“SINCE EVIL AND SUFFERING EXIST A LOVING GOD CANNOT”

1. “SINCE EVIL AND SUFFERING EXIST A LOVING GOD CANNOT”

2. Either God wants to abolish evil, and cannot; or he can, but does not want to; or he cannot and does not want to. If he wants to, but cannot, he is impotent. If he can, and does not want to, he is wicked. But, if God both can and wants to abolish evil, then how come evil’s in the world? Epicurus, philosopher

3. The fact of suffering undoubtedly constitutes the single greatest challenge to the Christian faith, and has been in every generation. Its distribution and degree appear to be entirety random, and therefore unfair. Sensitive spirits ask if it can possibly be reconciled with God’s justice and love. John Stott, theologian

4. “If only villains got broken backs or cancers, if only cheaters and crooks got Parkinson’s disease, we should see a sort of celestial justice in the universe,” wrote agnostic turned Christian Sheldon Vanauken.

5. Christian author Philip Yancey begins his celebrated book on suffering with a chapter appropriately titled, “A Problem That Won’t Go Away”. The question of suffering and the presence of evil are two issues that can be discussed together.

6. Ravi Zacharias said…If the question of evil and suffering is raised against the very existence of God, then there is a philosophical problem to be faced! You see to assume there is evil, is to assume there is good; to assume there is evil and good is to assume there is a moral law to tell the difference; to allow that there is a moral law, we must find out whose law is it? There must be a moral law giver! Who is that? To accept that there is evil does not dispense with God!

7. 1. THAT THERE IS NO WORLD AT ALL, RATHER THAN THIS WORLD! 2. THAT GOD CREATE A NON-MORAL WORLD LIKE THAT OF THE REST OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 3. THAT GOD CREATE A WORLD OF LIMITED FREEDOM 4. THAT THIS IS THE BEST OF ALL POSSIBLE WORLDS

8. Romans 5:12 (NIV) “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.”

9. Lamentations 3:22, 23 “Because of the LORD'S great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

10. Remember the CAUSE AND EFFECT PRINCIPLE!

11. GOD HAS DONE SOMETHING! Romans 8:32 “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all.” Romans 8:28 "Knows that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

12. IN MY PERSONAL SEARCH FOR AN ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION IT HAS LED ME TO SEVERAL CONCLUSIONS • Evil and suffering is a fact • We have played a part in it • The only practical solution to the problem of evil is God's solution - His Son the Lord Jesus Christ

13. Nobel Prize winner Elie Wiesel tells of the time in a concentration camp he witnessed a hanging. Somebody muttered while witnessing this atrocity, “Where is God? Where is He?” Wiesel said a voice within him answered, “Right on the gallows, where else”?

14. EVIL AND SUFFERING ARE NOT IDENTICAL TERMS

15. WHY 9/11? An 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-centred and evil choices. Whenever that happens, people get hurt.

16. 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.

17. 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.

18. Yes, God could have kept the terrorists from completing their suicidal missions by removing their ability to choose their own will instead of his. But to be fair, God also would 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.

19. 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 neighbour as yourself."

20. 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.

21. 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).

22. 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 chooses to ignore what God wants us to do.

23. 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. But it's your choice.

24. Peter Kreeft. Making Sense Out of Suffering. Ann Arbor, Michigan: Servant, 1986. Philip Yancey. Where is God When It Hurts? Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1990. Joni Eareckson Tada and Steven Estes, When God Weeps. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1997. Luis Palau. Where Is God When Bad Things Happen? New York: Doubleday, 1999.