Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Why did God allow the shooting in Conneticut?

Yesterday I was talking to a man who is descended from a long line of pastors, yet he is rejecting the faith not living the Christian life.  He asked me the question of how can an all powerful God allow for the massacre of all the innocent little children in Conneticut?
 
He is making a common human mistake. The Bible tells us that no human is innocent. We are all born with the guilt of sin, I know you know the scriptures (Rom 3:23; Ecc. 7:20; Ps. 51:5). Therefore, the only thing God owes to any human is eternity in hell! But the Bible teaches, that God so love the world, He gave His only begotten Son as the propitiation for our sins (Rom 3:25, 1 Jn. 4:10).
As for those of the age to differentiate between good and evil, the Bible is straight and clear. We are morally responsible to choose God's ways over our own and reject sin, but the Bible is also clear that in our sinful state, we cannot, and will not choose God. We choose sin over him (Rom 8:6-8).

So this begs the question, why doesn't God save everyone?  Aholy God must satisfy His justice against sinners.  He cannot and will not let evil be unpunished.
I think Paul also anticipates this question -
Romans 9:14-26 14 What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! 15 For He says to Moses, "I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION."
16 So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH." 18 So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.
19 You will say to me then, "Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?" 20 On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, "Why did you make me like this," will it? 21 Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?
22 What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? 23 And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, 24 even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles.
25 As He says also in Hosea, "I WILL CALL THOSE WHO WERE NOT MY PEOPLE, 'MY PEOPLE,' AND HER WHO WAS NOT BELOVED, 'BELOVED.'" 26 "AND IT SHALL BE THAT IN THE PLACE WHERE IT WAS SAID TO THEM, 'YOU ARE NOT MY PEOPLE,' THERE THEY SHALL BE CALLED SONS OF THE LIVING GOD."
I think that answers our question. What do you think?

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