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Your Question:
Is God still good if He lets bad things happen to good people?
Answer:
As a pastor and a Christian, I've grappled with this question many times. The idea that God is good, yet allows bad things to happen to good people, is a difficult one to reconcile. But I believe that God's goodness is not limited by His power. Just because He can prevent bad things from happening, it doesn't mean He must. In fact, the Bible teaches that God's goodness is not about preventing evil, but about working all things together for good (Romans 8:28). I also believe that God's goodness is not about making us comfortable or happy in this life. Sometimes, He allows us to suffer so that we can experience a greater good in the next life. As C.S. Lewis says, "The sufferings of this life cannot even be compared to the weight of glory that is to come." When we know God, we can say with confidence that He is good, no matter what we're going through. Ultimately, God's goodness is not something we can fully understand or explain. It's a mystery that goes beyond human comprehension. But we can trust that He is good, not because we can see it, but because He says so. And when we taste and see that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8), we can say with David, "O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!" (Psalm 107:1).
Sources:
job
francis andersen
christian theology
millard erickson
no doubt about it
winfried corduran
concise history christian thought
tony lane
mere christianity
c s lewis
on guard
william lane craig
systematic theology
wayne grudem
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