiny is bad news apart from a Mediator.” (p. 62)
“God is as present on the streets of New York City as He is in his heavens.” (p.63)
“God does not exist for us; we exist for God.” (p. 65)
“He can and will set everything right…”
“God determines the future, and therefore we can be confident that his suffering for us in Christ will yield the promised fruit: everlasting peace in a world where suffering is no more and God will be all in all.” (p. 68)
GROUP CHAT
So there you have it. Those are my thoughts. I would love to hear yours. Please leave a comment, ask a question, share a quote or offer insight. Of course, if you’d rather simply listen, that’s fine, too.
If you’d like to answer a chapter question from the back of the book, please feel free. Just remember to reference which chapter/question it is so the rest of us aren’t left stranded. Thanks.
FOR NEXT WEEK
Read Chapters 5 & 6: “Is Anybody Up There?” and “If We Just Knew Why God Let It Happen”
finding the motherlode 
Sharing some quotes on my blog today.
You can read it here
Yes, Elizabeth, I am enjoying the book too. And your summaries of them; very helpful.
I appreciate you sharing your story. I love being a witness of what a redeeming worldview can do! Your statement: “This is grace: In the midst of my grief and anguish, my God got bigger” is a powerful testimony to the very things these two chapters are about.
I blogged about Chapter 3 here:
Do you suffer on purpose?
I look forward to reading the comments on these two chapters. They’ve given me much to think about, including the reminder that the reality of God exists outside of our experiences.
Elizabeth, my tea/latte is laced with tears today, reading what you have written. I’m just so struck by the strong position in which you stand today, that out of all the tragedy you have suffered you can make such declarations of the God we worship. Soli Deo Gloria.
As for me, this week’s reading brought me up short. I thought I’d nailed the differences between the theology of glory and the cross. God has shown me through these chapters that it’s one thing to know the theology from the Word, it’s another entirely when you’re trying to grapple with it in the outworking of life itself. I am very much still working this out. My thoughts are here.
Ok, I can’t do links in comments!
http://waitingforourblessedhope.blogspot.com/2011/05/is-your-god-big-enough.html
This chapter reminds me what I always need to be pointed to- the cross. It is not about me- my expectations, my works or lack thereof, my feelings. It is all about the cross and the finished work of Christ. What a relief!
It is a constant struggle for the church. We have our programs, duties, traditions, rituals, and when we look at performance in these man made things, we become “religious” instead of experiencing the true liberty in the Spirit. As we keep our focus on the cross, all the junk melts away and we are able to see Jesus more clearly. No wonder Paul, with all the signs and wonders he walked in, said this in 1 Corinthians 2:2: “For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.”
No matter what I have suffered or will suffer in this life, keeping my eyes on the cross keeps me thankful that Jesus paid the ultimate price for my soul, and this keeps me from wallowing in self pity when I’m experiencing hard things. Looking at the future glory to be revealed in us makes all this seem like it really is- a drop in a bucket. I can only praise God for His great love and mercy when I keep things in perspective.
Thanks, Rox, for sharing. You are walking in victory, and it makes my heart swell with joy. You said:
“keeping my eyes on the cross” and “Looking at the future glory to be revealed in us…”
…And I just loved that. In essence, Jesus did the same, didn’t He?
-E
These chapters were rich, indeed. Elizabeth, thank you for sharing your journey with us as you reviewed these chapters. Truly our suffering and difficulties are not wasted but used of God in ways we may not even see. I was deeply touched by your story and I rejoice in the strength and vision God has given to you, dear sister. May He continue to guide and bless you each and every day as you live in His power.
I was comforted greatly in chapter three when Michael Horton wrote: “To the healthy-minded optimists, Jesus announces that He has come for the sick, not the healthy. We need something more than chicken soup for the souls; we need to be transferred from the domain of sin and death into the kingdom of God’s Son.” I am so glad that Dr. Horton makes such clear distinctions between the theology of glory…being supermen and the theology of the cross which exalts God. I am glad that I don’t have to be a super human…I am weak. I need God every morning, every evening and all the in between!
Sadly, the theology prevalent today in many evangelical circles is that “God amounts to whatever we need”. My husband and I fell into such a fellowship. We had come to Christ with a desire to serve Him. We started out well in Bible believing, strong “theology of the cross” churches. Then, we got off track. The “theology of glory” crept in ever so slightly. We became involved in a charismatic, independent fellowship that was going to do away with traditions. We would hear God afresh by entering into His presence. It all sounded so good. The church grew out of a few families into many. It was a “feel-good” kind of fellowship. Then, little by little, we noticed that each week the doctrines were changing. One week you were saved and had eternal security. The next week you could lose your salvation.
My husband was an elder in this fellowship and we had signed the note with the bank for the building along with other elder families. When we brought up our concerns about biblical doctrine and the ever changing position of the pastor, we were attacked by the pastor and his wife along with fellow elders. Somehow, my husband was not “priesting me” correctly. We were out of God’s will. We were to protect the pastor and his wife…not listen to the congregation. Only the pastor heard from the Lord. What?!!!! We could not believe our ears. The pastor had no seminary training. He had been a real estate agent who heard a call from God. He was teaching heretical things and we were not to speak to him to correct him.
The final blow came when he threw the Bible across the church and then went and stomped on it. He said we were not to worship the book but only God. That was the last straw for us. We, now totally broken in heart, left this fellowship and our friends there. I likened our experience to “spiritual rape”. Fortunately, we were able to get our names off the bank note and we departed this theologically bankrupt assembly. No one called to see how we were or would even speak to us. In a small town, this is hard. I plunged into a deep depression for which I sought godly counseling.
After wandering in the depths of heartache and pain, we finally felt at peace with our decision to leave. We were not certain we would ever return to church again. However, in God’s providence, our current pastor told us that he had heard what happened and he and his wife were praying for us. He invited us to church when we were ready, and we took him up on his invitation. Having been raised Presbyterian (both my husband and I), we immediately felt safe in this new fellowship (Associate Reformed Presbyterian). It was Bible believing and cross preaching! People ministered to our wounds by just loving us, accepting us and standing on God’s Word to encourage us. God had this planned all along, but I couldn’t see it when I was at the bottom of the pit in depression. He removed us from heretical teaching and planted us in the theology of the cross.
As you can see…I didn’t mean to write a book myself, but this book so resonates with me. While reading, I penned these words in my journal: “Many of our churches in our nation today have become white-washed sepulchers full of dead men’s bones.” The preaching of the “theology of glory” is rampant….feel good, health, wealth, tickling of the ears so men can go out and have “their best life now.” It makes me sad. I was a product of that type of theology for a while…praise God….He delivered me and my family before it was too late. Many in that former fellowship were tragically misguided with sad results in their own personal lives.
In the second chapter, Dr. Horton paints a beautiful, clear cut picture of who God is. I love that He is immanent (up close and personal) to us but He is also transcendent (above and beyond us). His closing words are worth repeating over and over again in this chapter: “God does not exist for us; we exist for God.” Amen and Amen. I pray for our church and every church that we will not succumb to the theology of glory…to the world culture. Rather, I pray that, like the Puritans, we can learn to suffer for His glory according to His purpose. He knows our beginning and our end. He is at work even if we cannot see it. I want to live to glorify Him.
Thank you again for hosting this Elizabeth. It is such a blessing to join with you and all who are posting here. May God give us all grace to live for Him in the theology of the cross.
So appreciated your post. I am now in the process of leaving a church of over 16 years of serving with great joy. It has been difficult but was the best thing that happened to me. I am now attending a church that teaches expositorily and I am amazed how much I have missed these past 16 years. I feel free for the first time. May God continue to bless you and your family! God is faithful! Jeanie
Thanks for sharing your story. I left a church that wasn’t extreme by any means, but the subtle confusion that comes from the theology of glory, even in a well-behaved assembly, can leave a soul bankrupt and hungry for better. It still tends toward abuse as words like discernment and phrases like “God didn’t tell me to do that” or “God told me to do this…” can wreak havoc. Uneducated leaders who think they have arrived create a frightening and satanic environment. There certainly was that pressure to ‘not leave’ and bootstrap through the confusion that this theology produced but I also praise God that he delivered me and away to a wonderfully reformed doctrinally-sound church of repenting discipleship and sound teaching. My heart is now home, but I do pray for those who are still under the mantle of this confusion.
Thank you, Barbara. Today I was singing an old favorite, maybe you know it?
Awake O Israel! Put off thy slumber,
and the Truth, shall set you free!
For out of Zion, comes thy Deliverer,
in the year of Jubilee!
For in the furnace of much affliction
I have chosen thee, behold.
And so for iron, I’ll give thee silver
and for brass, I’ll give thee gold.
He really does make good on His promises.
God bless, sister.
-E
Elizabeth, thank you again for sharing your thoughts and those that have responded. I do so enjoy reading and just getting a glimpse of our wonderful Saviour. Our suffering servant. Elizabeth your suffering does show how the Lord brings you to himself and how much we have to trust in the midst of it. Really does not become about our feelings, but Who we know. Theology is important just for that reason. In our suffering, we must set our mind on divine redemption, not on human gratification. Reading chapter 3, I was struck by the story of Moses and the exodus. God was teaching his people to trust. The manna is something that I think of often, that he gives just what we need, however, I, without realizing it, take more than I need and it rots. Something that I am struggling with and wanting to be more mindful of trusting God for the manna he provides for me that day. Doing that, it really does simplify my life. I appreciated that God’s grace is not for getting around trials but going thru them. What does that mean for me? Simply knowing the Suffering Servant. It also leads me to the question of God’s reality versus my perception. Something I think as we live life, we lose sight of the reality of our Lord not facing suffering within us and around us. Which can only be fixed at the cross. Is Your God Big Enough? is a chapter where we should have a self-examination of our hearts. Am I using God, or am I worshipping? Again, the foot of the cross is where I need to be for worship. Not making a list. When God is a projection of our own felt needs, then I am not worshipping God, I am worshipping a false God. Again, the cross is a remedy for self. Michael Horton does have a great way of helping you examining yourself and bring you to the cross. I appreciate you ladies in doing the same! What a great blessing. Jeanie
Elizabeth, thank you for sharing you testimony today. It is wonderful to hear your lasting faith! Everyone else shared wonderful insights too, which I have been pondering today. Thank you all! Have a blessed week in the Lord. -christina 🙂
Friends,
Thanks for sharing all your thoughts and insights. I have read each one of them and cried so much now!
I am reading along with you all but I am not having the time to write ALL my thoughts…
I love you all,
Becky
Daily On My Way To Heaven
Just wanted to thank everyone for your comments and taking the time to read through the book and summaries. Your encouragements to me personally are deeply appreciated. I want to echo Barbara’s kind words to me back to all of you:
And that’s really the key – to “live in His power.” Apart from Him, we can do nothing. I pray that you find the time between now and next week to sink your teeth into the next two chapters (they’re both long and rich!) and may God continue to build in you a theological grid full of holy and helpful Biblical coordinates that will serve you along life’s way. This is my prayer for both you and me!
May He grant you all a double portion!
Love,
-E
I’m with you all…still reading…just not finding a lot of time for writing…other than those notes and stars in the margin of my book. 🙂 Thanks for all of you who are sharing thoughts! Elizabeth, I too, find your summaries helpful in pulling it all together. Thanks so much for leading the way!!
Warmly,
Elizabeth
I’m glad you’re keeping up with the reading, Elizabeth! I do think Michael Horton has a lot to say, but I find that I need to re-read to make sure I understand his point(s). And I’m glad the summaries help. It’s a great exercise for my brain!
Be blessed,
-E
“There’s nothing that comes into my life that hasn’t already passed God’s white-glove inspection; God knows the exact number of all our days from before the foundations of the world; God perfectly understands our sorrow, His compassion is very great, and He rules in Majesty over all from a high and holy place. He is beyond finding out.”
Elizabeth,
Thank you for letting me sit in and listen. I am so very sorry to learn of your personal loss.
This book discussion could not have come at a more perfect time for me. As I mentioned to Diana earlier, often times it is not until we look back on our times of great sorrow and suffering that we realize His grace was sufficient.
With love,
diane
You are most welcome, Diane! I love the fact that you are “listening in” and catching the gist of Michael Horton’s book.
And thank you for your sympathy over the loss of my brother. It’s been almost 20 years since he’s been gone, and I can attest to the fact that God has healed the wound. All that’s left are a mix of memories, both good and bad, but no pain, really–the scar that serves as a memorial to His all-sufficient, astounding grace.
Much love,
-E