condition and situation. He is the ontological Being who
activates His creation.
We must recognize that there will always be problems
in this fallen world-order. They are intrinsic to the character
of the Evil One, the “god of this world” (II Cor. 4:4), as he
causes and creates his character to be energized in the
individuals (cf. Eph. 2:2) and social structures of the world-
order of evil. The Scriptures do not “sugar-coat” the
situation for the Christian who is “in the world, but not of
the world” (cf. John 17 :11,14). Poverty is perennially
present (cf. Matt. 26:11). We are promised tribulation (John
16:33) and “difficult times” (II Tim. 3:1). It seems that one
of the greatest temptations among Christian peoples is to
aspire to be free of any problems here on earth. Lloyd
Ogilvie explains that
“the greatest problem we all share, to a greater or lesser degree, is
a profound misunderstanding of the positive purpose of problems.
Until we grapple with this gigantic problem, we will be helpless
victims of our problems all through our lives.” 5Tim Hansel amplifies this theme by noting that
“most people think of problems as something bad, as some terrible
interruption in their lives which they wish they did not have to
endure. In truth, problems in and of themselves are not necessarily
bad. It is interesting to note that the actual Greek root of the word
‘problem,’ namely, probalein, means to throw or to thrust forward.