Theodicy-Why do bad things happen to good people

Randy B said:

He forbids you for sending someone to jail for someone else's crime, but it's ok for God to punish someone their father's sins? How does that work?

“Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;” Exodus 20:5 (KJV 1900)

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It's not about why. It's about dealing with reality and understanding why things are the way they are. The bible has many answers if you study it to learn.

Randy B said:

I am inclined to evaluate what the Bible says using my logic and morals, and come to a conclusion based on that.

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Not much to say if you think that works for you.

As you do your best to work through these things
may be a sign that God's calling you?

You seem to be studying pretty hard while
many have no desire.
A simple prayer
God thank you for the desire to know more
please guide me in the right direction.

M

Randy B said:

That's where I respectfully disagree. I am not inclined to start with the conclusion that God is always right and therefore I need to back into a way to accept whatever He or the Bible says as right.

I am inclined to evaluate what the Bible says using my logic and morals, and come to a conclusion based on that.

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How are you better than God as the Bible presents him?

Randy B said:

For starters, I've never killed all the firstborn sons in the land as punishment for their leaders' unwillingness to obey me, after having "hardened the pharaoh's heart" myself.

That is simply cruel. What if the USA went into a country and killed all of the firstborn children, some infants, because their leaders didn't do what we wanted them to (and yet somehow we influenced them not to ourselves)? Does that seem reasonable?

How would you feel if your child was killed by God?

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So you are siding with wicked people who got what was coming to them? And turning against God who would not be good, had he not done that?

Randy B said:

I truly appreciate the heartfelt response, Bob.
What made Christianity pass and the others fail?

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You are welcome and thank you.

I've believed God's Word since I was young attending Sunday school. Inside I had no doubt that those were God's words written.

Faith comes by the hearing of the Word.
I see that you are studying the Word.
Please, relax yet keep it up.
I'm sure that more will be revealed to you.

Just a little of the proof that I've witnessed
many who's lives were a wreck
being restored
a complete transformation
not sure that man can do that on his own?

You might find this interesting?

Randy B said:

I don't understand. Are you saying that ALL of the firstborn children in Egypt were wicked people and had this coming to them?

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Yes. And worse. They would have suffered worse in hell had they not died young.

Randy B said:

Children deserved to be killed.
Wow...that is disturbing. I don't know what to say to that.

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Babies die in the womb never having sinned because Adam flunked the test of obedience proving the human race is a corrupt species.

Randy B said:

Does that seem reasonable to you? Babies that never had a chance at life dying in the womb because of what their first ancestor did? Is that fair and just?

That is my point. I encourage you not to approach with it the mindset of, "God did it, so it must be ok and shouldn't be questioned," but "does this seem like something an all-loving, all-powerful God would do?" and go from there.

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“What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth. Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?” Romans 9:14–21 (KJV 1900)

Randy B said:

Exactly. What seems fair and just about that? That God "raised up" Pharaoh (and the people of Egypt) for the purpose of showing His wrath? How would you feel if you were one of these people?



I would say that if I am the thing that is formed, and God formed me this way, and His punishment for me being the way I am (the way that He formed me) is eternal hell, then I have the right to question it.

You might say, "God gave you an out in the form of Jesus."
Did he give the children of Egypt an out?

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Your hatred and rants against God only worsen your outlook. But think how God would glorify his mercy if he gave you a change of heart and made you into a vessel of honor. Paul was in bad shape too before God put him on his knees.

Randy B said:

If there is a loving, perfectly just, all-powerful God, why do bad things happen to good people? I am interested to hear how Christians on this forum address this.
My illustration is this:
In real life, I am the father of two girls, 6 and 8 years old. If I was sitting on one end of a room, with a gun in my hand, and someone was raping my daughter on the other end of the room, what kind of father would I be if I just sat there and watched and did nothing to stop it? I have a gun in my hand, I could do something to stop it, but for whatever reason, I chose not to. Judging by the lowliest human standards, in my opinion, I would not have met my duties as a father. If God is perfectly just and all-powerful, how can He stand by and watch children starve to death, be raped, and murdered?

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Randy, I hope you don't think I'm stalking you, but browsing this morning I came across this question, then realized it was the same person I interacted with yesterday evening.

I think this is probably one of the hardest things to answer as a Christian, because quite bluntly there is no fully satisfactory answer. (I have heard that the C.S. Lewis book presents a very good thoughtful apologetic, but haven't got around to reading it myself).

So I'll give you a few thoughts, that aren't an answer, but things to think about.

God's ways are beyond our understanding (See the story of Job). To be a Christian is fundamentally to accept this as a truth. God gave us minds and logic, but in the end some things we will never understand.

God never claims to be fair. He claims to be Love and Just, but not fair.

God's purpose for us, is not to prevent us from suffering, but to put us in a relationship with him, that allows us to have joy in spite of suffering. Sometimes, he uses suffering to drive us toward this relationship or to deepen it.

Being a Christian is fundamentally about a relationship with a real Jesus. The only way to evaluate the reality of who he is, is to give that relationship a chance. His basic message is come in humility and see who I am.