"Have you heard of the Four Spiritual Laws?"
That question, found in a small booklet, has been asked and answered thousands—perhaps millions—of times in our generation. These "laws" have been used by God to introduce His plan of love and forgiveness to countless numbers of people who had no idea how to have a meaningful relationship with Him.
I have a similar question. It is designed to introduce some foundational facts to those who are confused over the painful circumstance they are enduring . . . and how the whole issue of healing applies to them.
"Have you heard of the Five Suffering Laws?"
That question appears in no booklet—but it should! These "laws" will do more to help the hurting and erase their confusion than perhaps anything else they could read. All five are well supported in Scripture. We'll look at the first four today and the final one tomorrow.
Law One: There are two classifications of sin.
1. Original sin . . . the inherited sin nature traceable to Adam, original "head" of the human race (Romans 5:12a).
2. Personal sins . . . individual acts of wrong we regularly commit (Romans 3:23).
Because we all have an inherited sin nature (the root), we commit sins (the fruit).
Law Two: Original sin introduced suffering, illness, and death to the human race (Romans 5:12b).
Had there never been the presence of original sin in the Garden of Eden, mankind would never have known sickness or death. In the broadest sense of the word, all sickness and suffering today are the result of original sin. Literally, the Lord told Adam "in the day that you eat from it, dying you will die" (Genesis 2:17).
Law Three: Sometimes there is a direct relationship between personal sins and sickness.
David testified of such in Psalm 32:3-5 and 38:3-5. Paul warned that some of the Corinthian believers were "weak and sick" and a number of them were dead (1 Corinthians 11:27-30) because they were sinning.
Law Four: Sometimes there is no relationship between personal sins and sickness.
Some are born with afflictions—suffering before they ever reach the age of committing sins (John 9:1-3; Acts 3:1-2). Others, like Job (1:1-5), are living upright lives when suffering occurs. Jesus Himself "sympathizes with our weaknesses" (Hebrews 4:15) rather than rebuking us because we have sinned. Remember, "although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered" (Hebrews 5:8). Jesus never committed sins, yet He suffered.
Tomorrow, I'll share with you Law Five and some significant (dare I say, life-changing?) conclusions we can draw from these "laws" of suffering.
Excerpt taken from Come before Winter and Share My Hope by Charles R. Swindoll. Copyright © 1985, 1988, 1994 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.
Used with permission. All rights reserved.
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