The Problem of evil!

People often ask, if God is a God of love, then why is there so much suffering in the world. They also ask if God is good, then does He not have the power to defeat Satan. However, the Bible tells us that God is both, all good (Psalm 25:8) and all-powerful (Psalm 115:3). Dr. Kurt Wise, the Director of Creation Research Center at Truett McConnell University, explains this beautifully in his notes on the book of Genesis. He says that when Satan fell, there was no curse on Creation. However, when Man fell, everything was cursed since the Creation was designed with Man in mind and not angels. Therefore, Man's sin brought destruction to the earth and is punished by natural disasters and disease. Throughout history, God has used the consequences of the fall to accomplish His plans for good in the life of His children (Rom 8:28). And God will destroy evil at His own appointed time.

When God created Man, God gave the earth to man to have 'dominion' (Genesis 1:26). In the perfect world, all animals were at peace with Adam and Eve. But Adam gave up his blessing to Satan by disobeying God. While God is still the owner of all Creation, it is Satan who is having 'dominion' over it. Paul called Satan as "the god of this world"(2 Cor. 4:4). Jesus Himself called Satan, the prince of this world.
During the Temptation of Christ in the wilderness, Satan took Jesus up unto a high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and said, "I will give these all to you… "(Luke 4:6-7) and Jesus did not dispute his claim because, after the fall, Satan had dominion. The world is in Satan's control and is in rebellion against God. When we receive Jesus Christ into our hearts as our Lord and Savior, we become a child of God, but this fallen world is still under Satan's power and control. That is why we see so much of suffering in this world!

My friend, God has not left us without help. Jesus bore our sin, shame, and sickness on that Cross. He has empowered every child of God with the Holy Spirit so that we can overcome sin, sickness, and situations in this world. May God help each one of us to find the strength in Jesus to live victoriously in this fallen world.

Categories: Weekly DevotionalsAuthor: Hephzibah StephenDate: 14th August 2019 Share: newsletterDisplay date: 21st August 2019

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