Suffering 14
Five years ago this weekend, on a
peaceful Sunday morning, a demonically inspired man in Sutherland, Texas,
picked up his rifle, and walked into the Baptist church his in-laws attended.
Rapidly firing, he murdered 26 people and wounded 20 more before eventually
killing himself at the end of the ensuing car chase.
Why did God let that happen? Why did
He allow His own children, in the middle of a church service, to be gunned down
in cold blood? Why did He not stop it? What good is God is He cannot or does
not protect His own people from such evil brutality?
Before I offer you a reason let me
briefly mention a wrong answer or two. Some men proffer that the shooting in
Sutherland Springs happened because God is incapable of protecting His own. Why
is this a wrong answer? Because to assert it makes God less than God, and it
flies in the face of plain biblical teaching and example.
We see this clearly in the crucifixion
of God’s own Son, Jesus. It did not happen because the Father was unable to
stop unpleasant earthly events. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my
Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?
(Matthew 26.53) God is all-powerful. He could have, if He chose, stopped
this evil in its tracks and preserved the lives and happiness of His children
in Sutherland Springs, Texas.
Other people suggest this happened to
them because God was punishing them. Such an insinuation places the suggesters
within the orbit of Job’s friends, who insisted the bad in Job’s life was a
result of his sin. To the contrary, Jesus makes it clear that we cannot look a
the circumstantial events of a person’s life and declare they happened as
punishment for some hidden sin. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master,
who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered,
Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should
be made manifest in him. (John 9.2-3)
So if the above two attempts to answer
the question are wrong what is the right answer? Permit me to make four
statements in response.
First, God made us with a free will. And
the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let
him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of
life freely. (Revelation 22.17) Unequivocally, God has the power to force
Himself on anyone. He has the power of a Creator. He has the power of
omnipotence. He has the power of omniscience. He has the power of eternity. He
has the power of omnipresence. Yet He chose not to force Himself upon us. He
chose not to create robots; He chose to create us in His image and equip us
with a will that is free.
Second, God made us with a free will
so that we would willingly choose to love and serve Him. Moses instructed his
readers, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all
thy soul, and with all thy might. (Deuteronomy 6.5) Jesus constantly
reiterated the same. And it is not real love if it is forced love. Nor is it
real service if it is forced service, as Joshua reveals. It requires conscious,
unhindered choice. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose
you this day whom ye will serve. (Joshua 24.15)
Slaves serve because they do not
have a choice. My God wants sons, not slaves. And if we are going to enter His
service, even to the extent of viewing ourselves as His slave, He wants it to
be our idea. He desires it to be motivated not by force but by a heart love
that constrains us to give our lives for him. Our God does not break down the
door of our heart; He humbly knocks and asks admission. (Revelation 3.20)
Third, allowing us a free will must
mean allowing people to go against Him, including in some very bad ways. The
proof of this point is the existence of Satan, the very motivating force behind
every tragedy ever since. For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend
into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also
upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend
above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. (Isaiah
14.13-14)
If I want you love me from your heart
I have to let you hate me if that is what you choose. I cannot give you a free
will and then control its exercise. I can persuade. I can reason. I can
motivate. I can influence. But I cannot force you to go against your will.
Ergo, I am going to regularly experience what it is like for people to go
against my will.
This is God’s self-chosen existence.
He could make us do all that He desires but He does not. So we do some very, very bad things, including
things that hurt other people God loves.
Fourth, somehow, though all of this is
true, Scripture also reveals a God whose sovereignty is intact. Surely the
wrath of man shall praise thee: The remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.
(Psalm 76.10)
“Pastor Brennan, you are arguing
against yourself.” No, I am telling you what God said even if I cannot adequately
explain it. God gave us a genuinely free will, yet He retains His sovereignty.
Like with the Trinity, I do not have to understand the complexities of this
doctrine in order to believe it.
The reality of this is seen in the
absolute fact that every knee will bow to Him eventually. He may let us defy
Him for a little while, but at some point His patience will be at an end. His
longsuffering is long but it is not eternal suffering. He will be obeyed. He
will be worshipped. How much better to do so now, voluntarily, from a heart of
love? Neglect the opportunity you are given by His grace now and you will be
dragged there in chains, if need be.
The reality of a free will requires
the existence of suffering. That is (one reason) why horror was visited on the
saints in Sutherland Springs, Texas, five years ago this weekend.
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