Posted on 09/17/2001 12:48:19 PM PDT by RnMomof7
WHY DOES GOD ALLOW EVIL?
Pastor Rick Warren
Saddleback Church, Lake Forest, CA.
Tuesday’s horrific mass murder of innocent Americans leaves all rational people shocked, angry, grief-stricken, and numb. Our tears flow freely and our hearts carry a deep ache. How could this happen in our nation?
As mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, friends, neighbors, and co-workers begin to share their stories of the horror, this tragedy will be become even more personal. As this tragedy becomes more personal, it will become more painful and as our pain deepens, so will the questions. Why does God allow evil to happen? If God is so great, and so good, why does he allow human beings to hurt each other?
The answer lies in both our greatest blessing and our worst curse: our capacity to make choices. God has given us a free will. Made in God’s image, he has given us the freedom to decide how we will act and the ability to make moral choices. This is one asset that sets us apart from animals, but it also is the source of so much pain in our world. People, and that includes all of us, often make selfish, self-centered, and evil choices. Whenever that happens, people get hurt. Sin is ultimately selfishness. I want to do what I want, not what God tells me to do. Unfortunately, sin always hurts others, not just ourselves.
God could have eliminated all evil from our world by simply removing our ability to choose it. He could have made us puppets, or marionettes on strings that he pulls. By taking away our ability to choose it , evil would vanish. But God doesn’t want us to be puppets. He wants to be loved and obeyed by creatures who voluntarily choose to do so. Love is not genuine if there is no other option.
Yes, God could have kept the terrorist from completing their suicidal missions by removing their ability to choose their own will instead of his. But to be fair, God would also have to do that to all of us. You and I are not terrorists, but we do harm and hurt others with our own selfish decisions and actions.
You may hear misguided minds say “This must have been God’s will.” Nonsense! In a world of free choices, God’s will is rarely done! Doing our own will is much more common. Don’t blame God for this tragedy. Blame people who ignored what God has told us to do: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
In heaven, God’s will is done perfectly. That’s why there is no sorrow, pain, or evil there. But this is earth, a fallen, imperfect place. We must choose to do God’s will everyday. It isn’t automatic. This is why Jesus told us to pray “Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.”
The Bible explains the root of evil: “This is the crisis we're in: God’s light streamed into the world, but men and women everywhere ran for the darkness...because they were not really interested in pleasing God.” ( John 3:19 Message Translation) We’re far more interested in pleasing ourselves.
There are many other questions that race through our minds during dark days. But the answers will not come from pollsters, pundits, or politicians. We must look to God and his Word. We must humble ourselves and admit that each of us often choose to ignore what God wants us to do.
No doubt this weekend houses of worship across America will be packed.
In a crisis we cry out for a connection with our Creator. This is a deep-seated, universal urge. The first words uttered by millions on Tuesday were “Oh God!” We were made for a relationship with God but he waits for us to choose him. He is ready to comfort, guide, and direct us through our grief. My prayer is that you will attend a house of worship this weekend and reconnect with God. But it’s your choice.
Dr. Rick Warren is founding pastor of America’s second largest congregation, Saddleback Church, in Lake Forest, CA.
How do you know that God is with those that hate and revile Him?
Personally I think God is indifferent to those that are indifferent to Him. He does not hear them except when it is part of His plan.
Personally I believe He found me, while I was yet dead in sins and traspasses...blind unable to see, He quickened me and his grace drew me..
I did nothing..as the Psalm says "Salvation is of our God"
This might be surmised, but would be erroneous.
Where is the illusion? We were given Free Will to accept God or not. We were given Free Will to accept the gift of Salvation through Christ's sacrifice or not accepting it. That is the core of Free Will, which Almighty God has given us. Show me where the illusion is. You can't, as the illusion is no illusion at all.
Human beings are hard-wired to look from today to tomorrow and into the future. This is man's timeclock.
Which has nothing to do with free will. That is simply part of the nature in which God created us.
God has his own time reference, knowing all past, present and future. He knew from before creation what you will have for breakfast next Monday. It follows then that he knows if you will be with him in heaven or not. That's because HE planned it that way.
You are mixing apples and oranges here. God does indeed have his own time reference for the things that HE intends to happen, but as far as breakfast is concerned, I still have the free will to decide if I will eat it or not, or what I will have.
Is God concerned with whether or not I eat breakfast? Probably not. Is God concerned this HIS will is done? YES. God's will is clearly outlined in the Bible. Only HE knows the time in which HIS will is to happen.
Comparing God's will for earthly events to my breakfast as you did, is quite a stretch.
While all this may seem futile to modern man, it is really liberating and joyous. Christ tells us that those who live to glorify Him will be rewarded in heaven. And if we're supposed to be in heaven with Him, we will ultimately live a life that is worthy of God's Grace. The rest is known only to God.
What you're missing, is that we have the CHOICE and have to MAKE the choice to join him in heaven, by accepting the gift of Salvation. Unless I've totally mis-read you on this thread, you've made the argument that before we're born, it's pre-determined whether we go to heaven or don't. You've also argued against free-will, saying everything is pre-determined. I disagree. God loves us so much, he's given us the CHOICE. That is what Christ's birth and death were all about.
The great lie, especially of the 20th century, when the State has presumed all power over our lives, is that free will exists. The State needs you to believe in free will so you can choose the government over the church; expediancy over deliberation; death (abortion) over life; the Bill of Rights over the Bible; group-think over individual conscience; knee-jerk liberalism over righteousness.
You obviously missed the part in the Bible where at Jesus' own crucifixion, he recognized Pontius Pilate's authority over his life, as being given to Pilate (a man) by God above. God gave man the ability and authority to create law. Man's authority over Man comes from God above.
Render unto Caesar, that which is Caesar's. Render unto God, that which is God's.
What you think is plainly contrary to the Commandment that says "Honour thy father and thy mother"
James 2:10 states "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all."
For the same reason you believe that God found you, while you were yet dead in sin, so does He wait for those who have not chosen him yet. Your words:"Personally I believe He found me, while I was yet dead in sins and traspasses...blind unable to see, He quickened me and his grace drew me.." For the same reason God heard you when you called out to him, so does he hear the rest of us poor sinners when we call out to him.
God didn't "draw you in" without you first asking him into your life. You had to seek him, the same way every other sinner including myself, did.
Personally I think God is indifferent to those that are indifferent to Him. He does not hear them except when it is part of His plan.
Then you must not believe in redemption. Just as Jesus gave forgiveness to the thief on the cross next to him, so does God give forgiveness to what you and I believe are the most vile, despicable human beings on earth. The same way our God forgives them when they call out and ask for forgiveness from their hearts, so does he forgive us.
The problem for them is, they didn't ask for his forgiveness. And thus, they received none.
10: As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
11: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
12: They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
13: Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used 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 have they not known:
18: There is no fear of God before their eyes.
19: Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
20: Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
21: But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
22: Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
23: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
24: Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
25: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
I believe as you do. God's will is always ultimately done. We may not like how it happens, we may not like the answers He gives us at times, but his will is assuredly always done.
The end is already written. We will not know the date or time, but God's will is that the end will come, and we shall all be judged come judgement day. Those who CHOOSE God out of free will and asked for forgiveness and accepted the gift of Salvation shall be rewarded.
Those who did not, will not like where they are going.
The fallen world is a dangerous place.
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