He offers us blessing and cursing, life and death. We hug. God does not control us. Nobody can tell God what He “must” do. Third, the Bible tells us that in the meantime, God can give us victory over evil. We don’t build the Kingdom, we build for the Kingdom. All of us are tainted by and infected with sin (Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8). And that’s not the only crisis in the world: People across the globe are being persecuted and killed for their beliefs. Is It Possible to Care About Every Issue? If God is in charge why do bad things happen to good people? How Should You Spend Money During the Holidays? Evil comes instead from Satan, and it entered this world when Satan deceived Adam and Eve and caused them to turn against God. They were mourning! He says; ‘Stay faithful to the covenant life’, but doesn’t usually hit us over the head with a sledgehammer when we don’t. We live between the news about something that has happened and the promise that therefore something will happen. Watch Queue Queue. Let me give you five clusters of texts or kinds of texts. The beauty and power of creation are real. If He could have sent a miracle. It is hard, and we don't make light of it. 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You might be much closer to a foundation event, even though it was a long time ago chronologically, it might be much closer to your reality. Now, there’s nothing wrong with good advice, but it’s not the same as good news. Every time something bad was about to happen, God would personally intervene and stop it. A: You aren’t alone in being puzzled about this question; theologians and Bible scholars have discussed it for centuries without coming up with a final answer. Next time you’re approached by a person who’s hurting due to illness, death, circumstances, or a natural disaster, point them to God ’s Word. And if He isn't in control, doesn't that make Him weak and less than God? Why does God allow failure and disappointments to happen if he's really in control? Are natural disasters caused by God or Satan? God builds the Kingdom, but what we do in present is actually going to be taken up and used within that larger project. Has He got it wrong?” But no, He’s been in the middle of this mess with us and He’s taken the worst the world can do onto Himself. Isn’t it better to face life’s problems with God rather than without Him? So we’re in this new period time between hearing the news and the fulfillment of the news. Why do bad things happen to good people? We see unjust, uncaring or even clearly wicked people doing things that adversely affect us. When we read the stories of Jesus and see what is going on in those stories, perhaps we need to rethink the meaning of the word “God” around who we see in Jesus. This is the question of theodicy, and it's wrestled with in nearly every book of the Bible. Every weekday, get our new Deeper Walk devotional delivered to your inbox! I gulped then muttered something about a fallen world, that life will never be perfect on earth regardless of whether we’re good, bad, or somewhere in between. The truth is, you can’t know all the reasons why God lets bad things happen. It seems to me that this is what the Church, at its best, is always doing, usually below the radar. Contact Us. The colour of my socks? Why do bad things happen to good people? This video is unavailable. Although we would argue that God occasionally breaks the laws of physics (miracles), He does not do this on a routine basis. We have turned that into good advice like taking out a life insurance policy on your ultimate future. Not that we can bring the new creation by our own efforts—God brings that in God’s time. It’s not simply a matter of “Has God blundered? Problems of all sizes and degrees happen to everyone. I ended up believing that He didn’t exist, and that’s why I became an atheist for eight years of my life.. Find her online at darganthompson.com or follow her extremely random train of thought on Twitter @darganthompson. On a practical level, since we’re in the middle of that and we can’t really see what God is doing, how do we live in light of that reality? Too many people get hung up on God’s sovereignty and think it means God “must” control all things. We live in a world that is marred by sin, so difficulties and disappointments are bound to cross our path. But how do we know that God always controls everything?” How do we know that God always controls everything? First, God works all things according to his will. If God controls each and every event, from the tiniest to the greatest, and has already decided what will happen, then why pray? 1. Even to say that sounds like wacky or weird, and people say “What do you mean, ‘different layers of time’?” Because the way we live in today’s world is just time as a straight line and things get further and further away as you move on forward. All of us feel the effects of sin in one way or another. So if I chose to drink too much alcohol during pregnancy and my baby is born with an disability as a result, was God in control of that? The church’s life of worship and prayer and sacraments and Scripture reading is a way of making that a reality, so that even though we find it hard to describe what’s going on, the reality of that fusion of time—God’s time and our time—is a very present reality. Do we really believe God is in control? The basic point of the book is the difference between good news and good advice. Toll Free: 1-877-247-2426. We live in a world where you can’t simply look at the evidence and say, “There you are, there is a good God, everything’s OK.” That’s why the good news of Jesus is that in the middle of this confusing world, with so much beauty but also so much sorrow, what God has done in Jesus launches a project, which says “Yes, the sorrow is real, but God has dealt with it and is dealing with it. Both evil and Satan are real, and the two go hand-in-hand. Do Our Bodies Matter to Our Spiritual Lives? Will Graham: A Story on Social Distancing from the Old Testament, 1 Billy Graham Parkway, Charlotte, NC 28201 And we embrace. Two of my kids approached me separately during those final weeks, and with pain on their faces, asked, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” Talk about a hard conversation! It is always a mystery, but the classic Christian disciplines, of prayer, of worship, of the study of Scripture, and particularly, of service to the poor … in all of those ways, we are actually plugging into the new creation, which has already been launched. When a nation wins a just war, it might seem bad from the enemy’s side, but it is good for the world. Second, the Bible tells us that someday all evil will be banished. Watch Queue Queue We know He wants what’s best for us. We experience the consequences of other people’s mistakes and failures. You can never look at the way the world is and read God’s purposes off from the way the world is. People all around the United States and much of the world are still grappling with this weekend’s tragic shooting in Orlando, Florida. Bible Answer: The book of Malachi tells us about a very interesting complaint from the people of Israel against God. Michael Coren Page 1 of 3. It’s always more puzzling and confusing than that. As hard as it is to acknowledge, we must remember that there are no “good” people, in the absolute sense of the word. How God Works. In general, miracles are done with the purpose of displaying God's power and authority. This oft-repeated question says nothing about God, but everything about human beings. "If God is in control, why do bad things happen?" The vast spiritual conflict between Satan and God that has raged from the beginning of time will be over, and God will be triumphant. 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Who or what, then, is to blame when bad things happen? - We Have the Answer. As Christians, we have the answer that a hurting world needs. Why do good people sometimes suffer terribly while evil people live lives of ease? This doesn’t mean bad things will never happen to us—but even when they do, we can know God is with us, and He will give us strength to stand against them. When I discipline my child, it might seem like a bad thing from his vantage point, but it is a good thing from mine. Do we mean that God controls every decision, every event; every single thing that happens? God often allows failure to point us to one critical truth: we can't live the Christian life on our own. 8:28 we find a famous verse which a lot of Christians know by heart. We don't blow it off or act chipper. How can I believe that God is in control when something bad happens? Is it good to suffer? We weep with those who weep. Because “with evil things God cannot be tried, nor does he himself try anyone.” God does not try, or test, anyone by inciting him to behave badly. Bad things only happen because god is testing us whether it is in a negative way or in a positive way , God does this to see how strong we are as human beings- there is a saying that connotes ” God gives a hard time to his strongest survivors”. Wars are raging. The news what God has done in and through Jesus creates a whole new world, and we are invited into that world. One of our problems with the sovereignty of God is that it frequently does not appear that God is in control of the circumstances of our lives. If God is not in control, then we can have no sure confidence that there is a point to the evil around us. It means He has the power and authority to control all things if He so desires. Someday all evil will be cast “into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41, KJV). It’s always more puzzling and confusing than that. If God is in control why do he allow bad things to happen if he can fix it? Privacy Leaders Reveal What They Wish They Knew at 27, Nike Created Basketball Shoes Specifically for People with Disabilities, Mike Todd: Three Ways to Transform Your Dating Life, 7 Questions to Ask Before You Throw Down Online, What to Know About Loans and Student Debt, To Actually Get a Job, Sweat the ‘Small Stuff’, Graduate School and Seminary Application Dos and Don’ts, Energy Drinks: A Student’s Best Friend and Worst Enemy, College Is Getting More Expensive Than Ever.   •   Topics: Suffering. In the book, you argue that Christians have distorted the Gospel being “good news.” Could you elaborate on that? Nothing can happen that he does not allow and he works all for the good of his people and his glory. BGEA is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The hope and peace we so desperately seek is not found in stopping every bad thing from happening, because we simply can’t do it. Why not That means your divorce, your affair, your lapse of judgment, your squandered opportunities, your failed business venture, your bankruptcy, your poor choices—these do not loosen God’s grip on the direction of your life at all. Further, a lot of folks are quick to “claim the promise” of “I know the plans I … But they do. We know He is all-powerful. No, we may not understand everything that happens to us—but when we know Christ, we know we are on the winning side. If God were merely loving but not in control of all things it would be a scary universe. Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People? The Bible talks about “the mystery of iniquity” (2 Thessalonians 2:7, KJV)—and that’s what evil is: a mystery. That brings up the age old question: If God is good and He’s in control, why does He let bad things happen? If God is in control of everything that happens in the universe, then He is in control of everything that happens in your life as well. This doesn’t mean bad things will never happen to us—but even when they do, we can know God is with us, and He will give us strength to stand against them. Start your weekdays with “RELEVANT Today”—a quick look at our five most trending articles. Show them how death and suffering are the punishment for sin but how Jesus Christ provided the solution to that problem when … Part of our trouble is that in the Western world, we’ve assumed that God is, as it were, the celestial CEO of this thing called the universe incorporated. Watch Queue Queue. Is Too Much Expertise Bad For Leadership? God neither causes bad things to happen nor incites others to do what is bad. If we believe that God is sovereign and that “all things work together for good,” then claiming something as bad is a really short-sighted view. By Billy Graham   •   That’s what the story of Jesus is all about. First, the Bible tells us that evil does not come from God, nor can we blame God for all the evils in the world. July 20, 2016 Home And we continue to face temptation, sorrow, and a multitude of trials within our … But God do es exist.. Nevertheless, if you ask God for discernment, you can begin to understand why He allowed something to occur. 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Kelly Loeffler to Stop Attacking Her Opponent’s Religion Views, The Case of a Woman in Jail for a Stillbirth May Determine the Future of America’s Abortion Debate, The U.S. Just Crossed 300,000 Deaths From COVID-19, Pornhub Has Removed Millions of Videos From Its Site. What Should I Expect From Myself in 2021? Not true. But there continue to be horrific tragedies and pain and suffering throughout the world. Why do bad things happen to good people? If God really could not have stopped bad things from taking place, then why should we remain hopeful that He has purpose in those bad things and works them toward the good of His people (Romans 8:28)? But there’s the hope of heaven. The Church consists of all God’s people going about this Kingdom work day by day, year by year, and this will be part of the new creation which God will eventually make. We know He is in control. It is true that God is good and that in the world under His control bad things happen—at least bad things happen from the human perspective. I’m not saying this is always easy to do. An earlier version of this interview appeared in January 2015. And then, as one of Woody Allen’s characters says: “I sort of believe in God, but it looks like He’s basically an underachiever.” In other words, He’s not a very good CEO, He’s not good at running this show. It teaches it by direct statements and by clear and sufficient implication. He confirms that the world is fallen because we are out of the relationship with God that we are meant to live in. I once made the mistake of thinking this way about God. He has launched His project of new creation. Every weekday, get RELEVANT's top five articles delivered to your inbox! If He is, doesn't that make Him evil also? “You might like to sign up for this option because it will be better for you.”. Your words have been arrogant against Me,” says the LORD. God is involved with it in ways which it’s hard for us now, particularly in the modern world, to grasp. Jesus himself never answers the question of why bad things happen in this world, other than to confirm that they will continue to happen. But through most periods of history, people knew perfectly well that actually, things could change with time. The Difference Between Dieting and Fasting, 5 Keys to Boost Your Mental Health During the 2020 Holidays, A Nashville Police Officer Says God Told Him to ‘Turn Around’ Moments Before the Christmas Morning Blast, Bianca Juarez Olthoff on the Power of Prayers of ‘Lovingkindness’. Where Are You, God? Local: 704-401-2432 Watch Queue Queue Here is their complaint. Why do bad things happen to God's people? If He could have prevented it. Or if humans have free will, and God doesn't control everything on the earth, then why do we pray and ask him for things? 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