This is the most common objection to the Christian faith. How can a thinking person not have this question on some level at some time? We intuitively think that a good God who is all-powerful would not allow evil and suffering yet we look around us and see a world full of evil and suffering.
“How Can A Good God Allow Suffering?”
Genesis 1-3
Sermon Series: “The God Questions”
Introduction: How can a good God allow suffering? This is the most common objection to the Christian faith. How can a thinking person not have this question on some level at some time? We intuitively think that a good God who is all-powerful would not allow evil and suffering yet we look around us and see a world full of evil and suffering. We also look at our experience and most of us have many examples of suffering that we have personally experienced that often seem random and unfair. How can a good God allow this to happen? That is the question we are going to wrestle with today. We are going to filter this question through the grid of a Christian worldview and compare it to other world views.
Creation———-Fall———-Redemption———-Restoration
1. Suffering is unnatural because God created everything, and He made everything very good (chapters 1-2).
A. God, our Creator, is both good and great.
B. God made us in His image and gave us authority and responsibility (1:26-30).
C. As image bearers of God, we were given the freedom to make choices and experience the consequences of those choices (2:15-17).
D. Everything that God made was very good (1:31). In other words, it was perfect and completely free from defect. This means that God did not create evil and suffering, although He did create the potential for it when He made us in His image.
2. Suffering comes from the fact that we live in a fallen world produced by sin (ch. 3). Charles Colson writes, “The consequences of sin affect the very order of the universe itself. Most people have a narrow understanding of the term sin. We tend to think it means that we have broken a few rules, made a few mistakes. So we apologize and get on with our lives, right? Wrong. Sin is much more than breaking the rules. God created an intricate, interwoven cosmos, each part depending on the others, all governed by laws of order and harmony. Sin affects every part of that order and harmony-twisting, fracturing, distorting, and corrupting it.”
3. Suffering, while unnatural, is to be expected now, and it is grace when things are good.
4. Suffering is embraced by God (3:15, 21). God came and suffered with us (Hebrews 2:10, 4:14-16) and for us (1 Peter 3:18) in the person of Jesus Christ. He ran to suffering instead of staying away from it.
5.
“How Can A Good God Allow Suffering?”
Genesis 1-3
Sermon Series: “The God Questions”
Introduction: How can a good God allow suffering? This is the most common objection to the Christian faith. How can a thinking person not have this question on some level at some time? We intuitively think that a good God who is all-powerful would not allow evil and suffering yet we look around us and see a world full of evil and suffering. We also look at our experience and most of us have many examples of suffering that we have personally experienced that often seem random and unfair. How can a good God allow this to happen? That is the question we are going to wrestle with today. We are going to filter this question through the grid of a Christian worldview and compare it to other world views.
Creation———-Fall———-Redemption———-Restoration
1. Suffering is unnatural because God created everything, and He made everything very good (chapters 1-2).
A. God, our Creator, is both good and great.
B. God made us in His image and gave us authority and responsibility (1:26-30).
C. As image bearers of God, we were given the freedom to make choices and experience the consequences of those choices (2:15-17).
D. Everything that God made was very good (1:31). In other words, it was perfect and completely free from defect. This means that God did not create evil and suffering, although He did create the potential for it when He made us in His image.
2. Suffering comes from the fact that we live in a fallen world produced by sin (ch. 3). Charles Colson writes, “The consequences of sin affect the very order of the universe itself. Most people have a narrow understanding of the term sin. We tend to think it means that we have broken a few rules, made a few mistakes. So we apologize and get on with our lives, right? Wrong. Sin is much more than breaking the rules. God created an intricate, interwoven cosmos, each part depending on the others, all governed by laws of order and harmony. Sin affects every part of that order and harmony-twisting, fracturing, distorting, and corrupting it.”
3. Suffering, while unnatural, is to be expected now, and it is grace when things are good.
4. Suffering is embraced by God (3:15, 21). God came and suffered with us (Hebrews 2:10, 4:14-16) and for us (1 Peter 3:18) in the person of Jesus Christ. He ran to suffering instead of staying away from it.
5. Suffering is temporary for those who are forgiven by Jesus, but justice is given to those who reject God (3:22-24). Through the finished work of Jesus, God will restore the universe to a perfect paradise, and those who trust in Jesus will eternally be delivered from evil and suffering (Revelation 22:1-5, 21:1-4, Romans 8:18-25). Evil and suffering is limited and temporary through Jesus. However, those who reject Jesus eternally reap the consequences of their choices.
Conclusion- Practical Applications: