Anyone who has lived for any length of time will be aware that life is not fair. The world is broken, creation groans and humanity suffers. This unfairness arises because human sin has sullied God’s good creation, because in Satan we have a spiritual enemy who seeks to harm us and because humans have a tendency to hurt each other - from schoolyard bullying to international wars. While life is unfair, Christianity gives comfort, showing God is for us and has entered the unfairness of our human existence through Jesus Christ.
Imagine for a moment, your life’s story was to be written for future generations to read? Would your story be more likely to be written, 1) as an encouragement to others as a way of life to follow or 2) as a warning, don’t follow this path through life?
Anyone who has lived for any length of time will be aware that life is not fair. The world is broken, creation groans and humanity suffers. This unfairness arises because human sin has sullied God’s good creation, because in Satan we have a spiritual enemy who seeks to harm us and because humans have a tendency to hurt each other - from schoolyard bullying to international wars. While life is unfair, Christianity gives comfort, showing God is for us and has entered the unfairness of our human existence through Jesus Christ. When I was twenty-five, the car I was driving was hit head-on by a drunk driver and I was in hospital with a broken and dislocated hip for almost eight weeks. While I was recuperating I decided to go Court to see the the trial of the driver who had caused the accident. He had been drinking for twenty-four hours at the time of the crash and this was not the first accident he had caused while under the influence of alcohol.
I was surprised when a letter was read from his church minister in support of the driver, saying what a good man he was. I didn’t find the Court proceedings satisfying. I wasn’t sure the Judge had all the facts. I couldn’t understand how a minister would give the impression that this was a good man. As children we have a sense of what is fair and unfair. As adults we seek justice. And, if we believe in God, we expect God to be just. "What have I ever done to deserve this?" I'm sure most of us have had this thought during a difficult time. We all experience suffering in life, it's common to all humanity throughout history. Suffering raises many questions for us, and sooner or later they lead us to question God. If God is loving, why does he allow suffering - why does he allow me to suffer?
Thousands of years ago a man named Job experienced terrible suffering, and asked the same question of God "... what have I done to you ...? Why have you made me your target?" |
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