If God is Real...The Question Of Evil
- 20 hours ago
- 8 min read
11th March 25 l Ava J Dearden
If God is real, then why is there so much suffering in the world? Why is there evil, why do people, animals, babies suffer and die? Why won't God help me? Why won't God give me what I ask for? Why have I not found a partner yet? How and where do I find God?...
No question is a stupid question
And actually, when we are seeking answers, that's a good thing. Thinking outside of the indoctrination box we have likely been subjected to from birth. God can and does use our curiosity and questions to draw us to Himself. And here's the thing...He understands why we would question these things. He understand our frustrations and sometimes even our anger towards Him.
"If God is real..."
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If God is all loving, why is there so much evil in the world?
Evil is prevalent in the world because the majority have chosen to eliminate God, His truth, His light and goodness from their lives. They are removing God from our educational systems, our work places, from society and even our Churches.
God is Creator of all things, including our moral code. When we choose to not include God in our day to day living and decisions, inherent sin within us runs rampant, we lose direction and simply don't care about the consequences. God currently restrains evil, once He removes His restraint then the world will know a whole new level of wickedness.
2 Thessalonians 2:6-7 - And you know what is holding him back, for he (the devil / the antichrist) can be revealed only when his time comes. For this lawlessness is already at work secretly, and it will remain secret until the one who is holding it back steps out of the way.
If God loves us then why is there so much suffering in the world. Why doesn't He intervene?
God is allowing us our gift of free will and we can see what the world has become. Without His loving intervention that we mostly don't see and comprehend, it would be a million times worse than it already is.
Since the fall of man, we are inherently sinful. Humans are greedy, lustful, jealous, adulterous, prone to anger and holding on to bitterness. We are mostly unforgiving, prideful and resentful. But God loves us despite our flaws. He intervened when He sent His beautiful perfect Son to earth to die for us all as a sacrifice for our sins.
Romans 5: 8 - But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
If God loves me, why is life so hard. Why has He not found me a spouse/job/home?
There is no escaping the fact that life is hard sometimes. None believers, have a tendency to make it that way. They use their gift of free will and 'choose' to not include God in their decisions. "Who should we marry?" "what job is right for me?" "where should I set up home?"... I speak from experience, I had the same mindset before I became a Christian. But when we are reborn it starts to make total sense to ask the one who created us to help us in our decisions. Only He knows the plans that He has for us, He knows our futures.
Christians start to see God's Hand in every tiny detail of not only our own lives but of every one and every thing around us. We start to see His absolute Sovereignty in every situation, in peaceful times and in the storms. We gladly relinquish our free will, we surrender to God and give Him full control.
1 Corinthians 14:33 - For God is not a God of disorder but of peace...
Jeremiah 29:11 - For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
Where is God. Why can't I find Him. Why is He so secretive?
God has never moved. He tells us clearly in His Word (The Bible) where He is and how He can be found. We are to seek Him with everything we are. It takes time getting to know Him, but it's the same in any relationship. He doesn't want us to give up and He promises that if we persevere, we will find Him.
Once we start to pray, read His Word, step out in faith to seek Him on a deeper level, He begins to manifest Himself to us. He speaks to us in a way that makes us feel like we're the only person in the world, that we're special to Him and that's because we are. We see miracles, He starts to answer our prayers in real time. It's unexplainable, It's a supernatural love like no other.
Matthew 7:7-8 - Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
James 4:8 - Come close to God, and God will come close to you...
If God loves us, why does He restrict our freedoms and choices?
Like any good Father, God does command obedience and He does have rules to follow, because He loves us. His commandments are for our own good, to protect and shield us from unnecessary pain and suffering. Once we become born again and God gives us a new heart and a new spirit, we start to see the commands as they are intended. They are life giving. They save us from ourselves, from grief, from hurting God and others. We can continue as we are, living in sin, but in the end it leads to death and He wants to save us from that.
It is impossible to follow God's teachings and rules if we don't have Jesus in our lives, we must be born again and when the miracle happens, God comes to live inside of us and His Holy Spirit gives us the desire, wisdom and strength to obey His commands. He is the only one who can help us to live righteously, we cannot do it in our own strength because we are sinful and fallen in nature.
Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
1 Corinthians 3:16 - Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
John 3:3 - Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
I suffer so much everyday, I'm just existing. Why doesn't God help me?
Suffering is hard to explain without sounding uncaring. But as a Christian, you come to realise that it's a part of life and you finally reach a place of acceptance. You start to understand that actually, all suffering has a purpose and we can either let it break us or refine us. God is working something out of us or in to us, for our own good, to save us and to prepare us for our eternal lives in His perfect Heavenly Kingdom.
We can either follow the world and let it turn us bitter or we can follow the example that Jesus left for us when He was on the earth. If we follow His example, we begin to see and understand things differently, our perspectives change. We start to think of others rather than focusing in on ourselves and we become a comfort for those going through the same or similar sufferings. We can say, " I know how you feel" and mean it.
There are things in this life that we simply cannot explain. The Bible tells us that there will be suffering in this fallen world. But God is working on a new Heavens and Earth where He will wipe away every tear.
Jesus suffered more than any of us, He knows how we feel. Getting to know God doesn't guarantee an end to suffering, but if we ask Jesus into our lives, He promises that He will be with us in every storm. Suffering is usually only for a season, granted some may have more or longer seasons than others but in Jesus we can have joy no matter our circumstances.
Isaiah 53:3 - He (Jesus) was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
2 Corinthians 2:4 - He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.
Hebrews 2:18 - Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested.
Revelation 21:4 - He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”
There is so much evil in the world. Are we really living in the end times?
Many Christians worldwide do believe yes, we are living in the end times. There are those who deny what they see going on around them because of fear and that's understandable. But when Jesus is the centre of your life, He takes away the fear. Never before in human history have prophetic signs aligned like they are today. True born again believers are preparing for the soon return of our Lord and Saviour.
Matthew 24:6-7 - Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places"
2 Timothy 3:1-2 - "But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money..."
2 Peter 3:10 - "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar... and the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up"
Matthew 24:42 - "Therefore stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming"
For answers to many other common questions, you can visit gotquestions.org
Or you can contact me direct. I will be happy to assist you.
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