Responding to Suffering

By Luciano Cozzi Ph. D.

Suffering comes in many forms and is an inevitable part of life. But how do we face it? It raises many deep questions about life and what we might find within ourselves. It leaves us confused, looking for something to hold on to. In the midst of suffering, we need comfort and reassurance. When the questions overwhelm us, where can we find answers? We need a point of reference, an anchor that holds us safely to shore. This book explores the complexities of our questions about suffering with the understanding and compassion of personal experience. It provides concrete and practical answers in a meaningful way that we can all relate to.

If you want to help others respond to suffering in a way that glorifies God, this book is for you. Dr. Cozzi’s case study on the apostle Paul struck a powerful chord with me when he writes about the three triads of Paul’s suffering. In Christ, Paul “had found ample reason to rejoice” in spite of his suffering. I am recommending this book because it is saturated with a rock-solid biblical theology on suffering. Responding to Suffering by Dr. Luciano Cozzi will be on my list of endorsed readings for my students.

—Jeff Christianson
President, International Association of Biblical Counselors
Founder, The BiblicalCounselingAcademy.com

For anyone seeking a thoroughly biblically and truly hopeful word from a fellow traveler who knows adversity and sufferings, I could not recommend more highly Luciano Cozzi’s book, Responding to Suffering. Well informed, avoiding sentimentality and easy answers, Dr. Cozzi shares with us a comprehensive and Christ-centered perspective on our Lord God’s good purpose to compassionately lead us all through those deep valleys of sorrow and sufferings that confront us in this fallen world.

—Gary Deddo, Ph.D. (University of Aberdeen)
Professor of Theology, Grace Communion Seminary

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Dec 23, 2022
• ISBN: 9781664283923

Luciano Cozzi Ph. D.

Dr. Luciano Cozzi is not a stranger nor a novice to the topic of this book. As he was writing it, struggling with problems in his visual cortex, he was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of brain cancer. After a delicate brain surgery to remove most of the tumor, he continues relentlessly to serve the Lord in his ministry, helping others in their Christian walk. His passion for the Lord’s ministry and for teaching continues to drive him even through his radiation and chemotherapy, as he perseveres in helping Christians resolve their life problems and come to a deeper and more personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Dr. Cozzi was born and grew up in the district of Siena, Italy. In 1980 he moved to the US to attend a Bible college in California, where he studied theology. Two years later he married Suzanne, and just after graduation, in 1984, they had their first son, Daniel. Their daughter Elisabeth was born two years later, in 1986. Then, in 1988 Luciano and Suzanne were asked to return to Italy to serve in pastoral ministry. While in Italy, he had the opportunity to serve as Bible lecturer and main speaker in several evangelistic campaigns throughout the country, as well as in Malta. He also served as a church planter, pastor and counselor for about ten years. In 1997, Dr. and Mrs. Cozzi returned to the US, where he dedicated himself to biblical counseling, preaching, and lecturing in various churches and organizations throughout Western New York. Then, in 2000 he was asked to take over a pastoral position in New England where he still serves as the senior pastor and director of counseling at Grace Family Church of Rhode Island. He is also the main speaker for the Word of Hope series, which is distributed in various countries around the world as well as on YouTube and Facebook. The series is also distributed through twelve podcast channels worldwide. A complete list of these channels can be found online at gfcri.org. Dr. Cozzi has earned a B.A. in theology (with distinction), a M.A. in biblical counseling (with high distinction), and a Ph.D. also in biblical counseling (with high distinction). He has been awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity and a gold membership in the National Omicron-Psi Honor Society. In addition to his formal studies, Dr. Cozzi has received several certifications in mediation and conflict resolution, as well as in Critical Incident Stress Management. He is the author of numerous articles and several books, among which The Love of God in Biblical Counseling. Besides continuing his pastoral duties, Dr. Cozzi also serves as a mentor and Training Center Director for the International Association of Biblical Counselors (IABC). He is passionate about teaching and training others to excel in this exciting ministry.

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Asking the Hard Questions

A Monumental Task

I will never forget that day in the heart of the Eastern Italian Alps. I was a young, inexperienced pastor with much to learn. An older man had called asking to meet with me because he had some questions. Of course, I was eager to provide answers to him, but the Lord had something else in mind. I remember a brief exchange of pleasantries as we sat outside at the table of a small coffee shop, overlooking the majesty of the alpine mountains. At one point, he changed his posture and became serious. I have a question, he said, which has haunted me for many years. He mentioned he had asked other ministers before, but he was still unable to put it to rest. His speech became somber, carefully articulated, and almost whispered, as he told me how he had survived a Nazi concentration camp.

He spoke briefly about some of the horrors he had witnessed, and occasionally glanced at me as if to make sure he could go on. He told me he had not been a believer, but he had some Christian friends in the camp who were people of faith and of prayer, who looked up to God and deeply believed in His love and grace. With heaviness in his heart, he described how he had watched them be consumed by hunger and illness right before his eyes. Several of them had died in his arms. Yet, he, the unbeliever, was still alive. Then he looked at me with a penetrating stare and asked, If God is really good, and if He is really powerful, then why? Why did He let His people suffer so much and die? Why did He let me, who was cursing Him and running away from Him, live instead? A long pause followed. Then, he added, Can you help me find the answer?

I will always remember how inadequate I felt. I wished my training as a young pastor had prepared me for an encounter like that. All the nicely stacked theories I had studied did not even touch the surface of his question. All the conveniently memorized verses, all the concepts categorized by topic and the difficult scriptures I had learned to explain and debate, it all proved useless before such a monumental task.

That encounter did much more for me than just teach me a lesson of humility. It planted a seed in my mind, an ever-present question: Why would God allow all this pain? That question never left me through the years, but always demanded an answer, however limited. It helped me appreciate the enormity of the big questions of life and forced me to look at God from a different perspective.

It was not until pain struck home, however, when the questions became so personal and so urgent, that they lost every appearance of rhetoric and philosophy. They became the consuming reality which they should have always been. We cannot pick and choose what to look at in order to formulate neat and simple answers to problems that are as big as life itself. Let’s not talk about it! I used to hear. But that is exactly what we should talk about, because the pain, the anguish, the evils of injustice and violence not only exist, they confront us daily. The more we try not to talk about these matters and ignore the hard questions, the more they face us in all their crude reality.

The last several decades have seen a proliferation of evil in the form of the rejection of any rule or law which regulates an individual’s behavior in our society. We have seen a considerable increase in open defiance of the law, which has led to confusion, disorders, chaos, and irresponsibility. The social connections intended to bind us together have been breaking down, resulting in the idea that we have the right to live outside the moral structures of our society. Our sense of entitlement has led many to feel justified in their selfish disregard of the law. Riots, sabotages, mass killings, a fascination with anything evil and violent, have filled the pages of our newspapers, as well as our entertainment. Still, this world is not black and white. It is much more complex. In the midst of such lawlessness, God’s voice can still be heard calling us to depart from the evils of this world¹ and overcome it with good,² responding to it with godly love.³

All around us—if we have eyes to see it—we can find many examples of God’s love being expressed in and through humanity. People sacrificing themselves to help those who are in need, expressions of care and compassion in everyday acts, a helping hand in a moment of difficulty, a caring word, a surprise gift which saved the day, and so much more, are all small glimpses of God’s image still manifest in our humanity. They are small, but important expressions of God’s love. Each one of these acts is like a small flame burning in the darkness. Together they shine brightly, reminding us that not everything in our world is evil. This mixture of good and evil, as old as humanity itself, is also part of the question. It is in this mixed world—not totally good, but also not totally evil—that we have a chance to make a difference. We can choose to respond to evil with good, and in so doing bring a little more of God’s light into the world, or we can follow the ways of this world and be trapped in its darkness.

There is really no escape. In one way or another, sooner or later, we must all face these questions and make some vital choices. The very nature of this confusing reality requires an introspective look deep into our core beliefs and philosophy of life. We find ourselves questioning our preconceived ideas, as we are confronted by a reality we would rather ignore. This is not an easy journey, nor a sterile observation of something that does not impact us personally. In our struggles with pain and grief, however, we are not left alone. There are answers. God has not left us in the dark. It may be a messy, dirty, confusing affair, like an entangled ball of emotions, which remind us of our temporary, frail and limited nature. Nevertheless, God has given us some answers which can—and will—radically change the way we look at Him and give profound meaning to our life.

Facing the Problem

It is against the backdrop of such a contrasting world—where we find good and evil, joy and sorrow—that God reveals Himself to humanity as a loving Father and the all-powerful God. That notion, however, already challenges us, for we find it difficult to reconcile it with the daily reality we live in. We see enough good in the world around us to understand Him as a loving Father, but also enough evil to question the very same concept. The big question we need to address, then, is the same one the older man asked during our conversation up in the Alps:

If God is really good, and also all powerful, then why does He allow evil to exist?

Pondering the possible answers to this fundamental question, many have concluded that God is a good, loving Father, but not powerful enough to put an end to evil. Others, instead, have concluded that because God is all powerful but does not stop evil, He must not be good. Some, facing the same question, have concluded that God does not exist at all.

The question posed, then, is of primary importance, and requires our undivided attention. We need to find some answers and understand how we can respond to the presence of evil and suffering in our lives. It is on these matters that we will direct our attention.

SUFFERING AND EVIL

First, we must address the relationship between evil and suffering. It seems undeniable that evil would produce suffering, but is all suffering a direct or immediate result of evil? Is there any suffering that is not a direct consequence of evil? This is similar to what the disciples of Jesus asked Him when He encountered the man who was born blind. The disciples, assuming a direct connection of that man’s blindness with sin, asked Jesus,

Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents that he would be born blind? Jesus answered, "It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.⁴

Several important points are brought to light in this account, as we will address. For now, we can clearly see that God is sovereign and rules over all things, including suffering, and not all suffering is the direct or immediate result of sin or evil. In fact, Scripture reveals a good form of suffering as well, and by good, I mean a suffering which produces good outcomes. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ is the ultimate example of such suffering. However, even His suffering, which brings about truly good results, is ultimately due to the presence of evil. While evil is totally defeated by the immense love of God, expressed in His willingness to suffer and die for us, it is evident it was made necessary by the presence of evil and sin. Without evil, and in the absence of sin, His suffering and His death for us would not have been necessary. So, while in some cases there may be no direct or immediate correlation between a specific instance of suffering and a particular evil or sin, evil and suffering are still inextricably connected. We cannot fully understand one without also understanding the other.

The connection between evil and suffering is also demonstrated in the biblical promises, which reassure us that once evil is finally eradicated, there will be no more tears, or death, or mourning or pain.⁵ So, for our purposes, we will refer to evil as the ultimate cause or source of the sufferings we experience in life.

WHAT IS GOOD AND WHAT IS EVIL?

As we approach a topic of this magnitude, it is important for us to honestly acknowledge our limitations, and to allow our answers to flow from God’s revelation in Scripture. We need God’s perspective in order to even begin to understand, for only He can open our eyes to what we cannot otherwise see. So, we must let Scripture, not our own preconceived ideas or beliefs, indicate the path to follow, and provide the clues we need to understand.

The first step along this path is to define our terms biblically, beginning with good and evil. Humanity has always had problems defining goodness or good. Philosophers, like G. E. Moore, have come to see good as a non-natural and indefinable quality which can only be known by intuition. Any attempt to define it, they affirm, is inevitably going to fail. Contrary to what philosophers may think in their search for the meaning of goodness as an abstract, or an ideal, the Bible points us not to a concept, but to a person: God Himself. When a young man questioned Jesus about goodness, Jesus responded by pointing his attention to God. He replied, Why are you asking me about what is good? There is only One who is good …⁶

Contrasting the goodness of God, Scripture reminds us that there is no good apart from Him, and that nothing good dwells in us.⁷ Goodness, according to Scripture, is an aspect of the fruit of the Holy Spirit,⁸ the manifestation in us of the One who alone is good, and the source of all good. Good, therefore, can be defined as what is in harmony with the nature and character of God, and conforms to His perfect will and purpose.⁹ Evil, then, would be understood as any state, condition or action which is contrary to the nature and character of God, and does not conform to His will and purpose. Because God is good, and He is the source of all that is good, another way to define evil would be the absence of God and of the goodness of God, just as darkness is understood as being the absence of light. In fact, just as darkness cannot exist in the presence of light, so evil cannot exist in the presence of the goodness and the love of God. So, why then does this defeated evil continue to exist?

The Questions of Habakkuk

Habakkuk, a contemporary of Jeremiah, was a man whose faith was deeply rooted in the religious traditions of Israel. His prophecy is generally dated shortly before the battle of Carchemish, during the wicked reign of King Jehoiakim between 609 and 605 B.C. The background to his prophecy was one of violence and injustice in Judah. It was a time of moral and political turmoil, with fearsome and far-reaching events emerging in the international scene. Habakkuk’s prophecy took the form of a dialogue between him and God, almost a debate around the prophet’s ethical dilemma: How could a good God allow the wicked to prosper?

After a brief prologue, the first dialogue begins with Habakkuk presenting a complaint to God. Here the prophet was bewildered by God’s seeming inactivity and indifference to his prayers, particularly in the face of such violence and injustice as he had witnessed among God’s people.¹⁰ How could a good God stand still and allow such lawlessness to exist unpunished in the midst of His people? After all, was He not the same God who had promised blessings to the righteous and curses to the wicked? Why, then, did He allow such a state of things, and how long was He going to remain silent?

God answered the prophet’s lamentation by stating that He was not going to be silent forever, and in fact He was planning to do something so astonishing that it was going to be hard to believe. He would raise up the fiercest nation on Earth, the Chaldeans, a nation dreaded and feared by all, to execute His punishment over Judah.¹¹ But the Chaldeans themselves would be held guilty, for they had made a god of their own strength.¹²

Habakkuk, who had just complained to God for not intervening to punish evil, now presented a new lamentation, this time for God’s activity. Judah was established to continue, to judge other nations, to set an example for everyone. How, then, could a pure and righteous God use an evil instrument and allow the wicked and the treacherous to prevail?¹³ How could God allow the righteous to fall prey to the wicked?¹⁴ After all, the Chaldeans had not even acknowledged God, but in their presumptuousness, they worshipped themselves and their own instruments of power and destruction. Would they be allowed to go on slaying nations without being stopped?¹⁵ Habakkuk’s argument, then, was not changed, but only made worse. Not only did God allow the wicked to prevail over the righteous, but now He said He was going to use a wicked nation to correct those who, even in their sin, were still more righteous than they. Indeed, Habakkuk could hardly believe it. He could not reconcile his idea of God with what he had seen and heard. God was too pure, he argued, to let this happen. It was in this mental and spiritual crisis, in this inner struggle, that the prophet became most representative of the condition of many in Judah. Habakkuk, however, persisted and refused to surrender to doubt. He stood as a watchman seeking a reason and an explanation from God.¹⁶

The Lord replied and asked Habakkuk to record the vision and the prophecy, for it was going to be fulfilled at the appropriate time.¹⁷ In this context, in the backdrop of doubt and inner turmoil, God pointed out to the prophet an important truth. It was a statement that would later be commented and applied by the apostle Paul and by the writer of the epistle to the Hebrews.¹⁸ God stated that the righteous would live by faith, or more literally, that he who was righteous by faith would live.¹⁹

The point was not so much that the righteous would walk in faith. Rather, the one who would live is