Gracepoint Church, Peabody
This world is filled with too much suffering. We are twisted into knots trying to understand the discernible reasons for the terrible things that happen to seemingly innocent people. Cruelty, despair, and injustice face us at nearly every turn.
Does loving God allow evil?
In a sense, yes. Undoubtedly many of you are shocked or offended at that answer. Some of the negative response can be removed when you note that I didn’t say that God “causes” the badness. But He knows it’s there. He misses none of it. And His holy justice will one day be poured out on all evil-doers.
But in the meantime, He allows freedom of choice … freedom to choose good, and freedom to choose evil. Freedom to choose Him or to reject Him.
We are entering a season in which the demonstration of the love, mercy, and justice of God takes center stage. The old rugged cross highlights the suffering that injustice can bring to the innocent. And those rough beams promise justice. And the empty tomb promises hope.
A day will come when all is made right. But until that day, may we never forget the sacrifice made on Good Friday and the hope born on Easter morning. It’s the only way we can survive this dark world.