This was a question a friend of mine asked the other day.
The best answer I have ever heard on this question comes from a Q&A session by Ravi Zaccharias at the University of Michigan.
1) God must be a part of the answer because without God, there is no absolute moral basis. With no God, there is no good. Without good there is no evil so the question falls apart because of a lack of morality. Whose right do we have indeed to call something good or evil?
2) When God called the people of Israel a chosen nation, they were a small, weak nation (much different from Rome, Greece, Babylon, etc.). This was UNMERITED love. They did nothing to deserve the blessing.
3) God said to the Israelites that when they would follow Him, they will be blessed. When they would turn away from Him, they will be cursed. The manifestation of His presence was as dramatic and as literal as that. The dramatic period of miracles in the Old Testament with Moses & Elijah, the destruction of the prophets of Baal, the destruction of the Egyptians in the Red Sea. And then in the New Testament with Jesus curing the sick, casting out of demons, God stating in a loud voice 'This is My Son with whom I am well pleased'. These were dramatic events. With that literal demonstration of God's presence, it is equally likely that a rejection of that truth carries with it a dramatic judgement at the same time. But the blessings largely outweighs the curses as was shown in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus
4) When people take a life, they are wrong because they do no have the power to restore it. When God takes a life, He also has the power to give it back. That which God protects and preserves are His. As horrible as it may seem to see the tragedy of death, its a grim reminder of what sin really is (a rejection of God and His ways). However, to the believer, He gives us the hope and the confidence to carry us through those difficult times.
Grace & Peace...
PLW
Was your friend satisfied with the answer?
ReplyDeleteNo (at least I don't think it changed his mind any), although I don't know if he is truly wanting an answer or politely engaging in the discussion because he knows I am interested in it.
ReplyDeleteSkepticism towards something unseen or unheard is understandable. For me, it ignited a brief journey into the Sovereignty of God issue (God's will) and my life which hopefully is a reflection of Christ for others around me.
What was in his mind to begin with? He doubted the coexistence of love and punishment, or was it of a different vein? Does he have children? It seems a good analogy to compare it with a parent's 'love' for a child via 'instructive' punishment. I ask because it reminds me of the conversation we had one upon a time about 'innocence,' when sin begins, and God's grace, etc. Sort of similar, anyway.
ReplyDeleteAs for being a '...reflection of Christ...' I was recently thinking about this not in Christian terms (necessarily), but in terms of having known or known of anyone who can serve as a paragon of virtue, decency, etc., like Christ is purported to be (forget for the moment his 'other' attributes--the devine ones). It was an amazing question and a real mind-stretching exercise. Sort of sad, but exhilarating at the same time.