Why Does God Allow suffering and Death?

Part Three

Why Does God Allow Suffering, Sickness, and Death?

Introduction: To answer the question, “If God is good, why does he allow people to suffer and others to rob and murder ‘innocent’ people?” I will address the nature, necessity, and responsibility of free will.

1. Mankind, by nature, possesses a free will.

a)      Free will gives us the liberty to do or not to do anything that is against his nature or desire.

b)      Mankind, in four estates, is endowed with that same liberty with different degrees of ability to do evil or good.

i.            In mankind’s original sinless condition we[i]had the ability to do both good and evil, but desired to do only good.

ii.            After the fall we were at liberty to do either good or evil, but because the original blueprint is flawed, we did not have the ability to do good anymore.

iii.            When mankind is re-generated by the new birth we are at liberty to do both good and evil and we are able to do good, but not perfectly because the re-creation process in not yet complete.

iv.            When the re-creation process is completed and mankind is again the image of God, we will have the liberty to do both good and evil, but our nature will be completely contrary to all evil and we will no longer have the ability to do evil.

c)      Mankind is free to do the things we want to do within the limits of our ability.

1. Mankind’s being was in God’s true image.

a)      We could think thoughts of our Creator.

b)      We had the power to explore and discover.

c)      We had the power to know God.

i.            We had the right knowledge of the nature of God.

ii.            We had access to God’s will and purpose.

iii.            We had the power to set our will in agreement with God’s will and purpose.

1. Free will gives us both the freedom to make choices and the ability to choose good or evil.

a)      In Adam, we made the choice to interpret truth apart from the Word of the One who originated and determined truth.

b)      We rejected the authority of our own reason and became marred from the original design of God’s image.

c)      The whole of human nature was flawed.

i.            Human nature became perverted and contrary to god.

ii.            Human nature was re-created in our own image and our offspring were flawed.

iii.            We had corrupted ourselves and all of our descendants.

Conclusion

We see that man was created in the image of God, with the ability to make choices. We, in Adam, made the choice to turn from the truth of God and believe a lie. This damaged the perfect image we were created in and the altered form was passed to our offspring; therefore, instead of being in the image of God with his magnificence, we are born in the image of the distorted figure, which is mankind now. The good news is that God loves us in spite of our deformities and does not throw us away, or leave us in our unactable condition with all of its resulting terrors throughout eternity.

 

[i] Covers both sexes

The Revelation given To John By Jesus through the Angel

The Revelation Given to John by Jesus Through the Angel

Lesson Nine

The Letter to Laodicea

This church stands alone because Mashiach has no praise for it. It is the most useless of the churches, but he doesn’t leave the church hopeless; he tells them what to do about their problem.

 

Yeshua reminds the church at Laodicea that he is the Amen, the ultimate confirmation[i]of the truth. He is the faithful and true witness, the exact representation of his Father[ii]. He is the ruler of god’s creation[iii], the King of kings and Lord of lords.

 

The church sometimes feels that is does well enough to get by. The members certainly aren’t too heavenly minded to be any earthly good, and no one could say they are bit fanatical. And they aren’t like those pagans who never go to church. They even go to church every Sunday – when they don’t have anything better to do, or aren’t too tired to get out of bed. They always try to attend services when someone is going to be baptized, or when the church has its community dinners. Some of them are always faithful to church services because it is family tradition. They tell the pastor how much they enjoyed his talk and are involved in all the meetings and methods of the church. The pastor tells his flock what it wants to hear and is careful not to rock any boats. Altogether, they are kind of ho-hum Christians. They can take the word or leave it, it’s all the same to them.

 

Then there is that man or woman who is mad at God and gives him and his church the cold shoulder. Yeshua says he would rather deal with that person than the Christian who just doesn’t care.

 

There are many churches in America today that are lukewarm, as there have always been. There are also many churches in other parts of the world that are on fire for God, as there have always been. The reason why the church in America, as a whole, looks so much like the Laodicean church is that both could so easily mistake their temporal wealth for spiritual wealth. There are lots of churches teaching a prosperity gospel that turns the Christian’s eyes away from God and concentrates on the so-called blessings of God – i.e.: monetary wealth and power.

 

Laodicea was a wealthy banking city, one of the wealthiest in the world[iv]. It was a medical center and was famous for eye and ear ointments. It was also a clothing manufacturing center. But Yeshua made it clear that all of this wealth and healing was no good to their souls. Their souls were poor, wretched and blind. All of the wealth and power of the world is nothing but temporary garnish that will perish. What Yeshua offers is eternal[v]. Yeshua is the gold refined in the fire of the cross. When we are covered with the righteousness of Mashiach, we have the finest linen. The balm of God is eternal healing, better than any temporary salve bought at the pharmacy[vi].

 

If we never hear a rebuke from God, no matter how much we ignore him, we have reason to fear that he no longer loves us[vii]. But if things aren’t quite going our way, if we don’t always get what we want in this life, we can be sure that a loving God is giving us what we need and drawing us closer to himself.

 

The promise is for those who overcome by the blood of the Lamb. We will sit with Yeshua at the heavenly meal with a permanent place of honor[viii].

 

Prayer: Lord, I acknowledged my putrefying state and you had mercy on me and stamped out my offensive behavior, washed all my wickedness away and cleansed me from my sin. I went to the Truth and the Truth made me free. Now I hear joy and gladness and have stepped from death into life with the promise of a clean heart and right spirit daily being implemented as I turn from the dead works of my decaying sinful nature and walk close to you in the light. I look forward, with glorious expectation. To the day when all of creation will be free from the bondage of corruption and our eternal abode is a new heaven and earth where righteousness is settled forever. Thank you, my Savior and King. I love you.

 

[i] John 8:58

[ii] Philippians 2:6

[iii] Colossians 1:16-18

[iv] Barkley, page 138

[v] I Peter 1:5-8

[vi] Isaiah 55:1-5

[vii] Hebrews 12:5, 6

[viii] Ephesians 1:3-14

Granted Redemption by Katie Mettner- a Review by Allison Kohn

Granted Redemption

I enjoyed reading about how God works in the lives of these people to bring peace to  hearts after tragedy. There is drama, love, and humor; and listening in on a tender hearted therapist as he works with his patients was a joy. I recommend this book, highly, to anyone who enjoys reading about  the ups and downs of life and how the human soul is able to conquer with the help of God. This story doesn’t hold back on the details, but it never embellishes them into unreality either. I think you will enjoy as much as I did.

Below is an excerpt from the book, the blurb, and contact information.

I laid my napkin on my plate and slid it onto the coffee table. “I’m stuffed. You were right, that mashed potato pizza is addictive.”

She nodded, though I noted her pizza was hardly touched. She sat forward and slid her plate onto the coffee table next to mine. “I told you. You don’t get pizza like Pizza Luce just anywhere.”

I motioned to her plate, “Aren’t you hungry?”

She patted her tummy, “I’m stuffed. One piece is enough for me.” She said, jumping up off the love seat and stacking the plates, but I stopped her and pulled her back down next to me. “Do I make you nervous? You hardly picked at it.”

“I don’t want to burst your bubble, but no you don’t make me nervous.” A look shuttered down over her eyes, and she was suddenly standoffish. I knew I had better back off before she kicked me out.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude. It’s me who is nervous, and I’m stupid. I hope you aren’t upset with me.”

“You aren’t stupid, and why are you nervous?” She asked, sitting on the edge of the love seat like she was ready to bolt.

I reached out tentatively rubbing her cheek. “Because you do things to me that no one has done to me ever.”

She stilled in my hand, and she shook her head negligibly, laughing a little. “Don’t need to be nervous, I don’t bite. I’m just me, plain old Carla.”

“Can I be honest with you?” I asked, still rubbing her cheek, and she nodded again. “There is nothing plain or old about you. Everything about you gives off this hum of energy and sexiness. It’s like there is an electrical charge that pulls me here, and I can’t stay away. You are so beautiful whether I’m here, at work, or home I can’t stop thinking about you.”

“That’s nice of you to say, but I see myself in the mirror every day.” She stopped speaking and hid her face.

“I don’t know what mirror you’re looking in, sweetheart,” I ran my hand through her hair, so I could see her face again, “but at the risk of getting slapped I will tell you this. I can hardly keep my hands to myself when you are around.”

She tried to hide her smile, but I saw it anyway. “I would never slap you.”

“Not even if I did this?” I asked, leaning in and kissing her lips. I intended it to be a short peck, but I hesitated, tasting the wine on her lips

Blurb

 

Psalm 23: Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death….. A lifetime ago Grant Harris was an Australian surfer at the top of his sport, until one wave changed everything. Fifteen years later, Grant has become bitter, lonely, and disillusioned. Hoping to jump start his career he accepts a position in Duluth Minnesota, with no way of knowing how quickly his life was about to change. A lifetime ago Carla Coffers was a runaway teen with no family, no money and no hope for a future. Fifteen years later, she’s a successful business woman as owner of Carla’s Kinky Café, on beautiful Lake Superior. Her friends think she’s got it all, but Carla still yearns for the one thing she never had. A cup of coffee, a car, a confession and a cross come together to grant them redemption from their past and hope for the future.

 

 

About the author

I grew up in Eau Claire, Wisconsin and moved to the Northwoods as a young adult where I now reside with my husband and three children. My love affair with Lake Superior began when I met my husband, Dwayne, and he drove me across the bridge one snowy November day with my nose pressed up against the glass. It was in that moment the scene was set for my breakout novel!

 

As a young adult I enjoyed ballroom dancing and spent many hours on the dance floor. After an injury sidelined me for 10 years I am finally able to waltz again! My stories are a reflection of my love for family intricately woven with life experience. When the gales of November blow early you can find me at the computer with a cup of joe, listening to Michael Bublé and working on Sugar’s next adventure…

 

Links

http://www.katiemettnerbooks.com

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Katie-Mettner-Author

https://twitter.com/KatieMettner

http://amzn.to/1sYkkAm