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Lesson OneSuffering Comes With The Freedom To Choose5 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson TwoSuffering Reveals What Is In Our Hearts5 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson ThreeSuffering Takes Us To The Edge Of Eternity5 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson FourGod Can Turn Suffering Around For Our Good5 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson FivePain Can Warn Us Of Danger5 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson SixIn Times Of Crisis We Find One Another5 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson SevenSuffering Gives Opportunity To Trust God5 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson EightPain Loosens Our Grip On This Life5 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson NineGod Suffers With Us In Our Suffering5 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson TenGod's Comfort Is Greater Than Our Suffering5 Activities1 Assessment
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Course Wrap-UpCourse Completion1 Activity1 Assessment
Participants 227
Discussion Questions
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Douglas Geivett said, “A great deal of responsibility for suffering or for evil generally in the world today is rooted in how we exercise the freedom we have.” What are evidences you have seen of the connection between the freedom to choose and human suffering?
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I know a mother who was addicted to meth and lost everything because of her choice to use. God rescued her from that bondage, and yet she still has some serious health problems, and not to mention all of the guilt that she still carries today.
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When we make bad choices we pay the price or consequences of our choices. Such as drinking or using drugs which have devastating consequences. People choose evil things because of the allure of things forbidden.
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Often times we are fooled just like Eve because we choose to do something that we believe won’t hurt any other person. There is no such thing; our actions always have affects on someone or something.
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I feel like I, and most of us here, could write a book about this. It is endless and it makes me sad. But as an educator I see the choices so many parents make and the eefect it has on theor kids. NOw I am not the best parent, shoot I couldn’t begin to count the amount times I have made mistakes that have negatively affected my kids and caused them to suffer (there is nothing major, just the kids feeling bad). But there are numerous cases where parents do or will not monitor what their kids are watching or listening to. And then these kids bring what they learned to school and as a result, caused broken friendships, lots of anger, suspensions and even expulsion. It sends the family into chaos without them realizing what the root of the problem – the choices they made
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Adam and Eve had the power to choose. They chose to eat the fruit they were told not to. Because of that, famine, pain, family conflict, and death entered the world. The earth groans under the weight of human sin. Today, we still choose. We have the capacity to choose great good or great evil. We all sometimes choose to hurt others- even if it is just being harsh when a soft answer would do. We are hurt people, and we hurt people.
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In response to Dr. Paul Brand’s statement, would you exchange your freedom to choose in order to enjoy freedom from pain?
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Loss of the freedom to choose essentially makes man a mere robot. Meaning is lost in even the dearest of actions, because they were not by choice. Pain can be learned from and used for future good.
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This is an interesting question. While I enjoy the freedoms of choice, I often feel like I just want God to tell me what to do..I want to know the future and that it will be what is best. I also know that through our free choice we grow. Without free will we would not truly love God because we are obeying because we have no choice. True love comes from the freedom to choose to love.
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This makes me think of when I came to Christ and how in that moment I was asked by a friend (a coworker actually who happened to be a pastor) why I thought that I had managed to be successful in life even though many of the things I described to him from the first 20 years of my life were painful. I see so much good coming out of that pain now (but I did not see it then, of course). Without that pain and trouble I would not be who I am (sounds like a cliche, but it is true). I would not be the leader I am. I would not be as fit as a I am. I would not be the father that I am. I would not be the husband I am. Was the pain and suffering hard? Of course. Did I enjoy it? Of course not! But the freedom I had that led to the pain has allowed me to appreciate all that God has done for me that much more. So, no, I would never trade my freedom to choose in order to enjoy freedom from pain.
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I can agonize over a decision on what to buy at McDonalds. So at times I have wished for someone to make any decision for me so I don’t make a wrong choice. Yet I suspect that ceding such control to another person would lead to conflict and a desire to rebel. Ultimately, I think we all want to be like Pinocchio when he declared, “There are no strings on me.” Free will includes the freedom to choose unwisely, yet it remains the only way we can truly choose to love God freely and unforced.
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Ravi Zacharias said, “Love cannot be brought about by robotic coercion; it has to be done by freedom of will.” Do you agree or disagree? Why?
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