Lesson 3 | Support by Distinct Statement
Two Ways to Answer “Why?”
There is an important distinction that needs to be made between two relationships in this subcategory: Ground and Purpose. When someone asks why something is so, there are two ways their question can be answered. One way is to look back to a cause (i.e. Ground); the other is to look forward to a purpose. Both answer the why? question, but do so in very different ways. John 9:1-3 illustrates this well. Upon seeing a man born blind, the disciples ask for a cause to his blindness. But Jesus answers with a purpose.
Consider an explanation of this dynamic in this sermon by John Piper. I have included the two most relevant portions of this sermon below (one 5 minutes long and the other 2 minutes long), but feel free to watch the whole thing if you would like.