God And The Problem Of Evil

Notes

Verses

{You love justice and hate evil. Psalm 45:7 NLT}{You who love the Lord, hate evil! Psalm 97:10 NLT}{I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” Revelation 21:3-4 NLT}{So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. Romans 14:12 NIV}{We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one. 1 John 5:19 NLT}{But you belong to God… the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. 1 John 4:4 NLT}{Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.” John 11:21 NLT}{Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. James 1:13 NLT}{We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. Romans 5:3-5 NLT}{You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. Genesis 50:20 NLT}{The Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master. Potiphar noticed this and realized that the Lord was with Joseph, giving him success in everything he did… But the Lord was with Joseph in the prison and showed him his faithful love… The warden had no more worries, because Joseph took care of everything. The Lord was with him and caused everything he did to succeed. Genesis 39:2-3, 21, 23 NLT}

Quotes

Ravi Zacharias : The problem of pain has remained the single greatest question, not only for the skeptics who use it as an excuse to doubt God’s existence, but also for the believer who questions God’s purpose. (The Grand Weaver); Eric Metaxas : Evil is that which is utterly opposed to God and, consequently, opposed to all that is good, loving, beautiful, kind and true. (Everything You Always Wanted To Know About God); C.S. Lewis : Whenever you find a man who says he does not believe in a real Right and Wrong, you will find the same man going back on this a moment later. He may break his promise to you, but if you try breaking one to him he will be complaining ‘It’s not fair.’ (Mere Christianity); Ravi Zacharias : The infinite reference point for distinguishing good from evil can be found only in the person of God, for God alone can exhaust the definition of ‘absolutely good.’ (Who Made God); C.S. Lewis : Man, as God made him, was completely good and completely happy, but he disobeyed God and became what we now see. This condition was transmitted by heredity to all later generations, for it was not simply what biologist call an acquired variation; it was the emergence of a new kind of man – a new species, never made by God, that had sinned itself into existence. (The Problem of Pain); Eleonore Stump : There is no time, no part of the globe, free from evil. The crust of the earth is soaked with the tears of the suffering. (The Mirror of Evil); Dr. Peter Kreeft : Even when God doesn’t immediately tow us out of our suffering, the fact that He’s with us in it is at least the most impressive and satisfying answer to the problem of suffering that I know. God doesn’t give us a lot of words to answer the problem of suffering, according to Christianity, he gives us a single word, and his name is Jesus. (Making Sense Out Of Suffering); Eric Metaxas : By giving us free will, God gave us the ability to reject Him and all that is good, and thereby bring evil into our world. And all of us suffer in this life because of the evil that exists. (Everything You Always Wanted To Know About God); Dr. Peter Kreeft : God would not allow any evil, unless His wisdom and power were such as to bring out of it an even greater good. (Making Sense Out Of Suffering); Robert Velarde : Our character can be formed because of the reality of evil and suffering. This world and our sufferings in it can shape our souls for the better. This world can try us, yes, but also can build us up through our sufferings. This is a world that, if we will give it the chance, can prepare us for eternity. (Conversations With C.S. Lewis); Tim Keller : Joseph’s character was refined and strengthened by his trials. If God had not allowed Joseph’s years of suffering, he never would have been such a powerful agent for social justice and spiritual healing. (The Reason for God);