What Is the Truth About God?

IS GOD UNCARING AND HARDHEARTED?


Many people think that the answer to that question is yes.  'If God cared,'  they reason, 'would not the world be a different place?'  We look around and see a world full of war, hatred, and misery. And as individuals, we get sick, we suffer,  we lose loved ones in death. Thus, many says:  'If God cared about us and our problems, would he not prevent such things from happening?'

Worse yet, religious teachers sometimes lead people to think that God is hardhearted. How so? When tragedy strikes, they say that it is God's will. In effect, such teachers blame God for the bad things that happen. Is that the truth  about God?  What does the Bible really teach?  James 1:13 answers:  "When under trial, let no one say: 'I am being tried by God.'  For evil things God cannot be tried nor does he himself try anyone."  So God is never the source of the wickedness you see in the world around you.   (Job 34:10-12) Granted, he does allow bad things to happen. But there is a big difference between allowing something to happen and causing it.

For example, think about a wise loving father with a grown son who is still living at home with his parents.  When the son becomes rebellious and decides to pursue a bad way of life and gets into trouble.  Is the father the cause of his son's problems. No. (Luke 15:11-13) Similarly, God has not stopped humans when they have chosen to pursue a bad course, but he is not the cause of the problems that have resulted. Surely, then, it would be unfair to blame God for all the troubles of mankind.  

God has good reasons for allowing mankind to follow a bad course. As our wise and powerful Creator, he does not have to explain his reasons to us. Out of love, however, God does this. You will learn more about these reasons in Chapter 11.  But rest assured that  God is not  responsible for the problems we face. On the contrary, he gives us the only hope for a solution! -Isaiah 33:2. 

Furthermore, God is holy.  (Isaiah 6:3) This means that he is pure and clean. There is no trace of badness in him. So we can trust him completely.  That is more than we can say for humans, who sometimes corrupt. Even the most honest human in authority often does not have the power to undo the damage that bad people do.  But God is all-powerful. He can and will undo all the effects that wickedness has had on mankind. When God acts, he will so in a way that will end evil forever! -Psalm 37:9-11. 

Next time: What Is the Truth About God?/HOW DOES GOD FEEL ABOUT INJUSTICES WE FACE?

From the book WHAT DOES THE BIBLE REALLY TEACH?