Is God Good?

Introduction

Introduction

The Problem of Evil

God cannot be both all-powerful and good because of the evil and suffering we see in the world.

God could be all-powerful, but since evil and suffering exists, he cannot be good enough to put an end to it.

God could be good and want to stop evil, but since evil and suffering exist, he cannot be powerful enough to stop it.

This is a serious problem. And it’s a tough question. There are no easy answers to these types of questions. But just because there are no easy answers doesn’t mean that it cannot be answered.

I’ve had friends walk away from following Jesus because they couldn’t come to a satisfactory answer to the problem of evil. You might be trying to decide if Jesus is worth it based on the bad things that have happened to you or the suffering that you see in the world.

You might feel utterly alone, as if you’re the only one who seems to see the problem.

But do you honestly believe that in the 2000 years of Christianity, not one single person before you has thought about the floods, and the earthquakes, and the volcanos, and the forest fires, and the genocides, or the diseases, and cancer, death - and wondered how could God possible allow these things to happen.

Theodicy: the attempt to reconcile the idea that God is both all-powerful and good even when evil and suffering exist.

The argument is very philosophical. And also very complicated. So let me do my best to really briefly present a philosophical argument for why God is good and evil exists:

If you look at something and say that is evil - I’ll use abortion because abortion has impacted people that I love. Abortion is evil.

Give a very brief philosophical argument:

what is your standard for good or bad?

In order to say something is evil, you have to know what the opposite of evil is. The opposite of evil is good.

If you don’t believe in God evil becomes a much bigger problem

In order to tell the difference between good and evil, there has to exist some sort of moral law. There has to be a standard, otherwise it’s literally just your opinion vs. my opinion.

But to have a moral law that tells you what is good and what is evil, there has to be a moral law giver. God has to be in the picture.

So, if you don’t believe in God - evil and suffering become a much bigger problem for you than if you do believe in God. Because how are you supposed to look at bad things happening to you and say they are evil without a standard to compare them to?

But I was listening to a message by Tim Keller, who is one of the most important thinkers and pastors of the last 100 years. And he said something so profound. He said that if you’re actually struggling and wrestling with this question, then you don’t need philosophy. Philosophy and arguments aren’t going to help you when you’re actually wrestling with trying to understand why God would allow bad things to keep happening to you.

So what will help you? I think that the only thing that can help is to press into God instead of running away from God.

So, I want to look at a passage in 1 Peter to help us press into God. Peter is writing a letter to a group of Christians who are suffering persecution for their faith and are going to be facing even more persecution.

1 Peter 1:3–12 ESV

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.

Three Ways to Face Evil and Suffering in Your Life

Look Back at Something

What does Peter say in verse 7?

1 Peter 1:7 ESV

so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

1 Peter

Peter compares the suffering that we face in our lives to a fire. But this isn’t just like a fire in the fireplace at home, or a bonfire in the backyard. This type of fire is like the fire in a forge. A forge is a place where metal - Peter uses gold - where gold is melted down.

Suffering is just like that. It feels intensely hot, like you’re going to melt. The heat is unbearable.

And if you know you Bible really well, it should make you think of .

Recount

Their suffering was a literal furnace. But King Nebuchadnezzer stands up and sees what is happening in the furnace and it’s not 3 guys in there, but 4, and he says that the 4th looks like the son of God.

And if you know your Bible really well, Peter talking about a fire should make you think of the promise God gives us in .

Isaiah 43:1–2 ESV

But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.

Isaiah 43:1–2 ESV

But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.

But God doesn’t promise you wont go through hard things. He doesn’t say that no evil will happen to you. He doesn’t say you wont suffer. It also not an “if”. It’s not if you go through hard things. It’s not if evil things happen. It’s not if you suffer. It’s “when”.

Isaiah 43:1-2

When you pass through the waters… (re-read the verse)

So how do we know this promise is true? This is where we have to look back to the cross.

We we get to the cross of Jesus Christ we realize just how far God went to be with you in the middle of the hard things and the evil and the suffer.

When we get to the cross we see just how far God went to be with you.

Look Forward to Something

So first we look back to something God has already done, but now we need to look forward to something God is going to do.

1 Peter 1:3–4 ESV

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,

1 Peter 1:3-4

Here Peter says that we have an inheritance waiting for us.

My bible says we now live with great expectation, your bible might say that we are born again into a living hope!

If you’ve ever seen the Hunger Games movies or read the books, you might remember President Snow saying “Hope is the only thing stronger than fear”

And he’s right. here in 1 Peter we read that because of what Jesus did for us in the past, we now have hope for a future where everything that has gone wrong will be made right.

But our hope is not dead. Our hope is alive because Jesus is alive. Because Jesus was raised from the dead we know that our inheritance in heaven will be ours.

So this life is not all that there is.

If you live with a mindset so focused on this life, and you have no concept that this life is not all there is, then evil will always be too big.

Look Into Something

First we look back to the cross, then we look forward to our inheritance in Heaven, now we must look into something.

1 Peter 1:12 ESV

It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.

That something is the Gospel. verse 12 says that the angels are eagerly watching, they are longingly looking into, how amazing the Gospel is.

It’s the story of all stories. The true story. Of a God who so loved you that he sent his only Son to die for you. But the Son didn’t stay dead, he conquered death.

But why..why would Jesus do this…why would Jesus go to the cross, why would he willingly walk into the furnace of suffering?

Hebrews 12:2 ESV

looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

You. You are the reason he was willing to head into that furnace of the cross. You are the joy set before him.

Jesus went into the furnace FOR you so that he could go through the furnace WITH you. That’s the Gospel.

Close with quote from The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe