Question that's been bugging me for the a while.

e r

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Just have a quick question , I mean this has probably been answered like 100x before or posted about , but lately i've been going to church more and more with my family , and yesterday we were taking classes about satan etc , and the pastor said that the inferno was made for the devil and his demons , but I became really curious. I really dont like saying this because I feel somewhat ignorant for asking it , but then again I feel ignorant if I just stay quiet. So obviously my whole life i've been told God is good , and God is powerful. If he's all good , why do we have so many disasters and pestilence even if it's because of free will, he has the power to make all of the evil go away, so thats what makes me think , and like I said I hate saying it , but at times I think , "Either he's not all good, or he's not that powerful".

Sorry if I offended anyone with these ignorant questions I just dont feel that comfortable asking these sort of questions infront of everyone at church so I thought I could get some clarity or advice on here. Thanks
 
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TimAM

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From my understanding, the Earth was once perfect. It was calm, serene, and peaceful. But, once Adam and Eve disobeyed God, the earth was cursed. With that curse, the weather patterns got thrown into disorder and that causes a lot of the natural disasters we have. God permits this for a while, but one day He is going to fix it.

Romans 8:20-23 "For the creation was subjected to futility, not by its own will, but because of the One who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies."

God is being patient right now giving people a chance to repent and be saved. That's why He's not immediately fixing it.

2 Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."

All bad things can be traced back to the devil and his temptations and the result of Adam and Eve sinning. God never wanted these bad things to happen, but once they did happen He already had a plan in place.

So, God is indeed good waiting for people to be saved and God is also powerful because one day He will fix it. God has timing for everything. In says in Scripture that at the right time, God sent His Son into the world.

Galatians 4:4 "But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law," (NIV)

We may not always understand God's timetable, but He who sees all and knows all will do what is right.

Hope that helped. :)
 
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anna ~ grace

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That's actually a really good question. Long story short, all of creation was troubled, changed, and saddened at the Fall. Adam's sin did not just change life for him and his wife, but changed and marred what God had created as excellent and perfect. We live in a universe that is imperfect, but still reflects the goodness of who God is. He allows us to endure pain and difficulty also, to humble us, to help us seek a closeness to Him, and to give us opportunities to love and help each other, too. That's my thought.
 
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Soyeong

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Just have a quick question , I mean this has probably been answered like 100x before or posted about , but lately i've been going to church more and more with my family , and yesterday we were taking classes about satan etc , and the pastor said that the inferno was made for the devil and his demons , but I became really curious. I really dont like saying this because I feel somewhat ignorant for asking it , but then again I feel ignorant if I just stay quiet. So obviously my whole life i've been told God is good , and God is powerful. If he's all good , why do we have so many disasters and pestilence even if it's because of free will, he has the power to make all of the evil go away, so thats what makes me think , and like I said I hate saying it , but at times I think , "Either he's not all good, or he's not that powerful".

Sorry if I offended anyone with these ignorant questions I just dont feel that comfortable asking these sort of questions infront of everyone at church so I thought I could get some clarity or advice on here. Thanks

Hello and welcome!

It's a good question and one that countless Christians have pondered over the centuries, so you are in good company, and you should feel no shame for asking it. If there is any shame to go around, then it is shame on your church for making you feel uncomfortable for asking these sorts of questions instead of making you feel welcome to ask them.

My take on your question is that there are two problems: it lacks a frame of reference and stopping point. In regard to the frame of reference, we whether God has acted to prevent even greater disasters from happening because they never happened. In regard to the stopping point, if God would to line up all of the possible causes of suffering in the world from least to greatest and then act to prevent to greatest from happening, then people would still ask your same question. God could act to prevent the next greatest down the line until the greatest cause of suffering that God allowed was stubbing your toe, and people would still ask why a good God would allow even that much. Furthermore, if God only allowed us to experience joy and great joy, then people would still wonder why a good God would allow them to have the lesser experience.

However, we learn through contrast, so we have a concept of hotness because we also have a concept of coldness, and if someone lived at one temperature their entire lives, then they would have no concept of hotness and coldness. So if someone experienced only great joy their entire lives, then it would be doubtful that they could even recognize and appreciate it for what it is, and the greater the contrast, the more that they can value it. In order for us to choose to do good, we must also be able to do evil, and the greater the evil that we can choose to do, the greater the good we can do in overcoming that evil. If God were to act to prevent all evil from happening, then there would be nothing to overcome and no good available for us to do, so we would quite literally be good for nothing. God wants us to be overcomers and choose to do good, so that requires Him to allow there to be things that we can overcome. So the issue whether it is possible for God to have a motivation for allowing something in order to bring about good. By grace through faith we have been given the incredible privilege and opportunity to be overcomers and to reflect God's goodness to the world.
 
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4x4toy

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To put it simple . Nobody is promised tomorrow in the flesh . Since Adam, we all are born to die and suffer hell ..The good news is Jesus death and resurrection for us who saves us from death and hell, and God is good because his gift is resurrection from our grave to eternal life .. Jesus of all people did not deserve death and hell punishment so start with his life if you call anything unfair ..
 
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Sarah G

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The curse we live under, for now. I feel that no matter what Satan, demons and dark energies throw at us, we remain basically good. Most people are basically good and yearn for the light despite the terrible sufferings we experience and see around us. I believe that is the point of it all. A while back I attended a (secular) government run course for women like me, around 40, been through a lot of bad and difficult times, lived in poverty for a long time and pretty much everybody listed God as being the number one thing they believed in. It really surprised me but now I see it everywhere. Suffering tests us and we prove that we are created good and love all that is good. Walking with Jesus is certainly the best and safest way to stay true to our innate goodness and protect us from the dark energies of the curse that want us to give in to them.
 
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SkyWriting

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So obviously my whole life i've been told God is good , and God is powerful. If he's all good , why do we have so many disasters and pestilence even if it's because of free will, he has the power to make all of the evil go away, so thats what makes me think , and like I said I hate saying it , but at times I think , "Either he's not all good, or he's not that powerful".

This is not the Garden of Paradise that we were kicked out of and the gates sealed.
Your entire Christian life (and first post ever) and nobody mentioned that?
If God is walking with you in a Garden, then you are back in paradise.
This is not that place.

But you do have the opportunity to Trust God and get to be with Him.
 
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4x4toy

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Just have a quick question , I mean this has probably been answered like 100x before or posted about , but lately i've been going to church more and more with my family , and yesterday we were taking classes about satan etc , and the pastor said that the inferno was made for the devil and his demons , but I became really curious. I really dont like saying this because I feel somewhat ignorant for asking it , but then again I feel ignorant if I just stay quiet. So obviously my whole life i've been told God is good , and God is powerful. If he's all good , why do we have so many disasters and pestilence even if it's because of free will, he has the power to make all of the evil go away, so thats what makes me think , and like I said I hate saying it , but at times I think , "Either he's not all good, or he's not that powerful".

Sorry if I offended anyone with these ignorant questions I just dont feel that comfortable asking these sort of questions infront of everyone at church so I thought I could get some clarity or advice on here. Thanks

Secondly, if not for troubles we would sit around like Greek gods eating grapes with no purpose to life or reason to know our creator ... Here's an example . I came across a young black mother who had a child born without one hand and one foot . Poor on top of that and she had holes in her sweater . So I knew God could heal that child without doubt, so I rolled up my sleeves and began to fast and pray for God to make that child normal and grow him a new hand and foot , Jacob struggling with God and not letting go was in my mind after 5 or 6 days seeking God's face with no thought of giving up with my Father in Heaven and as his son . So my Father told me . What you call normal is different from what I call normal , this child will bring 40,60,100, time more glory the way I have made him than what you call normal . I have provided for this child and his mother their whole life already .. Then God give me a vision of a young man hobbling but doing fine walking up the street and the grace of God was on him .. He had a love for Jesus that made me envy . As he walked up the street and neighbors saw him they couldn't wait to get to speak to this young man of God . Now he suffered ridicule and hardship but Gods grace and love remained on him . Now suppose God had grew this child a new hand and foot as I insisted, suppose he used his natural attraction ability and his new physical perfection as I had prayed for selfish and worldly gain with no need or thought of God .. Jesus opened my eyes that day that Gods ways are indeed higher and wiser than ours .. That does not mean we do not pray for healing , It only means sometimes hardships are to serve a higher purpose .. Sometimes for judgment . God is good and knows what he is doing .. God gives grace to endure all things if you care to receive it .
 
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4x4toy

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Thirdly , Jesus allows us to suffer, to be tried , to be refined , to prepare to know and share burdens and overcome hardships , to deny self and seek God , to discipleship , to not blindly walking into heaven and taking a seat meant for some one else .. To face lifes troubles squarely with God at our side and not buying our way out with riches .
 
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longwait

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Just have a quick question , I mean this has probably been answered like 100x before or posted about , but lately i've been going to church more and more with my family , and yesterday we were taking classes about satan etc , and the pastor said that the inferno was made for the devil and his demons , but I became really curious. I really dont like saying this because I feel somewhat ignorant for asking it , but then again I feel ignorant if I just stay quiet. So obviously my whole life i've been told God is good , and God is powerful. If he's all good , why do we have so many disasters and pestilence even if it's because of free will, he has the power to make all of the evil go away, so thats what makes me think , and like I said I hate saying it , but at times I think , "Either he's not all good, or he's not that powerful".

Sorry if I offended anyone with these ignorant questions I just dont feel that comfortable asking these sort of questions infront of everyone at church so I thought I could get some clarity or advice on here. Thanks

The problem now is that there is too many unlimited grace teachings circulating that people can't seem to digest the other side of God. He is also very much a God of justice and judgement as He is a God of grace.
 
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noam burde

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Just have a quick question , I mean this has probably been answered like 100x before or posted about , but lately i've been going to church more and more with my family , and yesterday we were taking classes about satan etc , and the pastor said that the inferno was made for the devil and his demons , but I became really curious. I really dont like saying this because I feel somewhat ignorant for asking it , but then again I feel ignorant if I just stay quiet. So obviously my whole life i've been told God is good , and God is powerful. If he's all good , why do we have so many disasters and pestilence even if it's because of free will, he has the power to make all of the evil go away, so thats what makes me think , and like I said I hate saying it , but at times I think , "Either he's not all good, or he's not that powerful".

Sorry if I offended anyone with these ignorant questions I just dont feel that comfortable asking these sort of questions infront of everyone at church so I thought I could get some clarity or advice on here. Thanks

the hard truth is, that in most cases. maybe all.
a person need to feel at some point in his life like he wants to die.
because its the only thing that can make a person interested enough in doing the will of God...

when people have it good in this world. they think and care only about this world.

when people have it bad here. when someone doesn't want his life here anymore.
then at least some people, put he's hopes for he his future in Gods power and Gods desire to help him.
and then that person at least might make himself become who God wants him to become.

jesus said about this in Matthew 11:28-30:
"28 Come to Me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light."
 
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