Proverbs 14:26 (Part 5)
Those who fear the LORD are secure; He will be a place of refuge for their children.
Last time we ended with the biblical principle that we are all sinful and that God’s divine standard was perfection - meaning absolutely NO SIN in your life. We talked about how we rationalize our own actions, somehow making them less sinful in our own minds. We spoke of how our understanding of “good” and “bad” people is twisted by our own view of ourselves - we have in essence set ourselves up as the standard for “good.” We discussed all of these issues to continue developing our understanding of how a truly and perfectly good God, who has absolute control over all things, could allow “bad” things to happen to “good” people.
Scripture is clear on the issue of who is “good” and who is “bad” (ANY sin puts you and I in the bad category) - only Jesus Christ was truly good. If we want to take it a step further we would see that Scripture says we are born into sin. Since God is perfectly just, as we have already seen, then we could rightly conclude that none of us deserve anything “good” happening to us. A perfect and holy God cannot tolerate sin - to do so would be sin on His part, and God is perfect so it is impossible for Him to sin. Sin has consequences and they must be given out. There is a price to be paid, and that price is spiritual death - as we saw last time.
But God in His infinite and perfect mercy has provided the payment for us if we choose to accept it. That payment was the death of His own Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus took our sin upon Him and paid the penalty by dying in our place. All we have to do is accept this priceless gift. But even after we do accept this gift it does not eliminate all the bad things of this world, nor does it protect us from experiencing a bit of this evil. It also does not make us perfect - we will continue to struggle with sin until we attain our reward (Heaven).
When Adam and Eve first sinned, the human race and the world in which we live were cursed. Up until that first sin, the earth was a perfect place. There were no floods, no earthquakes, no tsunamis, no terrorists, and there weren’t even any liars. All things were perfect; mankind and creation alike. Sin brought with it a curse on mankind; all who are born have the curse of sin within them from the moment they are conceived. Sin also brought with it a curse on creation; “natural” disasters, aggressive wild animals, poisonous plants, droughts, and even weeds.
The effects of sin are evident all around us. Sin is what causes the pedophile to prey on children. Sin is what causes a husband or wife to cheat on their spouse. Sin is what causes a person to exaggerate the numbers on their tax return. Sin is what causes men to go to war against another nation. Sin is what causes hurricanes, and tornados, and earthquakes, and tsunamis. Sin is what causes cancer and disease. Sin is what causes the death of loved ones. Sin and only sin is what lies at the root of every “bad” thing that happens in this world. The price of sin is great; too great for any of us to pay.
If God were to step in and not allow these things to happen, He would have to eliminate our free will. We would have to be puppets with God pulling the strings. We would have no choice but to accept and acknowledge Him. We would be mindless robots that God in essence winds up and directs.
I ask the following question: What is the opposite of love? Everyone naturally says, “Hate.” But that is the wrong answer. The opposite of love is selfishness. True and unconditional love means to always do what is best for the other person; denying self. Love means you give 100% regardless if the intended receiver of your love even acknowledges your existence. God gave His all for us. He gave Himself in the form of His Son Jesus Christ, regardless of if we even acknowledge His existence. And it is His love for us that allows us to choose. His love for us that allows us to sin even though the consequences are great. His love for us that gave us a Savior.
When we sin we in essence continue the evil in this world and to some extent are the cause for all the "bad" things we tend to blame God for.
Well, as I said from the beginning, I don’t know if this brief detour study clears up the question of why God allows evil and disaster, or if it further confuses you. The bottom line is that God is God and we are not.
Those who fear the LORD are secure; He will be a place of refuge for their children.
Last time we ended with the biblical principle that we are all sinful and that God’s divine standard was perfection - meaning absolutely NO SIN in your life. We talked about how we rationalize our own actions, somehow making them less sinful in our own minds. We spoke of how our understanding of “good” and “bad” people is twisted by our own view of ourselves - we have in essence set ourselves up as the standard for “good.” We discussed all of these issues to continue developing our understanding of how a truly and perfectly good God, who has absolute control over all things, could allow “bad” things to happen to “good” people.
Scripture is clear on the issue of who is “good” and who is “bad” (ANY sin puts you and I in the bad category) - only Jesus Christ was truly good. If we want to take it a step further we would see that Scripture says we are born into sin. Since God is perfectly just, as we have already seen, then we could rightly conclude that none of us deserve anything “good” happening to us. A perfect and holy God cannot tolerate sin - to do so would be sin on His part, and God is perfect so it is impossible for Him to sin. Sin has consequences and they must be given out. There is a price to be paid, and that price is spiritual death - as we saw last time.
But God in His infinite and perfect mercy has provided the payment for us if we choose to accept it. That payment was the death of His own Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus took our sin upon Him and paid the penalty by dying in our place. All we have to do is accept this priceless gift. But even after we do accept this gift it does not eliminate all the bad things of this world, nor does it protect us from experiencing a bit of this evil. It also does not make us perfect - we will continue to struggle with sin until we attain our reward (Heaven).
When Adam and Eve first sinned, the human race and the world in which we live were cursed. Up until that first sin, the earth was a perfect place. There were no floods, no earthquakes, no tsunamis, no terrorists, and there weren’t even any liars. All things were perfect; mankind and creation alike. Sin brought with it a curse on mankind; all who are born have the curse of sin within them from the moment they are conceived. Sin also brought with it a curse on creation; “natural” disasters, aggressive wild animals, poisonous plants, droughts, and even weeds.
The effects of sin are evident all around us. Sin is what causes the pedophile to prey on children. Sin is what causes a husband or wife to cheat on their spouse. Sin is what causes a person to exaggerate the numbers on their tax return. Sin is what causes men to go to war against another nation. Sin is what causes hurricanes, and tornados, and earthquakes, and tsunamis. Sin is what causes cancer and disease. Sin is what causes the death of loved ones. Sin and only sin is what lies at the root of every “bad” thing that happens in this world. The price of sin is great; too great for any of us to pay.
If God were to step in and not allow these things to happen, He would have to eliminate our free will. We would have to be puppets with God pulling the strings. We would have no choice but to accept and acknowledge Him. We would be mindless robots that God in essence winds up and directs.
I ask the following question: What is the opposite of love? Everyone naturally says, “Hate.” But that is the wrong answer. The opposite of love is selfishness. True and unconditional love means to always do what is best for the other person; denying self. Love means you give 100% regardless if the intended receiver of your love even acknowledges your existence. God gave His all for us. He gave Himself in the form of His Son Jesus Christ, regardless of if we even acknowledge His existence. And it is His love for us that allows us to choose. His love for us that allows us to sin even though the consequences are great. His love for us that gave us a Savior.
When we sin we in essence continue the evil in this world and to some extent are the cause for all the "bad" things we tend to blame God for.
Well, as I said from the beginning, I don’t know if this brief detour study clears up the question of why God allows evil and disaster, or if it further confuses you. The bottom line is that God is God and we are not.
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