A Good God Letting Bad Things Happen

A common question in the face of terrible atrocities has been how can a good God allow such things.

In fact, atrocities have been a part of human experience from before the Fall. One has to remember that even though Adam and Eve were created "good" they took of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. That was a tragedy of universal proportions. OK, I would be hard pressed to say that the tragedy occured prior to the Fall. Eating the fruit was simultaneous with the Fall.

One can blame God for the Fall, or acknowledge that God didn't create more gods that were perfect. And that this creature, called a human being, is responsible for many of the messes that have occured since creation.

It can also be asked, if God intervened and eliminated sin so there wasn't any more pain and suffering, would we like it? Some of the same people who ask the above question would be aghast at such an intervention.

But we often fail to notice that God did respond to atrocity. Instead of eliminating or condoning sin, God forgave it.

When God came to the world personally to bring salvation, he was crucified. God, instead of bringing down fire and brimstone, offered forgiveness for the sins of the whole world. He then said, nothing can stop me from offering salvation to the whole world, not even death itself. God raised Jesus from the dead, a great victory over sin and death. This victory is experienced in faith.