If you had the choice to end all human suffering, would you?
I imagine, for most of us, the answer would be a quick and easy “YES!”
After all, no one wants to suffer or watch someone they love suffer — especially with all the horrific things that we hear about on the news every day.
Bombings, natural disasters, abuse, murder, rape…
There’s certainly no shortage of evil in this world, and unfortunately, some people seem to get more than their fair share of suffering in this life.
Yet, as awful and evil as the circumstances that cause our suffering can be, what if there’s more to our suffering than just hurt?
In other words, as awful as it is, what if it’s not ALL bad?
What if there is some good in there?
What if it’s hiding, and we can only find it if we look closely?
After all, we KNOW God loves us.
(John 3:16 tells us: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”)
And we KNOW God is all powerful.
(Matthew 19:26 says, “Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.””)
So if you are wondering, “Why does God allow suffering?” honestly, I don’t blame you.
It doesn’t make sense.
It hurts.
It’s hard.
But while we may never fully understand why God allows suffering on this side of Heaven, I hope this post does shed some light on the issue and offer some degree of comfort for you in your hurting today.
Suffering Was NOT Part of God’s Original Plan
Before we even attempt to answer the question “Why does God allow suffering?” it’s important to note that suffering was NOT part of God’s original plan.
When God created the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve, and all the plants and animals, everything was perfect and flawless.
There was no sin, no suffering, no sickness, no shame…
This is why Genesis 1:31a reports: “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.”
If Adam and Eve had simply accepted God’s plan and obeyed, their life would have been perfect too. Unfortunately, however, they decided to take matters into their own hands and do things their own way.
How silly to think that they knew more than the God of the entire universe, who created everything! But that’s what they did, and that’s what all of us do every day.
You see, when God created us, He also gave us free will.
Now, generally, we consider this to be a very good thing.
We aren’t mindless robots, forced to do God’s bidding. We have a choice in how we live our lives and who we follow.
Unfortunately, however, this means we can choose to turn our backs on God and His perfect plan for our lives. (to sin, basically)
And when we choose to sin, we naturally incur the consequences of this sin — both for ourselves and for others.
It happens all the time. We ALL sin every day.
And, whether we realize it or like it or not, this sin has consequences.
Because to take away all sin and all of it’s consequences would ALSO be to take away free will.
God Helps Us in Our Suffering
The good news is: God doesn’t just leave us in our sin and suffering.
Not only did He send His one and only son to take the eternal consequences for our sin, but He also provides a great deal of help and healing today — if we will turn to Him, repent of our sins, and choose to do things HIS way.
Just consider these promises of Scripture:
“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” –2 Chronicles 7:14
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” — Matthew 11:28-30
Sure, He may not heal you exactly the way you want when you want.
God is not a genie that grants 3 wishes or a magic vending machine in the sky.
But He DOES care, and He does offer healing to those who are willing to turn to Him and walk with Him.
Of course, this doesn’t mean the Christian life is always easy peasy.
John 16:33 warns us: “”I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.””
Being a Christian in a non-Christian, broken world IS hard. It just is.
We should expect some degree of hurt and brokenness, just because of the world we live in.
But we can rest assured that if you’re wondering “Why does God allow suffering?” God DOES see you and He does care.
Unfortunately, this help doesn’t always come the way we want. In fact, sometimes our suffering comes from God Himself…
Does God Cause Suffering?
Yes, God does cause suffering.
Some people will tell you, “God doesn’t cause suffering — He just allows it.” And I used to believe the same.
But the more I’ve studied the Scriptures, the more I’ve found verse after verse that prove God does actually cause some of our suffering.
*Note: This does NOT mean God causes ALL suffering. Some suffering is just the inevitable result of sin and free will — People do have the free will to make decisions that hurt themselves and/or others. But there ARE times when God causes suffering as well.
For example:
“Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.” — Isaiah 53:10
“If you refuse to let them go and continue to hold them back, the hand of the Lord will bring a terrible plague on your livestock in the field—on your horses, donkeys and camels and on your cattle, sheep and goats.” — Exodus, 9:1-2
“When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them: but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence.” — Jeremiah 14:12
“Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”” — Job 1:8
“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” — Matthew 4:1
In all of these instances (and there are many, many more examples in the Bible), God did not turn a blind eye to the suffering people were already experiencing.
Rather, God caused the suffering.
And, of course, there are PLENTY of other times (both in the Bible and today) where God does/did not specifically cause human suffering, but only allows it to happen.
Which leaves the question: “WHY does God allow suffering??”
Why Does God Allow Suffering?
So whether God causes suffering or simply allows it — the question remains: Why??
While we may never know the WHOLE story on this side of Heaven, the Bible does give us a few possibilities:
1. God Created Us with Free Will; We Have the Ability to Reject God’s Plan
Like I mentioned above, as humans with free will, we have the ability to make our own choices–even when those choices cause harm to ourselves or to others.
For example, you could abuse drugs or alcohol. You could overeat for years. You could take your husband for granted or neglect to care for your children. All of these actions have consequences.
Alternately, someone else could do something to hurt you. Your parents or other family members might have caused you significant harm. You may have had a past friend or boyfriend betray you. Maybe someone raped you, shot you, beat you or abused you… or someone you love.
Someone else used their free will to choose sin, and now you’re paying the consequences.
It’s NOT fair. It’s not right. It will be made right on Judgement Day, and there are ways to minimize the damage going forward.
But unfortunately, it happens ALL the time.
2. God’s Ultimate Goal is Different Than Yours
Have you ever sat down to write out a life goal or mission statement for your life?
For most of us, if we were being honest, we would have to admit that our life goal is probably something along the lines of “To have a easy, happy, comfortable life for me and my family.”
And yet, if you ask God what HIS goal is for your life, I can PROMISE you it isn’t to make you “comfortable.”
What if God wants to use the very struggle you’re going through right now to draw you closer to Him, or to use you to reach others in need?
God allows your suffering because He sees something even better on the other side.
I think back to the times of my life when I’ve been the MOST hurt, and honestly… looking back… I wouldn’t trade a single one of them.
- The deep depression I faced in high school gave me greater understanding and compassion for others today.
- The bad break-up I went through in college made space for the wonderful marriage I have to my amazing husband today.
- The pain of childbirth brought me my three precious children.
- If I had gotten the teaching job I wanted, I wouldn’t be working in my dream job today.
NONE of these are things I would have asked for.
NONE of them are things I wanted.
And yet, now that I’m on the other side, I truly wouldn’t have it any other way.
Of course, these are just a few examples that I feel comfortable sharing. Your experiences are likely different, and may be way worse.
But if you’re not on the path you think you should be, it may be because God is STILL working on your story.
And that He’s leading you somewhere way better than you could have ever hoped for or imagined.
Related Video: Finding God Through the Grief of Losing a Child
3. God’s Perspective is Far Greater Than Yours
You have to remember, too, that God’s perspective is far greater than yours.
This is why Isaiah 55:8-9 says:
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
And why, at the end of Job, God’s only “reason” to Job for his suffering is “Were you there when I created the world? Are you in charge? Do you know everything?”
The truth is, we don’t.
We can only see what’s right in front of us. (and not always that)
We don’t know what’s coming two years down the road. We don’t know what lessons we’ll need to know before then, or who or where we’ll need to be.
All too often, we only consider things only in the short term.
We think about how inconvenient, expensive, time-consuming or hurtful our lives or others’ actions can be.
But how often do we step back to see things from a bigger picture perspective?
How often do we stop asking “Why does God allow suffering?” and ask “God, how can I glorify You in this suffering?” instead?
Don’t believe for a second that right now is all there is or that thing will never get better.
Things always look dark when you’re in the middle of them.
When you get to the other side, you’ll realize God knew what He was doing all along.
You just don’t see it yet (and you may never).
For example, both my brother and two friends of mine died in car crashes in high school.
Why would God take them so young?
I honestly don’t know.
But it’s also not really my job to know.
I’m not God’s boss. He doesn’t report to me. I don’t really need to know.
You see, my preferences, wants and opinions will always be based on my own very limited view of this world. I know what I want, but I don’t really know or fully understand how the choices I make today will impact the world tomorrow–not really.
The truth is, we don’t know what big plans God has in store right around the corner for us and for others. Only God does.
So, given the choice between choosing everything myself–based on my very limited understanding of the world–and letting God choose–based on His infinite wisdom, God’s will is always going to be the best choice every. single. time.
We have to trust God even when we don’t understand.
After all, Moses didn’t know what God had up His sleeve when he was called to talk to Pharoah. Abram didn’t know what God had up His sleeve when he was called to sacrifice his son. But God did.
And God knows the plans He has for you too–even if He hasn’t showed you what they are yet.
4. God Corrects Us When We Sin
So this is a reason people don’t talk about nearly enough. And it isn’t always the reason, but it is definitely sometimes the reason.
And that is that: God loves us too much to let us continue in our sin.
In fact, you see this over and over and over and over again in the Old Testament.
The Israelites get complacent and stop following God. He warns them. They don’t listen. He punishes them. They all turn back to Him.
Honestly, so many books of the Old Testament are literally this SAME story on repeat.
So why would we think God doesn’t still do this today?
Of course, God’s punishments aren’t ALWAYS the result of our own personal sin.
In John 9, we read the story of a man born blind — through no fault of His own or His parents:
“As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.”
Sometimes it’s just “bad luck” or “just life.”
BUT sometimes, it absolutely is because we have sinned and brought consequences upon ourselves.
Which isn’t fun, but at least, if you can figure out that’s the problem, then you can repent and fix it.
So, if we are suffering, is it always one of these 4 reasons?
No, there are other reasons as well.
And chances are, we may never know the full reason.
But, if you’re wondering “Why Does God Allow Suffering?” one of these 4 reasons may just be the reason why…
Do you ever struggle with the question, “Why Does God Allow Suffering?” What additional answers have you come up with – if any?
What a lot of people forget too is that Satan is a very powerful adversary of God, and he causes all of these bad things to happen in this world. And he loves it when people blame God for something he caused. Yes, God could stop these things, but as you pointed out, God gave people freedom of will and so with the choices they make, make it so much easier for Satan to put his hands on them.
My daughter was in a motorcycle accident almost 13 years ago and she had a lot of brain damage, was in a vegetative state, etc. But honestly I never ever blamed God. And you know, 9 months after the accident, and after the doctors said she would never ever EVER come out of the vegetative state, the nursing home she was in called me and told me she had written her name. So I went to see her, and she HAD come out of that vegetative state, she knew who she was, who we were, etc. But because of the brain damage she sustained, she cannot speak, and because she broke her back in several places she cannot walk or move her right arm at all. And while she isn’t where we would like her to be, God still brought her back to us and it has taught us a lot.
Anyway, I am a great believer in God and always will be, through the good and bad.
Wow, what a story! That must have been tough to go through, even still. Thank goodness God works all things out–even when we don’t know what the plan is at the time!
You often here why God? Even from non Christian that “don’t believe” when something bad happens…. Go figure ?
Well said AMEN
I’m amazed by the kind of responses posted here. I do believe that people in pain get comfort when they pray to god, hoping that he would listen to the prayers and so on. The same rule applies in all religions.
The irony of the matter is that – Jeremiah 29:11 was exclusively for Isralites. Where God tells them i have a plan for you. Plans to prosper not to harm you. End of the day, our Lord Jesus himself claimed that he the god of Israel and did not have plans to amass the world which Paul did through missionary work. Anyways, thats old story.
Can someone answer – There are thousands of children getting abused, raped in this world every day. How would a child in that situation choose a path to save himself or herself? You would Satan is playing the trick. Ok, but who is there to protect the child in that situation. If the wrong doer is the son of Satan, obviously the child/victim is the son/daughter of god. Who should win here? If god has a plan, why wouldn’t god help the child in this situation? Children do not even know what the culprit is going to do with them and cries out loud, seeking someone’s help.
Thousands of children die everyday in this world out of starvation and bad nutrition. Ideally we should thanking our parents for feeding us atleast twice a day. I do not believe god has anything do with it.
Today, a young girl was brutally raped and murdered. He was not only murdered but 30 injuries, pierced her chest with a knife, struck hard with an iron rod at her genital and big blow on her head. eventually she died. The girl could not escape. So was this also a plan for this young girl. She did not choose to die like that!!!
Im a catholic and i do take my wife and children to church every sunday. But these questions are really causing hinderence in my mind…
Can someone respond and enlighten me?
I know–it’s absolutely heartbreaking.
I think God knew before the creation of the world that man would fall, and so He planned Redemption right from the beginning. God is the Alpha and the Omega, right? We can’t think the way He does. Our minds are limited, but God is omniscient. He must have had it all planned out from the start. I have a lot of faith and I believe that He will help each of us to better understand his ways if we place our trust in Him and let our faith grow. I think it will be so cool when we get to find out the answers to all of our questions, but that will be at the end of our lives here on earth. In the meantime, we must have faith like the faith of a child.
Yes! I really hope we do get to find out all of the details someday. Wouldn’t that be awesome to go “Oh! So THAT’S why that happened! It all makes sense now!”
Loved your response. I guess I pretty much feel the same as you about pain and suffering. Sometimes our choices bring on life changing consequences. Sometimes I think tragedy happens so others who may not know our loving Savior can learn more. About Him by how we handle difficulties in our life.
They do! And we will never fully know the reasons and outcomes of everything on this side of Heaven. So for now, we just have to trust.
Why does G-d allow suffering?
Please consider Luke 13.
1) First it is the occult – …told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices – they were murdered and had their blood used in an occult ceremony, but Jesus cautions us, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.
2) Chaos in the world, unleashed as you said, from the start all was well but after ‘the fall’ chaos came into our world. – verse 4 Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them (building collapse) —do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”
3) Men not doing good work – the car crash from brakes not repaired well – plane crash because of faulty work… verse 6 Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. 7 So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’ 8 “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’” So we are to get right and do good quality work.
FINALLY 4) the ‘enemy’… verse 10 On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, 11 and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. (as soon as Jesus sees her He moves to heal her) 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” 13 Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.
BONUS – bad church leadership… 14 Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue leader said to the people, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.” 15 The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie your ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? 16 Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?” (She was a woman in Church and leadership did not help her and were consumed with their rules and Jesus healed her).
17 When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.
Yep – all very valid reasons! There really isn’t one simple answer, unfortunately.
Brittiny,
I find your answer to that age old question about why God lets bad things happen to be a basis of reality. After all who is the potter versus the clay. You are so right about drawing closer to God when things get challenging in our lives as this is life. Like you
I do not believe God causes bad in our lives rather is there when this happens so why reject His comfort, wisdom and guidance. Conversely it is the opposite of God who would offer up/ influence us towards discouragement, emotional Reactivity, and an ineffective response to difficulty and pain as it happens.
Nancy
Faith Communiry Nurse
Thanks, Nancy!
Brittany, I just came across your article. I read it closely and below are my thoughts on it.
After that, I offer my answer to the “suffering” question.
Jim Grant
————————————–
Your Reason Given #1 – God Created Us with Free Will; We Have the Ability to Reject God’s Plan
My Rebuttal – It seems that your explanation of the reason nets out to this. “God gave man free will. Therefore, some people harm other people. Therefore, people suffer. – – – Maybe, but that doesn’t explain “why” God set it up this way and “why” he allows the suffering. – – – Your explanation doesn’t seem to answer the question. It only describes a “consequence” of God giving man free will, not “why”.
Reason Given #2 – God’s Ultimate Goal is Different Than Ours
My Rebuttal – It seems that your explanation nets out to this: “God’s goal is to get us to come closer to him. If we have to suffer for that to happen, God is OK with that.” – – – That doesn’t sound like a loving God. He sounds very egotistical. It’s all about him. It isn’t too far from human tyrants who want their subject to obey them so much that they will torture them to get the obedience. – – – The explanation also implies that God is not all-powerful, if the only way he could achieve his goal was to put people in a position in which they would suffer.
Reason Given #3 – God’s Perspective is Far Greater Than Ours
My Rebuttal – It seems that your explanation nets out to this: “If something tragic happens to you, keep the faith. We do not know what is best.” Why keep the faith? Faith in what? A God who will not protect us? – – – If my suffering is “for the best”, who am I sacrificing my well-being for? Who is more important then me?” – – – Again, the explanation also implies that God is not all-powerful, if the only way he could achieve what is “best” was to put people in a position in which they would suffer.
Allow me to offer my answer to the question, “Why Does God Allow Suffering?”
It starts with the belief that God is all-powerful, loving, and rational (amongst other characteristics).
Then comes another question, “If God can take us to Heaven after we die, why didn’t he just start us out in Heaven and leave us there, rather than put us into this world where most (all?) of us will suffer at one time or another?”
That is an extremely important question. I believe that until a person has a good answer for that question, his answer to the “suffering” question is at least inadequate, if not outright wrong.
Some people reading this will say, “It is not for us to know what is God’s plan?” Well, Brittany said, “God’s ultimate goal is to bring us closer to Him.” So, it seems she believes she knows what is God’s plan and I suspect others reading this do, too. (We might all be wrong, but many of us think we have a pretty good idea what his plan is.)
Here is my answer as to what is God’s plan.
Accepting that God is all-powerful and loving, he would want to do anything for us / give us anything on our behalf. He could have started us out in Heaven and left us there and that would have been perfect for us – – – as least from our perspective. However, as God is also rational, he realized that, if he did that, something would be missing – – – and what would have been missing was an opportunity for us to become God-like. (Brittany said that part of God’s ultimate goal was to “make us more Christ-like”. I’m saying God has given us the opportunity to become Christ-like or God-like. He’s not trying to make us God-like.). – – – If God makes us God-like, it is not as valuable as if we make ourselves God-like. – – – A thing has much more value if we earn it, rather than having it given to us. An “earned” value raises us to a higher level than a “given” value. (A rationale human parent is the same way as God. While a parent wants to give his child everything, he recognizes that there are some to many things that the child will not value, unless he earns it himself.)
What are some of the ways we become Christ-like? We should:
* Create and nurture.
* Express love and compassion.
* Serve other people.
* Live in a state of gratitude and forgiveness.
* Move to a state of mercy and grace.
and, make suffering go away (or at least reduce it).
So, my answer to the “suffering” question is that God allows it, so that we can make it go away and, by dong so, become more God-like.
I hope some readers find these ideas to be helpful and embrace them.
Thanks Brittany & Jim for sharing your viewpoints.
Jim, your viewpoint is aligning (in my opinion) more with the spirituality teachings.
I love the spirituality teachings because it is always saying:
– We are created with the ability to grow & develop and become God-like
– God (Universe) loves us tremendously – there are no tests of obedience, no tests of tolerance, nothing like that — simply no intention for suffering, and certainly not making suffering available as a gate to development & growth
– Pain and suffering will occur, and if we are rise above it then we can develop to become more God-like — an expression of unconditional love and compassion
I totally agree with Brittany that we are by-design created as free-will beings, and that is what allows us to create (become God-like) beautiful and powerful things — like the music, the art, the airplanes, the skyscrapers, the medicine surgical techniques, … only to name a few. This free-will because of its nature to create, it can create beauty and it can equally create harm — like nuclear bombs, chemical weapons, … to name a few.
So here is where I personally struggle — the “All Powerful” God…
God, I totally understand the “Free-will” and I appreciate and respect that. I find myself humbled in honor to have been created with the ability to create. So appreciative beyond words.
But I also find myself agonizing over the kids that get abused, tortured, raped and killed. What free-will can help them when they are so young and helpless?
I find myself aching with sorrow over all the acts of inhumanity around the world, whether it is behind prison-bars (justified by law), or in areas of war & conflict, or in poor areas where crime & savageness & ‘Eat or Be Eaten’ is the language, or in areas of genocides and methodical killings.
I can’t help but look at the sky and ask “Why?”
“Why God? Why do you allow it? Why?
Do you allow it so that dozens of years down the road, we will look at history and feel ashamed and correct what led to such awful things? What about those who paid the price?
Why do you allow it?
How can I trust that ‘WITH GOD, ALL IS WELL’?
How can I trust that ‘I MAY NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT I AM GOING THROUGH, BUT I KNOW IT IS FOR MY OWN BEST AND YOUR PLAN FOR ME IS FAR GREATER THAN MY SWEETEST DREAMS’?
How can I trust that I won’t be one of the people who are meant to pay the price, so that younger generations in the future can learn from my journey?
And if I am meant to pay the price and I don’t know it, then how is this FREE-WILL?
I want to feel God’s LOVE.
I want to feel safe in God’s plan.
I want to trust that ‘ALL WILL TURN OUT WELL’
How?
I think it’s important to understand — God grieves over these same things too. And He did do something to help — He created us with the ability to help. So if we want to ask God “Why??” — He could ask us the exact same question.
We too have the ability to help. Are we? If not, where is our time and money going instead?
Jim, Moly, well said.
Ah, god-like. Interesting.
I once knew a man like this.
He grew up with nothing, abused, abondanded, watched his family and mother absorb similar punishment. He had little guidance or direction. Practically every reason to be infuriated, and bitter.
But yet he was one of the most compassionate and bright spirted men you could ever want to meet in this life. His presence was warm, heartfelt, and genuine. He was smart and insightful. He left his self very vulnerable. He loved to inspire people. He loves his children. He adored his wife of over 20 years. He wanted to break the shackles of a long history of sexual and physical abuse in his family. He once gave an old lady he barely knew a large sum of money because she was heating her house with an oven. He loved to make people laugh… so hard gripping thier ribs.
He truly went out of his way for people.
Even those he hardly knew.
Practically out of nowhere… bizarre events surrounded him. One after another. I won’t explain as it’s too much – but what this man went through was simply uncalled for and it left him wounded and broken. It was the last thing he needed or deserved. He’s not even the same person and when I see him I see some of the saddest eyes. He’s bewildered but tries to hide it.
It’s gut wrenching because inside I know he must feel like he was ran over as if his life, sacrifice, hopes, dreams, blood sweat and tears mean little to nothing. If anyone deserved to be showered with blessings it should have been him – but yet instead was railroaded.
If this man isn’t god-like I don’t know WHAT IS. In my view, he more than *earned* his way.
My heart aches for him. It is ABSURD situations like this, that make me seriously wonder not just WHY, but WHAT is the point… and make death appear very comforting.
Hi Jim.
I do appreciate your critique; it is more honest and sharp than most things I read on these subjects.
I will take your conclusion as far as ‘God-like’ means what Christians mean when they say ‘Christ-like’; that is, like God in character attributes, not in ability. For if an eternal, sovereign (i.e. causally unrestrained) being created all other beings, how could he possibly -=create=- another being identical to himself? It is self-contradictory.
As for your rebuttals:
#3 makes sense. God does not always shelter and protect us from everything. If one thing is clear from the Judeo-Christian writings, it is that God is not an insurance agent (not in the material or experiential sense, anyway).
#2 – If you understand the history of the Jewish nation, esp. the period of the Kings, you must understand that God doesn’t have an ego in the human sense, or there likely wouldn’t be any Jews today. And now I must jump to
#1 because the answer intertwines with #2. What God’s purpose in creating at all was, if He is indeed sovereign and wholly complete in Himself, is not something we are likely to grasp in this universe. But if we human beings really do have the high, lofty destiny that you indicate, then the consequences of our actions have a (I am using a mathematically rigorous term here) Chaotic impact on that destiny. That is, in my view, the real reason that God is so adamant about obedience; not because it serves His (hypothetical) self-interest, but because it serves OUR interests (and, indirectly, His interest in us). An omnipotent, all-wise creator, who sees “the end from the beginning” (Isaiah 46:9-10) would be, without qualifier, justified in shaping our lives in a way that draws us, ultimately, toward the high goal of being “made in his image” rather than robotically rigorous outcomes.
And if we are to be ‘like god’, isn’t an infinitesimal portion of that ‘unconditioned freedom’ part of the package?
In Grace and Truth;
H.T.
I agree. Spread the word of warning about going ahead of God, please. It’s in an ebook for students called ‘What If I Go?’ and raises awareness of grooming.It is fiction based upon truth.
The aim is to empower girls and disrupt the perpetrator’s activity. Thanks for your help.
And what about God punishing us very good innocent people and never punishes the very bad people?
The problem with this line of thinking is that it assumes that God only punishes good people and that He never punishes bad people, and that simply isn’t true. It also assumes that we all deserve nothing less than “happily ever after.”
But the truth is – this human world IS fallen. We are all GOING to have hardships at some point or another. The fact that God has spared SO many of us (good and bad people alike) is the real miracle and the real question. Why spare us at all? Why give us SO many good things when He didn’t have to? Because He loves us.