The Inevitability of Sorrow and the Search for Happiness

Everyone will suffer a broken heart sooner than later in life. We have all experienced the sting of emotional pain and sorrow. Fay Weldon expressed the inevitability of sorrow quite well when she said, “there's no such thing as old age, there is only sorrow”. Well maybe Miss Weldon overstated the degree of sorrow, but we can all agree that sorrow will find us sometime in this life.

Sorrow and happiness have to be understood from a Christian perspective. There is no other worldview that can make sense of pain, sorrow and the attainment of happiness in this life; it is only the Christian worldview that offers a satisfying answer.

Philosophers and men of all walks of life have struggled with the question, if God is good why do we have pain and sorrow in this life?  Why does God allow men to suffer? We hear from Leo Tolstoy’s character Anna Karenina who once said, “I’m simply unhappy. If anyone is unhappy, I’m.” We can all identify with Tolstoy’s character, Anna, to some degree; for we have all tasted the same pain and sorrow expressed by Anna Karenina.

We can see this sorrow and suffering in the first book of the Bible, the book of Genesis. We have the scene set: Adam and Eve are placed in perfect surroundings. They have all their needs met by the creator Himself. They enjoy each other’s love, warmth, and friendship. They have all the food they will ever need and they don’t even have to run to the supermarket to get it. It’s all right there. They have all of creation right in their back yard and the best thing of all they are in perfect fellowship with the God of creation.

We all know the story. Both husband and wife disobeyed the Creator’s direct command not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and baam, it all starts to unravel. Their relationship with God is estranged. The perfect paradise now becomes thorns and weeds. Adam and Eve are now estranged from each other. For the first time in their lives they experience sorrow. We do see God’s mercy and grace immediately, for God makes atonement for them. He provides a covering for them. Adam and Eve did what all mankind has been doing from day one --- they tried to fix the sin problem, the sorrow problem, on their own. They sought to make a covering for their sin with fig leaves, but God would not have it. Instead of Adam and Eve running to God, they ran from Him and sought their own remedy for their sin.

If we pay attention to our lives, and the lives of others, we find out that at the core of all existence is the desire to be happy. The problem is that man has followed in the same path as Adam and Eve. The truth is that man is not happy at his core and is still trying to find his own remedy for happiness. Just like Adam and Eve, man is not running toward God, but running away from God.  This running away from God is the root of all man’s pain and sorrow.

Dump the Christian Cliches

Today I’d like to deal with Christian clichés that have found room in the Christian church. First, what is a cliché? A quick Google search will tell you that a cliché is a phrase that betrays original thought or a trite, stereotyped expression, usually expressing a popular or common thought or idea that has lost originality, ingenuity and impact by long overuse. Now a cliché can be true or it can be false. I’ll just be dealing with those cliché’s that are false and leave the corny ones for another day.

One phrase that I’ve come across lately is that we are all theologians, it’s just a matter if you are a good theologian or a bad one. I like Titus 2:1 but you must say the things that are consistent with sound teaching. One sentiment you will come across if you’ve been in the church for any time is people don’t need more theology, they just need Jesus. We know the problem with this thinking is that it assumes that we can have Jesus apart from reference to theology or Scripture.

I’ve actually had people tell me that they don’t need all that Bible stuff, and they then tell me that they have Jesus, and that’s all they need. I always reply, which Jesus do you have? The Mormon Jesus, the Jehovah Witness’ Jesus or the prophet Jesus as found in the Koran.

Here’s the great danger in divorcing the person Jesus from the Scriptures…you end up with an idol which makes you an idolater. Now back to those Christian clichés that are false.  They divorce truth from the Scriptures which is always dangerous.

The one cliché that is heard often is let go and let God.  Let go of what? Let God do what? The danger here is that it relieves the Christian of any sense of duty or action that God tells him to take. For instance the Bible tells us to flee fornication, see (1Corinthians 6:8). The list goes on how we are commanded in Scripture to stop, start, or flee sin. How about, let him that stole steal no more, (Ephesians 4:28).  Do you see that the let go and let God has no Biblical warrant?

Someone might say, well we should let go of our worry and let God take care of whatever you are worrying about. That might work, but even here if someone is doing things that cause their worry they are responsible to get that area straight before God.

How about this one: God hates the sin, but loves the sinner. We really need to rethink this erroneous cliché. We are quick to tell those in sin that God loves them, but hates their sin. This may give non-believers a warm, fuzzy feeling but it is not true. The sin of the sinner cannot be separated from his person. Sin is not some abstract entity, no; sin is the very fabric of who the sinner is.

My theological concern is that the cliché is doctrinally ambiguous. It makes it sound as if God is only angry at some abstract entity, but God is angry with the sinner, see Psalm 7:11  God is angry with the wicked every day. Sin is inextricably tied to persons…at the second death when the unbeliever is thrown into the lake of fire it will not be just his sin, no, it will be the sinner who will be thrown into the lake of fire.


Instead of telling the sinner that God hates their sin but loves them, share the gospel with them. The good news that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners from God's wrath.

The Real Battle is Within

To borrow the words of the Apostle Paul the Christian life is a fight. Why? What are we fighting? Well, it not so much what, but who are we fighting. I think any Christian who has journeyed long enough knows that the battle is inside of him. The battle, the real war is not outside somewhere, but in his very being, in his own mind and heart.

Let me define the battle for us. This battle cannot be won with guns, and swords. This battle cannot be won at the ballot box or by what political party is in charge. This battle cannot be won by our friends or our families or even us; and this is because the enemy is sin, and sin can only be defeated at the cross.

The Bible from front to back tells a story of how man fell. From Adam and Eve’s disobedience in the Garden to the final uprising of man in the book of Revelation we see man is in a bad way. Some of the language used to describe man throughout the Bible is really quite disturbing. Jeremiah tells us that the heart of man is deceitful and desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). Jesus said from within the hearts of men come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder and adultery (Mark 7:21).

The Christian knows this battle all so well. The fight can be tiring at times and frustrating. Just when you think you have a victory up comes that ugly old man reminding you that you will need God’s grace until the Captain of the battle calls you home for final rest. Recall the words of Jahaziel as he encouraged King Jehoshaphat; do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s (2 Chronicles 20:15).

Think about that. Think about what the Apostle Paul said when he humbly confessed that when he is weak Christ is strong (2 Corinthians 12:10). Paul even delighted in his weaknesses. Why would anyone delight in their weaknesses? Well, Paul found out that when he was helpless against sin, and that sin was much bigger and stronger than his will to fight it, he realized at that moment that Christ was big…that Christ was strong, oh what a blessing Paul discovered.

Scottish pastor Robert Murray McCheyne left us with on quote that has become quite famous, and for good reason. It goes like this: “For every look at yourself, take ten looks at Christ.” This quote is short and will sticky and it can keep us from discouragement and tiring in the fight against our own sin.

The Social Justice Gospel in no gospel at all.

Something has been galling me of late, and that is the Social Justice Warrior gospel that is now pervasive in our modern church culture. This movement is not new, the phrase “social gospel” is usually used to describe a Protestant Christian intellectual movement that came to prominence in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
"Those who adhered to a social gospel sought to apply Christian ethics to social problems such as poverty, slums, poor nutrition and education, alcoholism, crime, and war. These things were emphasized while the doctrines of sin, salvation, heaven and hell, and the future kingdom of God were downplayed" (got Questions?org). Let us be clear, Jesus did not come to help us get along or teach us to take care of the poor or to restore ‘social justice’. To some, this assertion is a bold stroke, since they have been told just the opposite. When we view the gospel and the mission of the church as just restoring social justice we are left with a different gospel than the Apostle Paul preached. Paul even said, "but though we or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let them be accursed (Galatians 1:8).

These are very strong words by the Apostle. He used the word accursed to be applied to those who preach and teach any other gospel than the gospel that he preached and taught. I'm writing today to proclaim that the Social Justice gospel in "another" gospel than the gospel of the Apostle Paul.

This may come as a shock to some, but Jesus did not come to heal the sick and feed the hungry. You can eliminate every single thing Jesus ever said in his life about the poor and social justice, and still you will not undermine his main message one bit. The whole of the Old testament's sacrificial system... and all the Old Testament prophets point to One who was to come to feed the hungry...to give sight to the blind, but if this is understood in the physical sense only the gospel is missed.

Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well that the physical water that you drink will quench your thirst for a time, but the water that I give you will quench your thirst for eternity,see (John 4:4-26). Jesus told the crowds after he feed them that you seek me for the bread that is temporal, but Jesus claimed, I'm the bread of life, whoever partakes of this bread will live forever, see (John 6:25-59).

Jesus did heal those with physical maladies for sure, but that is all the Social Justice Warriors see, but the deeper meaning of those physical healings pointed to a spiritual healing that would come in time at the cross...His death, burial, and resurrection. I think the prophet Isaiah sums it best when he prophesied about Jesus' first coming, he said, But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:5).

God did not send His Son to suffer and die on a cross for social justice, no, He sent His Son to satisfy His justice so that a way could be opened for sinful man to come before Him and be in fellowship with Him for eternity.

Error all around us.

There is a grave danger floating around in our current Christian culture today; now keep in mind that no doctrinal error is new, as the old sage told us, there is nothing new under the sun. The insidious error that I come across often is the separating Jesus from the written word.

Let me provide an example what this looks like in real life. Suppose a person says to you, I have a personal relationship with Jesus. Okay, here we go, since I like to dig down and flesh out terms and particular cultural Christian cliches, I would ask this person what they mean by a person relationship with Jesus. At that point, I would ask them very specific questions about the "Jesus" that they have as their "personal" savior.

I might say, well you know, Jesus said, except people repent they will perish, or I'd tell them Jesus said that a man has to hate his own family before he can become a disciple. There a many other texts that I would share with them, oh, I forget the big one, Jesus said that he was the only way to God.

This then is the usual reply that just shakes me to the core, well, that's your Jesus, I have my own Jesus, and He's love. They usually digress into a diatribe that the Bible cannot be understood or that everyone has their own interpretation, and therefore the Bible is not the only source to tell us about Jesus.

I hope you all can see the grave error whenever we separate Jesus from the written word. The natural outcome is that we have people creating their own Jesus. They mold and shape their Jesus to their own carnal and sinful thoughts and desires. In the end what we have is flat out idolatry.

Christianity is the acknowledgement of the propositional truth claims that the Scriptures make about the person and work of Jesus. The crux of the matter, and the central point of what anyone believes, is what authority do you base your belief on? The Canon of Scripture is the churches final authority for all matters of faith and practice.

The Psalmist exclaimed so very long ago, thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against you (Psalm 119:11).  Then we move to the New Testament and the Apostle Paul tells us to let the word of Christ dwell inside of us (Colossians 3:16).

The Renewing of the Mind

I've have written in the past on the life of the mind. I cannot stress enough the importance for the Christian to develop the life of the mind. One very important aspect to note is the mind and the heart are not entirely separate entities. Often the Scriptures speak of the mind and the heart as one "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he..." (Proverbs 23:7).

From any casual reading of the Scriptures we are struck with all of the admonitions to guard and protect our hearts. We are instructed over and over to pay attention to our thinking process,Jesus tells us that we are to love God with all our our minds (Luke 10:27). The Apostle Paul gives us a serious contrast between a mind that is patterned after our carnal appetites (death) and a mind that is set on the things of the Spirit of God (life)(Romans 8:6). One of my favorite texts is Paul's words in (Romans 12:2) where we are told not to conform to this world, but we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Think about that for a moment, Paul is telling us that if we live with renewed minds it will have a direct impact on the way we live out our lives in this world.

All wrong actions find their starting point first in wrong thoughts. The mind of the Christian is to be saturated with the wisdom and knowledge of God. We have many admonitions to mediate on God's word, the most well known is Joshua 1:8 where Joshua tells his people that that the law of God should be mediated on day and night.

Think about this for a second...there are only two kinds of minds or thinking processes. One is the carnal mind, the mind of the flesh, the mind that is at enmity with God, the mind that is dead spiritually. The other is the mind that has been made alive in Christ, the mind that has been renewed, the mind that is set on the things of God, the mind that is filled with the wisdom and knowledge of God.

The discipline for the Christian. The call of the Christian is to cultivate the life of the mind, to set his mind on the things of God. Paul even tells us specifically what to think on in Philippians 4:8 ( whatsoever is true, whatsoever is honest, whatsoever is just, whatsoever is pure, whatsoever is lovely).

The beauty of the Christian life is that all change is from the inside out, unlike the secular world where change can happen, but it is only outward change. The Christian change is wrought by the Spirit of God for the glory of God, the carnal mind can know nothing of this kind of change.

So Christian set your mind on the things of God. Make the meditation of God's word a daily habit and walk in a new and transformed way of thinking.

Our Mind's Matter

Thinking, thinking, thinking, always thinking. The life of the mind is the heart of the Christian life. As I think through the Scriptures, I'm struck with how much emphasis is placed on our thought life.

One text that we are all familiar with is "as a man thinks in his heart (mind)so he is (Proverbs 23:7). Take time and park there...as our thought life is, so we are. What we chew on every day. What we allow into our minds, is the real indicator of who we really are. Any man can hide who he really is from others, but our inward-self reveals the true us.

With that in mind think of the One who knows the mind of man. We are told by the prophet Jeremiah that God searches the heart and examines the mind (17:10). Paul tells us that it is God who searches our heart (Romans 8:27). The writer of Hebrews tells us that God's word judges the thoughts and attitudes of our hearts (4:12).

How about Psalm 44:21 "Would not God find this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart." There are hundreds of other passages that tell us that God knows our thoughts, desires, and our attitudes. How incumbent on the man of God to develop the life of the mind in a God honoring way.

The battle in the Christian life is not out-there, no, it's inside each one of us. The battle is the fight against any ungodly  thought that tries to make it in to our life, and find root. We then through the power of the Holy Spirit have the choice to smash that thought or let it in where it will take root and estrange us from God and others.

Let's move from the abstract to the real world of every-day life. Suppose you had a fight with your spouse and you are now harboring sinful feelings. Let's say you are acting out your feeling in the expression of anger. You can trace that anger back to a thought...anger is an emotion, but you have to give it room...you have to allow it a place to come and reside,you have to start to listen to his voice for it to have an effect.

Now think about the love that the Bible commands us to have toward our spouse. Paul tells us in that great chapter in 1 Corinthians that love is kind. Now, here we go, we don't have to feel kind first toward that person to act, no, we put on kindness, we smash those thoughts of anger, we kick him out, and invite kindness in. We allow the voice of kindness to speak to us.

So, even when we still feel anger, we act-out the fruit of love, kindness. Is it hard?  You bet it is, matter of fact you cannot do it alone, you have to walk in the Spirit and keep your heart tender toward God.

Let's therefore put off all that is contrary to God's thoughts and put on Christ in our daily thought life.

Robert Murray McCheyne:

“What a man is on his knees before God, that he is, and nothing more.”