aGod gives us the power to conquer	3Back to Home

4 Navigation --------------- Homepage St. Matthew St. Matthew 2 St. Mark St. Luke St. Luke 2 St. John St. John 2 Acts of Apostles Acts of Apostles 2 --------------- The Letters --- Romans --- 1. Corinthias --- 2. Corinthias --- Galatians --- Ephesians --- Philippians --- Colossians --- 1. Thessalonians --- 2. Thessalonians --- 1. Timothy --- 2. Timothy --- Titus --- Philemon --- Hebrews --- James --- 1. Peter --- 2. Peter --- 1. John --- 2. John --- 3. John --- Jude --------------- The Apocalypse

One thing more must be stressed: God gives us the power to conquer evil. This does not mean that we can avoid evil and suffering. It does mean that God gives us the resources with which to meet evil and suffering head on -- and conquer them. The Bible does not promise that by "being good" we shall escape evil and suffering; but it does make evident on almost every page that when evil and suffering come to us, as they inevitably will, we need not succumb to them but can live through them in such fashion that we are the conquerors, not they. We can face them with the resources that so far have been made available to us by the "good news": the confidence that God is involved in evil with us, that he conquers evil, and that he conquers death. Believing these things, we can face evil unafraid. But we have a further obligation. It is expected that we will share whatever power we have acquired, with others. Once again, Paul can help us to understand: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God ( II Cor. 1: 3, 4, italics added). Paul is saying that God gives him strength (comfort = con + fortis = with strength) so that he in his turn may give strength to those who are in trouble. It is not enough for him to receive strength and assurance from God; he must pass the strength and assurance on to others. And this constitutes the real victory over evil, that even "as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings," as Paul goes on, "so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too" ( II Cor. 1: 5). To those who turn to God in trust, Paul assures us, God does give strength to meet whatever life may bring, and the job then becomes one of giving that same God-given strength to others. This means that the most creative use of suffering is achieved when through it you are able to minister to the sufferings of others. The real question should not be, "Why did this happen to me?" but rather, "How can I use what has happened to me as a means of serving God more fully?" God conquers death God gives us the power to conquer The Only Real "Answer" A Question You Can't Avoid Some Current Answers -- a Dime a Dozen The First Part of the Biblical Answer What Is the "Image of God"? Some Consequences The Second Part of the Biblical Answer What Sin Is Supplying Some Documentation What Sin Is Not Getting Straightened Out How Can I Be Changed? The Third Part of the Biblical Answer The First Step After the First Step The Heart of the Matter Not Once and for All Some Hints for Growing -- Tried and Tested A Final Warning Why Isn't "Individual Religion" Enough? The Case Against the Church -a Bagful of Objections When Did the Church Get Started? Just What Is a "Covenant"? The "New Covenant" Becomes a Possibility Those Words of Jesus to Peter Those "Upsetters of the World" A Rebuttal of the Case Against the Church Why the Church? Last Judgment? Second Coming? What Do They Mean? The Inescapability of Eschatology The Point of Biblical Eschatology: History Is Going Somewhere The Dangers of Literalism Exploring New Testament Eschatology The Kingdom of God A Few Bits of Help The Gift of God Schatology and "What I Do Today" What Happens When I Die? Sheol -- Where God Is Not Present The Community of the Resurrection Paul's Attempt to Describe the Christian Fact A "Spiritual Body" The Facts of the Case I Try to Live a Good Life. Why Isn't That Enough? The "Micah" Variation The "Worship and Action" Variation The "Therefore" Variation The Biblical faith that God is the Creator