Problems (...)

We recently joined in a celebration of life for a believing brother. A question that occurred was why would such a godly man have to suffer so long before the Lord took him home? The next day we had a Sunday School class that focused on the greatness of God and how worthy of worship He is. So the question arose again. “If God is so good and great, that is, powerful, all-knowing, and loving, why do (...) happen?” This can be applied to sicknesses, disasters, terrible losses, and misfortunes specifically and in general. “Why does (...) happen if God is in control? If God is all-powerful? If God is really good?”

If we want to answer this conundrum, we need at least five talking points, five lines of thought or reason. First, what are (...) and where do they come from? This is an easy answer. Since God is good, He created a good earth, a good place to live, and a good man to live in it. Turning to Genesis 3 reveals the answer. God’s good creation was perverted and distorted.

Let’s look at a few specific (...). Our friend had a lung disorder that was finally debilitating and death resulted. Did Adam and Eve et.al. have diseases of any kind? Nope, nada, negative. All was perfect until the great destroyer damaged the environment. In fact he messed up everything. Diseases and disasters are one of, what we loved to call in debate, “mis, mal, or non-feasance.” 

Misfeasance was unknown or inadvertent failure to operate or function as it should. Children born with birth defects are the result of too many chromosomes, not enough chromosomes, or damaged chromosomes. How do such things happen? This damaged creation causes genetic mistakes and they are transmitted to the unborn child. Cancer is generally a case of “normal” cells suddenly beginning to reproduce at an unchecked rate. This results in a tumor or other abnormal growth or stops the normal functioning of other cells. Other examples will follow.

Malfeasance is when the failure is deliberate. It is widely thought that Covid-19 was the result of a “gain of function” experiment in a laboratory somewhere. (Notice and appreciate how circumspect I am.) The genetics were modified in order to cause them to do more than they normally or behave in ways that lead to interference with normal cell and organic function. 

Nonfeasance is when something simply does not happen. Sometimes your car just stops. It can be a result of poor lubrication or failure of a part, but often it is simply because in the normal course of action, something wears out and just stops working. Or regular maintenance is not done.

It is interesting that sins can be categorized as deliberate acts, accidental acts, and omission, a  failure to act or unknowingly acting. All of these are directly related to the father of lies, Satan, who instigated and initiated the whole debacle of decline and decay, resulting in destruction. Jesus said tht Satan was the father of lies and he comes to steal, kill, and destroy. (John 10:10) Can you see mis, mal, and nonfeasance in that trilogy?

Even natural disasters can be lumped into this triumvirate of unhappy effects. Fire is a good thing, when in the fireplace. It is not so good when it is on the living room floor. (Google could not find a source for that, but I think I read it in a C. S. Lewis writing. It is a good proverb, even if it isn’t in the Bible.) The recent fires in California are a perfect example. Fire is used to clear underbrush and overgrowth. It keeps us warm...when it is in the fireplace. But when fires are uncontrolled and driven by Santa Anna winds, they become quite destructive. They were possibly deliberately set, or accidentally ignited. (Mal and/or mis) They grew and and were driven by the winds (mis again), and the infrastructure was unprepared to deal with them. (Mis, mal, and non)

Recent floods on the eastern portion of the country were also too much of a good thing in the wrong place. Earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, volcanoes are all “natural disasters” but are not “natural.” Our conclusion that all these events are not the normal course of affairs, comes from the perfect creation. This planet is not supposed to harbor toxic chemicals, infectious diseases, or experience extraordinarily destructive events. They all fall under the label of “steal, kill, and destroy.”

Our first point is that (...) the fire on the living room rug, is not caused by God. Our second point is, “Why does He allow these things, since He made it all? Or can He stop it?” Let’s take an example. We have an SUV. A lot of companies make them including Honda, Nissan, Toyota, and others. I saw a Mercedes SUV the other day. I bet that puppy cost a pretty penny. But I digress. (We won’t use it for our illustration.)

A brand new SUV rolls off the assembly line, fully functional and in perfect operating order. Its buyer takes it out on the highway speeds up to 90 MPH and slams into, for sake of decency, slams into a concrete abutment and is killed instantly. (It is better, for our illustration’s sake, to hit some cement instead of another car.) As you drive by, do you muse that it is “funny” that Honda, (et.al.) would build such a pile of junk and kill the guy inside? Nope, nada, negative. This would be the result of mis, mal, or nonfeasance on the part of some third party.

We have already established that God is not the author or cause of (...). An extension of our second thought is, “But can He keep all these things from happening?” Back to the car example. Could the builders of SUVs make them able to withstand a head-on crash? Yes, those are called M-1 tanks. If Adam and Eve had been bunkered, individually, in little refuges outside of the Garden of Eden would they have suffered (...) all of these bad things? Probably not. But what kind of life would they have lived? Remember, God created them to experience the exquisite pleasure of knowing and worshiping Him. How would existence in an isolated bunker or cell  result in that? They could not observe, explore, and experience this wonderful creation, and Him.

Wouldn’t God’s goodness and greatness be displayed if He left His created worshipers to live in this damaged world and He overcame (...)? And when these events and disasters occur, His followers not only survive them, but can even overcome them. Sounds like a Bible verse, doesn’t it? (Romans 12:21 “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” and Romans 8:31-39 especially v. 37 “But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.” We can survive this, and ultimately, it will end. It might be here and now or later on earth, but definitely in the Millennium when all of these adverse events will be eliminated. The Great Perverter will be cast into the bottomless pit for 1000 years. Glory. What a day!

Our third consideration to answer the question is that God is so great and so good that he not only overcomes (...) He can and does turn (...) into something that blesses us. Romans 8:28 is a little ways back from where we were in Romans 8 before. “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.” Notice that Paul did not say, “All things are good.” Because they are not. But God can and does use them to work for our good. All of them. 

Joni Eareckson Tada who was crippled as a teen has testified that she is glad for her time with (...). She would not trade a functioning body for her experience with the Lord over these years. And, she will get that new body in the Millennium and it will last forever in heaven. She is happy to trade her fellowship with the Lord for a “short time,” for an eternity with Him. 2 Corinthians 4:17 “For our momentary light affliction is producing for us anFor our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory.weight of glory.” (I like that, “absolutely incomparable eternal.”)

There are uncounted examples of God using (...) to bring about His glory in the lives of those who love Him, those who are called according to His purpose. That gets another, “Glory!”

Three down, two to go. We kind of hit this in the examination of the first three, God is go great and so good that (...) will all end someday. Satan, who is in control of this earth, the prince of the power of the air, will be completely and eternally overcome. The PotPotA reference is in Ephesians 2. Read the v.1-10 and and rejoice. Especially notice, “But God....” He takes care of the (...). God is in control of the one who thinks he is in control.(I’ll include it below.)

Number five in our explanation is to answer the Question, “Can God step in to prevent this?” Remember our SUV example. Look around. Is (...) normal? Does everyone, and every where, suffer this? I think not. But God, in His grace and mercy, allows us to enjoy this wonderful world, this wonderful family and friend group, and this wonderful body to preview what He has for us “over there.” We may not have it perfect now, but it will be. A number of songs come to mind. “It will be worth it all, when we see Jesus.” You can find or recall others.

Will we know the reason for all of the (...) that befall us? Probably not here on earth. Job, according to our knowledge, didn’t know why the (...) happened to him. But He praised God through it all (Another song.) And now he knows. We will know then and praise Him.

Here is a song that extols Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith. Be sure to listen about 4 or 5 seconds after it ends. That summarizes the whole answer. It has been running through my mind for a couple of months since I heard it at Christmas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fpsj25M1QdI

Come to Jesus, come to Jesus...and live.

Ephesians 2 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins 2 in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler who exercises authority over the lower heavens, the spirit now working in the disobedient. 3 We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love that He had for us, 5 made us alive with the Messiah even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace! 6 Together with Christ Jesus He also raised us up and seated us in the heavens, 7 so that in the coming ages He might display the immeasurable riches of His grace through His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— 9 not from works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them.