If there is an all-powerful God of love, why is there so much suffering in the world?

If God is the all-powerful, loving, just creator, how do we explain this world we live in with all it’s suffering?

This is an important question that most people ask. The Bible does give answers to the general question, but obviously not specific answers to specific questions. So that means, the Bible does tell us why suffering exists, but it does not tell us why particular people suffer in particular ways. This is a really important distinction to make because sometimes people ask the general question, but have particular instances of suffering in mind. So a person may have lost a loved one due to a drunk driver and feels deeply grieved, angry and confused. They ask, "How can a God of love allow suffering", but really they are asking why God allowed their loved one to suffer so unjustly in particular. Answering the specific with the general answer will not help that person.

The General Question

Why Does God Allow Suffering? - THE FACTS

1)There is suffering.

Death, disaster, disease and wickedness are a sad fact of life. All people suffer, some more than others. Many people suffer unbearably.

2) The Bible teaches that 'God is Love'. 

It is Love that's at the very core of God's being.

3) The Bible teaches God is all-powerful. 

This means He could end suffering once for all at any moment. God can intervene.

4) The Bible teaches God is perfectly just and hates all wickedness.

This means he is against all that is wrong and unjust.

5) The Bible teaches God is the sole creator of the world and all people.

God's World

The Bible teaches that when God created everything, he created it all very good. There was no suffering, sickness, disease or evil - nothing at all to cause sadness, hurt or pain.  It was absolute paradise - the perfect home environment for man. God’s world was a world that held together in perfect harmony. That is the world God created and ruled over. That was God's world.

Man's World

God never forces people to obey His rule. Isn’t it better that you can choose to accept or reject God? You don’t have to submit to his rule. He has given you the right to choose - which is why coercion is so wrong. The Bible teaches that the first human couple made their choice, and like the rest of us, chose to reject God as ruler. They wanted to be top-dog. They didn't want someone telling them how to live. They wanted to rule their own world on their own terms.

The Problem with Rejecting God

The problem is, God is entirely good and knows how to rule perfectly well. In rejecting God and His wise and good rule, we rejected the maker of all things, the only one who knows how to rule and reign and keep all things truly good. Man foolishly stuffed up big time. So now we live in man’s world under man’s rule without God’s good, powerful, loving and wise reign. It is the world under Man’s rule that is full of suffering, disease, disaster, evil etc. 

You may well object, “But disaster and disease, that's not Man's fault is it?” Well, when man rejected God, it was like we sacked the one person able to keep all creation in harmony. Without Him, everything is out of order, it’s as if we’ve thrown a spanner in the works. This explains why the world is as it is. but there’s more ...

Powers of Darkness

Most people want peace and love in the world - but everywhere, at every level their is anything but true peace. Instead there is unrest, fear, stress, anxiety and conflict at every level - within marriage right up to wars between nations. who would choose such a world? It is a world built on fear, mistrust and insecurity - that’s why we all have keys for our front door - no-one is safe and we all know it. The world is broken.

The Bible teaches that there is a malevolent spiritual force at work - Satan and demonic beings which are fallen angels. Without God reigning, these are at work in all kinds of ways to bring evil into the world. This is why we see so much suffering. This is the only way to explain war and unbelievably evil atrocities that happen. People who commit terrible atrocities are too often not insane at all. They are possessed and moved by evil.

Why Doesn't God intervene?

Ithe Bible teaches that god does intervene. The problem is, we don't see it. Think of those times you were driving and not paying attention - then just in the Nic of time you looked up and hit the breaks. 

But whatever, If God intervened to rid the world of all evil, he would need to rid the world of the causes of evil too, or the renewed earth would be quickly ruined. The problem is, we are the cause! God would have to get rid of us - He’d have to forever shut us out from His good Kingdom or we’d wreck it too - being shut out forever is what the Bible calls hell. God does not want you to go to hell because He loves you. God knows, as terrible as suffering in this world is, it is on average about 70 years max - it is nothing compared to eternity in hell. This is why God has not intervened in this way ... Yet.

The Great Exchange

But God has intervened. God came into our world, as a man - Jesus. He shared our humanity but unlike us, Jesus never sinned. That means He did nothing to contribute to any of the hurt, pain or ruin in this world. It means He always did what is good and right without exception. Basically, He alone was the perfect man.

The thing about Jesus though, is being perfect - he wasn’t stand-offish at all. Ordinary people loved Jesus and loved hanging out with Him, and he loved them too. Jesus loved to hang out with anyone who would accept Him for who He is.

So why was Jesus crucified? There is no doubt the religious leaders hated him, the Bible tells us also that “Satan entered Judas” who betrayed Jesus. Strangest of all though, the Bible tells us it was God’s will for Jesus to suffer! On the cross a great exchange was made possible. Jesus took the rap of God’s punishment for all our sin. In other words - in God’s judgement, everyone of us deserves to be crucified. But why?

Why is it so terrible to reject God?

To us, rejecting and ignoring God is not a biggy - but to God, it is the most terrible of all crimes. It is THE worst crime. Worse than any other crime you can imagine.

The reason it is so bad is because it is the one crime that enables all others. Had we never rejected God - this world would be paradise. But we have all rejected Him, so we are all responsible for all the subsequent evil. It really is a very serious crime. When we make out it is not a biggy - we just compound our sin.

So, we deserve the most terrible punishment - death on a cross - then shut out from God’s goodness forever - hell. But Jesus took our place on the cross so that we could take His in God’s Kingdom. This means, we can now come back to God, back under His rightful reign.  Jesus took all the rap for us!

God will not let evil continue forever. At the appointed time He will certainly return and rid the world of all evil. Those who have turned back to Him as their Lord will inherit their place in His eternal Kingdom where there is no more suffering or sadness of any kind, those who continue choose to reject Him, God will respect their choice and so they will get what they have chosen - a world without Him forever - that is hell. The choice is ours. Will you turn back to your rightful ruler, your maker and the only one who can save you from a lost eternity? 

But it’s not True - is it?

According to Jesus Himself, and the Apostles, Jesus has proved the reality of all this by rising from the grave. There is solid evidence for that. The only reason anyone would deny it in light of the evidence - is because they have closed their eyes and minds in already deciding, regardless of any evidence, there is no God

Check out my blogs on the resurrection.

Vision

Vision, Mission, Values, Strategy, Goals, Ministry Philosophy

It seems to me there is a great deal of confusion with these terms, so when I read lot's of churches Vision Statements, they are often clear statements (which is the most important thing), but they are not Vision Statements, usually they are Mission Statements etc.

Maybe I have just misunderstood things - wouldn't be the first time, or maybe there really is confusion and for once I am actually on the right track!

Here's how I see it ....

Vision Statement

This is a Statement that paints a visual picture of what we want to see. These statements, though not necessarily, can be quite lengthy statements, a side of A4 or more, or maybe half a page or a paragraph or two. The key thing is, it paints a picture that people can see. It is the 'being able to see/imagine it' that makes it a vision statement. If you can't see it, it is not a Vision Statement (VS). So VS cannot be 'concepts' but must be concrete. Neither can they be 'tasks' but pictures. It is a picture that inspires by firing the imagination. A great example of a vision statement would be Martin Luther King's famous 'I Have A Dream!' 

In that statement he paints a magnificent and inspiring picture, a dream that all can dream. In fact he paints two vivid pictures, one being the status quo ...

"One hundred years later the negro still lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity ... the Negro is still languishing in the corners of Americas society and finds himself an exile in his own land."

And he paints a picture of "the dream" or you could just as easily say 'vision' ...

"I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day ... Little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boy and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers."

That is vision! A vision statement may have all sorts of inspiring detail, hence may be lengthy, but will often be summarised by a shorter statement. However, it is a real picture in full blown technicolor. Something that people see and dream about. It excites and motivates. It is what keeps you going when the going gets really tough. It is the dream!

An example of a  Bible vision would be Revelation 21, note the added emphasis ...

[21:1] Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. [2] And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. [3] And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. [4] He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Another passage of scripture that could provide a 'vision' for a church is Acts 2 which provides an inspiring snap-shot of the early church...

[42] They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. [43] Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. [44] All the believers were together and had everything in common. [45] Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. [46] Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, [47] praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

In my next blog we'll look at 'what is a Mission Statement'.