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February 15, 2005
Was the Tsunami God's fault?
We saw the shocking pictures on our TV. Imagine you were one of those who saw the tidal waves crashing with awesome destruction. Imagine it was your children who were carried away. You, too, might wonder, “Why does God allow such destruction to take place?” Does God cause all things? Are natural tragedies His fault? What do we do with verses like Romans 8:28, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose?” If God is all loving, and all-powerful, why does He allow such things to happen? We may not discover answers to all of the whys of life in this world, but Scripture reveals principles we can stand on.
Out of darkness and emptiness, God created a world that was perfect. Scripture proclaims: “God saw that it as good.” But some time after making man in his own image, for the purpose of sharing with him in fellowship, something happened. Adam and Eve chose their own path, rather than God’s, and disobeyed His will. A cloud passed over the heart of Adam and Eve, causing them to experience guilt, fear, and shame. Being cut off from the source of life, they would also suffer death. But that same black cloud of death and decay also passed across their world. Romans 8:19-22 reminds us: “The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration… in the hope that creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.”
Every violent tremor of the earth and every erupting volcano stems from the groaning of creation. Is God all-powerful and in control? Yes. Is God responsible for everything that happens? No. Every violent tremor of the earth and every erupting volcano stems from a creation groaning under the curse of sin. Our world is filled with sickness and disease, but God is not to blame for this, either. Believers, as well as creation, long for the day of redemption. Is God all-loving, and concerned about every person? Just as the Lord assured Moses at the burning bush, He proclaims to all who hurt today: “I have indeed seen the misery of my people… I have heard them crying out… I have come down to rescue them. (Exodus 3:7-8).” Can God act? The cross of Christ proclaims that He has and He will.
Franklin Graham shared in a recent newsletter: “God’s answer to the pain and suffering of this present world is the cross. The cross is clear evidence of God’s incredible love for man.” God chose to leave behind His glory and crown, to become a man, to come into this world to deal with the root problem of all pain and suffering. No amount of teachings, band-aids, or medicine could cure this disease. It would require Christ’s death, in payment for all sin, and His glorious resurrection, proof that the price had been paid in full. But at the proper time, the Lord will return to earth to finish His work. Our lives and our world are still in the clutches of sin. But when we place our faith in Christ, He assures us that He will be with us, and He will help us through whatever we must face in this world, bringing good out of it. But the test is yet to come. In this world, we “groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies (Romans 8:23).” When the Lord returns in glory, He will bring His judgment on evil, and transform the world, once again providing a perfect environment for us to live together with Him in glory. In the meantime, He works in us, and through as, as He did with Moses, to bring healing and hope to a shattered world. “I will be with you, now go, I am sending you…”
Posted by Pastorkeith at 10:45 PM | Comments (0)
February 13, 2005
Is God in control?
We saw the shocking pictures on our TV. Imagine you were one of those who actually saw tidal waves bringing their awesome destruction. Imagine it was your children who were carried away. You, too, might wonder, “Why does God allow such destruction to take place?” Does God cause all things? Are natural tragedies His fault? Can He really bring good out of such pain, anguish and destruction? Was this a judgment on the Moslems, and other unbelievers? If God is all loving, and all powerful, why does He allow such things to happen? Some people today tell us disasters like this make a mockery of verses from the Bible like Romans 8:28, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” But personally I find great comfort in this truth. We may not find answers to all the whys of life in this world, but Scripture reveals principles we can stand on.
Out of darkness and emptiness, God created a world that was perfect. Scripture proclaims: “God saw that it was good.” But after making man in his own image, to share with him in fellowship, something happened. Adam and Eve chose their own path, rather than God’s, and disobeyed His will. Because of sin, Adam and Eve experienced guilt, fear, and shame. Being cut off from the source of life, they would also experience death. But sin also affected the world we live in. Romans 8:19-22 reminds us: “The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration… in the hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.”
Every volcanic eruption and every tremor is another groan of creation. Is God all-powerful and in control? Yes. Is God responsible for everything that happens? No. His creation was perfect, but we messed it up through sin. Every natural disaster reminds us that not only people, but creation as well became sick with decay, and longs for the day of redemption. Is God all-loving, and concerned about every person? Emphatically yes. Just as the Lord assured Moses at the burning bush, God proclaims to those who hurt today: “I have indeed seen the misery of my people…I have heard them crying out…I have come down to rescue them (Exodus 3:7-8).” Can God act? Yes, the season of lent reminds us that He has, and He will. As Franklin Graham shared in a recent newsletter:
“God’s answer to the pain and suffering of this present world is the cross. The cross is clear evidence of God’s incredible love for man.” God chose to become a man, and to come into this world to deal with the root problem of all pain and suffering. No amount of teachings, band-aids, or medicine could cure the disease. It would require Christ’s death, in payment for all sin, and His glorious resurrection, proof that the price had been paid in full. He knows what suffering is all about. He carried the weight of our sin, grief, and pain on the cross. But at the proper time, the Lord will return to our world to finish His work. Our lives and our world are still in the clutches of sin. But when we place our faith in Christ, He assures us that He will be with us, and He will help us through whatever we must face in this world, and bring good out of it. We who have Christ also “groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies (Romans 8:23).” When the Lord returns in glory, He will bring His judgment on evil, and transform the world, once again providing a perfect environment for us to live together with Him in glory. In the meantime, He works in us and through us, as He did with Moses, to bring healing and hope to a shattered world. “I will be with you, now go, I am sending you…”
Posted by Pastorkeith at 01:03 AM | Comments (0)