Reaching out and helping people has always been something on my heart to do. In college I met a girl who needed my help, she needed a friend. Our friendship grew into something a little more than that until one night she and another friend of mine hooked up. This didn’t really sit too well with me, or him really, and the result was pretty much the ending of a friendship. She was beautiful but left a path of destruction behind her. I’ve been thinking about her lately because she shares the same name of the latest news story that has become the ONLY story.
There is a great deal of suffering going on in the world on a daily basis; events that impact people’s lives in such mighty and significant ways. Are we to think this is something new? Are we to think that each event that takes place is the worst one ever?
Natural Disasters Genocide War Famine Crime Terrorism
By the media coverage and the reactions you would think the answer to both of those questions is YES. Additional questions or statements regarding God tend to crop up when these things happen as well. How could a good God (if he exists at all – and this is probably evidence that he doesn’t) allow these things to happen?
The first inherent problem with this question is that we tend to take the view we have of ourselves and make a god in that image. We often take our personal characteristics we love so much and allow that to shape the view we have of God. If we believe that we are good or wouldn’t let certain things happen in the world, then in turn God should be exactly the same way. This is exactly the opposite of what God teaches us about himself. He is the one to be reflected in who we are and not us to be reflected in who He is.
The second problem stems from the first, that being the false premise that we are generally or inherently good ourselves. This view leads us further down the path that skews our perspective of what goodness is and should be. If we hold ourselves out as the standard for good, then clearly we have a deep misunderstanding of what goodness is. The problem is compounded when our standard of goodness is placed over God’s standard.
Despite the inherent problems to the question, there is still an answer: God allows these things to happen because God is awful!!
He inspires awe with his amazing acts of holiness, generosity and wrath. Jonathan Edwards wrote of this with a very fitting analogy for these times. “It is true, that judgment against your evil works has not been executed hitherto; the floods of God's vengeance have been withheld; but your guilt in the mean time is constantly increasing, and you are every day treasuring up more wrath; the waters are constantly rising, and waxing more and more mighty; and there is nothing but the mere pleasure of God, that holds the waters back, that are unwilling to be stopped, and press hard to go forward.”
Understanding who God is and who he is not, especially in the light of who we are and who we are not is essential to dealing with these questions in life. God provides us with his immense grace through his unfailing love, while at the same time revealing his righteousness. The Apostle Paul wrote, “But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unjust who inflicts wrath? (I speak as a man.) Certainly not! For then how will God judge the world?” (Romans 3:5-6)
These daily tragedies, this suffering in the world does not occur because a good God makes these things happen, but as a result of our sin. It is the result of our unrighteousness and the daily reminder that God is awful and his generosity is what sustains our life.
SOURCES:
Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God
by Jonathan Edwards
The wrath of God is like great waters that are dammed for the present; they increase more and more, and rise higher and higher, till an outlet is given; and the longer the stream is stopped, the more rapid and mighty is its course, when once it is let loose. It is true, that judgment against your evil works has not been executed hitherto; the floods of God's vengeance have been withheld; but your guilt in the mean time is constantly increasing, and you are every day treasuring up more wrath; the waters are constantly rising, and waxing more and more mighty; and there is nothing but the mere pleasure of God, that holds the waters back, that are unwilling to be stopped, and press hard to go forward. If God should only withdraw his hand from the flood-gate, it would immediately fly open, and the fiery floods of the fierceness and wrath of God, would rush forth with inconceivable fury, and would come upon you with omnipotent power; and if your strength were ten thousand times greater than it is, yea, ten thousand times greater than the strength of the stoutest, sturdiest devil in hell, it would be nothing to withstand or endure it.
Posted by price at September 2, 2005 12:31 PM | TrackBack5 But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unjust who inflicts wrath? (I speak as a man.) 6 Certainly not! For then how will God judge the world?
7 For if the truth of God has increased through my lie to His glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner? 8 And why not say, “Let us do evil that good may come”?—as we are slanderously reported and as some affirm that we say. Their condemnation is just.
9 What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin.
10 As it is written:
“ There is none righteous, no, not one;
11 There is none who understands;
There is none who seeks after God.
12 They have all turned aside;
They have together become unprofitable;
There is none who does good, no, not one.”
13 “ Their throat is an open tomb;
With their tongues they have practiced deceit”;“ The poison of asps is under their lips”;
14 “ Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.”
15 “ Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 Destruction and misery are in their ways;
17 And the way of peace they have not known.”
18 “ There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
Jerry Falwell blamed God for the Sept. 11th Terrorist Attacks, and some [expletive deleted] [expletive deleted] named Michael Macarvage - head of Repent America? - said God caused the hurricane to "punish New Orleans." Don't just blame the media - there are a lot of idiots in the "Religious Right" doing the same thing ... except they're so-called "men of god" saying this [expletive deleted], and so are speaking with a great deal more authority on the subject than, say, Miles O'Brien on CNN.
Posted by: Malnurtured Snay at September 2, 2005 03:35 PMI wasn't blaming the media for anything, but thanks for your ever so colorful commentary having nothing to do with what I wrote about.
Posted by: Jeff Price at September 2, 2005 05:15 PM