10 questions

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDHJ4ztnldQ



Having looked at the video, here are some thoughts.

I do agree that the 10 questions raised are very interesting ones, and good points to make.
In regards to the first 3, I think it comes to the basic problem of reconciling a good, all-knowing and all loving God with the very visible presence of evil and suffering in the world that we live in. It's true isn't it that all we have to do is look around us and find some form of suffering and evil, be it in our lives, our family or friends' lives, or indeed the lives of total strangers that we see in the news.
The world we live in is not right. In fact, from the perspective of the Bible, it is not at all how it was originally made to be.

Let me explain...

The Bible firmly maintains that God is the loving ruler and creator of the world. At this point, as it becomes relevant, I would like to address question 4. The Bible is not a scientific textbook, it's not meant to be. It's focus is on WHY God made the world, rather than HOW. The focus is on God's instigation, rather than methods.

So the Bible maintains God as loving ruler and creator of the world, and made us, human beings, to live in and rule the world under God.

We as humans were not happy with that arrangement, and so rebelled against God, wanting to rule ourselves, and reject Him. That is what the Bible calls 'sin'.

Sin is in the world, and it has tainted the world. Sin is evil, and a byproduct is suffering...so death, sickness, starvation, all sorts of things, are a byproduct of sin, that is OUR rebellion against God.

Why doesn't God do anything about it?

God is Holy, that is, completely perfect. We, tainted by OUR sin, are the complete opposite. He cannot stand to be anywhere near us because of OUR sin. He made the world, He's in charge of the world.

Actions have consequences, and the Bible is very clear that the consquence of OUR rebellion is OUR death. The consequence of sin is death.

Thats the main thing we must focus on. Our inablility to save ourselves from our sin, and it's consequence:- death, and to face just judgement from God. After all, we rebelled, He's the the just judge. He would not be so if this was left unjudged.

The Bible says that God is mericful. He stepped into history, as Jesus Christ, to sort out the mess we have made.

Below is an extract from a biography of Jesus in the Bible, written by an intelligent person, a doctor and historian called Luke. In this section, Jesus is addressing the question of suffering and evil:-

Luke 13:1-5:-

1Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2Jesus answered, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish."

Jesus is addressing two incidents where many people died. He acknowledges suffering in this world. But what is is his focus? His focus is on God's judgement on all of humanity for their rebellion. The word repent means to turn back, literally take a complete U turn in your life away from your self and rebellious motives and towards God. That is the Creation setting that we have tried to reverse.

Jesus suffered. Jesus died. He died in the most brutal way possible, nailed to a cross for a crime He did not commit, an innocent suffer, who did no wrong.

Why?

Remember our condition, that we have rebelled and face the right judgement of God. We cannot get out ourselves. So, Jesus got us out. He died that death, and took all our sin, guilt, shame, rebelliousness, and died the very death that all of us, Christians and non-Christians alike, deserve. To repent is to trust that He did that, and that what He did is the only way we find ourselves completely forgiven by God, and set to face an eternity with Him.


So there is suffering. There is no distinction, all have sinned and fall short before God. All need Jesus. It does not surprise me that the divorce rathe for Christians is high. We have all rebelled, and we cannot take the moral high ground, never. That is why a lot of suffering goes unhealed. IT is not God ignorign us. It is the state of the world we live in. To get to the world to come, where suffering ceases, where tears shall be wiped away and death be gone forever, what we need to do in this world, is turn to God for forgiveness, which comes only through the cross of Christ: His death, which we remember by drinking wine and eating bread, as symbolic reminders of what He did for us.

We see what He did as written down in the Bible from the testimony of those who saw Him.



So theres LOADS to take in there, and I have not addressed every question. But I hope these thoughts help. Keep getting in touch if theres anything else you would like to know.