Eric Rank

The Cure for Weltschmerz

by Eric Rank

The German language has a reputation for requiring more letters and words than the English language for expressing an equivalent meaning. However, there are exceptions for which a single German word conveys a deep, poetic sentiment with great efficiency. “Weltschmerz” is one of those words, so eloquent that it appears in English language dictionaries without modification. This word is a contraction of two words in German, “Welt” and “Schmerz”, which translate to “World” and “Pain” in English, respectively. Taken in a literal sense, “World Pain” does not convey the complete meaning of the word. Weltschmerz describes a personal emotion of feeling weighed down by the demise of the world at large, causing malaise, sadness, depression, or apathy. It describes a sense of personal hopelessness, resulting from internalizing the downward spiral of the world.

Today, there is no shortage of events in the world to inspire a feeling of Weltschmerz. World leaders are a disgrace to their countries, governments, and the people they rule. The prevailing morality in societies around the world is baseless and self-indulgent with no concern for God. Violence and wars escalate more and more, bringing death and pain to those affected. Desperation pierces the lives of the innocent in so many ways – with sickness, job loss, poverty, and pain. When looking around us, it can be difficult to see what’s happening, knowing where it all leads, without feeling the gut-wrenching agony of the world’s demise.

The prophet Jeremiah may have felt the agony of Weltschmerz when he inquired of God why the wicked prosper (compare Jeremiah 12:1-4). In his time, he observed the wicked ways of the people and how they caused the environment around them to become desolate. Unquestionably grieved in seeing God neglected, we get a sense of Jeremiah’s lament for the state of the world. God’s response to Jeremiah’s inquiry explains the corruption He saw from His perspective: “‘Many rulers have destroyed My vineyard, They have trodden My portion underfoot; They have made My pleasant portion a desolate wilderness. They have made it desolate; Desolate, it mourns to Me; The whole land is made desolate, Because no one takes it to heart’” (Jeremiah 12:10-11). In this example, we see the cause of desolation. The people of Judah, to whom Jeremiah prophesied, took God and His blessings for granted. [Of course, Jeremiah also had the responsibility to prophesy to other nations (Jeremiah 1:5) and in prophetic terms, to the entire world in the last days]. They chose to disobey Him, as is also the case today. They took part in the way of destruction. In figurative language, God’s creation mourns this dismal state of affairs.

I’m afraid that our current state of the world is far worse than described by Jeremiah for his day and age. The vast majority in the world have departed from God, blatantly choosing to follow their own ways. The world glorifies sin. It corrupts the Truth. It puts trust in the faultiest of men to fix its problems. Only Jesus Christ will manage to correct the path this world is on when He establishes His righteous government (compare Isaiah 2:2-4; Isaiah 9:6-7).

Fortunately, the world has hope. The dire straits will become straight and smooth when Jesus Christ returns to save the world from mankind. And we, as true Christians, will have the opportunity to work underneath His perfect authority to make it happen. The world will breathe a sigh of relief. “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now” (Romans 8:20-22). Just as the world has hope for relief from its grief, we too can find solace in knowing that the current corruption will cease, giving way to a wonderful restoration.

Nowhere to Hide

We cannot hide from God. He knows about everything we do. He even knows our most secret thoughts. Do we consider this to be an intrusion on our privacy or do we treat it with honor, knowing that He has an intimate relationship with us?

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Quench the Fiery Darts

One of the implements of the armor of God is the shield of faith, with which we can “quench the fiery darts of the wicked one.” What can we learn about this valuable tool to help strengthen our defense against Satan?

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FOT: Healing

Being human brings along with it the experience of pain, sickness, and various kinds of suffering, including emotional trauma. God promises healing to put an end to suffering and pain. What can we learn about God’s healing in our lives today, and in the age to come?

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How can I stand up for my Christian values and beliefs growing up in contemporary society?

Growing up is hard. During our teens and twenties, we discover our values, form our identity, and transform from childhood to adulthood. Going through the experiences inherent during the formative years, we learn about the world, ourselves, and how we fit into the world. These are foundational moments in life with tremendous value.

Growing up with Christian values brings an added element into the picture. It is first and foremost a great advantage to begin life with a solid Christian foundation. Developing knowledge of the Truth at an early age makes it possible to establish values that will lead us into the most satisfying life. The challenge, of course, is that Christian values are at odds with the world in which we live. Inevitably, being a Christian brings with it the certainty of confrontation with the world, and those who abide by worldly values. Being a young person willing to live a Christian Way of Life multiplies the challenge because peers, the education system, and the need for a sense of belonging in the community are very strong forces to deal with at a young age.

We don’t have to look very far to see how opposed the pressures of contemporary society and education are to the Truth. Schools teach the theory of evolution as fact, denying the biblical Truth of creation and the amazing Creator. Gender identity has become a fluid construct, by which people impose their feelings of gender dysphoria upon others in defiance of how God created male and female. Societal norms consider the exclusion of ourselves from voting, participation in worldly politics, jury duty, and military service as a denial of civic duty and national patriotism. The world glorifies premarital sex, drug use, tattoos, and other physical mistreatments in open rebellion against the physical well-being that the Bible teaches. Social and school events regularly conflict with the weekly Sabbath and God’s Holy Days. On top of it all, being atheist or vaguely “spiritual” is considered to be transcendent, while being Christian is considered naïve. We are sure you can think up many more examples of how difficult it is being a young person with Christian values in this world.

With so many pressures to conform to worldly values that are unique to the life of a Christian, what can one do to stand up for the Christian Way of Life that leads to the greatest possible reward? This is the question we will answer in this Q&A. However, there is no prescription of do’s and don’ts that guarantee an easy path. Rather, we will cover a few principles that can help when facing challenging circumstances as a young man or woman who is set apart and called to the Truth.

Strengthening Christian stamina begins with having the right frame of mind. “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2).

Standing up for our beliefs must originate with personal convictions founded on the Truth learned from the Bible and the ministry of the Church of God. Without being convicted in what we believe, we are vulnerable to the swindles of rhetoric and biased media. To be conformed to the world is to not think critically and independently. To be renewed in our mind is to develop an understanding of the Truth proven to ourselves and rooted in faith. We ought not merely follow a friend’s or classmate’s ideas because it appeals to our human nature. We must independently think for ourselves, so that we can prove to ourselves what beliefs we have that are worth standing up for.

Rejecting the pressure to conform to the world by thinking critically is the way to begin the Christian journey. However, we cannot stop here. Strengthening Christian values requires that we receive the Word of God with an open mind. Give the Truth a chance! When Paul and Silas went to Berea, they taught in the synagogues to people who were ready and willing to learn, and took ownership in proving what they learned.

“These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men” (Acts 17:11-12).

Having an open mind, willing and ready to learn about the Truth is required to develop convictions and beliefs worth standing up for. Without taking the time to learn about the Truth, we will not be able to defend our beliefs.

Just as in school, having the right attitude about learning can make all the difference in putting lessons into practice for our benefit. The Parable of the Sower demonstrates a variety of common attitudes and circumstances that affect our spiritual growth (compare Matthew 13:18-23). When we hear or read the Word of God, but don’t ask questions and take the initiative to understand what we learn, Satan will snatch away our understanding. The Word of God will not profit if we only hear the words without having the ability to explain why we believe them. If we learn about the Truth and become enthused without having a firm conviction about it, we will stumble when our beliefs are put to the test. In addition, we must value the Truth if we are to stand up for it. If we don’t value the Christian Way of Life far above the worldly way of life, we will inevitably slip back into the grip of the world.

The way to profit in life with the Truth requires that we invest our efforts so that we bear fruit. Jesus Christ ends the Parable of the Sower by characterizing the model of successful individuals. These are the ones who are receptive to learning the Truth; who put in the effort to ensure they understand it; and finally, value it enough to put the lessons into practice so they bear fruit. Putting this model to work at an early age will make it much easier to stand up for Christian beliefs in all kinds of adversity, because the Truth becomes embedded into our identity.

Having a solid foundation in learning to live by the Truth places us in a strong position to withstand the temptations in the world. Going further, we must learn to also love the Truth. If we really, truly love this Way of Life, the ways of the world will have no power to persuade us to give it up! But the corollary of not developing a love for the Truth places us in a precarious position. “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12). Without having a love for the Truth, we become vulnerable to giving it up.

The final principle to put into practice follows naturally from the above. And that is to live by the commandments! Doing so brings inherent blessings, but it also increases the understanding needed to more firmly establish our beliefs. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever” (Psalm 111:10). By following God’s commandments, we learn from experience why it is valuable to live obediently. And when we understand the value of the Truth from experience, we become stronger in our convictions.

As a young person with Christian standards, his or her values are in their formative state. Even though the development of Christian values is a deeply personal process, it helps to have a guiding framework for how to do so successfully. The process begins by refusing to be conformed to the world and having an open mind to learn about the Truth. From there, the process continues by putting in the effort required to understand what we learn and to love the Truth. Finally, we put everything into practice when we live by what we learn and strengthen our understanding. This progression takes place continually, but is even more vital when we are young.

If we love God and prove it by the way we live in obedience to Him from an early age, we will have the strength to stand up for what we believe without any fear of the consequences.

Lead Writer: Eric Rank

Milestones

Milestones mark the progressive achievements along a path. Christian growth involves reaching these demarcation points, one after the other, on a continual journey of conversion. 

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In Despair

Life can get pretty hard. We can learn from the examples in the Bible of those who groaned in despair because of their dire circumstances. By hanging on in faith that God will see us through even the most difficult situations, we will be able to overcome, even when things seem hopeless.

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The Firstfruits

The Feast of Pentecost stands out as having a focus on firstfruits. When established in the time of Moses, the firstfruits were from the grain harvest. Following the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the relevance of firstfruits shifts to the elect in Christ. We review the references to firstfruits in the Bible, and delve into the question of why firstfruits are important in the plan of God.

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Joshua

The story of Joshua offers us inspiration in times of self-doubt. When Moses transferred leadership over the nation of Israel to him, Joshua faced the biggest challenge of his life. With encouragement and reassurance from God, he was able to lead Israel into the promised land, fulfilling his mission.

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