Project 1:8 – Episode 011

"When Life Isn't Fair, Part 2"
Host: Scott
Date: June 27, 2025

Overview

In this episode of Project 1:8, Scott concludes a two-part conversation about unfairness and suffering through the lens of the Bible. He takes listeners deeper into the realities of injustice—big and small—and explores how faithful figures in Scripture endured trials without always receiving justice in their lifetimes. Drawing on Hebrews 11–12 and the prophecies of Isaiah, Scott uncovers what it means to persist in faith when life doesn’t make sense, and how Jesus’ own suffering reframes our understanding of hardship. This episode offers honest, hope-filled encouragement to anyone wrestling with pain, injustice, or feeling alone in their struggles.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. What’s New with Project 1:8

• Announcement: The podcast is now available on YouTube. Scott is excited for future interactive content, including interviews with people who have survived immense suffering and others navigating everyday life struggles in faith.
• Future Topics Preview:
  • Stories of refugees and survivors of war
  • Guests facing health crises, job loss, and other hardships
  • Young adults making big life decisions
  • Co-host discussions on mental health, addiction, loneliness, racism, world religions, and the intersection of technology and faith

2. Recap from Part 1: The Universal Experience of Unfairness

• Everyone experiences being wronged, from minor slights to major trauma.
• Biblical precedent: The Bible documents pain, injustice, and persecution from the earliest days of humanity.
• Last episode’s takeaway: Considered Hebrews 11—stories of people who persisted “by faith” despite not seeing the outcomes of their trust.

3. Hebrews 11: The ‘Hall of Faith’

• Scripture Read (04:03–06:14): Hebrews 11:32–40, summarizing the trials and faith of Old Testament figures.

• Many endured suffering or brutal deaths; “the world was not worthy of them.”

• These were “approved through their faith”—sometimes without earthly justice or happy endings.

  “For some of them, their situations never changed. There is no divine rescue… But even for the ones who were tortured and murdered, God honored their faith through it.”
  —Scott (07:15)

• Key Insight: God sees and values how people handle unfairness—even when outcomes aren’t what we hope for.

4. Connecting Hebrews to Jesus’ Experience

• The faithful of Hebrews 11 never saw Jesus, but he would ultimately “perfect” or complete their faith through his greater suffering and endurance (09:34).
• Application: Our own endurance draws meaning from Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, which we understand more fully than those who lived before him.

5. Hebrews 12: Running with Endurance

• Scripture Read (12:12–13:05): Hebrews 12:1–3, encouraging believers to lay aside obstacles and keep looking to Jesus.

• Notable Moment:

  • The text doesn’t say suffering will disappear or that we must enjoy injustice.
  • Denial, suppression, or pretending not to hurt are not healthy spiritual responses (13:53).

  “We don’t have to accept it with some pretentious smile. We shouldn’t stuff it. And we are certainly not able to deny it. All of those are unhealthy responses that can derail us from faithfully trusting God.”
  —Scott (13:58)

6. Understanding Jesus’ Suffering (Isaiah 50 & 53)

• Scripture Read (18:11–21:25): Passages in Isaiah describe the humiliation, rejection, and agony Christ would suffer.

• Jesus knew the reality of physical, emotional, and spiritual pain—living as a regular Middle Eastern man, not the sanitized images often depicted (21:40).

  “He allowed himself to endure that shame … He took on torture so phenomenal that, like I said last episode, a new word was created to describe it. The word ‘excruciating’ comes from the Latin verb ‘excruciar’—from the cross.”
  —Scott (23:05)

• Jesus did not enjoy pain, but he endured it “for the joy set before him”—the hope of redemption for others.

7. Living with an Eternal Perspective

• Christ’s suffering reframes our own. We’re not asked to enjoy being wronged, but to see our pain in light of eternity.
• Scott acknowledges the real, sometimes traumatic impact of unfairness and points to spiritual, communal, and sometimes professional support as part of healing (25:18–26:30).

8. Assurance and Access: Hebrews 10

• Scripture Read (27:35–29:16): Hebrews 10:19–24 emphasizes boldness to seek God through Jesus’ sacrifice, encouraging mutual support and hopeful endurance.

  “We get to approach him in ways like a child approaches a good father. And he’s ready to help us with grace and mercy in just the time of need.”
  —Scott (30:15)

9. Advice for Responding to Injustice

• For minor slights: Sometimes we need perspective, gratitude, and to move past small grievances.
• For major trauma: Seek spiritual “outs”—take your pain to God and to trusted people.
• Invitation to listeners struggling with overwhelming unfairness to reach out for support (including professional counseling referrals).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the purpose of faith in suffering:

  “The way that they handled their situation pleased God…God looked at their lives. He understood the sheer difficulty and the unfair situations…and he just included them in his book.”
  —Scott (07:25)

• About Jesus’ realistic suffering:

  “He wasn’t that blonde haired, blue eyed, sexy painting that you have seen. He was born in the Middle east to a teenage mother. He was laid in a feeding trough for animals…He probably reached the height of about 5 foot 2…He knew the physical, emotional and human stresses that we all know.”
  —Scott (21:40)

• The root of the word ‘excruciating’:

  “A new word was created to describe it. The word excruciating comes from the Latin verb excruciar, which means from crucifixion or from the cross.”
  —Scott (23:05)

• A pastoral encouragement:

  “We have a Savior who experienced not only the same anguish and types of loss that you and I experience, but he also went through so very much more. And because of that, he was faithful to God. He died on a cross for us. And that death resurrection allows us to approach him right now with ease.”
  —Scott (30:05)

Important Timestamps

• 00:00 — Show update, announcement about YouTube, future episode topics
• 03:30 — Recap of Part 1 and context for today
• 04:03–06:14 — Hebrews 11:32–40 read aloud
• 07:15 — Discussion on faith, suffering, and biblical approval
• 12:12–13:05 — Hebrews 12:1–3 read aloud
• 13:53 — Addressing “what the passage does not say” about suffering
• 18:11–21:25 — Isaiah 50 and Isaiah 53 read and explained
• 21:40 — Jesus’ humanity and realism
• 23:05 — Etymology of “excruciating”
• 25:18–26:30 — Trauma, counseling, and spiritual healing
• 27:35–29:16 — Hebrews 10:19–24 read aloud
• 30:05–30:40 — Assurance of God’s empathy and support in suffering
• 31:00 — Advice for different levels of unfairness and closing invitation to reach out for help

Conclusion

Scott compassionately explores why life can feel unbearably unfair, pointing listeners to biblical figures who modeled enduring faith, and finally to Jesus as the ultimate example of redeemed suffering. Practical, honest, and empathetic, the episode encourages facing unfairness head-on, seeking support, and remembering that both Scripture and the Savior understand—and care—when life isn’t fair.

Next Episode Teaser: The Watcher Rebellion of Genesis 6, the Nephilim, and the origin of demons—what happened, and why it matters today.