Torch, Summer 2003

“Why would God allow this death and destruction? Why does a loving God allow so many good people to experience so many bad things?” Christians have felt the frustration of trying to explain God to unbelievers wherever they encounter them — at work, at school, in the neighborhood, or in the marketplace. Whether the issue is a worldwide catastrophe or a community-debilitating business layoff or bankruptcy, people are led to try to make sense of the intersection between hurtful facts and hopeful faith. Our call is not so much to explain God (who, after all, can really comprehend an infinite God?), but, rather, to exemplify godliness. Our faith as Christians is relational and incarnational, not simply intellectual. The need is not so much to have philosophically convincing answers to whether God makes a difference in this world, as to demonstrate that God has made all the difference in our lives. Like Timothy, God should be revealing Himself through the bold, loving, and disciplined lives we lead. Our faith is real — let us show that it is real in our lives. The gospel is powerful — let us show its power in our lives. God’s Word is a treasure — let us show its rich effect in our words and lives. break. Something was “sincere” because it could stand the test of fire and heat. Paul urged Timothy to fan the flames of his gift and calling as a pastor/teacher (II Timothy 1:6). He reminded Timothy that his faith and God’s equipping should provide him with boldness, power, love, and discipline (II Timothy 1:7) and should leave him unashamed and un-cowered in sharing the gospel. Paul urged Timothy to stand firm in his “sincere” faith (II Timothy 1:5). The word “sincere” in English derives from a Latin word related to a practice that deceptive potters would use to cover up cracks in their pottery. They would cover cracks with wax and dirt, and the buyer would only discover later that the pottery was “insincere,” for the wax would melt and the pottery would leak or by Dr. Sharon G. Johnson COPING CHANGE WITH Summer 2003 / TORCH 9