Where Is God When Life The Question: Falls Apart? A God who allows horrible tragedies to happen to innocent people is not a god I want to worship. How can a loving God allow innocent people to be hurt so badly?
Evil is atheism s most potent weapon against the Christian faith. "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world (John 16:33)."
Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. 1 Corinthians 13:12 Where is God when life falls apart?
The Seven Pillars: 1. God s character is LOVING, GOOD, and righteous. Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right (Genesis 18:25)?
2. He has given us freedom to choose to LOVE Him, or REJECT Him. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants (Deuteronomy 30:19).
3. This freedom resulted in a FALLEN world with evil, sin, and real dangers. Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned (Romans 5:12).
4. He intensely desires restored FELLOWSHIP with us. Come now, and let us reason together," says the LORD, "though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool (Isaiah 1:18).
5. His love is so great that He gave up His only Son to RESTORE that relationship. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).
6. But sin REMAINS in our fleshly body and the physical world temporarily. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please (Galatians 5:17).
7. We can trust His finished work because He defeated death (sin) by RESURRECTION. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Narnia was a cursed world always winter, but never Christmas. 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 (Revelation 21:4).
The Seven Suppositions: Supposition 1: Evil is real and people are BLINDED by their sin. And you were dead in your trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1).
Supposition 2: His ways are HIGHER than our ways. For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9).
For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, `plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.
Supposition 3: There is no innocence; we are all GUILTY. as it is written, "THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:10, 23).
Supposition 4: Suffering can lead to REPENTANCE. For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death (Corinthians 7:10).
Supposition 5: Suffering can lead to a deeper DEPENDENCE on God. who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God(2 Corinthians 1:4).
Supposition 6: Let s BLAME the right guy. Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, `You shall not eat from any tree of the garden' (Genesis 3:1)?
Supposition 7: Consider God s PAST dealings. For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope (Romans 15:4). Where is God when life falls apart?