God's Suffering

[KingJ]

Throughout Scripture, God is not emotionally distant. He feels deep grief, longing, and heartbreak when people leave Him. His love is not passive; it suffers when rejected. This emotional pain is most clearly revealed in the life of Jesus, who weeps, pleads, and ultimately dies to bring the lost back.

It is important for us to know that whilst God is not a man Num 23:19, He does experience suffering by His own choice Psalm 135:6. He wants to open Himself up to true love and the pain that comes with it.

God is terribly hurt when any leave Him. Many choose to harden their heart and love what is evil.

John 3:19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.

1. God’s Heart Grieves Over Sin and Rebellion​

• Genesis 6:6 (ESV)
  
  

  "And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart."

  • God feels grief deep in His heart over human wickedness.
  • This shows emotional pain—not just judgmental detachment.

---

2. God Is Brokenhearted Over Israel's Unfaithfulness​

• Jeremiah 2:5 (NIV)
  
  

  "This is what the Lord says: 'What fault did your ancestors find in me, that they strayed so far from me?'"

  • God's rhetorical question reveals bewilderment and sorrow.

• Jeremiah 3:19-20 (NIV)
  
  

  "I thought you would call me ‘Father’ and not turn away from following me. But like a woman unfaithful to her husband, so you, Israel, have been unfaithful to me."

  • God uses marital imagery to express the pain of betrayal.

---

3. God Expresses Longing, Like a Parent for a Wayward Child​

• Hosea 11:1-4, 8 (NIV)
  
  

  "When Israel was a child, I loved him... But the more they were called, the more they went away from me...
  How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel?... My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused."

  • God is torn with inner turmoil, not detached or indifferent.
  • His compassion battles His wrath.

---

4. Jesus Weeps Over Rejection​

• Luke 19:41-42 (ESV)
  
  

  "And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, 'Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace!'"

  • Jesus (God incarnate) weeps over Jerusalem's rejection.
  • His tears reflect God's broken heart over a people who turn away.

---

5. Jesus Laments Like a Mother Hen​

• Matthew 23:37 (ESV)
  
  

  "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem... How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!"

  • God's longing to protect and gather is met with rejection, leading to sorrow.

---

6. The Holy Spirit Is Grieved​

• Ephesians 4:30 (ESV)
  
  

  "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption."

  • God the Holy Spirit experiences grief when believers sin or stray.
  • Grieving implies emotional pain, not mechanical displeasure.

---

7. God Desires None to Perish​

• 2 Peter 3:9 (NIV)
  
  

  "The Lord... is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."

  • God's desire for repentance shows that every lost soul pains Him.
  • His patience reflects long-suffering love.

---

8. God's Pain Expressed in the Parables of Jesus​

• Luke 15: The Lost Sheep, Coin, and Son
  
  • These parables show intense joy when the lost return, implying deep sorrow when they are gone.
  • Especially the Father in the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:20):
    
    

    "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion..."

    • God watches, waits, and feels compassion long before the return.

 

[Dylan569]

Biblical Theology Does Not Present God as Having Emotions as we Humans: A Suffering God???

God is not human: In most classical theistic traditions, God is understood as transcendent, infinite, and immutable. Assigning human emotions to God risks reducing the divine to creaturely limitations.
Emotions are tied to biology: Human emotions are often responses to biochemical changes, sensory input, or psychological states. God, being non-physical and eternal, doesn’t experience emotions in this way.
God is immutable: Classical theology (especially in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam) teaches that God does not change. Emotions, however, imply change—anger flares, joy rises, sorrow fades.
Emotional volatility contradicts divine constancy: If God were subject to emotional swings, it would challenge the idea of divine perfection and stability.
Divine impassibility: This doctrine holds that God does not suffer or experience emotional pain as humans do. Attributing emotions like grief or rage suggests vulnerability or need, which contradicts divine self-sufficiency.
Problem of divine suffering: If God suffers, does that mean God lacks something or is affected by external forces? That undermines divine omnipotence and independence.
Anthropopathic language is metaphorical: When scriptures say “God was angry” or “God regretted,” many theologians interpret this as metaphorical language meant to help humans relate to divine actions.
Risk of literalism: Taking these expressions literally can lead to theological confusion, such as imagining God as emotionally reactive or petty.
Omniscience and emotion: If God knows all outcomes, what would trigger surprise, regret, or anxiety?
Omnibenevolence and wrath: How does divine love coexist with divine wrath if both are understood in human emotional terms?
God’s justice vs. emotional revenge: If divine justice is confused with emotional anger, it risks portraying God as vindictive rather than morally perfect.
God’s mercy vs. emotional pity: Mercy is a deliberate act of will, not a sentimental reaction. Confusing the two can distort the nature of divine grace.

 

[KingJ]

Biblical Theology Does Not Present God as Having Emotions as we Humans: A Suffering God???

God is not human: In most classical theistic traditions, God is understood as transcendent, infinite, and immutable. Assigning human emotions to God risks reducing the divine to creaturely limitations.
Emotions are tied to biology: Human emotions are often responses to biochemical changes, sensory input, or psychological states. God, being non-physical and eternal, doesn’t experience emotions in this way.
God is immutable: Classical theology (especially in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam) teaches that God does not change. Emotions, however, imply change—anger flares, joy rises, sorrow fades.
Emotional volatility contradicts divine constancy: If God were subject to emotional swings, it would challenge the idea of divine perfection and stability.
Divine impassibility: This doctrine holds that God does not suffer or experience emotional pain as humans do. Attributing emotions like grief or rage suggests vulnerability or need, which contradicts divine self-sufficiency.
Problem of divine suffering: If God suffers, does that mean God lacks something or is affected by external forces? That undermines divine omnipotence and independence.
Anthropopathic language is metaphorical: When scriptures say “God was angry” or “God regretted,” many theologians interpret this as metaphorical language meant to help humans relate to divine actions.
Risk of literalism: Taking these expressions literally can lead to theological confusion, such as imagining God as emotionally reactive or petty.
Omniscience and emotion: If God knows all outcomes, what would trigger surprise, regret, or anxiety?
Omnibenevolence and wrath: How does divine love coexist with divine wrath if both are understood in human emotional terms?
God’s justice vs. emotional revenge: If divine justice is confused with emotional anger, it risks portraying God as vindictive rather than morally perfect.
God’s mercy vs. emotional pity: Mercy is a deliberate act of will, not a sentimental reaction. Confusing the two can distort the nature of divine grace.

As is always the case with Calvinists, you allow your mind to wonder only in the space of God's sovereignty. You know better than the many prophets in scripture. You better grasp Him because you know dictionary definitions of words like sovereign and omniscient.

Since you know God so well, please tell me how He came to be? Go floor is yours. Intellectual honesty = ''Uh Oh, I guess I have absolutely no clue about God other than my little brain grasping dictionary definitions of certain words...''

You do not see the many scriptures showing us that God chooses to lower Himself to our level and engage with us as a truly good and righteous God. One who is open to judgement from any of us. One who chooses to experience our pain and suffering.

You simply do not know God my friend! Christianity is flying over your head!

Read the points made in the OP and meditate on them! You need to consider all scripture in order to arrive at a correct picture of God!

A few more to consider:

​

1. Matthew 26:38 – Jesus' agony in Gethsemane​

• “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death…”
• Jesus, fully divine and yet fully human, suffers mental and emotional torment before His crucifixion.

2. Philippians 2:5–8 – The self-emptying of Christ (Kenosis)​

• “…He emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant… He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!”
• This is one of the clearest theological statements of God choosing humility and suffering

3. Hebrews 4:15 – A High Priest who sympathizes​

• “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses…”
• Jesus experiences temptation, weakness, and suffering just like us, yet without sin.

4. Hosea 11 – God expressing deep emotional pain over Israel​

• “How can I give you up, Ephraim? … My heart is turned within Me, My compassion is stirred.” (Hosea 11:8)
• God’s love for Israel is described in emotional, almost parental terms—He is torn inside by their rebellion.

 

[Dylan569]

As is always the case with Calvinists, you allow your mind to wonder only in the space of God's sovereignty. You know better than the many prophets in scripture. You better grasp Him because you know dictionary definitions of words like sovereign and omniscient.

Since you know God so well, please tell me how He came to be? Go floor is yours. Intellectual honesty = ''Uh Oh, I guess I have absolutely no clue about God other than my little brain grasping dictionary definitions of certain words...''

You do not see the many scriptures showing us that God chooses to lower Himself to our level and engage with us as a truly good and righteous God. One who is open to judgement from any of us. One who chooses to experience our pain and suffering.

You simply do not know God my friend! Christianity is flying over your head!

Read the points made in the OP and meditate on them! You need to consider all scripture in order to arrive at a correct picture of God!

A few more to consider:

​

1. Matthew 26:38 – Jesus' agony in Gethsemane​

• “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death…”
• Jesus, fully divine and yet fully human, suffers mental and emotional torment before His crucifixion.

2. Philippians 2:5–8 – The self-emptying of Christ (Kenosis)​

• “…He emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant… He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!”
• This is one of the clearest theological statements of God choosing humility and suffering

3. Hebrews 4:15 – A High Priest who sympathizes​

• “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses…”
• Jesus experiences temptation, weakness, and suffering just like us, yet without sin.

4. Hosea 11 – God expressing deep emotional pain over Israel​

• “How can I give you up, Ephraim? … My heart is turned within Me, My compassion is stirred.” (Hosea 11:8)
• God’s love for Israel is described in emotional, almost parental terms—He is torn inside by their rebellion.

KingJ, you wish to create a god in your own image. You end up making statements that one would find coming from a twice dead reprobate. You must abide by how GOD gives us ways to think of Him, by his ‘attributes’. Here are just a few:

Omnipotent:
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. (Gen 17:1, NRSV)
But Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but for God all things are possible.” (Matt 19:26, NRSV)
Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty thunderpeals, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. (Rev 19:6, NRSV)

Immutability
God is not a human being, that he should lie, or a mortal, that he should change his mind. Has he promised, and will he not do it? Has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? (Num 23:19, NRSV)
They will perish, but you endure; they will all wear out like a garment. You change them like clothing, and they pass away; but you are the same, and your years have no end. (Ps 102:26-27, NRSV)
...I am God, and there is no one like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, “My purpose shall stand, and I will fulfill my intention,” (Isa 46:9-10, NRSV)
Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. (Jas 1:17, NRSV)
In the same way, when God desired to show even more clearly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it by an oath, (Heb 6:17, NRSV)

Omniscient:
Set forth your case, says the LORD; bring your proofs, says the King of Jacob. Let them bring them, and tell us what is to happen. Tell us the former things, what they are, so that we may consider them, and that we may know their outcome; or declare to us the things to come. Tell us what is to come hereafter, that we may know that you are gods; do good, or do harm, that we may be afraid and terrified. You, indeed, are nothing and your work is nothing at all; whoever chooses you is an abomination. (Isa 41:21-24, NRSV)
The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good. (Prov 15:3, NRSV)
Then the spirit of the LORD fell upon me, and he said to me, “Say, Thus says the LORD: This is what you think, O house of Israel; I know the things that come into your mind. (Ezek 11:5, NRSV)
...whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. (1John 3:20, NRSV)

Omnipresent:
Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there. If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me fast. (Ps 139:7-10, NRSV)
so that they would search for God and perhaps grope for him and find him—though indeed he is not far from each one of us. For ‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we too are his offspring.’ (Acts 17:27-28, NRSV)
Am I a God near by, says the LORD, and not a God far off? Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them? says the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? says the LORD. (Jer 23:23-24, NRSV)

Immense:
“But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Even heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, much less this house that I have built! (1Kgs 8:27, NRSV)
Thus says the LORD: Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is my resting place? (Isa 66:1, NRSV)

God’s Love:
But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. (Rom 5:8, NRSV)
See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. (1John 3:1, NRSV)
In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. (1John 4:10, NRSV)
In overflowing wrath for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you, says the LORD, your Redeemer. (Isa 54:8, NRSV)
the LORD appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you. (Jer 31:3, NRSV)

The One attribute or view of God concerns His sovereignty, which humanistic religionists hate!

All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does what he wills with the host of heaven and the inhabitants of the earth. There is no one who can stay his hand or say to him, “What are you doing?” (Dan 4:35, NRSV)
Whatever the LORD pleases he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps. (Ps 135:6, NRSV)
But he stands alone and who can dissuade him? What he desires, that he does. (Job 23:13, NRSV)
Even before they had been born or had done anything good or bad (so that God’s purpose of election might continue, (Rom 9:11, NRSV)

A lot of the churches today claiming to be evangelical, deny the very God they claim to know, they hate HIS sovereignty. Go back and read the rebuttal to the idea of God suffering. The NT presents some difficult passages if we do not view the Christ as Son of God as well as Son of Man. Was Yahweh crucified and or was it the Son of Man?

None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. (1Cor 2:8, NRSV)

 

[KingJ]

KingJ, you wish to create a god in your own image. You end up making statements that one would find coming from a twice dead reprobate. You must abide by how GOD gives us ways to think of Him, by his ‘attributes’. Here are just a few:

Omnipotent:
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. (Gen 17:1, NRSV)
But Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but for God all things are possible.” (Matt 19:26, NRSV)
Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty thunderpeals, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. (Rev 19:6, NRSV)

Immutability
God is not a human being, that he should lie, or a mortal, that he should change his mind. Has he promised, and will he not do it? Has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? (Num 23:19, NRSV)
They will perish, but you endure; they will all wear out like a garment. You change them like clothing, and they pass away; but you are the same, and your years have no end. (Ps 102:26-27, NRSV)
...I am God, and there is no one like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, “My purpose shall stand, and I will fulfill my intention,” (Isa 46:9-10, NRSV)
Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. (Jas 1:17, NRSV)
In the same way, when God desired to show even more clearly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it by an oath, (Heb 6:17, NRSV)

Omniscient:
Set forth your case, says the LORD; bring your proofs, says the King of Jacob. Let them bring them, and tell us what is to happen. Tell us the former things, what they are, so that we may consider them, and that we may know their outcome; or declare to us the things to come. Tell us what is to come hereafter, that we may know that you are gods; do good, or do harm, that we may be afraid and terrified. You, indeed, are nothing and your work is nothing at all; whoever chooses you is an abomination. (Isa 41:21-24, NRSV)
The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good. (Prov 15:3, NRSV)
Then the spirit of the LORD fell upon me, and he said to me, “Say, Thus says the LORD: This is what you think, O house of Israel; I know the things that come into your mind. (Ezek 11:5, NRSV)
...whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. (1John 3:20, NRSV)

Omnipresent:
Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there. If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me fast. (Ps 139:7-10, NRSV)
so that they would search for God and perhaps grope for him and find him—though indeed he is not far from each one of us. For ‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we too are his offspring.’ (Acts 17:27-28, NRSV)
Am I a God near by, says the LORD, and not a God far off? Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them? says the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? says the LORD. (Jer 23:23-24, NRSV)

Immense:
“But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Even heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, much less this house that I have built! (1Kgs 8:27, NRSV)
Thus says the LORD: Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is my resting place? (Isa 66:1, NRSV)

God’s Love:
But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. (Rom 5:8, NRSV)
See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. (1John 3:1, NRSV)
In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. (1John 4:10, NRSV)
In overflowing wrath for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you, says the LORD, your Redeemer. (Isa 54:8, NRSV)
the LORD appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you. (Jer 31:3, NRSV)

The One attribute or view of God concerns His sovereignty, which humanistic religionists hate!

All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does what he wills with the host of heaven and the inhabitants of the earth. There is no one who can stay his hand or say to him, “What are you doing?” (Dan 4:35, NRSV)
Whatever the LORD pleases he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps. (Ps 135:6, NRSV)
But he stands alone and who can dissuade him? What he desires, that he does. (Job 23:13, NRSV)
Even before they had been born or had done anything good or bad (so that God’s purpose of election might continue, (Rom 9:11, NRSV)

A lot of the churches today claiming to be evangelical, deny the very God they claim to know, they hate HIS sovereignty. Go back and read the rebuttal to the idea of God suffering. The NT presents some difficult passages if we do not view the Christ as Son of God as well as Son of Man. Was Yahweh crucified and or was it the Son of Man?

None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. (1Cor 2:8, NRSV)

You are a funny guy. You reply with further narrowminded content that I accused you of. Please reread my post and try again.