why does god let bad things happen?

[zimmer]

(Gen 1:26) And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
(Gen 1:27) So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
(Gen 1:28) And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

God's original plan was the perfect garden of Eden. Man would have dominion.
dominion
\Do*min"ion\, n.
1. Sovereign or supreme authority; the power of governing and controlling; independent right of possession, use, and control; sovereignty; supremacy.

Thus God was letting us go. He was giving us the power to run the earth as we saw fit. The choice to be with him was always that. Man decided to have the apple and introduce sin. This lead to a decay that God didn't have in the original plan. All the bad things that happen to good people can be tracked back to this original decay in one way or another. By Gen. 1:26-28 we see because of that choice God will not get invovled unless invited. God wants your love. You wouldn't love some one who forced you to do things their way. You have to have a choice to be able to develop LOVE. So remember the bad things that come are not from God but from the bad choice of man in the begining. Though God will use all things for his purpose. He very well may use something that has happened to you for his good.

(Rom 8:28) And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

God is your heavenly father. Would your loving earthly father do something bad happen to you?

(Luk 11:11) If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?
(Luk 11:12) Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
(Luk 11:13) If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

So if your earthly father would not do something bad to you why would your heavenly father?

(Jam 1:13) Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:

God is not capable of sin or having you commit sin. It was man's choice all along. That sin grew like the yeast. A little yeast can work through the whole batch of dough. Now we have tremendous problems in our world that originate from that first sin, hence bad things happening to good people.

I hope you kept up. Thoughts were coming faster than I could type. Might have confused myself on that one.

 

[Aaron11]

(Gen 1:26) And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
(Gen 1:27) So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
(Gen 1:28) And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

God's original plan was the perfect garden of Eden. Man would have dominion.
dominion
\Do*min"ion\, n.
1. Sovereign or supreme authority; the power of governing and controlling; independent right of possession, use, and control; sovereignty; supremacy.

Thus God was letting us go. He was giving us the power to run the earth as we saw fit. The choice to be with him was always that. Man decided to have the apple and introduce sin. This lead to a decay that God didn't have in the original plan. All the bad things that happen to good people can be tracked back to this original decay in one way or another. By Gen. 1:26-28 we see because of that choice God will not get invovled unless invited. God wants your love. You wouldn't love some one who forced you to do things their way. You have to have a choice to be able to develop LOVE. So remember the bad things that come are not from God but from the bad choice of man in the begining. Though God will use all things for his purpose. He very well may use something that has happened to you for his good.

(Rom 8:28) And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

God is your heavenly father. Would your loving earthly father do something bad happen to you?

(Luk 11:11) If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?
(Luk 11:12) Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
(Luk 11:13) If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

So if your earthly father would not do something bad to you why would your heavenly father?

(Jam 1:13) Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:

God is not capable of sin or having you commit sin. It was man's choice all along. That sin grew like the yeast. A little yeast can work through the whole batch of dough. Now we have tremendous problems in our world that originate from that first sin, hence bad things happening to good people.

I hope you kept up. Thoughts were coming faster than I could type. Might have confused myself on that one.

I completely agree. Well said.

 

[jay_swift]

Why does God let bad things happen... why does he let good things happen? The truth is he lets everything happen.

I think of God as a judge in a trial. If I were at trial for starving, and my attorney says, "but he's a great person who has never done anything wrong. he even worships You!" the judge would say, "sorry, he still has no food in his belly, I can't help him - he's guilty of starvation" and I would die. (and go to heaven!)

The judge could have saved me, he certainly has the power to do so... so why not? Well then he would have to save everyone, perhaps. The fact is, its just not fair for him to save me!

God has already given us alot. He gave us salvation, and we don't even have to offer burnt offerings like in the Old Testiment! So why are we asking for more? It's our responsibilty to look after those starving kids.

There's enough land on the Earth to create the food it takes to feed everyone. It's our fault that we're too selfish to give it away, not God's!

 

[Gift_of_God]

This is a very sensitive and vital question. It deserves the utmost attention and study, for many a person has rejected God for this seemingly unanswerable question. Yet if one is deeply serious about his standing before God this question can not only be answered, but also be shown to demonstrate the love of God.



If one demands this question answered and uses his anger over his ignorance to reject God, it still doesn't change the fact that we are all sinners and living in a fallen world and will one day be brought into account before Almighty God Almighty.

That having been said, let us delve into the answer. First of all, if one asks this question, you must also consider three other questions. The first one is the converse of the asked question, Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people? It is simply stated Why does God allow good things to happen to bad people? If you admit the first question is true, then you must admit that the second question is also true. No matter how thin you slice it, there are always two sides. The answer can be found, of course, in Scripture. God allows good things to happen to bad people in order to show His mercy and love towards them. If He allows them to be struck dead instantly the moment they commit evil, they would have no time to repent. They would have no chance to consider their actions and come to repentance. God's forbearance shows His hope that none would perish; that all would come to Christ for eternal life. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. -- 2 Peter 3:9.

The third question is Why did Adam and Eve sin? He and Eve had it made. They were living in the Garden of Eden. God provided them with paradise. There were no bad things that happened. There was no sickness, no disease, no tears, no airplane crashes, no wars. But Adam and Eve sinned. They broke the covenant with God. Man made the mistake, not God. If you want an answer to the first question you must admit the answer to this question.

Now, you can debate the point that what does Adam's sin have to do with my life? Well, that is beyond the scope of this discussion, but there are books that explain that; if you seek, you shall find.

The fourth question is really the question you mean to ask. If you had seriously pondered this question, and meant business, instead of using it as an excuse, you could've come to this question. The first question derives from this question. The first question comes from an entirely humanistic perspective; the fourth question comes from an entirely spiritual perspective.

Here it is. Why did God allow Jesus Christ to be crucified on the cross? Why did God allow the worst injustice in the entire world to happen to the only man without sin? If you ask the first question from a righteous attitude, if you are morally outraged, if you really care about the injustice of the question, if your righteous indignation urges you to ask, what better example of the question itself than Jesus' death on the cross?

Think about it. Jesus lived the only perfect and sinless life: "Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth" -- 1 Peter 2:22. Even Pontius Pilate, the human authority declared this: Therefore, when the chief priests and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, "Crucify Him, crucify Him!" Pilate said to them, "You take Him and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him." -- John 19:6 Who else in all of history could've been declared more righteous than Jesus Christ? Who else could the most atrocious act had ever been committed against? If one were to provide the perfect illustration of the injustice of this question, what better event than the crucifixion of Christ on the cross? Here lived the only righteous man; the only one who had no sin in him, yet suffered the worst of death. He bore all the sins of the world for our sake.

Why did God allow this? Why did God allow the most injustice act to ever take place in the entire history of the world? And to His only begotten son, no less? Because of His love for us. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. -- 2 Cor 5:21. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. -- John 3:16.

We live in a fallen world. We have free will. Science tells us, 'For every action, there is a positive and equal reaction'. The Bible tells us, ' We shall reap what we sow'. As a child suffers a scraped knee when he falls down, so does man suffer when things happen in this world.

Until Jesus returns and restores the earth back to what He intended before Adam fell, we must live in this world where Satan has dominion and evil lives. (Don't misunderstand; Satan is a defeated foe. Jesus won the victory at Calvary, and everyone in Christ has the means to overcome in this world through his Holy Spirit. But those who are without Christ are indeed under Satan's dominion.)

But when bad things happen to good people, our Heavenly Father is there to care for us, to bear our burdens, to heal our broken hearts, to strengthen us, and provide for all our needs. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. -- Hebrews 4:15-16.

We can so walk with Jesus that we can have abundant joy in this world. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. -- John 10:10. We can have the peace of Christ. ...let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. -- Philippians 4:4-7. We can have the love of God. ...that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height- to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. -- Ephesians 3:17-19. From my own personal experience, the most horrible things that happened in my life in the past few years have turned out to be blessings when I turned to God and put the problem in His hands, trusted Him, sought His way, and let the Sovereign God heal me. And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. -- Philippians 4:15-16

Our focus, however, needs to be on our eternal life with Jesus. This life is but a blink of an eye in time compared to all eternity, which will be beyond what we can imagine.

 

[Pseud]

Good post G_o_G!

 

[Gift_of_God]

Thanks

 

[allieisme]

You might want to change the color font.. Im not sure anyone can make out what your post says right now with it being the teal color.

First of all, I'm glad you said "let" instead of "make" bad things happen!
There's an often looked-over book of the bible called Habakkuk, which you can read at biblegateway.com . It's only three chapters long, but it holds a lot of the answers to questions we have about why God lets bad things happen.
Here's one of the key verses to answer your question...

Habakkuk 1:5 ---
"Look at the nations and watch-
and be utterly amazed.
For I am going to do something in your days
that you would not believe,
even if you were told."

Basically, what I feel we can get out of this verse is that we need to be patient and wait.. because God has wonderful plans for this world, and if you have faith in that promise those plans will include you. God works in mysterious ways, but he will provide! We just have to trust, believe, love, and pray.

Then we also have Romans 2:6-11

God "will give to each person according to what he has done." To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For God does not show favoritism.

The point being made here is that God 'punishes' both those who are saved on earth, as well as those who are not. This punishment may be something like a lost job or a car accident..or smaller like a bad grade on a paper. If your focus is not on God, He's going to throw things into your life that change that focus.

I'll give you an example from my life. I had my heart set on going to St Cloud State to get a degree in business, become a famous/rich business person and "do good for the world" whatever that meant. God showed me that my plan wasn't His plan pretty quickly. I was so focused in finding what I wanted to do with life, that I forgot who I was doing it for. I wasn't focused on God, and because of that.. I lost out on some opportunities that I could have had if I had been focusing on where God wanted me to be. It took me a long time to figure out where God wanted me to be, but now that I found it.. I've encountered some of the most amazing blessings possible. And sure, bad things still happen.. but I know that my God will provide for me. (Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you to you the desires of your heart -- Psalm 37:4) He will never abandon His children!

You can look at it like a parent/child relationship. If you do something that's out of line, a parent would punish you. God isn't going to stop loving you, just like a parent would never stop loving you. God's love is unconditional, no matter where you are coming from, who you are, what you did, why you did it.. it doesn't matter. You are HIS.. and He loves you enough to give His one and only son for you to be saved from hell.

I hope this helped a little.. I know I got a little off topic.. but it's such a passionate subject for me! I pray that all your questions are answered, and that we can all rejoice one day together in heaven!

 

[allieisme]

Let me just say this:

God doesnt let anything bad happen to you, HE is there to pick you up if or when you fall for whatever the reason.. When I say fall, I dont mean, fall in faith, I mean whatever the circumstances are.

 

[GirlForChrist]

Because man has chosen to provide for himself. Men allow each other to starve and die. That is why Jesus asks when He returns: "Did you feed me when I was hungry?" "Did you clothe me when I was naked?" "Did you visit me when I was sick or give me shelter when I was a stranger?"

Have you?


MATT. 25:31-45 When the Son of Man comes in his glory....He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.....Then he will say to those on his left,'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil & his angels. FOR I WAS HUNGRY & YOU GAVE ME NOTHING TO EAT, I WAS THIRSTY & YOU GAVE ME NOTHING TO DRINK, I WAS A STRANGER & YOU DID NOT INVITE ME IN, I NEEDED CLOTHES AND YOU DID NOT CLOTHE ME, I WAS SICK AND IN PRISON, AND YOU DID-- NOT LOOK AFTER ME.". "Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me."

I agree

 

[Aaron11]

Let me just say this:

God doesnt let anything bad happen to you, HE is there to pick you up if or when you fall for whatever the reason.. When I say fall, I dont mean, fall in faith, I mean whatever the circumstances are.

I am a believer in God, but what your saying is not convincing. If you believe that God is all powerful, he has to let anything happen that happens (including bad things). This means that when bad things happen, God could have stopped them. By denying that God allows bad things to happen to you, you are denying the power of God. I know you aren't trying to do this, but it is necessary to ignore God's power to say that He doesn't let the bad stuff happen to us. Look at Job. God let bad things happen to him. There is one example that shows your statement incorrect.

 

[allieisme]

Ohh, I totally didnt mean it that way at all..I meant that God doesnt not let bad things happen. Bad things happen all the time, and they happen because God allowed sin to take place. I totally agree with you, and I totally worded it wrong..My apologies..

I am a believer in God, but what your saying is not convincing. If you believe that God is all powerful, he has to let anything happen that happens (including bad things). This means that when bad things happen, God could have stopped them. By denying that God allows bad things to happen to you, you are denying the power of God. I know you aren't trying to do this, but it is necessary to ignore God's power to say that He doesn't let the bad stuff happen to us. Look at Job. God let bad things happen to him. There is one example that shows your statement incorrect.

 

[Aaron11]

I wasn't trying to be harsh... Sorry for misunderstanding.

 

[allieisme]

Oh you werent being harsh at all.. I felt horrible that it came out wrong!

 

[Svt4Him]

Study the soil for a moment. It naturally produces weeds. No one plants them; no one waters them. They even stubbornly push through cracks of a dry sidewalk. Millions of useless weeds sprout like there’s no tomorrow, strangling our crops and ruining our lawns. Pull them out by the roots, and there will be more tomorrow. They are nothing but a curse! Consider how much of the earth is uninhabitable. There are millions of square miles of barren deserts in Africa and other parts of the world. Most of Australia is nothing but miles and miles of useless desolate land. Not only that, but the earth is constantly shaken with massive earthquakes. Its shores are lashed with hurricanes; tornadoes rip through creation with incredible fury; devastating floods soak the land; and terrible droughts parch the soil. Sharks, tigers, lions, snakes, spiders, and disease-carrying mosquitoes attack humanity and suck its life’s blood.

The earth’s inhabitants are afflicted with disease, pain, suffering, and death. Think of how many people are plagued with cancer, Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, heart disease, emphysema, Parkinson’s, and a number of other debilitating illnesses. Consider all the children with leukemia, or people born with crippling diseases or without the mental capability to even feed themselves. All these things should convince thinking minds that something is radically wrong.

Did God blow it when He created humanity?

What sort of tyrant must our Creator be if this was His master plan?

Sadly, many use the issue of suffering as an excuse to reject any thought of God, when its existence is the very reason we should accept Him. Suffering stands as terrible testimony to the truth of the explanation given by the Word of God. But how can we know that the Bible is true? Simply by studying the prophecies of Matthew 24, Luke 21, and 2 Timothy 3. A few minutes of openhearted inspection will convince any honest skeptic that this is no ordinary book. It is the supernatural testament of our Creator about why there is suffering...and what we can do about it.

The Bible tells us that God cursed the earth because of Adam’s transgression. Weeds are a curse. So is disease. Sin and suffering cannot be separated. The Scriptures inform us that we live in a fallen creation. In the beginning, God created man perfect, and he lived in a perfect world without suffering. It was heaven on earth. When sin came into the world, death and misery came with it. Those who understand the message of Holy Scripture eagerly await a new heaven and a new earth "wherein dwells righteous-ness." In that coming Kingdom there will be no more pain, suffering, disease, or death. We are told that no eye has ever seen, nor has any ear heard, neither has any man’s mind ever imagined the wonderful things that God has in store for those who love Him (1 Corinthians 2:9). Think for a moment what it would be like if food grew with the fervor of weeds.

Consider how wonderful it would be if the deserts became incredibly fertile, if creation stopped devouring humanity. Imagine if the weather worked for us instead of against us, if disease completely disappeared, if pain was a thing of the past, if death was no more. The dilemma is that we are like a child whose insatiable appetite for chocolate has caused his face to break out with ugly sores. He looks in the mirror and sees a sight that makes him depressed. But instead of giving up his beloved chocolate, he consoles himself by stuffing more into his mouth. Yet, the source of his pleasure is actually the cause of his suffering. The whole face of the earth is nothing but ugly sores of suffering. Everywhere we look we see unspeakable pain. But instead of believing God’s explanation and asking Him to forgive us and change our appetite, we run deeper into sin’s sweet embrace. There we find solace in its temporal pleasures, thus intensifying our pain, both in this life and in the life to come.

 

[a2j4ever]

it's not god punishing those children. them dying is a result of the cruelty of man and man's sin, it is just a shame they have to suffer, but children are special in the kingdon of God, and they will have a huge palace!

 

[Svt4Him]

I have to add, that not all children dying is a result of sin. Why do some children die, and others live? I have no idea. There are times when things just don't make sense, and anyone who can give you a cut and dry answer really hasn't lived through some of those issues. It's during those times where all you can do is rely on what you know about God, and know that one day it will be made clear. Dr. Dobson has a great book called "When God doesn't make sense."

 

[Running-From-Flames]

Parents have lost control, and basically given up these days "Most"