The question, “Why does an all-loving, all-knowing, and all-powerful God permit terrible things to happen to decent folks?” has been asked countless times. It’s also possible to ask, “Why does a good, all-knowing, all-powerful Creator give good stuff in life to horrible people?” While it is tragic to witness the misfortune of decent people, it is as unpleasant to observe the merriment of the wicked.
It should be noted, however, that this topic is occasionally offered in good faith by those who seek to grasp inexplicable concepts. Sometimes those who have experienced loss or suffering pose this question to others who have comforted them. They wonder, “How else could God let such a thing happen to me? I don’t understand why God isn’t delivering me from this suffering.” Indeed, there are instances when our sorrow is unimaginably great. Think of the horrors of WWII, the kidnapping and killing of a child, or the slow, agonizing passing of a sweet, loving soul.
The non-believer will argue that if God is cruel and unfair, He must either be ignorant, weak, or evil. In the eyes of Christians, the issue and the dilemma are more of a challenge and a riddle for the unbeliever than for the Christian.
God Seems Mean As He Is Forming Us for Eternity to Come
Those who deny the existence of God, such as nihilists and unbelievers, hold the view that death is the end of everything. Life is over; we are nothing but dirt and worm meal now. For them, hardship is simply that; they see no value in it beyond the fact that it hurts.
An atheist may attribute abstract heroic qualities to an individual who bravely endures hardship without showing signs of weakness or whining. One may question why this act of heroism would matter if humans are no more than the sum of their physical parts and if we are only the selfish results of a genetic mutation.
In addition, the atheist believes that our little time on Earth—80 or more depending on our luck, a few at most if we’re unlucky—is the entirety of life.
Conversely, Christians hold that while this life is significant and should be utilized well and enjoyed, it is only a small taste of the coming life that is far more wonderful. They represent a tiny glimmer of the bright brightness of eternal life in God’s presence in the afterlife.
Our Hardships Open Our Eyes and Hearts To The Lord
Faith in Jesus Christ does not promise a wonderful life but a glorious eternity. Although it’s maladjusted rather than Christian to desire hardship, and no rational and discerning Christian would welcome suffering for its purpose, the Bible makes it abundantly clear that this is the case. The Bible foretells the believer’s life on earth will be more difficult than it is likely to be profitable.
Some Christian groups may provide earthly benefits in compensation for membership, but this is a non-Christian, even anti-Christian, contract that orthodox Christianity has never supported. A Christian’s existence does not begin here on Earth but in the hereafter. Then, unfortunately, even wonderful people experience adversity sometimes.
Some may say that the Christian faith is nothing more than an excuse to avoid facing the terrible reality of judgment and the notion of an eternity apart from God. Still, this view is no more realistic than the view that atheism is nothing more than an excuse to avoid facing these realities.
The more crucial argument is that the common complaint that awful things are happening to decent people reveals nothing about God but all about humans. Although unpleasant, pain is little more than an emotion, much as its opposite, pleasure. But pain is more than just an unpleasant experience; it serves as a warning and a defense mechanism. It’s indisputable that things may hurt and that we’ll all suffer at some point, however, whether or not that pain is ultimately the result of free choice or divine intervention is another question completely.
Since we have free choice, the all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-good God enables us to struggle, just like he permits us all pleasures. He has also created an environment with the utmost satisfaction we could ever conceive if we simply pay heed to him, his Son, and his church.
God Provides Us The Freedom of Choice and the Will
We are free, and we may choose to do what we choose. God gives us this freedom because He is love, and a loving God wouldn’t do anything to restrict his beloved’s freedom of choice. Think about how happy God will be to have us back in his arms. Like any good parent, he releases us from his control, yet he longs to have us back in his arms. God’s love for us is demonstrated in every way by granting us freedom, even the ability to disobey.
Although he desires our restoration to him but does not compel us to do so, and if we want to spend all of the eternity apart from him, we will be damned to a place of eternal torment. This is crucial since many individuals intentionally or unintentionally misunderstand the idea.
Hell is less a location of punishment as it is a place in which God is unknown and unseen. We were created in God’s likeness, given the capacity to love and be loved by him and the ultimate purpose of returning to him in paradise once our time here on Earth is done.
We can, however, decide for ourselves. As free people, we can do whatever we want, even if that’s bad. God’s ultimate love for humanity includes allowing us to live forever apart from him in a place we call hell.
People who don’t believe in God are angry because they can reject God and spend forever in a world without him. There seems to be some inconsistency and oddness throughout. We can’t imagine the suffering in heaven that results from people’s decisions to forgo God and instead live in a godless world, but the fact that they are free to make such decisions demonstrates that God is not apathetic.
A Prayer When Your Faith Falters
Lord God, please give us real faith in your infinite might for it to increase in us daily. Also, grant us faith and compassion so we can service our neighbors in conformity with your plan; through your Son, Lord Jesus, our Lord, who reigns and rules together with you and the Holy Ghost, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Final Thoughts
Because of our viewpoint’s limitations, we cannot comprehend evil. Still, one day we may be able to recognize how things that were so terrible and caused us so much suffering were essentially for our benefit.
In conclusion, our human intellect cannot comprehend God’s deeds or why he allows evil and suffering. All we can do is speculate on different explanations for why God could tolerate these things. God has plans, and none of us have the right to criticize or question him about them.
However, we are obligated to have faith in him, continue honoring him whenever it is feasible, and believe in him for the rest of our lives. We are aware of the fact that God did not intend for there to be evil in the world when he created it. Humans are responsible for bringing evil into this earth, not God.
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