On my journey through life, I’ve experienced bad stuff. Three questions come to mind for me as I consider my reality and the reality of millions around the world who are living with far worse challenges than I am: 1) Why does bad stuff happen? 2) Why doesn’t God stop bad stuff from happening? 3) How do I live with/in the midst of bad stuff?
Join me as I explore with you the answers to these three questions in a 3-part series. I need to let you know up front that my answers will reflect both my lived experiences and biblical perspectives, as I seek to understand and live my life in harmony with the love and truth of God.
This is Evil–Part 1, where I focus on the first question: Why does bad stuff happen?
Let me begin by sharing three related points that provide the context for my answer to this first question.
First, God began by making the Earth perfect without evil.
Second, at creation God gave humans freedom of choice.
Third, a powerful and high-ranking angel in Heaven led a rebellion against God in Heaven. He lost and was thrown out of Heaven and came down to the Earth with a third of the angelic host who joined him in the rebellion. Then, beginning with our first parents Adam and Eve, he—Satan, the devil, the ancient serpent, the great dragon—leads these fallen angels to propagate evil in the world.
God created the human race with freedom of choice. Our original ancestors—Adam and Eve—yielded to the deception of Satan and chose to disobey God. The consequences of their disobedience were death, the loss of their perfect home (an Earth originally free from evil), and the start of an ongoing conflict with Satan who wants to destroy us all (see Genesis 2:15—3:24).
Bad stuff happens because evil entered our world as a result of this first or original sin (disobeying God) and because Satan and his crew of fallen angels continue to propagate evil in our world. Thus, the reality of our human condition today includes pain, suffering, death, crying, mourning, and all manner of other bad stuff that worsens as time passes.
Will bad stuff always be a part of our lives; are we bound to live with evil forever? Is there a solution to the ongoing onslaught of trouble and setbacks and evil in the world? Pain and suffering and grief hurt!!! What am I supposed to do in the midst of it all? Why doesn’t God do something about it?
Continue with me as we explore these valid questions in Evil–Part 2: Why doesn’t God stop bad stuff from happening? and Evil–Part 3: How do I live with/in the midst of bad stuff?
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