an illustration of the fact that GOD takes something negative and makes a positive is that GOD took the absolutely worst thing that ever happened in the history of the world and created the very best thing that ever happened in the history of the world.
GOD took the death of CHRIST on the cross and through that opened up heaven for people like you and me who if we say yes to JESUS CHRIST we can spend eternity with HIM. HE took the very worst thing and created the very best thing. then the question becomes, how can we not say that in our individual lives GOD can’t take whatever circumstances we’ve gone through and create something good from them. if HE can do that, can HE not take my experience and draw something good? i think HE can and the bible says HE will.
also remember that the day is coming when suffering will cease and evil will be judged.
a lot of times you hear people say, “there are people suffering in this world this very moment. why doesn’t HE come back right now and cause suffering to cease and to judge evil?”
to criticize GOD for not coming back yet is almost like taking a john grisham novel, reading the first third of the book and then throwing it away and say, “what a stupid book! he didn’t tie up all the loose ends of the plot.”
wait a second! the book’s not done and GOD promises the day is coming when HE will consummate history and then evil will be judged. we think of jonbennet ramsey and what a horrible thing – an innocent child murdered and somebody’s apparently gotten away with murder. but they haven’t gotten away with murder. GOD will judge that person and they will be held accountable for the crimes they’ve committed. they’re not getting away with murder.
so why doesn’t GOD come back now? because of HIS love. look at 2 peter 9.3 (niv), the LORD is not slow in keeping HIS promise as some understand slowness. HE is patient with you not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
GOD is holding back the curtain of history, holding back the consummation of history because of some of you reading this who don’t know HIM yet. and if GOD were to come back at this time you would be shut out of knowing HIM. you’d be shut out of heaven forever. the reason GOD hasn’t come back yet is an expression of HIS unbelievable love for you. HE is giving you a chance.
just a thought from the front porch…
Showing posts with label evil. Show all posts
Showing posts with label evil. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Saturday, January 29, 2011
the source of disorder and chaos...
the second kind of evil is called natural evil. these are things like earthquakes and tornadoes and hurricanes. natural phenomena that cause pain and suffering. these too are the result of sin having been allowed into the world.
this is how one author explained it: “when we human beings told GOD to shove off. HE partially honored our request. nature began to revolt. the earth was cursed. genetic breakdown and disease began. pain became part of the human experience.”
genesis 3.18 (niv) says, because of sin, nature was corrupted and thorns and thistles entered into the world. romans 8:22 (tev) says, for we know that up to the present time all of creation groans with pain like the pain of childbirth. in other words it’s almost as if nature were longing for redemption to take place so things would be set right again. that’s the source of disorder and chaos.
some people ask, “couldn’t GOD have foreseen that this was going to happen? that people would rebel against HIM. couldn’t HE have seen that in advance?” the answer to that is of course. so why did HE go ahead and create things?
i think the answer is, using an analogy, is like you being a parent. you knew before you had your child that there was a very real possibility that your child would endure suffering in their life, some pain, some hardship. they may have some disappointments in life, some failures in life. they may reject you as a parent – walk away from you and cause great hurt to you. and yet knowing the very real possibility of that you went ahead and had kids anyway. why did you do it? because you knew there was also the very real possibility the potential for tremendous joy and a loving relationship and a deep meaning in that relationship that you would have with your child.
and the same thing is true with GOD. HE knew that we would rebel against HIM. but HE also knew that many people would choose to follow HIM, would choose to love others, would choose to spend eternity with HIM in heaven. and it was all worth it for those people even though it meant for HIM the suffering and the death of HIS SON JESUS CHRIST on the cross.
just a thought from the front porch…
this is how one author explained it: “when we human beings told GOD to shove off. HE partially honored our request. nature began to revolt. the earth was cursed. genetic breakdown and disease began. pain became part of the human experience.”
genesis 3.18 (niv) says, because of sin, nature was corrupted and thorns and thistles entered into the world. romans 8:22 (tev) says, for we know that up to the present time all of creation groans with pain like the pain of childbirth. in other words it’s almost as if nature were longing for redemption to take place so things would be set right again. that’s the source of disorder and chaos.
some people ask, “couldn’t GOD have foreseen that this was going to happen? that people would rebel against HIM. couldn’t HE have seen that in advance?” the answer to that is of course. so why did HE go ahead and create things?
i think the answer is, using an analogy, is like you being a parent. you knew before you had your child that there was a very real possibility that your child would endure suffering in their life, some pain, some hardship. they may have some disappointments in life, some failures in life. they may reject you as a parent – walk away from you and cause great hurt to you. and yet knowing the very real possibility of that you went ahead and had kids anyway. why did you do it? because you knew there was also the very real possibility the potential for tremendous joy and a loving relationship and a deep meaning in that relationship that you would have with your child.
and the same thing is true with GOD. HE knew that we would rebel against HIM. but HE also knew that many people would choose to follow HIM, would choose to love others, would choose to spend eternity with HIM in heaven. and it was all worth it for those people even though it meant for HIM the suffering and the death of HIS SON JESUS CHRIST on the cross.
just a thought from the front porch…
Friday, January 28, 2011
some very good questions need to be answered…
GOD is not the creator of evil and suffering. this fact answers the question you hear so often of why didn’t GOD create a world where there was no evil and suffering in the first place? and the answer to that is, HE did.
genesis 1.31 (niv) says, GOD saw all that HE made and it was very good. so if GOD is not the author of evil and suffering and if what HE created is good, then where did it come from in the first place?
the answer to that has to do with the fact that GOD decided to give human beings free will. why did HE do this? because the highest value in the universe is love -to love GOD and to love other people. and the only way that highest value can really be attained is if we have free will. then we can make the choice to love or not to love. true love must involve a choice.
it’s like if you go to the toy store where you buy one of those dolls with a string on it and it says, “i love you.” does that doll really love you? no, of course not. it’s programmed to say it. it has no choice. it must say it. so it’s not love.
so for you to really express love you must be able to make the choice not to love in order for your expression of love to be true. so GOD, knowing this, gave human beings that free will but we’ve abused it and we’ve rejected GOD. and the result has been the introduction of evil into the world.
one type is moral evil. moral evil is the immorality and the pain and the suffering that results when we make the choice to be selfish and arrogant and uncaring and abusive.
romans 3.23 (niv) makes it clear. all of us have sinned. all of us have fallen short of the glory of GOD. therefore we’ve all done things out of our free will that have resulted in hurt to ourselves and to other people. in fact, some one has estimated that 95% of the suffering in this world is the result of sin of ourselves or other people.
for example, people look at the famines that take place in africa and say, “where’s GOD in all this?” people are dying of starvation. how does HE allow this famine to take place?
listen, we produce enough food on this planet to give every man, woman and child three thousand calories a day. but it’s because of our own selfishness, our own irresponsibility and misplaced nationalism that people are starving.
look at your hand. you can say, “i can either take this hand and pick up a gun and shoot and kill someone or i can take this very same hand and feed someone who’s starving to death.” it’s my choice. but it isn’t really fair if i pick up a gun and shoot someone and then say, “why does GOD allow evil and suffering?” you’ve made the choice to pick up the gun and pull the trigger. it’s like the old cartoon: “we’ve seen the enemy and he is us.”
just a thought from the front porch…
genesis 1.31 (niv) says, GOD saw all that HE made and it was very good. so if GOD is not the author of evil and suffering and if what HE created is good, then where did it come from in the first place?
the answer to that has to do with the fact that GOD decided to give human beings free will. why did HE do this? because the highest value in the universe is love -to love GOD and to love other people. and the only way that highest value can really be attained is if we have free will. then we can make the choice to love or not to love. true love must involve a choice.
it’s like if you go to the toy store where you buy one of those dolls with a string on it and it says, “i love you.” does that doll really love you? no, of course not. it’s programmed to say it. it has no choice. it must say it. so it’s not love.
so for you to really express love you must be able to make the choice not to love in order for your expression of love to be true. so GOD, knowing this, gave human beings that free will but we’ve abused it and we’ve rejected GOD. and the result has been the introduction of evil into the world.
one type is moral evil. moral evil is the immorality and the pain and the suffering that results when we make the choice to be selfish and arrogant and uncaring and abusive.
romans 3.23 (niv) makes it clear. all of us have sinned. all of us have fallen short of the glory of GOD. therefore we’ve all done things out of our free will that have resulted in hurt to ourselves and to other people. in fact, some one has estimated that 95% of the suffering in this world is the result of sin of ourselves or other people.
for example, people look at the famines that take place in africa and say, “where’s GOD in all this?” people are dying of starvation. how does HE allow this famine to take place?
listen, we produce enough food on this planet to give every man, woman and child three thousand calories a day. but it’s because of our own selfishness, our own irresponsibility and misplaced nationalism that people are starving.
look at your hand. you can say, “i can either take this hand and pick up a gun and shoot and kill someone or i can take this very same hand and feed someone who’s starving to death.” it’s my choice. but it isn’t really fair if i pick up a gun and shoot someone and then say, “why does GOD allow evil and suffering?” you’ve made the choice to pick up the gun and pull the trigger. it’s like the old cartoon: “we’ve seen the enemy and he is us.”
just a thought from the front porch…
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