The curious as well as the critics of Christianity ask this question. If God is all-powerful and all loving, then why does He permit evil and suffering in the world? Various answers have been given but permanently settling the issue is impossible because so many of our answers raise further questions. Nevertheless, our lack of ability to answer the question perfectly does not mean that we cannot offer solutions. Of course, I do not assume to be able to answer these questions definitively, but i can promise you we do not suffer for no reason. my personal take on the issue may leave a few people considering there purpose on earth. First of all, it is possible that God has reasons for allowing evil to exist that we simply cannot understand. In this the believer can have confidence in God knowing that His ways are above our ways. As the Word says, the just shall live by faith (Hab. 2:4). A possible reason that God is letting evil occur is so that on the day of judgment, the condemned will have no right to say that their sentence is unjust. God is not stopping people from exercising their free will. Think about this: If someone said that God should stop evil and suffering, then should God then stop all evil and suffering? If God only stopped some of it, then we would still be asking the same question of why it exists. So, if we want God to stop evil and suffering, then He must stop all of it. We have no problem with this when it means stopping a catastrophe, or a murder, or a rape. But what about when someone thinks of something evil? Evil is destructive whether it is acted out or not. Hatred and bigotry in someone’s heart is wrong. If it is wrong, and if God is to stop all evil, then He must stop that person from thinking his own thoughts. To do that, God must remove his freedom of thought. Furthermore, which person on the earth has not thought something evil? God would be required, then, to stop all people from exercising their free will. This is something God has chosen not to do. Therefore, we could say that one of the reasons that God permits evil and suffering is because of man’s free will. But then we must ask, if this is true, are we working against God by working against evil and suffering? No, we are not. God says he does not want us to sin and suffer. But it is simply true that God can use evil despite its apparent despicable nature. God is in the world using the world and its failures for His glory and the benefit of those who listen to Him. Suffering is the result of human sin. The world is not the way that God created it and because of that, all are vulnerable to the effects of sin in the world. Why does one person suffer and another does not? Why do catastrophes happen to some and not to others? It is because sin is in the world. But there will come a day when the Lord will return and cleanse this world of all sin and all suffering. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away, (Rev. 21:4). We can not begin to try and understand Gods purpose or reasons for allowing so many things to happen to his children, but it is true that our human nature allows such thoughts to direct us away from God. We will never grasp the true reasons for evil and suffering, rather than concerning ourselves regarding these issues, let us focus on what we can change, solution is better than procrastination and empty thoughts revolving around matters that cannot be solved by mankind.
Posted on: Thu, 22 May 2014 16:33:39 +0000
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