Phil
2:27a, 29b, 30 (NIV) . . . Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had
mercy on him, . . . honor men like him, 30 because he almost died for the work
of Christ, risking his life to make up for the help you could not give me.
NOTE: Epaphroditus'
sufferring was an illness, hardly a direct result of his faith. It was however
an indirect result of his living as a Christian, but still somewhat random.
Still, Paul says he almost died for the work of Christ. The point is that God ordains
and uses our suffering for his purposes whether or not they seem as a direct
result of our faith.
((TODAY, 23 Jul
2012: There are some believers who actually argue that a Christian should never
be sick. The arguments, in my opinion, are poor and convoluted, but that is
another discussion. They accept suffering as a result of persecution as a
separate case. But, here we find Epaphroditus sick and near dying, and it has
nothing to do with persecution. If it is God's will for a believer to be
healthy and well, why does Paul say that he almost died (and his death would
have cause sorrow upon sorrow for Paul)? Paul would be lying (about his possible death) if it was true
that a believer should always be healthy and well. Also, Paul equates the
illness he picked up as part of his service. Possibly, he caught something on
his travels that his immune system was not use to, but we don't know. Paul
calls it an illness. The Greek word, astheneo, means to be sick or made weak.
The Exegetical Dictionary says it is a weakness "that which is derived
directly from the earthly-bodily existence of mankind." It is the same
kind of sickness Jesus healed in Luke 4:40, and yet here there is an assumption
that he might have died. Paul says that he nearly died of a sickness for the
work of Christ. Even though it was not a direct result, Paul says the illness
was related to the work of Christ. So, here we have two godly men, Paul, a man
of great faith, and Epaphroditus, a man of great service to the cause of
Christ, and Epaphroditus has an illness that almost causes his death. So much
so, that Paul was spared "sorrow upon sorrow" by his recovery.
What is the point?
God is sovereign and we have no idea why sickness and illness come upon us. To
believe that it is not God's will to be sick is incorrect theology. To live for
God despite our suffering and pain is good theology.))
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