http://www.lifeconnectionchurch.org

Why Does God Allow Suffering?

Series: Questions About God #3

3 Questions: What point in this message is most impactful for you?   How does it challenge, change, or affirm your thinking? How will you put into practice what you learn today?

A sign of spiritual maturity is being able to look back on the pain in your life and see the growth, the strength, the courage, the faith and the blessings that emerged.

So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Gen 1:27

From the beginning, free choice was the plan.

Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good! Gen 1:31a

In the beginning … Pre First Bad choice …..

Now the man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame. Gen 2:25

Then mankind chose evil over good, death over life.

The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. 7 At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. Gen 3:6-7

-you were made from dust, and to dust you will return. Gen 3:19c

So the Lord God banished them from the Garden of Eden

Gen 3:23a

It takes faith in God to live with pain and suffering?

The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.  1 Pet 3:9

God wants to comfort and mature us

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. 4 He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. 5 For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. 6 Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer.  2 Cor 1:3-6

Christ gives us hope.

And we know that God causes everything to work together[a] for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. 29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. Rom 8:28-29

We can choose to allow God to mold us into Christ’s image.

No matter how dark it seems, there is always hope and purpose.

And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.

1 Thes 4:13-14