Thinking on Scripture with Dr. Steven R. Cook

The Suffering of Job

     Job’s suffering began abruptly, without warning and without explanation, when God permitted Satan to test his integrity. Though Job was “blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil” (Job 1:1), divine sovereignty allowed undeserved suffering as a means of glorifying God and refining Job’s soul. Zuck wisely states, “The Book of Job addresses the mystery of unmerited misery, showing that in adv...

The Suffering of the Psalmist

     The Psalmist wrote, “Before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now I keep Your word” (Psa 119:67). The word translated “went astray” is שָׁגַג (shāgag). According to HALOT it means “to make a mistake inadvertently, unwittingly…to go astray.”[1] It connotes moral or spiritual deviation (cf. Prov 5:23; Isa 53:6). Ross states, “The verb (שָׁגגַ) is used in Leviticus for unintentional sins; but here...

The Suffering of Jesus Christ

     Jesus Christ, though perfectly sinless in His nature and conduct (1 Pet 2:22; 1 John 3:5), fully entered into the sufferings of humanity during what Scripture calls “the days of His flesh” (Heb 5:7a). As eternal God (John 1:1, 14; Col 2:9), He lacked nothing and possessed all knowledge, power, and authority. Yet in His humanity, He willingly submitted Himself to the limitations of human life, grow...

     Scripture identifies two main forms of suffering that promote spiritual growth: corrective suffering, which restores the disobedient to fellowship, and perfective suffering, which refines the obedient toward greater maturity in Christ.

     Corrective suffering arises from divine discipline when believers deviate from God’s will and wander into disobedience. Such discipline is the measured response of a loving Father who seeks...

Suffering as a Means of Spiritual Growth

     Sufferings (pathēma) encompass a broader category that includes pain, hardship, or affliction resulting from life in a fallen world, the hostility of others, or divine discipline. The word pathēma derives from paschō, meaning “to experience, suffer, endure…affliction.”[1] The word is frequently used in the New Testament to describe the sufferings of Christ as well as those of His follow...

Trials and Suffering as a Means of Growth

     A mature Christian is one whose faith has been tested and refined through the experiences of trials and suffering. Yet it is not the mere experience of testing or hardship that produces maturity, but the believer’s faith response to it (2 Cor 5:7; Heb 10:38). God, in His sovereign wisdom, tailors each situation to the unique needs of His children. For example, Jonah needed only three d...

Blessing as a Means to Spiritual Growth

     God’s blessings are intentional expressions of His character and His grace. He blesses all humanity with the gifts of life, provision, and the sustaining order of creation that reflects His goodness. As Jesus declared, “He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matt 5:45). Likewise, Paul explained that God “did not leave Him...

     Concerning the permission of divorce, Jesus said the Pharisees, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way” (Matt 19:8). God’s permissive will can be observed on a national level, as Paul said, “In the generations gone by He permitted all the nations to go their own ways” (Acts 14:16). This explains much of the poor behavior we see among the nat...

     Some directives are role-specific. Husbands are to love their wives as Christ loves the church, and wives are to submit to their husbands’ loving spiritual leadership and show them respect (Eph 5:22, 25, 33; 1 Pet 3:1-2). Children are to obey and honor their parents (Eph 6:1-4). Employees are to serve their supervisors with sincerity (Eph 6:5-8; Col 3:23-24), and supervisors are to treat their workers with fairness and integri...

Some directives in the Christian life are role-specific. Husbands are to love their wives as Christ loves the church, and wives are to submit to their husbands’ loving spiritual leadership and show them respect (Eph 5:22, 25, 33; 1 Pet 3:1-2). Children are to obey and honor their parents (Eph 6:1-4). Employees are to serve their supervisors with sincerity (Eph 6:5-8; Col 3:23-24), and supervisors are to treat their workers with fai...

The Christian faith begins the moment a person believes in Jesus Christ as Savior, trusting Him alone for the free gift of eternal life (John 3:16; Acts 16:31; Eph 2:8-9). At that instant, God forgives sins, declares the believer righteous (Rom 3:28; 5:1), and grants eternal security (John 10:28). This starting point is not achieved by works, reform, or religious ritual, but by faith alone in Christ alone. The Christian life then c...

     When reading through the New Testament, we see that God provides both general and specific directives to Christians. General directives include learning and applying God’s Word (Rom 12:1-2; Col 3:16; 2 Tim 2:15; 1 Pet 2:2; Jam 1:22), loving others as Christ has loved us (John 13:34), being filled with and walking by the Spirit (Eph 5:18; Gal 5:16), submitting to governing authorities and paying taxes (Rom 13:1, 6), stimulating...

     These audio lectures accompany BE302, Genesis through Ruth, a graduate-level course at Chafer Theological Seminary. The class serves students in programs such as the Master of Arts (M.A.) and Master of Theology (Th.M.), though it may also be taken on an audit basis. My lecture notes are available here: https://thinkingonscripture.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/BE302-Genesis-to-Ruth-Complete-Study-Notes.pdf

     Students seekin...

     These audio lectures accompany BE302, Genesis through Ruth, a graduate-level course at Chafer Theological Seminary. The class serves students in programs such as the Master of Arts (M.A.) and Master of Theology (Th.M.), though it may also be taken on an audit basis. My lecture notes are available here: https://thinkingonscripture.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/BE302-Genesis-to-Ruth-Complete-Study-Notes.pdf

     Students seekin...

     Trials are not accidents in the Christian life; rather, they are divine appointments. Paul learned this when God allowed “a thorn in the flesh” to keep him from exalting himself (2 Cor 12:7-10). Instead of removing the trial, the Lord assured him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Paul’s response was to “boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.” Likewise, we ar...

When reading through the New Testament, we see that God provides both general and specific directives to Christians. General directives include learning and applying God’s Word (Rom 12:1-2; Col 3:16; 2 Tim 2:15; 1 Pet 2:2; Jam 1:22), loving others as Christ has loved us (John 13:34), being filled with and walking by the Spirit (Eph 5:18; Gal 5:16), submitting to governing authorities and paying taxes (Rom 13:1, 6), stimulating one ...

     The Lord directs us to obedience and tests us by providing opportunities to follow His Word, whether through His commands, His provisions, or the circumstances He ordains (Ex 16:4; Deut 8:2; 13:3; Judg 2:21-22; 3:4; John 6:5-6; Heb 11:17; Rev 2:10). In Scripture, testing is consistently purposeful, designed to reveal the true condition of our hearts, whether we will love and obey Him above all else (Deut 8:2; 13:3). Like a ref...

     Second, there is God’s directive will, which refers to His actively guiding His people to do what He expects. It is sometimes called His prescriptive will because it prescribes how people are to think, live, and relate to Him and others. For example, God directed Adam and Eve to be “fruitful and multiply” and to “rule” as theocratic administrators over His creation (Gen 1:28). After creating the garden of Eden, He directed the...