Colossians 1:17 makes the claim that God is "before all things, and in him all things hold together", meaning he is in control and has a plan.
This idea is sometimes called the sovereignty of God. But a question comes out of this claim.
Is God sovereign -OR- do we have free will?
"The biblical answer to both is yes."
- Tim Keller, Walking with God through Pain and Suffering
God allows free will and man can use that freedom for good or ill, but God is nevertheless in sovereign control over all things.
Then is He therefore responsible for allowing evil? No. God allowed our choice and how we use the tools, He equipped, is on us.
Does God Allow Evil, and if so Why?
Evil is real and it breaks hearts, God's included. Yes, God could control away all pain and loss by removing our freedom to behave selfishly, with hurtful hatred intent, but recognize our freedom to hurt and hate is the same power and gift that allows our free and beautiful loving kindness.
Without free will mankind would be incapable of hate, and incapable of meaningful volition toward love.
If God is real, and I believe he is, then its fair to conclude the opportunity for good, joy, beauty and love were in His omniscient opinion worth the price of pain, loss and hatred.
Does that make all sadness ok? No. But if one believes in Jesus then one has reason to believe in a God that promises to be faithful to work all things for the good of those who love and serve Him, Romans 8:28. It doesn't mean we won't cry and be broken here in this life, only that this God, Jesus, promises to make all things right in the end.
And we also know that this God values, above all else, that we would love and serve God and one another voluntarily and sacrificially.
When asked what is the greatest command of God, Jesus himself said:
37 ...“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
Matthew 22:37-40
I believe in this God and I have faith that He is working things for good and I trust that his sovereignty is for our greatest good. I take a lot of comfort in that faith. May you find comfort as well.
I know this conversation does not prove to an atheist that God in fact exists, this was not my point. I only mean to discuss whether God can be in control, powerful, and loving and yet be over a world where sadness, death and pain are real. I hope you found this interesting.
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