As a
seminary student, I get a lot of questions from a lot of different people regarding
my faith. With all of the evil in the world and on the news, (political scandals,
war, famine, school shootings, etc.) the most frequent question I get is, “Why
does God allow all of this bad stuff to keep happening?” There has been a
library full of books written on this very subject. However, I will address it
here in a Reader’s Digest version
(for all of you kids out there, that means this will be a short synopsis).
We live in a world where a gracious
and loving God has bestowed upon us the greatest gift of all—free will. With
that free will, people possess the freedom to do as they choose. They can
choose to be responsible or irresponsible, take a shower or be dirty, paper or
plastic, curly fries or potato cakes, eat the apple or run from the snake, good
or evil.
"Choose this day whom you will serve. . .. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord" Joshua 24:15
That being said, it is important to
remember that God created us to have communion with him, to have a relationship
with him. But, in his providence he allowed man to make the choice of whether
to believe or not, to have that relationship or not. While he loves each and
every one of us and wants that relationship, he is not a dictator who forces himself
on us. He gives each individual the right to choose their path. Unfortunately,
some choose the path of evil.
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways" Isaiah 55:8
Those who choose evil are not limited
by conscience or social/cultural boundaries. We are trying to understand the
mindset of individuals who have no remorse, no moral compass, and no capacity
for love in their heart. There is only anger, rage, and malice. Many suffer
from depression and mental illness, which can be contributing factors in their
behavior. When creation was broken by The Fall, all of creation was broken, all
the way down to our DNA. Cain slew his brother Abel because evil crept into his
heart and corrupted him. That same evil still resides in the hearts of men
today.
Side bar—Please do not mistake this to mean that
non-believers are mentally ill or incapable of love. I know many non-believers
who try to do right by others and genuinely want to see others succeed. One man
I know even started a non-profit for veterans.
The point is that, because God
gives us free will and does not want a bunch of robot followers, there is room
for the evil that caused The Fall to creep into society. The possibility of people
making horrible choices at the expense of others is always going to be there.
Choose love. Choose the abundant life
that Jesus promises. Remember that there is a being who is infinitely more
attuned to the universe than we will ever be watching over everything that
occurs on our tiny little rock. Pray for the hearts and souls of others. Be Jesus to everyone you come in contact with. That little act of kindness or that uplifting word to them may make all the difference in the world. Show the world why they should choose Him.
Many blessings,
Joshua
For further study:
The book of Job, chapters 38-41
Adam Hamilton's work, Why?:Making Sense of God's Will
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