Randy Langham
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The question above is the Big Twisted Question. It is not intended to ask a direct question and expect a direct answer. It is intentionally twisted to make you give the answer the questioner wants you to make. He wants you to believe God is not worthy to be trusted and that you need to trust in yourself.

We have already looked at four misunderstandings. Let’s look at more.

Misunderstanding #5: God is not fair!

People often think this when they compare their lives with others and wish they had the comforts and conveniences that others have. Perhaps this is the belief of Job’s wife when she said,

"Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die!" But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips (Job 2:9-10).

The truth is God will be fair in the end. Before Jesus ascended into heaven He said that one day Simon Peter would die on a cross. Immediately, Peter said in essence, “That’s not fair! What about John?” Jesus replied, “What I do, what is that to you?” Later Peter understood this truth and said, I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality (Acts 10:34).

Misunderstanding #6: God’s love should give me all I want!

The truth is God’s love gives you what you need, not what you want. And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19-20). The passage does not say all your wants.

Most parents readily understand they cannot give their kids everything they want. If they did they know their kids would be spoiled and irresponsible.

Misunderstanding #7: God’s love would never allow a loved one to experience pain.

Again, tell this to physical therapists; they know the only way to rehabilitate a person is through pain. Tell this misunderstanding to loving parents; they know that painful discipline may be needed to lead a child back to the right path.

Coaches build disciplines into their athletes and drill sergeants build disciplines into their soldiers to prepare them for their purpose. Likewise, God sometimes uses difficult situations to discipline those He loves:

... for those whom the Lord loves He disciplines ...  but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness (Hebrews 12:4-11).

Someone might ask, “What about innocent people?” Actually only one person was perfectly innocent. Look at how God treated Him: Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him (Isaiah 53:6). God loved His perfect Son, Jesus, yet He placed our eternal punishment on Him. The Son cried out to His Father for an alternate plan to be done, and the Father said no. God is sovereign, and He knows what is best for everyone.

It turns out that Jesus Himself benefited from the experience on the cross. Among other things God raised Him up and gave Him a name that is above every name, that everyone would bow to Him and confess that He is Lord.

Misunderstanding #8: God does not have the right to take life!

Often when a child or young person dies this misunderstanding takes place and anger towards God results. Yet, God is the giver and taker of life. When God does take a life how could anyone argue with Him when He was the One who gave it in the first place? When Job lost virtually everything he said, Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord (Job 1:21; see also Deuteronomy 32:39).

Misunderstanding #9: God should have given me more time with my child!

When Job lost all his kids it is possible he was tempted to get upset with God and wish he had more years to spend with the children. Losing a child might be one of the most painful moments anyone could experience. Yet, the truth is people are to be grateful for what God does give and not be upset at what they wish they had. The best response is to give God your expectations and thank Him for all the goodness He has given you.

People are often bitter when they focus on the expectations they did not receive. People are grateful when they focus on the time God did allow. Every barren couple could easily say, “We wish we could have enjoyed a child for only five years!” Every orphan hearing of another person’s grieving of a parent might feel inside, “I wish I could have known my dad for 12 years.”

Misunderstanding #10: Why did the child have to die so early? He/she did not live a full life?

Our purpose in life is to have a close relationship with God, not to enjoy the pleasures of this life on earth. Life in heaven is far better than any life here on earth. The time you live on earth is according to God’s timetable. Whenever your life ends, it is your time to go.

Misunderstanding #11: How come many “good people” die and many “bad people” still live?

A common belief behind this is that bad people should be punished and die early, and good people should be allowed to live a long time on earth, because life on earth is so wonderful.

What is so bad about Christians dying? Isn’t our purpose in life to have a close relationship with God, and being in heaven will fulfill that purpose? Hasn’t God said, Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones (Psalm 116:15)?

Now for a deeper understanding of this misunderstanding: why do non-Christians get more time to live on earth? God answers this in 2 Peter 3:9: The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. God loves non-Christians so much and wants so much to have a relationship with them that God gives them more time to make this all-important decision.

Misunderstanding #12: God’s only attribute is love.

God has many other attributes. The primary one is holiness. Twice the Bible records angels singing “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord.” They do not sing “Love, love, love.” Also, the third person of the Trinity is the Holy Spirit, not the Loving Spirit. While He is perfect love, His primary characteristic is holiness.

Because God is holy, He will not tolerate evil. While many believe love and holiness are totally separate, They are, in actuality, in perfect harmony with each other. The truth of God’s holiness impacts many of the later misunderstandings.

Misunderstanding #13 God lets people get away with murder!

When people are not caught or convicted it is easy to believe the lie that God lets people get away with murder. Human beings forget God is a merciful God and desires for all to come to repentance. God loves your abusers so much He is giving them a chance to repent.

The truth is God is just. Unless the offenders repent God will absolutely give every person what he or she deserves. Regarding the harming of a weaker person (a child, someone without a weapon, someone tied up, etc.) Jesus said, whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea (Matthew 18:6). The word for little ones is a word which means “people who are less, small, little.” The idea is anyone who is weaker, who can’t fight off someone bigger and stronger.

Misunderstanding #14: God doesn’t seem to care about the wickedness of the wicked!

The book of Job has 42 chapters, and in the first 41 chapters God does not say one word about the faults of Job’s “friends.” In the first 41 chapters of the book of Job, whose heart was being changed and molded? Job’s.

Here is a truth: When you feel you are the only one whose faults are being exposed, consider the possibility that God is working on you because all your offenders don’t have a heart for God and would not change if God focused on them. Look at how God finally addressed the three friends in Job 42:7-9:

It came about after the Lord had spoken these words to Job, that the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, "My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends, because you have not spoken of Me what is right as My servant Job has. "Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, and go to My servant Job, and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves, and My servant Job will pray for you. For I will accept him so that I may not do with you according to your folly, because you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has." So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did as the Lord told them; and the Lord accepted Job.






Why does God allow evil?
part 2

November 18, 2018

Continue to part 3 of article
God Allowing Evil 3
Go back to part 1 of article
God Allowing Evil 1

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