Q.Why does god allow in this world of ours, for people in other countries to starve to death, why does god allow abortion, allow a baby to be ruthlessly ripped from its womb to die-for no reason. why does god allow people to get raped, mass murderers to walk, innocent people to die, to suffer?
A. Let me condense this down to the question, Why does God allow bad things to happen?
This is a very valid question that many people ask. Because bad things do happen, it makes people question whether God is good or if He also enjoys handing out punishment and making people suffer. When people see things happen that seem to deny the existence of a good, merciful or loving God, they often abandon the idea of God. And why shouldn't they? Who wants to serve a sadistic and hateful God?
The Bible says, however, that God is love in I John 4:7-12, so let's take a closer look at our possibilities.
Some seemingly bad things happen because God is trying to teach a lesson that will save us from even greater hurt later on. C.S. Lewis called our question the problem of pain. Here is what he said in a letter:
"That suffering is not always sent as a punishment is clearly established for believers by the book of Job and John 9:1-4. That it sometimes is, is suggested by parts of the Old Testament and Revelation. It would certainly be most dangerous to assume that any given pain was penal. I believe that all pain is contrary to God's will, absolutely but not relatively. When I am taking a thorn out of my own finger (or a childs finger) the pain is absolutely contrary to my will; i.e. if I could have chosen a situation without pain I would have done so. But I do will what caused the pain, relatively to the given situation; i.e. granted the thorn I prefer the pain to leaving the thorn where it is. A mother spanking a child would be in the same position; she would rather cause it his pain than let it go on pulling the cats tail, but she would like it better if no situation which demands a smack had arisen." -Letters of C.S. Lewis (31 January, 1952), para. 1, pp. 237-238
Does this mean that things like murder, rape, theft, war, disease, etc. are all because God wants to teach us a lesson? Perhaps they could be at times, but they don't have to be. There are other players besides God involved.
The Bible describes another being whose intent is to harm and destroy what God has created. Many people call this being the devil, Satan, or Lucifer. Here is what the Bible has to say about him:
"He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies." -John 8:44b
"Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." -I Peter 5:8
"He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work." -I John 3:8
"Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life." -Revelation 2:10
"Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short." -Revelation 12:12
According to these verses, the devil is very actively trying to cause pain and suffering. He doesn't discriminate and if there is any way that he can convince someone to walk away from God when bad things happen, he will do it and continue doing it. So if something bad happens, don't automatically assume that God did it. The devil is active now, but a time will come when God says that his time is up and then God give Satan what he deserves.
There is yet another player in the problem of pain: mankind. God laid out rules for our benefit and protection, but He also didn't want a race of robots enslaved to His will, so he gave mankind the ability to choose. Though it would be nice if everyone treated each other with love and kindness, some choose not to do so. Many of the bad things that we see are the result of the sinful actions of mankind, not necessarily because God is punishing us, but because every action has a consequence. If you point a loaded gun at someones head and pull the trigger, the consequence is usually death for the person shot and prison or death for the person shooting. It doesn't mean the victim deserved what happened, only that the shooter had free will and chose to misuse it by killing another.
There are consequences for our actions and God calls us to live holy and pure according to His Word. Deuteronomy 30:19 says, "This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live."
Don't give up hope, even if bad things do happen. Though we may not always understand God's plan or His purpose for what things happen, He does have our best interests in mind and He will take care of us. Consider also the following verses:
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." -Romans 8:28
2 comments:
Great understanding of the problem of pain and evil which is about the hardest question a Christian can be asked. It is difficult to give a perfectly satisfying answer, particularly if the listener hasn't got the benefit of knowing the reality of God's love.
I pray that yours and other Christian blogs can use the opportunity of modern technology to reach across the world and "proclaim the Gospel to the ends of the earth". Thanks also for quoting one of my favouitres from Deuteronomy. It is the fundamental choice that God puts to each one of us.
I will make a link to you on my blog (if the technology isn't too demanding).
Thank you.
Post a Comment