Questions:  Pain, Suffering, Evil, and God?

• What is my ‘SATISFYING ANSWER’?
• If God is  ‘ALTOGETHER GOOD AND ALMIGHTY’
  • why the pain, the suffering, and all the evil
    • that we see in the world?

I now believe that this

• God-designed creation runs on a ‘natural order’ (!)
  • based on the laws of science in
    • biology, physics and engineering, chemistry, geology, astronomy
    • mathematics and statistics, electronics, nuclear physics, etc.;
  • based on the laws of society and human interactions in
    • sociology and anthropology,
    • political science and economics, etc.
  • It is the challenge and opportunity of all men
    • since the days of Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, David, Solomon, etc.,
    • including Christians, and all genuine God worshipers,
    • to discover and utilize these laws for their benefit;
    • as stated in the book of Genesis when God’s says to man,
      • “fill the earth and subdue it” (Genesis 1.28)
      • “work it[the garden-creation] and keep it.“ (Genesis 2.15)
• Creation running on the ‘natural order’ is also ‘broken’ and
  • all men are subjected to this broken natural order INCLUDING
    • Christians, people of earnest faith, genuine God Worshipers;
  • evil, vile and wicked men;
  • evil schemes, wars, crimes, corruption,
    • are to be expected and do happen;
  • typhoons, storms, tornadoes, earthquakes, accidents,
  • diseases like cancer, deformity,  fatal accidents,
    • will and do happen.
• God is making a NEW HEAVEN AND A NEW EARTH,
  • a restored creation with a restored ‘natural order’!!

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I also believe that God rendered himself ‘Almost Powerless’

• in the affairs of men
• when he gave man total freedom to make choices!
  • Most of the evil in this world
    • comes from men and societies making evil choices,
      • spouses cheat, abuse, and abandon families;
      • wayward children choose wrong paths;
      • criminals, political leaders, sociopaths,
        • make wrong choices that harm others,
        • ensure continuing cycle of evil
          • as their ‘broken’ victims
          • turn around and victimize others.
  • God let’s men have their own way so that they can see
    • in themselves and in the results of their choices
      • a need for God,
      • if they would believe
      • (Romans 1.24a, 26a, 28b).
  • God’s purpose and plan is seen
    • in those who willingly let his kingdom
      • reign in their hearts and lives
        • becoming his “witnesses” to the world,
        • “salt of the earth”, and
        • “light of the world.”
  • As before though
    • God will judge.
    • God will restore all things.
    • God will be proven right, just, loving, faithful and true.
    • God will remake a new order
      • without the problems of this old order.

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I also believe that God is incredibly Great, Powerful, and Sovereign

• If (since) there is an ALMIGHTY God
  • from our knowledge of astronomy
    • he must be incredibly great
    • (Please take a look at this astonishing video on YouTube
      • the ‘Cosmic Eye‘ ).
• This limits the extent to which my puny mind
  • can understand him or his purposes
    • for the world he has created.
• If (since) he made the universe as we know it, 
  • he is sovereign over it;
    • (free to act as he pleases)
  • he owns everything!

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So how then shall we live?

• God takes pleasure WHEN we trust him
  • so I will trust him, what is the alternative(?)
    • Can you change him?
    • Can you change his purposes against his will?
    • Can you fight God?
    • If you reject God and abandon your faith
      • what difference will it make?
      • what will you replace God with?
• God has revealed himself to man in the only way he can
  • by becoming man through his Son – Jesus Christ!
• God has demonstrated that he cares
  • when Jesus died on a cruel cross
  • as we struggle in this fallen creation
  • so I will trust him
    • that he will make all things right again!

We can still pray for and expect ‘miracles’

• God breaks through the natural laws of creation
  • from time to time,
  • to let us know
    • that he is there and he is not silent;
  • to demonstrate his power and
  • to encourage our trust in him;
• (all answered prayers are miracles!)
  • God sometimes answers prayers
    • which appear to be the result of the ‘natural order’ but
    • which are ‘too coincidental’
      • since we prayed specifically about it!
• The genius of God is that
  • while it appears that things happen
    • according to the natural order of things,
    • according the fallen-ness of creation and human nature
    • according to the arbitrariness and capriciousness of human choices;
  • his purposes are clearly still being fulfilled in the world:
    • righteousness matter,
    • evil is wrong,
    • truth is desirable,
    • and faith in him is
      • enduring and cannot be destroyed;
      • meaningful and practically rewarding!!!

        

Notice, I did not say anything about Satan?

• HE IS NO MATCH FOR GOD!  BUT more about this next time!

Let me know what you think.  Send me an Email, or a tweet.  Please share!