If God is good, why do bad things happen to good people? Haven’t you had this question asked to you by someone who thought they had found the key – Eureka – why God can’t exist… There are people who will speak of trial by fire or baptism by fire. They take the words of John the Baptist as follows:
Matthew 3: 11I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
12Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
They match them with Peter’s words: 1 Peter7That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
By mixing these things with ideas of men and religious views, they somehow get a theology that God sends trials, sickness, pain and sorrow to teach His children lessons. They interpret Paul’s thorn in the flesh to be a physical illness, or a wound in his soul or some such thing. This is used to try to make sense out of the bad things that happen to seemingly good people. First of all – none of us know the heart of someone, unless God reveals it to us. Even then, all we would have is the revelation God gave us. Only God knows the eternal soul He created.
Nevertheless, there are bad things that attack God’s people. They should be seen as what they are and that is attacks. They are not God’s design or His plan. They are not His tutors. They are “messengers of Satan” sent to beat against us to try to get us to sin. They could cause us to doubt God’s goodness, or His love for us or to deny God’s Word. If there is any ground given in these areas, certainly our faith will waver and we will lose strength.
2 Corinthians 12: 7And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
8For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
9And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Jesus would not die on the cross to save us from sin and then put sin upon us. Jesus would not save us from something just to put it upon us to teach us something. Jesus died on the cross to save us from hell, sin, bondage, sickness, poverty, lack, and every other consequence from the curse of Adam. Jesus paid the price for our total and complete Salvation. He would not then take these elements of the curse (they are all listed as curses in Deuteronomy 28) and inflict them upon His children.
God is not an abusive parent.He does not send trails, temptations, sickness or poverty to teach us lessons. Truly these things exist and may attack a Christian but we must dig into the Word of God and what God says about these situations; read the Word; confess the Word; resist self pity or hatred or any other temptation to sin; we must press on with the knowledge that God is for us. He is giving us supernatural strength to continue and press on. God is able to empower us to go through attacks or trials. God can most certainly turn these things for our good; God can most certainly teach us and use everything in our lives to teach us. What He is going to teach us is His goodness, His faithfulness to His Word and His character and His ways. There is no mystery about the will of God as though it is some form of the occult. God clearly gives us a revelation of His will in His Word. The Word of God is the Will of God for all people.
Now if someone has stepped outside of God’s protection, and willfully sinned and is continuously sinning, there are consequences for sin. There is sin, and hell and death. The soul that sins will die. First and foremost there is spiritual death, but there are also physical consequences. The truth is – if we sin, we should immediately run to God and ask forgiveness. We should plead the blood of Jesus over us and continue believing for that blood to cover us and keep us. Having God’s grace on our lives does not give us a license to sin.
Romans 6
1What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
2God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
Truly the purpose for this message is to encourage you to believe that God is who He says He is in His Word. His will and character and plan for us can be known by reading, meditating on and studying the Bible. God does not send temptations or trials to afflict us. We most certainly have an adversary on this earth and Satan will attack us if he finds any area to do so. Sometimes we suffer persecution or consequences of other people’s sins. It is in those moments God wants us to draw from the supernatural supply of His grace to pass through this life more than a conqueror through Christ who loved us and gave Himself freely for us.
PRAYER
LORD, help to to learn of your will and your WORD and your ways. Help me to live a godly life for your glory and honour. Strengthen me to live a holy life. Give me grace to repent quickly if I sin. I plead the blood over me. Forgive me for accusing you of anything that is not scriptural. Thank you that you have my best interest at heart, Thank you that you make clear what is under the curse and what is under the blessing. Help me to share the abounding grace of God with others. In Jesus name. Amen.
