Christian: God is Love (2015)
Chapter 7: Christians do doubt God
This is what happens when bad things keep happening to Christians
“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted] beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” I Corinthians 10:13
This bible verse is giving God’s perspective of when bad things keep happening to Christians. God is in control of a Christian’s affairs if that Christian has submitted his life to God’s Lordship. God will not allow bad things to happen to Christians without providing a way out for them. They may be having a rough time with a co-worker. The co-worker may be telling atrocious lies to the Christian’s boss about the Christian. The co-worker has pulled both guns out and is firing. Desperately trying to get the Christian fired. The Christian has never done anything illegal or damaging to the company. The Christian is one of the top employees and he has a shining reputation with his boss, other workers and the company’s clientele in general.
What in the world is going on? God is allowing a temptation to come into the Christian’s life that is what is going on. God will not allow the circumstances, at work, go beyond the point the Christian can emotionally handle. During the rough time God will give the Christian grace to handle his negative circumstances. God will immediately remove the Christian from the job situation or remove the troublesome co-worker from the Christian. There are a myriad of ways God will help the Christian out of the rough circumstances.
Peter an apostle of Jesus Christ was in dire circumstances the night before Jesus died on the cross:
Now Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. Therefore they said to him, “You are not also one of His disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not!”26 One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of him whose ear Peter cut off, said, “Did I not see you in the garden with Him?” 27 Peter then denied again; and immediately a rooster crowed .John 18:25-27
Jesus poured His life and soul into Peter for three years. Then Peter denies Jesus three times and says he doesn’t know Jesus. The rooster crowed after Peter’s third denial. Jesus told Peter this would happen. Peter remembered the words of Jesus after the rooster crowed and he hit the bottom of his world. This seems like the end for Peter to be following Jesus. But God wasn’t through with Peter restoring him to friendship with Jesus. Peter went on to be one of the greatest apostles in the early age of Christianity.
Job, a godly man, in the Old Testament experienced very troubling times. Job’s book (in the bible) speaks of how Job lost all his property, children and his health. God at the end of Job’s adverse circumstances restores double to Job. In other words God gave Job double everything he had before he lost it all. So God always gives Christians a way out of temptations.
Christians do believe in God even when there is so much evil in the world
Why do Christians believe in God when there seems to be so much evil in the world? God is a very loving and benevolent God. It’s not His fault there is so much evil rooted in the world today. His original design was for man to dwell in goodness, peace and to live forever. Sin entered the world and threw the whole design into disarray and chaos. Adam and Eve the first human couple disobeyed God and let sin enter into the world. Ever since that time evil has been present in the world. This is why there is so much evil in the world today. Christians believe God because He has promised a future and a hope for them:” For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 and God also promises the Christian “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 Meaning God works all things in the Christian’s life for good.
Jesus the, creator of Christianity, suffered the most evil death a man could die on the cross. He was buried and with Him, Christians thought, went all their dreams. Israel at the time thought Jesus had come to rule and overthrow the Roman occupation. So Jesus dies and all the dreams of Israel die with him or so it seems. Evil seems to have triumphed over the Son of God once and for all. Evil seemed to have stolen all the hopes and dreams of the followers of Jesus. (Christians) The goodness of God in Jesus won over evil for all time. Jesus rises on the third day and breaks the hold of death and sin triumphing over evil in the world. Evil through the Christian’s enemy, Satan, remains in the world until Jesus removes the devil from the earth for all time. The Christian because of Jesus now lives in victory over evil, sin, death and their defeated enemy Satan. Christians believe in God for His victory over the evil in the world won by Jesus’ death on the cross.
Jesus promised He would come back for Christians at His second coming. He will take them to heaven with Him to live forever; Jesus will also wipe out evil for all time from the world. This is another reason why Christians believe in God despite all the evil in the world.
The Loving God Who allows bad things to happen in the world
It was stated in the previous section that God isn’t responsible for the current evil that resides in the world. Man is responsible for the sad state of affairs in the world today. Genesis gives this account:
“Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground for your sake;
In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you,
And you shall eat the herb of the field.” Genesis 3:17-18
This is the point in biblical history that man disobeyed God. Sin and evil came into the world to rule it. So from that point on the world started to decay and progress into chaos. To this point man didn’t know good from evil. They ate off the tree God told them not to. Man became aware of right and wrong and what it was to be separated from God because of sin. Man now had the ability to commit evil actions like stealing, lying and murder. The first murder in history is committed in this episode:
Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.”] While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. Genesis 4:8
So evil has entered man and the world. It has escalated to the severity it is today. God allows evil in the world because humanity initiated its entrance. Man has a freewill and chose to disobey God and throw creation into disarray. God does give victory over evil to Christians who have believed in His Son Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Evil now will be in the world as long as Satan and sin are existing in the world. God isn’t the author of evil and because He didn’t initiate evil to come into the world He cannot be blamed for all the evil that does exist in our world today. God allows evil in the world because He cannot reverse the original disobedient act man committed so long ago. God did send Jesus to redeem mankind and overcome evil once and for all. Again those that accept Jesus walk in His victory over evil in the world. People will continue to walk in disobedience to God. Evil and sin and all the effects of evil will remain in the world. Until Jesus comes back to eradicate evil once and for all.