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The first part of "Why does God Allow Suffering in This World" basically went along the lines of,If God changed the rules for reality, reality itself would be different. It went down the lines of cosmic things that may happen if you change one thing or another to get rid of suffering that other things would change to make reality imperfect. If you understand the Butterfly Effect, you'll realize changing enormous things in how reality works would make profound differences immediately. A quick look back at an example would be,"If God stopped evil beings from ever doing anything to hurt another being, the evil being could claim to God that it wasn't evil because it never actually did anything hurtful." By forcing God to stop suffering at every step of the way, you may be altering God's major plan called the Sovereignty of Judgment.
To see how much work God had to put in to acquire the Sovereignty of Judgment, he needed Jesus to never sin. If Jesus ever sinned during his life, he would be a hypocrite if he judged someone else who committed the same sin as Jesus. I hope you understand that last sentence because it shows the gravity of how important it was that Jesus never sin. If no one was qualified to be a judge of all mankind, Heaven and Hell could not be properly organized. Jesus lived a life without sin even though he was tempted in all ways. Jesus lived so he could suffer and die for us such that God the Father's plan of defeating evil eternally could be executed. That in itself should make you think two things. One, you should be thinking that if there was an easier way to defeat evil eternally, God's only son wouldn't have had to go through a horrible experience. Two you should be thinking that if God's only son who never committed any wrong was tortured then killed on a cross that we who have done wrong should not be exempt from suffering.
Let me harp on an idea I brought up in one sentence last article,"I think it is fair to reason that the mind of God knows that temporary suffering on Earth for many beings is nothing compared with infinite suffering in Hell for a single being." There is no way for us humans to determine who isn't going to be saved. I think it is within the grace of God that all humans may be saved through Jesus, but some will argue against me. I don't want to argue that point here. I'm just saying that there is no criteria that will let us know who is destined for Hell. We have a criteria to know who is going to Heaven. If you accept Jesus as your personal savior, and repent of sins you get to go to Heaven. Some people then go,"If we have a methodology for determine who gets to Heaven, those who don't follow it automatically wind up in Hell." While I admire them trying to apply the Bible to get a grasp on things the Bible doesn't directly address, they are clearly in the wrong. God is merciful. God will judge all those who did not get a chance to accept Jesus as savior, but this does not mean he'll judge them all guilty. Let me make one thing clear: This does not lessen the need for those who don't have Jesus to accept him! Thankfully, you can't unhear the Good News. But those people who for a wide variety of reasons did not hear of Jesus are not automatically condemned.
While there is no way for us humans to know who is not going to be saved, only God knows. Let me repeat: "There is no way for us humans to know who is not going to be saved, only God knows." I said this twice for emphasis. This concept is important, and maybe you already understand why. If we cannot understand everything that God knows, who are we to tell God what to do? Read the book of Job in the Bible. It illustrates this concept from end to end. A lot of knee jerk fools think God can't be some guy who treats mortals like a trifle in a cosmic game. The important thing is that it is no game! It is a battle between Good and Evil that is going on. If you are a tool in the hands of God, you should be thankful regardless of whatever suffering you go through since eternity is a long time and God can make up for temporary pain with permanent honor, happiness and pleasure. Job brought a case against God as many fools do, but when God presented himself, Job rapidly dropped it as a very wise man would. How did God convince Job? It was simple: God asked Job if he understood certain cosmic truths or how events happened before his birth*1. Job realized his ignorance. If Job didn't have the scope of knowledge of God, he didn't have a leg to stand on to accuse God of any wrong doing. Modern thinkers like to argue,"Well we're much smarter than old shepherds!" This is true, but still we still don't know a great deal of what God knows. Actually our intelligence is actually a handicap for Job openly admitted he didn't know the answers to the questions that God presented to him, while many of today's thinkers may be foolish enough to hazard a guess as truth*2.
When God sends suffering to us, it could be to ours or others permanent gain. We have no way of knowing who may be saved from suffering of us or those around us. Death is something that brings people's attention to thinking about Heaven and Hell, so it makes sense that God would use something like Death to save someone from Hell. If my dying causes someone to go to Heaven instead of go to Hell, I'll happily die for them. What is finite cannot compare with what is infinite. Jesus died to save all believers in every time and place from Hell! How marvelous is our Jesus. Our God is not one who only cares about his own well being. Our God cares so much about us that he'll take upon him great personal suffering for us. Praise God.
- Jim Sager III
Other articles on suffering:
Affect Effect
Why does God allow suffering
Debunking Epicurean fallacy
(ALL Bible quotess from Good News Bible.)
*1) JOB 38:1Then out of the storm the Lord spoke to Job. 2Who are you to question my wisdom with your ignorant, empty words? 3Now stand up straight and answer the questions I ask you. 4Were you there when I made the world? If you know so much, tell me about it. 5Who decided how large it would be? Who stretched the measuring line over it? Do you know all the answers? 6What holds up the pillars that support the earth? Who laid the cornerstone of the world? 7In the dawn of that day the stars sang together, and the heavenly beings shouted for joy. 8Who closed the gates to hold back the sea when it burst from the womb of the earth? 9It was I who covered the sea with clouds and wrapped it in darkness. 10I marked a boundary for the sea and kept it behind bolted gates. 11I told it, "So far and no farther! Here your powerful waves must stop." 12Job, have you ever in all your life commanded a day to dawn? 13Have you ordered the dawn to seize the earth and shake the wicked from their hiding places? 14Daylight makes the hills and valleys stand out like the folds of a garment, clear as the imprint of a seal on clay. 15The light of day is too bright for the wicked and restrains them from doing violence. 16Have you been to the springs in the depths of the sea? Have you walked on the floor of the ocean? 17Has anyone ever shown you the gates that guard the dark world of the dead? 18Have you any idea how big the world is? Answer me if you know. 19Do you know where the light comes from or what the source of darkness is? 20Can you show them how far to go, or send them back again? 21I am sure you can, because you're so old and were there when the world was made! 22Have you ever visited the storerooms, where I keep the snow and the hail? 23I keep them ready for times of trouble, for days of battle and war. 24Have you been to the place where the sun comes up, or the place from which the east wind blows? 25Who dug a channel for the pouring rain and cleared the way for the thunderstorm? 26Who makes rain fall where no one lives? 27Who waters the dry and thirsty land, so that grass springs up? 28Does either the rain or the dew have a father? 29Who is the mother of the ice and the frost, 30which turn the waters to stone and freeze the face of the sea? 31Can you tie the Pleiades together or loosen the bonds that hold Orion? 32Can you guide the stars season by season and direct the Big and the Little Dipper? 33Do you know the laws that govern the skies, and can you make them apply to the earth? 34Can you shout orders to the clouds and make them drench you with rain? 35And if you command the lightning to flash, will it come to you and say, "At your service"? 36Who tells the ibis when the Nile will flood, or who tells the rooster that rain will fall? 37Who is wise enough to count the clouds and tilt them over to pour out the rain, 38rain that hardens the dust into lumps? 39Do you find food for lions to eat, and satisfy hungry young lions 40when they hide in their caves, or lie in wait in their dens? 41Who is it that feeds the ravens when they wander about hungry, when their young cry to me for food?
*2) 1 Corinthians 1:19The scripture says, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and set aside the understanding of the scholars." 20So then, where does that leave the wise? or the scholars? or the skillful debaters of this world? God has shown that this world's wisdom is foolishness!
Actually if you have time to read, these are some of my favorite verses because I closely echo Paul
1 Corinthians 1:17-31
17 Christ did not send me to baptize. He sent me to tell the Good News, and to tell it without using the language of human wisdom, in order to make sure that Christ's death on the cross is not robbed of its power. 18 For the message about Christ's death on the cross is nonsense to those who are being lost; but for us who are being saved it is God's power. 19 The scripture says, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and set aside the understanding of the scholars." 20 So then, where does that leave the wise? or the scholars? or the skillful debaters of this world? God has shown that this world's wisdom is foolishness! 21 For God in his wisdom made it impossible for people to know him by means of their own wisdom. Instead, by means of the so-called "foolish" message we preach, God decided to save those who believe. 22 Jews want miracles for proof, and Greeks look for wisdom. 23 As for us, we proclaim the crucified Christ, a message that is offensive to the Jews and nonsense to the Gentiles; 24 but for those whom God has called, both Jews and Gentiles, this message is Christ, who is the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For what seems to be God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and what seems to be God's weakness is stronger than human strength. 26 Now remember what you were, my friends, when God called you. From the human point of view few of you were wise or powerful or of high social standing. 27 God purposely chose what the world considers nonsense in order to shame the wise, and he chose what the world considers weak in order to shame the powerful. 28 He chose what the world looks down on and despises and thinks is nothing, in order to destroy what the world thinks is important. 29 This means that no one can boast in God's presence. 30 But God has brought you into union with Christ Jesus, and God has made Christ to be our wisdom. By him we are put right with God; we become God's holy people and are set free. 31 So then, as the scripture says, "Whoever wants to boast must boast of what the Lord has done.