why do bad things happen if god is in control

The colour of my socks? We see unjust, uncaring or even clearly wicked people doing things that adversely affect us. How God Works. And we embrace. A: You aren’t alone in being puzzled about this question; theologians and Bible scholars have discussed it for centuries without coming up with a final answer. An earlier version of this interview appeared in January 2015. Every time something bad was about to happen, God would personally intervene and stop it. Problems of all sizes and degrees happen to everyone. You can never look at the way the world is and read God’s purposes off from the way the world is. It is true that God is good and that in the world under His control bad things happen—at least bad things happen from the human perspective. The doctrine of God’s sovereignty is meant to give us peace and joy and help us trust God at all times, even when we are suffering. Isn’t it better to face life’s problems with God rather than without Him? The word “gospel” originally meant “good news,” and that’s news about something that has happened as a result of which everything is different, including who we are, but it’s much bigger than that. July 20, 2016 Nobody can tell God what He “must” do. But there continue to be horrific tragedies and pain and suffering throughout the world. It can be distressing to think that bad things happen merely through chance or accident. Or if humans have free will, and God doesn't control everything on the earth, then why do we pray and ask him for things? Your words have been arrogant against Me,” says the LORD. This doesn’t mean bad things will never happen to us—but even when they do, we can know God is with us, and He will give us strength to stand against them. Do we really believe God is in control? And then, as one of Woody Allen’s characters says: “I sort of believe in God, but it looks like He’s basically an underachiever.” In other words, He’s not a very good CEO, He’s not good at running this show. But let me tell you three very important truths about evil that might help you. It teaches it by direct statements and by clear and sufficient implication. We don’t build the Kingdom, we build for the Kingdom. Sometimes the reason He doesn’t reverse the bad things that happen in your life is because God has three choices. 2. Where Are You, God? Who or what, then, is to blame when bad things happen? In Rom. If God really could not have stopped bad things from taking place, then why should we remain hopeful that He has purpose in those bad things and works them toward the good of His people (Romans 8:28)? I’ve been asked hundreds of times why God allows evil to take place, and I have to tell you honestly that I do not know the answer—not fully. If we believe that God is sovereign and that “all things work together for good,” then claiming something as bad is a really short-sighted view. Every weekday, get our new Deeper Walk devotional delivered to your inbox! If He’s really there. Will Graham: A Story on Social Distancing from the Old Testament, 1 Billy Graham Parkway, Charlotte, NC 28201 Are they just unfortunate things which must be endured or can they work for our good? It’s always more puzzling and confusing than that. One of our problems with the sovereignty of God is that it frequently does not appear that God is in control of the circumstances of our lives. When we read the stories of Jesus and see what is going on in those stories, perhaps we need to rethink the meaning of the word “God” around who we see in Jesus. 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Isn’t it better to face life’s problems with God rather than without Him? Is it good to suffer? How can I believe that God is in control when something bad happens? 1. Why do good people sometimes suffer terribly while evil people live lives of ease? We know He wants what’s best for us. Billy Graham’s Answers for Hard Times. The truth is, you can’t know all the reasons why God lets bad things happen. When I discipline my child, it might seem like a bad thing from his vantage point, but it is a good thing from mine. As Jesus said, “No one is good—except God alone” (Luke 18:19). God builds the Kingdom, but what we do in present is actually going to be taken up and used within that larger project. I am right now looking out a window at a beautiful blue sky, at a lovely winter’s morning, and you just think “This is a wonderful world, it’s so beautiful, it’s so full of promise and life.” And yet I’ve actually just had breakfast with a friend whose husband died just a couple of years ago, and she is still processing the question of why in early middle life would something like this happen? Part of our trouble is that in the Western world, we’ve assumed that God is, as it were, the celestial CEO of this thing called the universe incorporated. Third, the Bible tells us that in the meantime, God can give us victory over evil. They were suffering. Too many people get hung up on God’s sovereignty and think it means God “must” control all things. We have turned that into good advice like taking out a life insurance policy on your ultimate future. This oft-repeated question says nothing about God, but everything about human beings. If He could have prevented it. We know He is all-powerful. The beauty and power of creation are real. And that’s not the only crisis in the world: People across the globe are being persecuted and killed for their beliefs. Even to say that sounds like wacky or weird, and people say “What do you mean, ‘different layers of time’?” Because the way we live in today’s world is just time as a straight line and things get further and further away as you move on forward. When bad things happen, we might sometimes wonder where God is. Privacy God is not controlling. The news what God has done in and through Jesus creates a whole new world, and we are invited into that world. Not that we can bring the new creation by our own efforts—God brings that in God’s time. How Should You Spend Money During the Holidays? Although we would argue that God occasionally breaks the laws of physics (miracles), He does not do this on a routine basis. Is It Possible to Care About Every Issue? Toll Free: 1-877-247-2426. If God is in control why do he allow bad things to happen if he can fix it? Isn’t it better to face life’s problems with God rather than without Him? - We Have the Answer. That brings up the age old question: If God is good and He’s in control, why does He let bad things happen? We live between the news about something that has happened and the promise that therefore something will happen. Are natural disasters caused by God or Satan? Millions are living in poverty. We become mysteriously part of that. As hard as it is to acknowledge, we must remember that there are no “good” people, in the absolute sense of the word. 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He says; ‘Stay faithful to the covenant life’, but doesn’t usually hit us over the head with a sledgehammer when we don’t. Evil comes instead from Satan, and it entered this world when Satan deceived Adam and Eve and caused them to turn against God. If God is in charge why do bad things happen to good people? This doesn’t mean bad things will never happen to us—but even when they do, we can know God is with us, and He will give us strength to stand against them. God is going to do the new thing, for which those are signposts.”. So, Were Mary and Joseph Actually Refugees? First, God works all things according to his will. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. The basic point of the book is the difference between good news and good advice. If God is in control of everything that happens in the universe, then He is in control of everything that happens in your life as well. We live in a world that is marred by sin, so difficulties and disappointments are bound to cross our path. “You might like to sign up for this option because it will be better for you.”. Has He got it wrong?” But no, He’s been in the middle of this mess with us and He’s taken the worst the world can do onto Himself. Why do bad things happen to good people? All of us are tainted by and infected with sin (Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8). Every weekday, get RELEVANT's top five articles delivered to your inbox! You can never look at the way the world is and read God’s purposes off from the way the world is. What do you do when the roof falls in? It seems to me that this is what the Church, at its best, is always doing, usually below the radar. Watch Queue Queue. It means He has the power and authority to control all things if He so desires. This video is unavailable.   •   Topics: Suffering. He confirms that the world is fallen because we are out of the relationship with God that we are meant to live in. Why do bad things happen to good people? Both evil and Satan are real, and the two go hand-in-hand. Jesus himself never answers the question of why bad things happen in this world, other than to confirm that they will continue to happen. We know He is in control. I've always been puzzled about this. Why not commit your life to Him today? He has launched His project of new creation. But how do we know that God always controls everything?” How do we know that God always controls everything? On a practical level, since we’re in the middle of that and we can’t really see what God is doing, how do we live in light of that reality? This doesn’t mean bad things will never happen to us—but even when they do, we can know God is with us, and He will give us strength to stand against them. But God do es exist.. Michael Coren Page 1 of 3. Hearing about these things, we often find ourselves asking the question—sometimes out loud, sometimes just in our heads—”Where is God in all this?”. Wright is interested in. In general, miracles are done with the purpose of displaying God's power and authority. When a nation wins a just war, it might seem bad from the enemy’s side, but it is good for the world. My answer is that we know this because the Bible teaches it. Is Too Much Expertise Bad For Leadership? The vast spiritual conflict between Satan and God that has raged from the beginning of time will be over, and God will be triumphant. Why do bad things happen to God's people? The hope and peace we so desperately seek is not found in stopping every bad thing from happening, because we simply can’t do it. His book, Simply Good News, talks about the ways the truth of the Gospel transforms our present reality, creating a new period of time between Jesus’ death and His return. Bad things only happen because god is testing us whether it is in a negative way or in a positive way , God does this to see how strong we are as human beings- there is a saying that connotes ” God gives a hard time to his strongest survivors”. And we continue to face temptation, sorrow, and a multitude of trials within our … God often allows failure to point us to one critical truth: we can't live the Christian life on our own. The Bible talks about “the mystery of iniquity” (2 Thessalonians 2:7, KJV)—and that’s what evil is: a mystery. I ended up believing that He didn’t exist, and that’s why I became an atheist for eight years of my life.. I gulped then muttered something about a fallen world, that life will never be perfect on earth regardless of whether we’re good, bad, or somewhere in between. We weep with those who weep. As Christians, we have the answer that a hurting world needs. If He could have sent a miracle. Wars are raging. This video is unavailable. Do Our Bodies Matter to Our Spiritual Lives? People all around the United States and much of the world are still grappling with this weekend’s tragic shooting in Orlando, Florida. Is God in control of everything that happens—even evil things? We experience the consequences of other people’s mistakes and failures. We don't blow it off or act chipper. The church’s life of worship and prayer and sacraments and Scripture reading is a way of making that a reality, so that even though we find it hard to describe what’s going on, the reality of that fusion of time—God’s time and our time—is a very present reality. Contact Us. The Church consists of all God’s people going about this Kingdom work day by day, year by year, and this will be part of the new creation which God will eventually make. Bible Answer: The book of Malachi tells us about a very interesting complaint from the people of Israel against God. Did God create evil, or does He just allow it? ©2021 BGEA Several years ago, I commissioned a national survey and asked people what question they'd ask if they could only ask God one thing. But they do. Why not commit your life to Him today? Why does God allow failure and disappointments to happen if he's really in control? God neither causes bad things to happen nor incites others to do what is bad. Watch Queue Queue By Billy Graham   •   Part of our trouble is that it’s a feature of the modern Western world that we have forgotten about, as it were, different layers of time. Why Does God Let Bad Things Happen? Permissions No, we may not understand everything that happens to us—but when we know Christ, we know we are on the winning side. No, we may not understand everything that happens to us—but when we know Christ, we know we are on the winning side. That means your divorce, your affair, your lapse of judgment, your squandered opportunities, your failed business venture, your bankruptcy, your poor choices—these do not loosen God’s grip on the direction of your life at all. If He is, doesn't that make Him evil also? God’s sovereignty gives meaning to bad things. Not true. It’s not simply a machine or a business with God as the CEO. 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Kelly Loeffler to Stop Attacking Her Opponent’s Religion Views, The Case of a Woman in Jail for a Stillbirth May Determine the Future of America’s Abortion Debate, The U.S. Just Crossed 300,000 Deaths From COVID-19, Pornhub Has Removed Millions of Videos From Its Site. Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People? Watch Queue Queue 8:28 we find a famous verse which a lot of Christians know by heart. But actually, the world is much more complicated than that. "If God is in control, why do bad things happen?" “I can understand why God lets bad things happen to people who are evil, but why do bad things sometimes happen to good people? How do you think we live in that tension? Will Graham Q&A: What Good Can Possibly Come from COVID-19? He gives us options. Two of my kids approached me separately during those final weeks, and with pain on their faces, asked, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” Talk about a hard conversation! Find her online at darganthompson.com or follow her extremely random train of thought on Twitter @darganthompson. First, the Bible tells us that evil does not come from God, nor can we blame God for all the evils in the world. Some books - such as Job, Lamentations, Habakkuk, and plenty of the psalms - explicitly wrestle with the tension between God's sovereignty and the obvious presence and even flourishing of evil. This is the question of theodicy, and it's wrestled with in nearly every book of the Bible. Because “with evil things God cannot be tried, nor does he himself try anyone.” God does not try, or test, anyone by inciting him to behave badly. If God is not in control, then we can have no sure confidence that there is a point to the evil around us. Further, a lot of folks are quick to “claim the promise” of “I know the plans I … Does God really care? When we ask “why do ‘bad’ things happen,” we are interpreting bad from a very limited perspective. But through most periods of history, people knew perfectly well that actually, things could change with time. Now, there’s nothing wrong with good advice, but it’s not the same as good news. He does not give us free will then take it away. No, we may not understand everything that happens to us—but when we know Christ, we know we are on the winning side. Watch Queue Queue. They said, “It is vain to serve God.” They said there was no profit in serving Him. We live in a world where you can’t simply look at the evidence and say, “There you are, there is a good God, everything’s OK.” That’s why the good news of Jesus is that in the middle of this confusing world, with so much beauty but also so much sorrow, what God has done in Jesus launches a project, which says “Yes, the sorrow is real, but God has dealt with it and is dealing with it. If God controls each and every event, from the tiniest to the greatest, and has already decided what will happen, then why pray? Let me give you five clusters of texts or kinds of texts. I once made the mistake of thinking this way about God. Do we mean that God controls every decision, every event; every single thing that happens? Next time you’re approached by a person who’s hurting due to illness, death, circumstances, or a natural disaster, point them to God ’s Word. Second, the Bible tells us that someday all evil will be banished. Then all sorts of things come clearer and into sharper focus. The Difference Between Dieting and Fasting, 5 Keys to Boost Your Mental Health During the 2020 Holidays, A Nashville Police Officer Says God Told Him to ‘Turn Around’ Moments Before the Christmas Morning Blast, Bianca Juarez Olthoff on the Power of Prayers of ‘Lovingkindness’. All of us feel the effects of sin in one way or another. 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