Bible Study - Suffering (1) - Genesis 3 and Romans 8 - January 12, 2020

Bible Study – Suffering (1) – Why Does Suffering Exist? – January 12, 2020.


This is lesson 0ne (1) in our series entitled “When Life Gets Hard: Big Questions About Pain and Suffering.”


Our focus scriptures are Genesis 3:16-19; Romans 8:18-25.


Suffering is a part of living in a fallen world.


I groaned when I saw the title of this series. I hate pain and suffering but it comes with life. As mentioned in an earlier study, we have to look back to Genesis. GOD intended for life upon earth to be ideal but with one restriction, “Do not eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” Our ancestral parents disobeyed GOD, which is sin, and in doing so they lost the ideal, eternal life for themselves and their offspring, humans.

But GOD in HIS foreknowledge had a redemptive plan for mankind.


In Ephesians 1:3-14, the Apostle Paul wrote:

³ Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ. ⁴ For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him.^{[c] 5} He predestined us to be adopted as sons (and daughters) through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, ⁶ to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One.

⁷ In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace ⁸ that he richly poured out on us with all wisdom and understanding.^{[d] 9} He made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he purposed in Christ ¹⁰ as a plan for the right time^[e]—to bring everything together in Christ, both things in heaven and things on earth in him.

¹¹ In him we have also received an inheritance,^[f] because we were predestined according to the plan of the one who works out everything in agreement with the purpose of his will, ¹² so that we who had already put our hope in Christ might bring praise to his glory.

¹³ In him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed. ¹⁴ The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory.

GOD’S redemptive plan is in the physical life of JESUS. JESUS was born 100% human, was tempted in all ways as humans are tempted, yet without sin. (1 Corinthians 15:45) JESUS willingly gave HIS sinless, physical life as the sacrifice for all who place their faith in HIM as their Savior. When humans place their faith in JESUS a miracle takes place in an instant. That miracle is called Spiritual rebirth. The Spiritually born-again person has been redeemed from the penalty of sin, which is eternal death. It is through the miracle of Spiritual rebirth that the born-again Christian is redeemed and restored to the Spiritual person GOD intended. The Spiritually born-again person remains upon earth to be a witness and an example of GOD’S redemptive love to fellow humans.

You might read “Bible Study – Tough Questions (4) – Is JESUS GOD? – December 22, 2019.” (actsclass.blogspot.com)

Alex Trebek, host of the TV game show, Jeopardy read a letter from a listener who stated that Alex’s sharing the symptoms related to his pancreatic cancer prompted him to go to the doctor. The listener learned that he had pancreatic cancer in the early stages and was receiving treatment. Alex stated that made him feel good that someone benefitted from his sharing.


Often, we think the rich and famous are exempt from the trial’s life offers. 

We are all humans and subject to the circumstances of life.


Let’s explore! Back to Genesis. Adam and Eve had sinned and GOD was looking for them in the Garden. GOD called out to them but they were hiding because they were naked. Sin reveals our nakedness before GOD. GOD had told Adam that if he ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he would die. Sin equals eternal death. Redemption through faith in JESUS equals forgiveness and eternal life. GOD was speaking to Adam and Eve after they had sinned as we read on ----


Let’s read Genesis 3:16-19:

¹⁶ He said to the woman:

I will intensify your labor pains;
you will bear children with painful effort.
Your desire will be for your husband,
yet he will rule over you.

¹⁷ And he said to the man, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘Do not eat from it’:

The ground is cursed because of you.
You will eat from it by means of painful labor^[e]
all the days of your life.
¹⁸ It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
and you will eat the plants of the field.
¹⁹ You will eat bread^[f] by the sweat of your brow
until you return to the ground,
since you were taken from it.
For you are dust,
and you will return to dust.”

Let’s look back to Genesis 2 ----

In Genesis 2 - ¹⁵ The Lord God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to work it and watch over it. ¹⁶ And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree of the garden, ¹⁷ but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die.”

GOD gave man the responsibility to work and watch over the garden. Adam failed by being disobedient to GOD’S command and the result was and is Spiritual death.

The ground is cursed. In essence, GOD told Adam that the very ground you step upon is cursed, therefore both of you and your offspring must be redeemed. Also, the very ground you build upon, live upon, cultivate and depend upon must be redeemed.

Christians are redeemed by the shed blood of GOD’S only Son, JESUS. The land under their feet, where they live, work, worship and depend upon needs to be redeemed from the curse.

Thorns and thistles are more than physical agricultural issues. They are life issues which must be dealt with. The Holy Spirit resides within every born-again Christian. And because the Holy Spirit resides within every born-again Christian scripture reveals in:

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

¹⁹ Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, ²⁰ for you were bought at a price. So glorify God with your body.^[a]

Born-again Christians represent the presence of GOD and where GOD is, the ground is Holy.

Consider, what GOD told Moses when Moses approached the burning bush as recorded in Exodus 3:5:

⁵ “Do not come closer,” he (GOD) said. “Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”

Every born-again Christian represents GOD and the presence of GOD, through faith in JESUS. The presence of GOD makes the born-again Christian Holy. Every born-again Christian was bought at a price (the sinless life of JESUS), redeemed from eternal death, by the shed blood of JESUS at the instant he or she placed his or her faith in JESUS.

Let’s read Romans 8:18-22:

From Groans to Glory

¹⁸ For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us. ¹⁹ For the creation eagerly waits with anticipation for God’s sons to be revealed. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to futility—not willingly, but because of him who subjected it—in the hope ²¹ that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage to decay into the glorious freedom of God’s children. ²² For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now.

When Adam and Eve sinned, they lost their eternal life. GOD says what HE means and means what HE says, sin equals eternal death. GOD sets the rules and only GOD can establish the rules for restoration, which HE did. The Apostle John wrote in John 3:16-18:

¹⁶ For God loved the world in this way:^[e] He gave^[f] his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸ Anyone who believes in him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.

Let’s read John 1:1 and 14 - 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning.

¹⁴ The Word became flesh and dwelt^[h] among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son^[i] from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Second Corinthians 5 - ²¹ He (GOD) made the one (JESUS) who did not know sin to be sin^[e] for us, so that in him (JESUS) we might become the righteousness of God.

Who made sinless JESUS to be sin for us? GOD!

Why? “So that we might become the righteousness of GOD.” How is that accomplished?

As recorded in John 3 - ³ Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born again,^[a] he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

How does a person become born-again?

What does JESUS reveal in John 3 - ¹⁶ For God loved the world in this way:^[e] He gave^[f] his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

When Adam and Eve sinned and lost their eternal life so did all of creation. All of nature suffered death and decay. Nature waits along with the people of earth to be fully redeemed from death and decay.

Our hope is in the physical death and eternal resurrection of JESUS. That hope resides within every born-again believer as recorded in Ephesians 1 - ¹³ In him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed. ¹⁴ The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory. ------ ¹⁸ I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints, ¹⁹ and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the mighty working of his strength.

God’s Power in Christ – Continue in Ephesians 1 ---

²⁰ He exercised this power in Christ by raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens— ²¹ far above every ruler and authority, power and dominion, and every title given,^[i] not only in this age but also in the one to come. ²² And he subjected everything under his feet^[j] and appointed him^[k] as head over everything for the church, ²³ which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.

As born-again Christians the same power that resurrected JESUS resides in us! Now, ponder this! GOD’S power is “far above every ruler and authority, power and dominion, and every title given,^[i] not only in this age but also in the one to come.” Born-again Christians must stand upon that fact.

Born-again Christians have been redeemed and they know it because of the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit but nature is waiting to be redeemed from death and decay.

The fall of humanity had an adverse impact on nature. Nature was damaged by sin and no longer functions to the capacity for which it was designed. Nature suffers death and decay like humanity but one day it will be restored.

The Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18:

¹⁶ Therefore we do not give up. Even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner person is being renewed day by day. ¹⁷ For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory. 18 So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Let’s read Romans 8:23-25:

²³ Not only that, but we ourselves who have the Spirit as the first fruits—we also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. ²⁴ Now in this hope we were saved, but hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees? ²⁵ Now if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience.

GOD has given the Holy Spirit to every born-again Christian as a guarantee and deposit/down payment/first-fruits of what is yet to come. Through the indwelling Holy Spirit Christians get a taste of what is yet to be when we are set free from this body of flesh.

Revelation 21:1-4 reveals:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 I also saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.

³ Then I heard a loud voice from the throne:^[a] Look, God’s dwelling^[b] is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his peoples,^[c] and God himself will be with them and will be their God.^{[d] 4} He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things^[e] have passed away.

I am reminded of 1 Corinthians 2:9: But as it is written, What no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human heart has conceived— God has prepared these things for those who love him.


The best is yet to come for those born-again through faith in JESUS. But we are to live upon earth as Children of The One True GOD!

Accept JESUS as your Savior now and make HIM The LORD of your life.

Blessings!!!