One of the hardest things for humans to understand, is why so much suffering in this world.
For these complex questions, the answers are found in the wisdom of God's own Word. We can best start by discovering God's own character.
Nowhere in scripture does it say that Jesus' mission was to remedy every single person's problems in the world. He would not be doing us any favors, by doing so. We'd really never learn from our mistakes, nor grow from them, in wisdom. Scripture says yes... we will have troubles in this sinful world, and that's because it IS sinful. Suffering is the result of evil abiding in our fallen world...from sinful people's doings. Listening to Satan instead of Jesus. Satan tempts us to do wrong and sometimes much evil, but the part he deliberately leaves out, are the consequences for our evil actions. Jesus promised to be with us and comfort us through all our suffering and struggles. His mission, however, was much greater ... and that was to save souls from hell. Some are always so quick to judge God for what evil, Satan brings.
The devil tempts us to do wrong, and so does our own sinful human nature — but not God! He did not come into this world to be treated like a convenient Cosmic Genie, that every time something goes wrong in our lives, we will just snap our fingers and he will be there at our every command. He will not be treated disrespectfully nor mocked. Some people don't know God, until they want something from him and then expect him to be right there at their fingertips, yet give him no love or respect any other time.
“When tempted, no one should say, 'God is tempting me. 'For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone.” (James 1:13).
Evil is not in Jesus' character. He is sinless...incapable of sinning, and that is why He is the only one found "worthy" enough to forgive our sins. Father God chose Jesus as our only Mediator between God and man, by which we must be saved. 1st Timothy, 2:5
God did not create evil. Rather, evil was found in Satan's heart. In other words, Satan CHOSE to do evil. He and the angels have free will. Some angels chose to follow Satan and rebel against God, and that's why the Bible speaks of fallen angels, who sinned and were cast out of heaven. God never tempts people to do evil. That would make HIM evil and an "evil doer".
God created humans with the capacity to choose between good and evil, and this freedom is essential for genuine love and relationship with God. Without the possibility of choosing evil, the choice to do good, would be meaningless. Without consequences, we would never learn from our mistakes, nor grow in Christ. Without choice, that man, woman, or teen in prison, could never be saved or reformed.
Evil Never Wins
Evil is never left unpunished. God knows the ultimate end of evil and the sad end of every evil doer: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things we have done while in the body, whether good or bad.” 2 Corinthians 5:10. We reap what we sow.
God does not allow evil, free reign!
"Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatsoever one sows, that will he also reap." Galatians 6:7
Our actions have consequences, and we will ultimately experience the results of what we do in this world. According to Galatians 6:8-9, those who sow (give in to) the flesh, will reap corruption, while those who sow (yield) to the spirit, will reap eternal life. Our actions determine the nature of the consequences we face. Sowing negative actions or evil, leads to negative consequences. This emphasizes that our choices matter and we will experience the result of those choices, both in this life and in the next. Ultimately, there will be a day of judgment, where evil will be punished and good will be rewarded. It is written in God's laws.
In the beginning, there was no sin. God made a perfect world for man to live in, but one thing He would never do, is override man's free will of "choice". He did not create us to be robots. God gave us a conscience to know right from wrong. With choices, comes responsibility. If I rob a bank, I cannot blame you. If you sin against God, it was not His fault, or doing. You made the choice to sin. Therefore, you shall be held accountable for wrong choices. However, those who wish to sin, will always blame God, because they don't want to take responsibility for their own actions. Further, it is not God that tempts us to sin. It is Satan. That's where the blame needs to be placed.
Sin does not exist in this world because of God. We see it in this fallen world, through all the evil deeds and suffering, people inflict on each other. Jesus came to conquer sin and suffering. When he does that, is up to him! He knows best! God's thoughts are not our flawed thoughts. His ways are perfect and we should not judge Him. He proved on the cross that his best interest has always been for us, not even himself. This fallen world tells us exactly why we need Jesus to rescue us. It is mankind who ruined God's plan, but not just in the Garden of Eden. We are not being held responsible for the sins of Adam and Eve. We are being held responsible for our own sinful choices today. Without God, we would all be without hope and redemption. How would we like THAT alternative? We are truly blessed to have a God that did not leave us to our sins, and hopeless. Each generation has been sinful and this calls for us to ask God for forgiveness, so that He can restore our fellowship with God the Father in heaven. Otherwise, our sins would keep us separated from God, forever. However, praise God, that's not the end of the story or we would all be headed for hell.
Jesus came to rescue us from the condemnation that sin placed on all of us. This means we're all in the same "spiritual" boat, in need of Salvation and rescuing by Jesus. Without His help, there is no Hope or Redemption. Jesus loves each and every one of us and he will never turn any of us away, no matter who we are. Those who sincerely repent and ask Jesus to forgive them of their sins, are promised forgiveness and eternal life in heaven. Salvation is a free gift --- it cannot be earned by good works. God said so in His Word:
"For It Is by grace that you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast!" Ephesians 2:8-9
Were it not for God's free gift of grace (UN-earned favor from God), NONE could be saved. If you still insist that we have to earn or work our way to heaven think about the following people:
A bed-bound person could not earn nor work their way to heaven! Even old people could not work their way to heaven. That person, who on their deathbed is lingering between Heaven and Hell, could not earn their way to heaven. That mentally ill person could not earn their way to heaven. That person challenged with polio, where they cannot walk, or someone perhaps paralyzed or dying on a battlefield, could not earn their salvation. Even the thief on the cross was not required to earn his way to heaven. Salvation has absolutely nothing to do with our performance and these examples prove it. But Jesus said, "Just come to Me, all who are weary and broken, and I will give you rest... I will save your soul." and that is His promise to us, if we will but allow him to. He turns no one away.
God's Plan of Salvation has been presented to the world through Jesus and his sacrifice on the cross. There's no excuse the Bible says, that one does not know it. Jesus came from heaven and told us exactly how to be saved, so that we wouldn't have to guess. We also have God's Word to tell us exactly what to do in order to be saved. God prays for us, that we will not harden our hearts and turn away from our only hope and redemption, in Him.
Nowhere in scripture does it say that Jesus' mission was to remedy every single person's problems in the world. He would not be doing us any favors, by doing so. We'd really never learn from our mistakes, nor grow from them, in wisdom. Scripture says yes... we will have troubles in this sinful world, and that's because it IS sinful. Suffering is the result of evil abiding in our fallen world...from sinful people's doings. Listening to Satan instead of Jesus. Satan tempts us to do wrong and sometimes much evil, but the part he deliberately leaves out, are the consequences for our evil actions. Jesus promised to be with us and comfort us through all our suffering and struggles. His mission, however, was much greater ... and that was to save souls from hell. Some are always so quick to judge God for what evil, Satan brings.
The devil tempts us to do wrong, and so does our own sinful human nature — but not God! He did not come into this world to be treated like a convenient Cosmic Genie, that every time something goes wrong in our lives, we will just snap our fingers and he will be there at our every command. He will not be treated disrespectfully nor mocked. Some people don't know God, until they want something from him and then expect him to be right there at their fingertips, yet give him no love or respect any other time.
“When tempted, no one should say, 'God is tempting me. 'For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone.” (James 1:13).
Evil is not in Jesus' character. He is sinless...incapable of sinning, and that is why He is the only one found "worthy" enough to forgive our sins. Father God chose Jesus as our only Mediator between God and man, by which we must be saved. 1st Timothy, 2:5
God did not create evil. Rather, evil was found in Satan's heart. In other words, Satan CHOSE to do evil. He and the angels have free will. Some angels chose to follow Satan and rebel against God, and that's why the Bible speaks of fallen angels, who sinned and were cast out of heaven. God never tempts people to do evil. That would make HIM evil and an "evil doer".
God created humans with the capacity to choose between good and evil, and this freedom is essential for genuine love and relationship with God. Without the possibility of choosing evil, the choice to do good, would be meaningless. Without consequences, we would never learn from our mistakes, nor grow in Christ. Without choice, that man, woman, or teen in prison, could never be saved or reformed.
Evil Never Wins
Evil is never left unpunished. God knows the ultimate end of evil and the sad end of every evil doer: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things we have done while in the body, whether good or bad.” 2 Corinthians 5:10. We reap what we sow.
God does not allow evil, free reign!
"Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatsoever one sows, that will he also reap." Galatians 6:7
Our actions have consequences, and we will ultimately experience the results of what we do in this world. According to Galatians 6:8-9, those who sow (give in to) the flesh, will reap corruption, while those who sow (yield) to the spirit, will reap eternal life. Our actions determine the nature of the consequences we face. Sowing negative actions or evil, leads to negative consequences. This emphasizes that our choices matter and we will experience the result of those choices, both in this life and in the next. Ultimately, there will be a day of judgment, where evil will be punished and good will be rewarded. It is written in God's laws.
In the beginning, there was no sin. God made a perfect world for man to live in, but one thing He would never do, is override man's free will of "choice". He did not create us to be robots. God gave us a conscience to know right from wrong. With choices, comes responsibility. If I rob a bank, I cannot blame you. If you sin against God, it was not His fault, or doing. You made the choice to sin. Therefore, you shall be held accountable for wrong choices. However, those who wish to sin, will always blame God, because they don't want to take responsibility for their own actions. Further, it is not God that tempts us to sin. It is Satan. That's where the blame needs to be placed.
Sin does not exist in this world because of God. We see it in this fallen world, through all the evil deeds and suffering, people inflict on each other. Jesus came to conquer sin and suffering. When he does that, is up to him! He knows best! God's thoughts are not our flawed thoughts. His ways are perfect and we should not judge Him. He proved on the cross that his best interest has always been for us, not even himself. This fallen world tells us exactly why we need Jesus to rescue us. It is mankind who ruined God's plan, but not just in the Garden of Eden. We are not being held responsible for the sins of Adam and Eve. We are being held responsible for our own sinful choices today. Without God, we would all be without hope and redemption. How would we like THAT alternative? We are truly blessed to have a God that did not leave us to our sins, and hopeless. Each generation has been sinful and this calls for us to ask God for forgiveness, so that He can restore our fellowship with God the Father in heaven. Otherwise, our sins would keep us separated from God, forever. However, praise God, that's not the end of the story or we would all be headed for hell.
Jesus came to rescue us from the condemnation that sin placed on all of us. This means we're all in the same "spiritual" boat, in need of Salvation and rescuing by Jesus. Without His help, there is no Hope or Redemption. Jesus loves each and every one of us and he will never turn any of us away, no matter who we are. Those who sincerely repent and ask Jesus to forgive them of their sins, are promised forgiveness and eternal life in heaven. Salvation is a free gift --- it cannot be earned by good works. God said so in His Word:
"For It Is by grace that you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast!" Ephesians 2:8-9
Were it not for God's free gift of grace (UN-earned favor from God), NONE could be saved. If you still insist that we have to earn or work our way to heaven think about the following people:
A bed-bound person could not earn nor work their way to heaven! Even old people could not work their way to heaven. That person, who on their deathbed is lingering between Heaven and Hell, could not earn their way to heaven. That mentally ill person could not earn their way to heaven. That person challenged with polio, where they cannot walk, or someone perhaps paralyzed or dying on a battlefield, could not earn their salvation. Even the thief on the cross was not required to earn his way to heaven. Salvation has absolutely nothing to do with our performance and these examples prove it. But Jesus said, "Just come to Me, all who are weary and broken, and I will give you rest... I will save your soul." and that is His promise to us, if we will but allow him to. He turns no one away.
God's Plan of Salvation has been presented to the world through Jesus and his sacrifice on the cross. There's no excuse the Bible says, that one does not know it. Jesus came from heaven and told us exactly how to be saved, so that we wouldn't have to guess. We also have God's Word to tell us exactly what to do in order to be saved. God prays for us, that we will not harden our hearts and turn away from our only hope and redemption, in Him.
