Some might ask how it is possible for an all-powerful and all-knowing God to allow evil? Their arguments hinge on their assumption that an omnipotent and all-knowing being should have the capacity to stop such actions from taking place.
But this argument misses the point. God is not just all-knowing and all-powerful; He’s also good. Here are just a few ways in which He’s good: 1. He created everything.
1. He created everything
At first, God intended everything He created to be good; from waves lashing against sandy shores to trees towering towards the sun and painted fluffy clouds floating through the sky – to all these things He called good. Unfortunately, sin entered our world and caused everything to deteriorate rapidly – natural disasters now threaten cities and ways of life while animals can become hazardous or even deadly when people fail to keep them safe; sin can even cause death!
But according to Scripture, God remains merciful. He not only knows how but is committed to creating a world free from pain, suffering and death.
This perspective on life offers an entirely unique viewpoint on reality. Freud characterized this view of God as wish fulfillment for an ideal father figure while Marxist writers saw it as evidence of powerlessness within oppressive societies. But the Bible shows all these attributes are true: omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence, perfection, divine simplicity and eternal and necessary existence are just some.
Once we accept that all these things about God are true, it becomes much simpler to acknowledge His goodness. This should encourage us to worship Him and thank Him for being part of our lives – providing His Law, Son and opportunity for us to choose His ways as part of a meaningful existence. This should lead us closer to understanding why life matters – giving meaning and purpose through faith-driven living.
However, it can be hard to see the goodness of God when looking around us; the Bible teaches that “the wages of sin is death”. However, that doesn’t mean God doesn’t care about what happens on Earth; He actually created it for His own glory! Our understanding of His goodness must shift if we want to remain with Him through death, trouble and trials in this life – when done so we’ll come to view everything as working towards our ultimate good.
2. He loves us
Many people struggle to trust that God truly cares for them. Perhaps they have experienced betrayal from others and don’t feel sure if they can trust a deity who might let them down again, but the Bible makes clear that His love for us remains constant and unconditional despite any mistakes we might make; He always wants what’s best for us and wants nothing but salvation and eternal bliss for His beautiful kingdom.
Philosophers typically distinguish three divine attributes: omnipotence, omniscience and omnibenevolence. Unfortunately, the existence of evil presents believers with a difficult dilemma: If a loving God exists, He must possess both the power to prevent evil from occurring and knowledge about its presence; otherwise evil must result from human choices; if this latter option holds true then such choices would needlessly create suffering; otherwise if a good God exists He would not permit such events.
Christians contend that God is a loving, sovereign and just Creator who created the world and provided mankind with physical life – not to punish us but to fulfill his plan of glorifying Himself through us! In doing so He also revealed His righteous law which guides our behavior toward pleasing Him and leading to His glory. When man violates this law he suffers as it leads to Him glorifying Himself even further! When man breaks this law he experiences suffering; yet this suffering serves not to punish but rather fulfill God’s plan.
At its heart, all goodness in this world comes from God (James 1:17). As Father of lights and Giver of all good gifts (Psalm 119:68), His gifts to us always bear good fruit (even when things may seem otherwise). Even when something might appear bad to us temporarily or conditionally for our ultimate benefit.
Jesus showed His undying affection for Peter while He was with Him, from hanging out together, teaching him the gospel, and praying together, to knowing all about Peter’s struggles and strengths – even knowing he would ultimately deny Him at one point – without changing His love. That type of unconditional devotion from God makes this love truly lasting and faithful.
3. He forgives our sins
Sin is an offense against God, breaking His laws and isolating us from Him. However, He remains good and His plan of redemption for mankind continues regardless of our disobedience; when we repent of our sinful ways He forgives and gives us the Holy Spirit to live within us for His glory! What an amazing gift!
God forgiving our sins is one of the main indicators of His goodness, although we may never fully understand why or how He does what He does – yet we know it must be for good! Scripture reminds us of God’s unfailing mercy which endures forever.
God must act according to His nature and character for Him to be considered good, which means acting according to holiness and righteousness as part of his nature – neither being unholy or unrighteous in any way. As the Standard for Goodness in Creation and Actions. His goodness extends throughout all areas and actions of His Creation as well.
Not to forget, evil does not spring from God doing something bad or failing to do good, but from human sinfulness. Sin binds us all to death (Romans 6:23), but God is gracious enough to forgive our transgressions – sending Jesus Christ as the sacrifice for our sins so that we may be freed of its chains and be saved from it all.
Some may struggle to believe that God can forgive their sins; they envision an angry and vindictive being, which does not reflect Scripture’s portrayal. Instead, God is patient with everyone as He waits patiently for all people to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).
At the same time, however, we must remember that some sins are so grave they cannot be forgiven. An unpardonable sin occurs when an individual hardens their heart against God and His Word and refuses to receive Him in their life – leading them ultimately away from accepting Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection as their salvation.
4. He rewards us
If God were truly all-powerful as claimed by the Bible, He should be able to stop evil from happening and create a world free from sin. If this can’t happen then the concept of an all-loving Creator becomes absurd. However, many Christians fail to appreciate that God may not be as all-powerful as they claim Him to be; many think He could stop every bad thing that ever occurs and create the ideal world; such an argument fails because reality simply does not support such thinking; instead it relies on an unrealistic notion of good based off an imaginary idea that only talks about positive qualities within its pages than it does about reality itself; such an argument makes no sense in actual terms of reality because there simply are no such references in scripture that discuss only positive qualities when discussing God in relation to Jesus or any other religious text in relation to his role within the scripture.
Actually, the Bible discusses both good and bad things, with God punishing those who disobey Him; thus leading many people not to consider Him to be all-loving.
But if we accept that the Bible is accurate and trustworthy, we can see just how good God truly is. Scripture states that He rewards those who pursue Him wholeheartedly rather than those who take advantage of Him without giving anything back in return. God promises heaven when they die as well as an abundant life here on Earth!
The Bible also teaches that God forgives those who repent of their sins, demonstrating His goodness. He doesn’t want anyone to endure hell for their transgressions if they turn from sin and place trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
Some Christians may believe it to be inappropriate to desire any rewards for serving God, believing instead they should do it out of love, rather than for any material gain. Yet the Bible clearly states that He rewards those who serve with appropriate motivations. When Satan tempts you into believing no one is watching or that your efforts are futile, remind yourself that nothing you do for Him ever goes to waste!
