Is God REALLY Ultimately Responsible for Suffering?

Two images in my lifetime ring up emotions of terrible pain and suffering.  One is the recent and current tragedy of the Tsunami in Asia.  How do you wrap you brain around over 200,000 dead people?  That is like two and half cities the size of Medford just disappearing from the earth!

The other one is September 11^th.  I will never forget what it was like sitting on my bed that morning watching the truly surreal events unfold. 

These kinds of disasters will ALWAYS prompt the question:  “If there really is a God, why would he allow such a terrible evil to take place?”  Have you ever heard that question?  How do you answer such questions?  What about you…..do you ever wonder about God’s role in human suffering?  Do you struggle with this issue?

If you are honest… the answer is probably YES.   I know I sure do!!

John Scott- “The fact of suffering undoubtedly constitutes the single greatest challenge to the Christian faith!"

Throughout man’s existence, this question has been used to try and discredit our faith!  Look at this example of a famous statement made by 18^th century Scottish philosopher David Hume:  “Is God willing to prevent evil but not able?  Then he is impotent.  Is he able but not willing?  Then he is malicious.  Is he both willing AND able?  Why then is there evil?”

He makes an argument that makes even the strongest of faith have to stop and scratch their heads!  Basically he is saying: He can stop it but won’t because he is evil or he wants to stop it but cannot because he really has no power.  I do not believe either of these.  Or his 3^rd idea suggests that since there is evil in the world, then there really is no God!  So, what do we believe?

Let’s investigate some of Hume’s theories and see if they really hold any weight:

• There is no God since there IS evil- This says that if a loving God exists, horrible things we see daily in the news would not happen.  Ever thought that?  See any flaw in this?  This theory is assuming there is such a thing as “evil” but no God.  But really, apart from a belief in God, what would make something deemable as evil?  The most common answer would be:  “It is against the law”.  But, are man made laws a reliable means to distinguish between good and evil? EX:
  • There was a time in America when slavery was legal.  Did that make it a good thing?  Some cultures in Africa allow for kids to be sacrificed?  So, is that not evil?  Surely human laws do not define what is evil. It is IMPOSSIBLE to establish what evil is without the existence of SOME moral Law.  And even evolutionary enthusiasts are boggled with this question.  If we are a random, non-created fusing of cells, how do you explain our INBORN and INNATE sense of right and wrong?  The presence of evil seems to in many ways argues strongly FOR not against a Creator!!!!

·        God wants to help but he just cannot-  Since no one wants to think of their creator as evil, this possibility seems more logical.  So a very common explanation growing in today’s church says: “God loves us deeply and truly grieves when we do.  But, he is limited in his abilities to prevent suffering”.  What do you think about this theory?  What do you think it is they would argue could possibly limit his power?

o       His own nature- “even God has a hard time keeping chaos in check…he is a God of justice and not power” Sound like your God?  Not mine!    So basically who God is limits what he can do?????  Don’t buy it!

o       Natural Laws HE put into place-  every tragedy (earthquake, tsunami, disease, etc) are the result of laws of nature he created and cannot suspend, even if he wants to.  Basically, God has handcuffed himself.  Sorry, not buying it once again.  The Bible tells us he stopped time, turned day to night and stopped rivers from running!

o       Humankinds free will- Basically, saying that although God wishes the psycho would not kill the innocent girl, he is powerless to stop him because in doing so, he would be tampering with the most sacred of human rights :free will!  God has, from the beginning, given us all the choice between good and evil.  Unfortunately we often choose the second choice and are forced to them live with consequences.  To be totally honest, this one makes the most since to me, but I still cannot buy totally into it.  I do not believe that there is ANY limitation to what God can do.  (we will look at examples from this later in this study from His word)

I struggle with all of these ideas.  But to say I have never wondered or even considered them would be a bold faced-lie!  This is a question that we will ALWYS struggle with!  We believe in a loving and caring God.  So reconciling that with suffering will always be a struggle.  But, we have overlooked one other possible explanation:

* God exists, He is loving AND all-powerful, and he assumes full responsibility for everything that happens in his creation. 

What do you think of that?  This idea, though still not perfectly clear to many of us, seems to be grounded in scripture, and seems to be the only answer that provides genuine and real comfort to us when we are caught in pain and suffering ourselves!

Unfortunately what we see these days (including in myself) is that many of us want to believe in a God of our imaginations rather than the God in scripture!  SO what does His word have to say about all of this?

1-God Controls His Creation!

Psalm 103:19- The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and his sovereignty rules over all!”

Well, that verse alone seems to single handedly over rule all of the theories we read about earlier.  God has power over all things.  Therefore, he could do whatever he wants.  Right???  Absolutely!  This verse gives us the definition of sovereignty:  Basically it is the ability to rule over EVERYTHING.  So a ruler cannot be “semi-sovereign” anymore than a woman can be “semi-pregnant”.  Either God is in control or he is not, and according to his word HE IS!  Time and again The Bible affirms that he is over all mankind, creation and circumstances:

·        Psalm 115:3

·        Job 42:1-3

·        Daniel 4:35

These are just but a few examples.  God has one plan that governs ALL of his creation.  And it is a BIG plan.  It is broad enough to cover Satan’s rebellion against God, the original sin, the slaughter of thousands of babies in the Hebrew desert and even the gruesome killing of his own son.”  Don’t we readily accept these things as God’s doing?  Then why is it so hard to accept Sept. 11^th?

To me, it seems clear that God claims all control over his creation.  So then, to me it is logical to say that if he claims control then HE MUST ALSO ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE EVIL IN THE WORLD TOO.  Does that make sense to you?  What do you think?  Exodus 4:11 seems to say so to me!!

It has always seemed so much easier to assign the blame for the existence of handicapped kids to random mutations, or negligent doctors, or even to Satan himself.  But God seems to almost be saying :”No, I am the one responsible.  If you want to blame someone…….blame me.”  Is that what he is saying?

And what about BIGGER problems like the Tsunami?  Is he responsible there too?

Read Isaiah 45:1-7----Is he again claiming responsibility?

Is there a distinction between God causing and His allowing these things to happen?  Or, are they one in the same?  EX: JOB  But, if he may not be the direct cause, yet he could have prevented it, doesn’t God have to naturally and automatically assume some responsibility?

What does the Bible say about this question?  We first looked at the fact that the Bible said that God was in control over all his creation.  Here are some more things that God’s word tells us:

2- God is GOOD, and in no way evil-  Remember the verses we read last week?  They said that God does whatever he wants, he can do anything and no one can stop him, etc….Somehow those verses alone just do not seem to conjure up images of comfort.  By themselves they often really just point to a God responsible for the evil in the world!  Is his sovereignty alone enough to comfort each of us?

Do these kind of verses cause confusion?  Have you ever thought of God as some sort of sadistic sovereign being delighting in the punishment of his creation?  Why would people think that?  *** The Bible assures us that our sovereign God is ALSO a very loving and good God!:

            Psalm 103:8

            Psalm 107:1

            I John 1:5

            I John 4:8

It is really simple.  We know that God is love.  We say it and we sing it.  Yet how do we reconcile this fact with the terrible things going on in his world? 

3-Much of our suffering in the world is self-inflicted-  Indeed much of the misery in our world is a direct result of what we do…to others, ourselves and to God!  Can violent crime, emotional suffering and financial turmoil from a divorce, or an illness that comes from a poor lifestyle (drugs, laziness etc.) REALLY be blamed on God?  Did we NOT bring these on ourselves?  I think the culprit is WRONG CHOICES.  I believe suffering is the price we will continue to pay for having the freedom of choice!

As a result, at times, our wrong choices WILL result in God’s judgment against us!  Just listen to this warning he gave to the Israelites (read Deut. 28:15).  This link between human sin and God’s judgment was not just limited to the Israelites!  Scripture tells us that anyone who flaunts His laws can expect the same (read Hebrews 12:6)

Do these verses bring you comfort or discomfort?  ***To me, the fact that He REFUSES to allow us to disobey without consequences is PROOF that we ARE HIS FAMILY!  BUT, even if His discipline towards us IS motivated by love, it still does not eliminate the pain!!!

Suffering is NOT always the result of sin.  To prove this, many people will point to the story of Job.  Yet, despite this story, to say that suffering is NEVER a result of sin would be a mistake!  The Bible seems to say that much adversity can directly be traced to someone’s disobedience.  When we truly evaluate our lives and choices, as CS Lewis says, the question may just change from “Why do we suffer?”  to “Why don’t we suffer more?”

4- God will use this “short-term” suffering to accomplish “long-term” good-  Listen to this famous analogy: 

            A hunter stumbles on a bear caught in a trap.  Feeling compassion for the bear, he wants to free it.  But the bear, not understanding the hunter’s good intentions, will not allow the hunter to even come near him.  Still. The hunter refuses to give up.  He shoots the bear with darts full of drugs to ease the pain, yet the bear STILL does not understand and is convinced the hunter is trying to kill him.  While he is drugged, the hunter has to push the bear further into the trap in order to release the tension on the spring and release his leg.  The bear, now in a semiconscious state, finally has evidence that the hunter is trying to inflict as much pain as possible.  But the bear is wrong.  He has reached this conclusion too early!  If he could suspend judgment just a little bit longer, he would see that the hunter was really working on his behalf.

Doesn’t this really make sense?  IS this maybe how God is working on us to “set us free”??????

***GOD WILL ALWAYS SEEM UNFAIR TO A PERSON TRAPPED IN TIME!

We have a limited perspective and a tendency to make premature judgments and we often wind up at the wrong conclusion!  But God’s word gives us 3 simple insights about God’s Ultimate Plan for our lives”

            *IT IS GOOD- Romans 8:28  Unfortunately WE often define good as meaning: a full bank account, nice cars, perfect relationships and illness-free existence!  But Paul quickly explains in the next verse what “good” God is working towards: Romans 8:29.  His major purpose is to reshape us to mirror Jesus his son! 

            *IT OFTEN REQUIRES DISCOMFORT- Such a reshaping or renovation of a soul surely requires some serious “hammering”!  Some of you have been a part of a major renovation project.  There are MANY times when it is hard to visualize the end result, but you just have to keep building! 

            *IT WILL ULTIMATELY BE REALIZED-  One day, at long last, the project will be complete!  God promises that when he returns, and only then, will we start to grasp what went on!  Let us be honest--- trying to be happy during a serious illness, trying to smile while your family is ripping apart, or trying to rejoice over the grave of a loved one, is next to impossible!!!    But one day, the Bible promises a new vantage point and a new perspective!!  One day we can look back and smile as we see how it was ALL used to bring great triumph!!!  I Peter 4:12-13

Ultimately, you may still not have a clear answer as to why there is suffering.  It is truly something that is beyond our comprehension!  God never explained to Job or his friends the TRUE reason things were going on.  Instead, he basically said, “Trust me.  I know what I am doing”.  And when Jesus was faced with such questions as why a man was blind since birth etc…he never answered the “why” part.  Because the answer is too big for our brains to wrap around! 

We just have to believe.  We must hold to the promise that God is in control of EVERY part of our lives!  We must also hold to the fact that he UNDERSTANDS our suffering.  He does not like it, but he knows that peace follows!  And even though he knows the end result, he still weeps with us in the present, because he loves us!  And we MUST hold to the fact that God still has not revealed our final chapter!!  Good will happen.  IT WILL!  Imagine if you were at the crucifixion.  And that was all you had seen.  Imagine if the world ended right there!  Would you have found any good in the story?  NO!!!!!  But it DID NOT end there!  God opened the earth and Jesus was released!!  ***IT IS ONLY FROM THE VANTAGE POINT OF AN EMPTY TOMB WE ARE NOW ABLE TO LABEL “GOOD” SOMETHING THAT 3 DAYS EARLIER SEEMED SO FULL OF EVIL!!!!

GOD IS IN CONTROL