Please help me understand

[deckland]

Hello,

I need your help as Spirit filled christians as I wouldn't believe anyone else.
I'm trying to believe in God and am currently challenged understanding why the old Testament God has killed so many people and asked Israel to kill entire cities, sometimes with their children and women. There's a case where the earth opens and devours the sinned men with their whole families.
On the other hand I know the New Testament pretty well and we all know the way Jesus lived and thought we should live. For me this is very contradictory and the Bible says that God doesn't change.

help me understand, any link to books/articles highly appreciated.
Please pray for me as I really need it.



Rado

 

[Faulty]

2 Peter 3:9 states "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."

Peter declares that the Lord is very patient when calling a people to repentence. You can see this in our own age. It's been nearly 2000 so far between His 1st and 2nd eventual comings, because His desire is that as many should repent, will be able to do so.

Matthew 25:6 further states this aspect of God when Jesus declares the bridegroom arriving at midnight, "And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him." Jewish marriage tradition holds the time of the bridegroom is between 8 and 10pm, but here he is late. Jesus, the bridegroom, is waiting for the last possible minute before returninig to give as much time for repentence as possible.

With that quality of God in mind, and him being the same always, read Genesis 15:13-16:

"And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full."

This passage is where God declares to Abraham that his decendents will live and suffer in Egypt for 400 years before being allowed to go to the land He promised them. Why? Because "the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full". God wanted to give an enormous amount of time for the current inhabitants of the land to repent. Had they done so, and turned to God, they would not have been subject to judgment under the hand of the Israelites.

God called them to repent, and gave them time to do so. These stories are not stories of an uncaring God, but rather the story of an offer of love by God and a people who rejected it.

 

[KleinerApfel]

Hi Rado, that's a big question and I don't think anyone can answer it fully to satisfaction, but I hope some of us can offer a few insights.

One thing to bear in mind is this - all long, God had the plan in mind to bring His Son to earth as a human being for our redemption.

In order for that child to be born safely, then to grow up with a supportive family and culture to fulfil His purpose, there had to be a remnant of holy people among whom that could happen.

The alien cultures which fought against the Israelites were anti-God, barbaric and idolatrous, and many of them were worshipping gods who demanded human sacrifice. If Jesus had been born into such a world, would He even have survived infancy, let alone been raised to know God and the scriptures?

That is why God continually purged the land of those dangerous tribes, to enable His own people to survive and keep passing down the generations all they knew of His holiness, goodness and love, His law and His ways that bring life.

Among those tribes there may have been a handful who questioned the status quo, whose hearts sought God, I don't know.
Maybe some were spared, escaped, fled before the armies and started a new life elsewhere.

We know that can happen - for instance Rahab of Jericho lived in such a place and yet had heard of God's power and decided He was worth trusting so she helped His people. She and her family were saved when her city was destroyed.

Yes, babies died too, and that seems unfair. I console myself that those innocent ones went immediately into God's arms when they died. He loves them more than the best parent could, and of course some of those parents were ready to offer those babies to idols, so what kind of future could they ever expect, and were they ever really living in safety anyway?

As I said, no answer is fully satisfying, and I'm not completely comfortable with all of the above possibility myself, but it goes a little towards seeing why He did as he did in the Old Testament. I hope more understanding will come among us as more replies appear here.

 

[ralangley]

I totally get your struggle. For a long time, I also found it difficult to reconcile the God of the O.T. with Jesus. Part of the answer is in understanding the power of the new covenant and how we now can relate to God. Through Jesus, we are reconciled with God. We are now adopted children and heirs to the Kingdom.

But that still doesn't answer the question of why God was so ruthless in the O.T. One day, I asked God that very same question and the answer I heard surprised me. I heard that some of the OT books describe symbolically the spiritual battle between God and the devil. The Israelites and their enemies exemplifies the battle between good and evil. Keep in mine their enemies were pagans or others that disobeyed and dishonored God. In our human mind, they're just people not too different than us, but to God who is all pure, they were evil in His sight. He was ruthless in purging evil. In the same way, we are to be ruthless in purging evil from our hearts and lives. We are to go after the devil and his works (not people) with the same intensity.

Of course, that was my personal revelation - not a new doctrine that I'm trying to forward. It did help me though, reconcile the two faces of God in the OT and the NT. God is the same, but He now has us under a new covenant where He can relate to us entirely differently.

 

[AudioArtist]

I totally get your struggle. For a long time, I also found it difficult to reconcile the God of the O.T. with Jesus. Part of the answer is in understanding the power of the new covenant and how we now can relate to God. Through Jesus, we are reconciled with God. We are now adopted children and heirs to the Kingdom.

But that still doesn't answer the question of why God was so ruthless in the O.T. One day, I asked God that very same question and the answer I heard surprised me. I heard that some of the OT books describe symbolically the spiritual battle between God and the devil. The Israelites and their enemies exemplifies the battle between good and evil. Keep in mine their enemies were pagans or others that disobeyed and dishonored God. In our human mind, they're just people not too different than us, but to God who is all pure, they were evil in His sight. He was ruthless in purging evil. In the same way, we are to be ruthless in purging evil from our hearts and lives. We are to go after the devil and his works (not people) with the same intensity.

Of course, that was my personal revelation - not a new doctrine that I'm trying to forward. It did help me though, reconcile the two faces of God in the OT and the NT. God is the same, but He now has us under a new covenant where He can relate to us entirely differently.

I've struggled with this for ages, and strangely enough, I believe I've had a similar answer to yours. I think Satan and demons are key to understanding this issue, though of course I understand that answer will sound very foolish to non-believers and many Christians alike.

 

[imperfectchristian]

Well...I see a thread of righteousness that weaves it's way through the OT. Look at Abraham when he questioned God very similarly in the way you are in the OP...God if there are 10 righteous in the city will you still destroy the city and so on....and God's reply is...no I will not destroy the city.

I am a strong proponent for total depravity. I believe in the OT, man had so distanced himself from the one true God that it is suprising God did not just wipe everyone off the face of the map...in fact that is exactly what he did with Noah's generation.

When reading the OT we have to understand that it was the pre-propitiation and pre-expiation era. Think of justice without mercy. If we receive what is just, we are all going to be destroyed because we are a fallen race. According to election and for God's purposes, God chose a certain group of people...not because they deserved it, but because God chose to do so.

King David is a great example of someone who God foreknew and predestined. David was by no means a righteous man according to the law...he was in fact a law breaker just as we all are, but King David did not put his trust in his ability to keep the law, instead he put his hope and his trust in God.

Imortant Note: The law was never meant to justify anyone and no one will ever be justified by the law.

Works based salvation is not something new. People have been trying to justify themselves to God long before Christ came. Even Cain tried growing the crop through the labor of "his" hands and presenting it as a sacrifice to God and it was rejected, whereas Abel presented the work of God's hands and it was accepted.

This do it yourself salvation still plagues humanity and has been the cancer of the church since it's very inception.

Most ministers in the church today preach another gospel where they say...well you come to God and he accepts you by grace, (which is true) but then they turn around and set aside the grace of God by saying that it is kept by works (your good behaviour, your self righteousness) which is dead wrong.

NOTHING ABSOLUTELY NOTHING we do or do not do, good or bad justifies us, keeps us justified or causes our loss of justification before God.

ONLY the Blood of Jesus Christ justifies!

ONLY God's work on our behalf!

In order to see the Gospel for what it really is (instead of what society tries to make it), you will have to abandon the concept that some are innocent and instead trust that God is righteous.

God is Love and His love was fully expressed on the cross. His love is without caution or regret.

Grace means unmerited favor.



Romans 4:3-8

3 What does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."

4 Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. 5 However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness. 6 David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

7 "Blessed are they
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.
8 Blessed is the man
whose sin the Lord will never count against him."


I hope this helps dear brother.

 

[Justaman0000]

2 Peter 3:9 states "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."

Peter declares that the Lord is very patient when calling a people to repentence. You can see this in our own age. It's been nearly 2000 so far between His 1st and 2nd eventual comings, because His desire is that as many should repent, will be able to do so.

Matthew 25:6 further states this aspect of God when Jesus declares the bridegroom arriving at midnight, "And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him." Jewish marriage tradition holds the time of the bridegroom is between 8 and 10pm, but here he is late. Jesus, the bridegroom, is waiting for the last possible minute before returninig to give as much time for repentence as possible.

With that quality of God in mind, and him being the same always, read Genesis 15:13-16:

"And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full."

This passage is where God declares to Abraham that his decendents will live and suffer in Egypt for 400 years before being allowed to go to the land He promised them. Why? Because "the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full". God wanted to give an enormous amount of time for the current inhabitants of the land to repent. Had they done so, and turned to God, they would not have been subject to judgment under the hand of the Israelites.

God called them to repent, and gave them time to do so. These stories are not stories of an uncaring God, but rather the story of an offer of love by God and a people who rejected it.

Bingo, I agree. God is just.

 

[Svt4Him]

10 out of 10 people die. Seems God hasn't changed in that the death sentence has passed to all.

And if I can convince you there is a God, someone can convince you there isn't. It's not about what you may or may not believe, it's about repentance and holiness.

I think the first thing to do is see if you need to be saved from anything. You can take a good "Good Test" to see: http://www.livingwaters.com/good/

 

[irenemcg]

We need to understand that God is and always has been a holy God.He loves us with a passion, hence He sent Jesus to die for us, but we have been given a choice, we can accept Him or reject Him. In the Old Testament the people turned away from God, how it must have saddened God that they did not choose to repent and walk with Him, they chose other gods before him, false gods, yet he gave them a chance to repent. Babies and children would be welcomed into His arms. I pray that you will also gt an understanding of His Father's heart.



SIN is the problem- man's sin,

1)What is the one word in John 3:16 that describes why God sent His Son for you and me?

Joh 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (NIV)

Surely here we see that God sent Jesus to die for us because He loved us.

2) What was it that separated us all from God before we repented of our sins?

Rom 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (NIV)

Sin separated us from God.

3a) What is the end result of sin? 3b) What is the gift that God offers?

Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (NIV)

Can you see that the wages of sin is death? The gift of God is eternal life.

4) God wants us to have assurance of salvation.

Joh 1:12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—(NIV)

Now let's look at His love for us

Joh 17:23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.

He loves you even as He loves the Lord Jesus, what amazing love!


Joh 17:24 "Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world

He wants to reveal His glory to you. This has been His desire throughout the ages. The Psalmist understood this.

Psa 104:30 You send forth Your Spirit, they are created;
And You renew the face of the earth.
Psa 104:31 May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
May the LORD rejoice in His works.
Psa 104:32 He looks on the earth, and it trembles;
He touches the hills, and they smoke.
Psa 104:33 I will sing to the LORD as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.
Psa 104:34 May my meditation be sweet to Him;
I will be glad in the LORD.



Joh 17:26 And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."

His love for you is revealed in Jesus

Heb 1:3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

Jesus our Lord died to purge us of our sins and now sits at the Father's right hand.

Rom 8:21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

He wants to take you from bondage to freedom

Rom 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

He is for you, not against you, always, always remember that.

2Co 5:18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,
2Co 5:19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

Jesus died that we might be reconciled to the Father, for the Father always wanted man to walk with Him.

1Jo 4:10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

His death on the cross was the ultimate expression of the love the Father has for you.

Rom 8:32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

God gave up son for us, He delivered Him even unto death, He who was God died for us so that we could have our sins forgiven and be reconciled to the Father. How much more so then will He freely give us all things, when He loves us so?Can't you see the love?


1Jo 2:23 Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

When we receive Jesus we also receive the Father.

Luk 15:7 I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.

There was wonderful joy in heaven the moment a sinner repents and finds a new life in Jesus.

Eph 3:14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Eph 3:15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,

He is our Father and always has been Father since the beginning. He is your Father.
He wants to reveal Himself fully to you and His nature is that of a loving Father.


Joh 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:
Joh 1:13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

When we are born again, we are adopted into His Family. We are no longer orphans without an abode.


Luk 15:32 It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found."'

He rejoices, when you who were once dead in your sins become alive in Him.

HIS LOVE IS A LOVE BEYOND ALL MEASURE, THERE IS NO LOVE LIKE THE LOVE GOD HAS FOR YOU.


COME HOME MY CHILD




Come see Jesus standing with his arms open wide.

He beckons to you “Come home my child,

I will throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen;

You will be so much happier than you have ever been.



I came to give you an abundant life,

There will be no more toiling and no more strife,

I am the shepherd who cares for His flock,

Come my child place your feet upon the rock.



Don’t you know I want you to be part of my bride,

Come now and walk with me and in me abide,

I want you to know you can be at peace,

For my love for you will never cease.



On the cross I paid the price for your sins,

Don’t you know my blood can wash away your sins?

I long for you to come to me in true repentance,

My desire is for you to know real forgiveness.



So come my child and enter right into my rest,

I love you and I long for you to experience life at best,

My dear friend, won’t you come and follow me?

The true meaning of life I want you to see.



My child I see your hurts, I see all your pain,

I long to heal and restore your life again,

Every tear, every hurt I will wipe away,

Oh how I long for you to come to me today.



My dear child I love when you lend an ear towards me.

I love to hear your voice cry my name in moments of need,

So come now and pay attention to this precious gospel seed.

I want you to know me as Saviour and Lord, come home to me.”





by Irene McGough 2007

 

[cyberlizard]

Hello,

I need your help as Spirit filled christians as I wouldn't believe anyone else.
I'm trying to believe in God and am currently challenged understanding why the old Testament God has killed so many people and asked Israel to kill entire cities, sometimes with their children and women. There's a case where the earth opens and devours the sinned men with their whole families.
On the other hand I know the New Testament pretty well and we all know the way Jesus lived and thought we should live. For me this is very contradictory and the Bible says that God doesn't change.

help me understand, any link to books/articles highly appreciated.
Please pray for me as I really need it.



Rado

i suppose this is bound to be difficult... we like to think of Jesus as mild and kind... but the truth is Messiah WAS the God of the OT. He may seem mild and kind now, but the day will come soon, when He will put on his 'OT clothes' again and begin to rule on earth in His Messianic Kingdom. Woe betide the people that stand against him.



Steve

 

[deckland]

Thanks to all who replied!


Rado

 

[deckland]

Thanks to all that replied!

Rado

 

[enoch son]

Sent you lack understanding and you need to ask God why He does things. Then doesn't that make you the god of your life and your understaning more impormant then God? There's that pot calling out to the potter agian. I think you answer your owen question. SELF!

 

[deckland]

enoc son,

yes - i know i am a pot, and probably one meant for destruction.
yet the potter has given me a brain, i hope you would not deny...
and i am searching for some answers, while looking back for my faith.
and i am doubting the text, not him.

i fail to see your love though, not that i really need it.
that's in case you care..
i always seem to miss the point of people kicking a fallen one - i'm pretty sure i mentioned that i needed help.

please don't assume i will discuss your answer further, you owe me nothing.

all the best,
rado

 

[Faulty]

enoc son,

yes - i know i am a pot, and probably one meant for destruction.
yet the potter has given me a brain, i hope you would not deny...
and i am searching for some answers, while looking back for my faith.
and i am doubting the text, not him.

i fail to see your love though, not that i really need it.
that's in case you care..
i always seem to miss the point of people kicking a fallen one - i'm pretty sure i mentioned that i needed help.

please don't assume i will discuss your answer further, you owe me nothing.

all the best,
rado

Before you start accepting that line about being a pot destined for destruction, just because you have questions, please consider something first.

During the Last Supper, Jesus told his disciples that he would be betrayed that night and the remaining disciples would be scattered and not stand with Him.

Peter, not only questioned those words, but dared to stand face-to-face with God in the flesh and declare His words a lie saying that he, Peter, would stand with his Lord that night, even unto his own death.

Even though Jesus stood there and was questioned and confronted by Peter, He did not condemn him in anger and say "Who do you think you are pathetic human! How dare you question your God?" Instead, He told Peter, "I have prayed to the Father for you."

God is not sitting there waiting for chances to slap us around or condemn us.

 

[Elijah2]

I need your help as Spirit filled christians as I wouldn't believe anyone else.
I'm trying to believe in God
First off mate, are you saved, are you born again?

Did you make that most important decision in your life and made a sincere commitment to follow our Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, King and Lord of your life?

When you make that decision our Lord Jesus Christ was standing before you with His arms open wide saying, “Trust Me. Believe in Me. I love you and want to have a personal relationship with you!”

Our Lord Jesus Christ is your defender, and He died on a cross to make a new and exciting life possible for you.

May the dark world of Satan may have held a certain appeal to you in your past life, but that is only temporary, because our Almighty God, our Lord Jesus Christ has much more to offer you, in a satisfying and purposeful relationship with Him.

Before you can experience all of this you must really choose to follow our Lord Jesus Christ. So, have you made that decision?

Have you really decided to follow our Lord Jesus Christ, and if so, then you need to surrender your life continuously to our Lord Jesus Christ.

In John 14:6, our Lord Jesus Christ said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” If you want to establish that most important relationship of your life, then you need to open your heart to our Lord Jesus Christ.

Now to do to this you need to:

1. Admit that you are sinner and have a need for a relationship with our Heavenly Father through our Lord Jesus Christ: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23).

2. Be willing to confess and repent by turning away from your sin and start living you life depending on God, our Lord Jesus Christ: “That if confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom. 10:9).

3. Believe that our Lord Jesus Christ died for you on the cross and after three days rose from the grave: “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8).

4. By a simple act of faith, through prayer, invite our Lord Jesus Christ to come in and control your life through the Holy Spirit: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come to him and dine with him, and he with Me” (Rev. 3:20).

and am currently challenged understanding why the old Testament God has killed so many people and asked Israel to kill entire cities, sometimes with their children and women. There's a case where the earth opens and devours the sinned men with their whole families.
The OT is there for you to see the lives of God’s People. The OT is the NT, and from it came the NT, our Lord Jesus Christ.

On the other hand I know the New Testament pretty well and we all know the way Jesus lived and thought we should live. For me this is very contradictory and the Bible says that God doesn't change.
What NT do you read from, KJV?

help me understand, any link to books/articles highly appreciated.
Please pray for me as I really need it.

Yes I will pray for you and please read this prayer and allow it to settle upon your heart and then pray it:


Heavenly Father, I come to You through our Lord Jesus Christ.

I admit that I am a sinner and need Your forgiveness.

I believe that Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ died for my sins and I want to turn away from my sins and start following Him.

I now invite You, our Lord Jesus Christ to come into my heart and life.

I want to trust You as my King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Saviour and the Master of my life and there is no other master in my life but YOU, our Lord Jesus Christ.

I acknowledge that our Lord Jesus Christ who is our Almighty God; was born of a virgin; came to earth in the flesh; died on the cross; arose from the grave three days later; and now sits at the right hand of His Father, our Heavenly Father.

I now confirm that You, our Lord Jesus Christ that You are my King, Lord, Saviour, Master and my Almighty God.

I pray this in Jesus’ Name. (AMEN)

 

[enoch son]

enoc son,

yes - i know i am a pot, and probably one meant for destruction.
yet the potter has given me a brain, i hope you would not deny...
and i am searching for some answers, while looking back for my faith.
and i am doubting the text, not him.

i fail to see your love though, not that i really need it.
that's in case you care..
i always seem to miss the point of people kicking a fallen one - i'm pretty sure i mentioned that i needed help.

please don't assume i will discuss your answer further, you owe me nothing.

all the best,
rado

You have written a bunch of lies told by men to other man about what they think the nature of God is. No where in the word does God make the statements you are saying about Him. You are HUNG UP in the lies you have been told and have falling into the ditch on the side of the road. As for love my friend I would die for you but your flesh I don't care about it's already dead! You can't kick a dead thing like the flesh hung on the cross. If it baby gloves you want to be handle with then by all means let those who like kid's glove talk to you. But I for one don't like my Father in heaven nature to be spit on. HE TOLD ADAM AND EVE DON'T EAT. HE WARN THEM OF THE OUTCOME. WHAT TO YOU WANT HIM TO DO SAID HE SORRY. OH POOR US. I'M SO SAD. GOOD GRIEF!

 

[KleinerApfel]

Enoch Son, why the rage at a new poster who is respectfully asking an honest question???

You claim lies - how come? You disagree that God told Israel to destroy certain tribes, including men, women, children and livestock?

It's in the Bible, and we need to look at it and seek understanding, not pretend it isn't there.

 

[imperfectchristian]

Hello,

I need your help as Spirit filled christians as I wouldn't believe anyone else.
I'm trying to believe in God and am currently challenged understanding why the old Testament God has killed so many people and asked Israel to kill entire cities, sometimes with their children and women. There's a case where the earth opens and devours the sinned men with their whole families.
On the other hand I know the New Testament pretty well and we all know the way Jesus lived and thought we should live. For me this is very contradictory and the Bible says that God doesn't change.

help me understand, any link to books/articles highly appreciated.
Please pray for me as I really need it.



Rado

I think you are asking a great question that every believer worth his salt should ask.

I apologize that I did not really answer your first question with my first response.

I secretly struggled deeply with the question "why does God allow the suffering of innocent people" for years. It nearly drove me away from God until one day when I was at the end of my rope, I fell on my knees in total frustration and exhaustion.

I can't honestly tell you what happened because I'm not sure myself. I was seeking a refilling of the Holy Spirit and it's as if God brought up the issue I was really struggling with. When I finally let it all out...my anger, my hurt, etc... (towards God) God's presence filled the room.

My mind filled with thoughts that were not my thoughts. I suddenly became aware that God is so infinitely bigger than anything we can conceive or imagine. Looking back I can see that I had been holding on to casts of God that were actually nothing more than religious doctrine and at once it was as if I released them.

God is infintely bigger than man's understanding and interpretation of Scripture. The Spirit of Jesus is the Spirit of grace and truth and I believe if you are seeking grace and truth with all of your heart then you will find God.


hope this helps