Why is There Death and Suffering if God is all Loving

[com7fy8]

agreed, but who would summit to a god who allows suffering and death unless a good reason was given?

But I don't think Jesus gave a reason; but Jesus simply told us what we need and what God wants.

Do you remember anywhere where Jesus tries to give a reason why God allows suffering and death?

I am fine, though, with offering things, but while acknowledging that Jesus did not.

My opinion is Jesus knows suffering and death are a reality, and He knows God is good and all the best we can have; so He skipped why the suffering and why God exists, and worked with reality just as it is.

And Jesus went through all that suffering, Jesus who says if we have seen Him we have seen our Father > John 14:9 < so, I see that Jesus going through all that is to show that God is in and through all which is in this evil world. But God is doing what is good . . . like how Jesus used that horrible situation on Calvary for good.

What we need to see is how God is not changed by all the evil and suffering. And with Him in His love we can share with Him in this, so evil and suffering and death are not able to do us in.

I think of 1 Peter 3:4 > how the beauty of the "gentle and quiet spirit" is so pleasing to God and it is "incorruptible" > so this can make us so we can not be corrupted by fear and stress and unforgiveness and dominating and dictatorial drives for pleasure and excitement. But we can be quiet in sharing with God in His almighty power of His peace guarding us > Philippians 4:4-6.

So, first it might be wise to simply trust God to have us doing what is good. And it might not be wise to make ourselves the judges of God, in any case.

My opinion is that God is in absolute control of all things. And this evil world is His temporary holding place for evil before it gets flushed to the flaming sewer. And we can be with God, in love sharing with Him, even right "in the presence of my enemies" and not allow that evil to get the better of us. Or, ones can volunteer to be sewer buckets of hate and lusts and unforgiveness and other sewage of Satan's vile spirit > Ephesians 2:2.

So, it is not wise to condemn the One who is able to cleanse us of such filth and change us into vessels of His love.

is god evil and enjoys death? if not why is there death?

Our Apostle Paul does say the last enemy which will be destroyed is death, right (1 Corinthians 15)? So, this should answer that question > no God does not enjoy death. But He has made His good use of it, by raising Jesus from the dead to show death is not over God.

Along with what others have likely already offered you > there is "the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience" (Ephesians 2:2). This wicked and cruel and destructive spirit of Satan is anti-creative. Ones living in sin are effected medically so their bodies break down and die. For example > plenty of medical professionals claim how stress has medical effects which can be lethal. And we see how ones demon possessed can have such major medical issues.

So, yes as much as a person lives in sin, in what is selfish and love-dead, the person is weak enough to give in to various lethal things effecting the person.

Yes, we Jesus people also can have more or less life threatening issues medical . . . because we still give in to stress instead of obeying how God rules us in His peace and Jesus gives us "rest for your souls." (in Matthew 11:28-30)

We can talk about why, but mainly we need to seek first God's kingdom, then I believe all we need will be added (Matthew 6:33) . . . while we get more into seeking God for Himself and resisting and refusing to give in to fear and stress and other anti-love things. But we need to be submissive to God, and not only trying to use Him to get rid of problem emotions and feelings while we keep trying to live the way we want.

 

[Tolkien R.R.J]

But I don't think Jesus gave a reason; but Jesus simply told us what we need and what God wants.

Do you remember anywhere where Jesus tries to give a reason why God allows suffering and death?

I am fine, though, with offering things, but while acknowledging that Jesus did not.

My opinion is Jesus knows suffering and death are a reality, and He knows God is good and all the best we can have; so He skipped why the suffering and why God exists, and worked with reality just as it is.

And Jesus went through all that suffering, Jesus who says if we have seen Him we have seen our Father > John 14:9 < so, I see that Jesus going through all that is to show that God is in and through all which is in this evil world. But God is doing what is good . . . like how Jesus used that horrible situation on Calvary for good.

What we need to see is how God is not changed by all the evil and suffering. And with Him in His love we can share with Him in this, so evil and suffering and death are not able to do us in.

I think of 1 Peter 3:4 > how the beauty of the "gentle and quiet spirit" is so pleasing to God and it is "incorruptible" > so this can make us so we can not be corrupted by fear and stress and unforgiveness and dominating and dictatorial drives for pleasure and excitement. But we can be quiet in sharing with God in His almighty power of His peace guarding us > Philippians 4:4-6.

So, first it might be wise to simply trust God to have us doing what is good. And it might not be wise to make ourselves the judges of God, in any case.

My opinion is that God is in absolute control of all things. And this evil world is His temporary holding place for evil before it gets flushed to the flaming sewer. And we can be with God, in love sharing with Him, even right "in the presence of my enemies" and not allow that evil to get the better of us. Or, ones can volunteer to be sewer buckets of hate and lusts and unforgiveness and other sewage of Satan's vile spirit > Ephesians 2:2.

So, it is not wise to condemn the One who is able to cleanse us of such filth and change us into vessels of His love.

Our Apostle Paul does say the last enemy which will be destroyed is death, right (1 Corinthians 15)? So, this should answer that question > no God does not enjoy death. But He has made His good use of it, by raising Jesus from the dead to show death is not over God.

Along with what others have likely already offered you > there is "the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience" (Ephesians 2:2). This wicked and cruel and destructive spirit of Satan is anti-creative. Ones living in sin are effected medically so their bodies break down and die. For example > plenty of medical professionals claim how stress has medical effects which can be lethal. And we see how ones demon possessed can have such major medical issues.

So, yes as much as a person lives in sin, in what is selfish and love-dead, the person is weak enough to give in to various lethal things effecting the person.

Yes, we Jesus people also can have more or less life threatening issues medical . . . because we still give in to stress instead of obeying how God rules us in His peace and Jesus gives us "rest for your souls." (in Matthew 11:28-30)

We can talk about why, but mainly we need to seek first God's kingdom, then I believe all we need will be added (Matthew 6:33) . . . while we get more into seeking God for Himself and resisting and refusing to give in to fear and stress and other anti-love things. But we need to be submissive to God, and not only trying to use Him to get rid of problem emotions and feelings while we keep trying to live the way we want.

“The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps.”
Proverbs 14:15

"Do not think that we say that these things are only to be received by faith, but also that they are to be asserted by reason. For indeed it is not safe to commit these things to bare faith without reason, since assuredly truth cannot be without reason. And therefore he who has received these things fortified by reason, can never lose them; whereas he who receives them without proofs, by an assent to a simple statement of them, can neither keep them safely, nor is certain if they are true; because he who easily believes, also easily yields. But he who has sought reason for those things which he has believed and received, as though bound by chains of reason itself, can never be torn away or separated from those things which he hath believed. And therefore, according as any one is more anxious in demanding a reason, by so much will he be the firmer in preserving his faith."
― Clement of Alexandria


God spoke to us through his entire bible not just Jesus. Therefore he does answer the question in Genesis. I of course hold a very difference view of Gods role in this fallen world than some posters such as yourself. I am also looking at this question from an apologist perspective, not as written to bible believing Christians as much. I think we need to show people faith is reasonable, not what they belive it as merely a blind faith.

Exodus 4:1-9 Isaiah 45:20-21 48:3-5 Acts 17:31 Jude 2 1 peter 3.15 2 Corinthians 10.5 1 kings 18 16-40 Matthew 11:4-6 2 Corinthians 10:5
5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,

 

[com7fy8]

I think we need to show people faith is reasonable

But our character can effect how well we understand Jesus and the whole Bible and it can effect how we reason. So, anything I say or think is subject to question

 

[Yekcidmij]

I will allow my child to ride a bike knowing they will fall and get hurt, that is not my hope or intention but I do allow it.

If you know your child will fall and get hurt and yet you let them ride the bike, then it has to be your intention for them to fall and get hurt. There was a course of action you could take and prevent the event from occurring, yet you chose not to. How can it not be your intent? In fact, you probably have a reason for allowing them to fall - presumably it will be something like making them better at bike riding. So it has to be your intent not only because you allow the event to take place when you could have stopped it, but because you had a purpose for allowing them to fall off the bike.

I'm not sure this analogy should be pushed too far though. For example, I doubt you would knowingly let your child accidentally cripple themselves just so they could learn some valuable life lessons. In these more extreme cases, you would take action to prevent the outcome because it's not your intent that they accidentally cripple themselves. If you did allow it, you would be negligent. You would be culpable.

 

[fhansen]

The bible says God originally created a perfect world with no death, sin, disease or suffering. People did not kill each other and animals did not kill each other- man and animals were vegetarian. However god created a world with free will. He wanted mankind to chose to love and obey him rather than be obedient robots. With free will comes the chance for sin, the first man Adam sinned against god and this sin caused separation from a holy perfect God who cannot dwell near sin. As a result of this separation from god, all the once very good creation know is falling apart. Death and disease are know part of creation and everything is wearing old. God is perfect and cannot be around sin or even look upon sin.

My view is a slightly nuanced version of yours I think.. Original Sin resulted in separation from God not so much because God can't exist around sinners but because the OS was the very choice of man to separate himself from God. That sin was the first act of disbelief, of God as God. By disobeying God, Adam was denying His godhood, His authority over Adam; Adam was asserting his own "godhood". Adam was cast into a world where he got what he wanted, where the Master's gone away so to speak, where we get to learn how we like it when man's will reigns supreme and unfettered. We're here to learn by contrast, with the help of revelation and grace, of God's existence, of God's goodness and trustworthiness, and of our absolute need for Him, 'apart from Whom we can do nothing' (John 15:5 ). We have no life apart from God.

And so Jesus came to reconcile man with God, by restoring the faith that should never have been compromised and shattered, to restore the "knowledge of God" that man had lost, in the act of becoming lost, as Jesus reveals that God to us, proving His existence, goodness and trustworthiness, and of our need for Him, proving His love IOW.

So it's not so much a matter of God not being able to look upon or associate with sinful man and then Jesus dying to rectify that situation as it is man pridefully not wanting to associate with God until he begins to learn the foolhardiness of that position and Jesus mercifully comes to definitively show us the true face of God, when hunankind was finally becoming ready to accept it.