Results 1 - 5 of 5
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Why do bads happen to Christians? | Ps 12:5 | wpalmer | 237062 | ||
How do you respond when someone says "why is there such misery and horror in the world?" and "how could God allow something so horrible to happen to me - I'm a Christian?!" wpalmer |
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2 | Why do bads happen to Christians? | Ps 12:5 | DocTrinsograce | 237063 | ||
Hi, wpalmer... Nothing is new under the sun. When a Christian says something like "how could God allow something so horrible to happen to me" (sic) they are actually speaking out of ignorance about God and His Word. Not that it is their fault, really, rather the fault of their churches for failing to expose the truths from Scripture. Just think about it: They are faulting the holy Lord God almighty for an injustice -- in essence accusing Him of failing to alleviate their suffering. On top of that, they are asserting their own justification by saying "I'm a Christian?!" (sic) Where in the world do they get that kind of thinking? Where is it written that Christians will never suffer? Why would they think that they deserve less suffering than the Savior? Everyone always wants to place the blame on anything and everything other than themselves; despite that the Lord Jesus places full responsibility smack-dab in ourselves (Matthew 15:16-19). The blame-game started in the Garden (Genesis 3:12-14). Israel repeatedly denied blame -- how often do we find that in the Prophets? The people in Jesus time tried pin blame on the evils in the world, on Rome, on poverty, or on disease. Anything but themselves... to the point that they sing "Hosana" and just a few days later cry, "Crucify Him!" Nowadays people say, "God bless America!" but they certainly don't want Him to tell them what to do. "Why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?" (Luke 6:46 NASB)... nothing new under the sun. May God have mercy on the so-called pastors and teachers who actually help people to pin the blame outside of themselves. From what I can tell, reading Jude, those that promulgate that kind of thing are in deep trouble. Talk about ultimate misery and horror! So how do you respond to the person who says "why me?" Take them back to the Word of God. Look up the word affliction in Psalm 119. Lead them through, verse by verse, Hebrews 12. Explain to them the attributes of God as He has revealed them in the Word. Explain to them that their smallest sin was a treason against a holy God (Isaiah 64:6) -- no one comes to before the Lord without humility (James 4:6, 10). Explain to them that the world believes that all suffering is bad, but the Christian recognizes that anything and everything that comes from the hand of God is good, proper, restorative, just, and right. Explain that God has every right to deal with people as He wishes (Romans 9:21). Explain that the very worst that they could suffer in this world will dim into nothingness compared to the suffering of the lost (Luke 13:28). Explain that the very worst that any of the redeemed will suffer will all be worth it when we see Him (Romans 8:18). It is good that you come to the forum with this question. Study and prepare yourself to give answers worthy of our Lord. To that end we will all be praying for you. In Him, Doc "God has supreme power, knowledge, and goodness, and all of these underwrite His moral authority. He created us and this world and stamped us with His image, and has the power to hold us fully accountable for our actions. Since He has perfect knowledge of us, He understands perfectly what is good for us and our flourishing. Moreover, since He is perfectly good He desires our well-being and does everything short of overriding our freedom to promote it. "In view of His nature as a perfect being, there are no good grounds for doubting His authority. There can be no blindsidedness, no bias, no imperfect understanding, no possibility of misuse of power, or having obtained it wrongly. If all rational withholdings are blocked, we ought to accept God as an authority. And part of what is involved in that is accepting His commands, unless we have good reason to do otherwise; but again, with a perfect being, there can't possibly be good reasons to do otherwise. In short, we think the issue of authority is a matter of power, knowledge, and character, all of which add up to moral authority." --Davis Baggett and Jerry Walls, from "Good God:The Theistic Foundations of Morality" (2011) |
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3 | Why do bads happen to Christians? | Ps 12:5 | wpalmer | 237064 | ||
Thank you for this wonderful answer and the detail. I accepted Christ as my savior less than a year ago (am 58 years old) and have since become very active in my church. Am going on a mission trip for two weeks (Nicaragua) the end of May and have been asked to give a talk one night...on any subject of my choosing. Looking back at all my years of being, at best, an agnostic, it was the misery, death, war, disease and hatred that so permeates the world that always made me ask "where is God?". Better yet, my Christian friends wanted me to accept as my savior a 'person' I could neither see, touch or feel (at least in my imperfect reasoning). So now that I'm on the other side of the fence and wanting badly to reach all those, like myself, that kept his heart closed to God's glory, I want to be prepared to witness, to be prepared for those same difficult questions. Even as a Christian there is so much I don't know and so much I know I'll never understand. But I want to learn how to respond to these big questions. I can certainly explain why I finally opened my heart but am eager to do so. But for those hardened against God, they want more practical answers so I am looking for help. Any thoughts? Wade | ||||||
4 | Why do bads happen to Christians? | Ps 12:5 | DocTrinsograce | 237065 | ||
Hi, Wade... If you have the time before your trip, how about getting a book like "How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth" by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart. It is an inexpensive book in paperback, and easy to read. It will help you enormously in properly exegeting the Scriptures. It will be a useful reference for a long time to come. I am certain that it will give you some ideas for training others to read the Word. We'll be praying for you! In Him, Doc PS I just passed my 21,000th day of life. So I'm right there around your age! |
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5 | Why do bads happen to Christians? | Ps 12:5 | wpalmer | 237067 | ||
Had to get my calculator out for that one and, yes, we must be very close in age...apparently I'm a bit older as am approaching my 21,500 day (darn!). I will take your suggestion and get the book "How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth" and do some homework. Really appreciate your time and help!! God bless! Wade | ||||||