Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Does pain and suffering and injustice…

…in the world influence the way you see God…? Why or why not…?

Pain and suffering are consequences of sin. Pain and suffering will end when Christ comes and establishes his earthly millennial kingdom, but even then with utopian life on this earth when Satan is released from the pit, he will lead nations into rebellion against Christ. This shows that fallen and unregenerate human heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. After the last rebellion this present universe will be destroyed and in the Book of Revelation we see new heaven and new earth where righteousness will dwell. All unrepentant will be cast into the lake of fire along with Satan and his host, only then will there be eternal peace and rest without sufferings, pain, sin and death for ever and ever.

People blame God for pain, suffering and injustice, but if they would be honest they will see themselves as the ones causing all this. Generally speaking God simply allows us to do as we please to a point, as Sovereign He reserves the right to interfere in our affairs and often does in order to accomplish His will. Pain suffering and injustice is not caused by God but by fallen human heart influenced by father of lies Satan.

Yes

Would this be the same loving God that keeps the pediatric wards full of suffering babies and kids?

The good thing is that that those suffering kids have angels who behold the face of God and God lovingly takes them into His presence when their time comes. In his presence is fulness of joy. In the garden of Eden there was no pain and suffering, after the fall pain, suffering and death entered into the world and has been here every since, but loving God provided salvation through Christ. Ultimately pain and suffering will end but not for rejecters of Christ and mockers of God, their pain and sufferings will continue for eternity in the lake of fire.

It shows his incredible patience. If it was me, I'd have crushed all this sin a long time ago but he's giving everyone more and more chances to repent. Millenia ago, he told Abraham that the sin of the Canaanites was not yet full so he didn't crush them then. He gave them another full 500 years to clean up their act. They didn't and he sent in the Israelites to settle with them. Then those same Israelites became totally sinful themselves. God gave them chance after chance for 1000 years before he sent in the Babylonians to deal with them. 500 or 1000 years is nothing to him. It's hard to say how long he'll let this world go on like it is but the signs are that he might be reaching the end of his patience.

No , It felt like I reached an important point in both my spiritual and mental maturation when I realized all the PSI in my life were dealt to me by my own hand.
By our faith and Gods grace we are healed and made whole.

This doesnt explain away the sickness and suffering of those that seem innocent , misery is something I dont hold The Creator responsible for. YMMV for all the good it does you.

Yes! He is the One Who told Eve, "I will greatly increase your pain in childbirth." Folks seem to forget He is infinite. Therefore, He reacted in an infinite manner and cursed the whole universe when His crowning glory of creation sinned.

God says in His Word, "If a calamity occurs in a city, I did it." He will not spare those who reject His Gift of His Son. They will be tormented eternally.

Antlers, My friend, I thought I’d try to spit out a quick reply before heading off to church. As someone who saw my fair share of pain, suffering and injustice and knowing that you currently see MUCH MORE than your fair share of pain, suffering and injustice I don’t think there’s anyway around it….in some of the worst scenes I’ve watched God’s miracles happen and I’ve felt the calmness of his presence. I’ve never not known the Lord but I know that there have been times when I felt weak and He gave me strength. There were times I was scared but would never let on that I was scared and He gave me courage. Times on the job and in life when I doubted myself and He gave me wisdom. Everything in my life I owe to Him! There’s no way a dumbass like me got the wife, family and life that I have without significant divine intervention. I’ve felt the Lord and I’ve watched his amazing work when everything was the darkest and chaos reigned, when sickness, pain and injustice are present I turn it all over to Him because I know how totally incapable I am in comparison to His Greatness…it’s in those hours that I’m in awe of his power and Grace. I’m sure Antlers, that you have a sneaking suspicion of what I’m talking about. I didn’t know many trauma docs, trauma nurses and paramedics back in the day that weren’t strong believers.

All my best to you antlers!

Yes it is. And He is also the same loving God that is long-suffering and giving YOU an opportunity to repent of your sin and accept the gift of salvation he offers through faith in his Son, Jesus Christ. God is not willing that any should die and go to hell. You choose that for yourself -by rejecting a GIFT! It’s a GIFT- you can’t buy it, earn it, work for it, steal it, etc. you simply have to take what is offered freely.

Ditto.

Wouldn't be anyone left!


The OPs question is The Big Question?
One everyone asks at some point, whether the subject in mind is another, on oneself.

No

no.
the world is fallen, just like man. disease and faulty genes and killer weather and killer dogs and killer people cause death and destruction. Yeshua Messiah DOES NOT promise that believers escape these things in this world. He promises persecution, suffering, the Holy Spirit to get u through the persecution and suffering, and eternity with Him when we leave this world.
now, when He comes back, the world will be a different place, indeed ...

Must be a huge relief to them while they lay up in a pediatric burn ward, go through chemo, etc. Big guys got you!

As someone said above, human pain and suffering exist because sin exists. Suffering is part of the curse of sin in the world, Genesis 3:16-19. We are weak humans in a fallen, sinful and lost world.

Jesus said we will have suffering in this world, John 16:33, but we have an anchor in Jesus who comforts us in all trials and sufferings, 2 Corinthians 1:4.

God is good, 1 John 1:5, and is not the author of evil, James 1:13-17. God made redemption possible through the sacrifice of Jesus, and God knows the fullness of suffering in ways we don’t and can’t even fathom. Jesus’ death on the cross defeated sin and death for believers.

Blaming God for something makes us God’s judge and jury. We are His creation; He is not ours. God is sovereign, in control, and He has a plan—His plan, which might be contrary to our agendas. No human suffering is without a purpose in the plan of God. We don’t understand lots of things on this earth, but we’re not supposed to, as we are not God.

No.

God gives everyone free will. If serving God meant that we would experience less pain and suffering on earth for ourselves or our children we wouldn’t have free choice. We’d have coercion.

“The rain falls on the just and the unjust.” Mathew 5:45

The Bible outlines lifestyle choices that generally lead to happiness, prosperity, and good health rather a believer or not but there are no guarantees.

I guess all those African children that got nailed to those trees were really lucky then.

Imagine creating a hell knowing that a large majority of your failed creation would go there. Or creating people knowing they would fail.

Doesn't have to be like that at all. Scripture says hell was created for Satan and his angles. Maybe it's just the default if you reject God, and all that would entail. It doesn't have to be that God made this place to punish anyone he doesn't like for all eternity.

As to creating people knowing they would fail, I liken that to having children. You know they will fail and cause you all kinds of problems, but you do it anyway for the good.