If God exists and if God is a God of love, why is there so much suffering in our world? Is He powerless to stop it? This challenge is often thrown up by atheists, agnostics, and also sincere individuals who struggle to understand. How can a loving God permit wars that kill, maim, and destroy property? Why diseases, famines, and other so-called natural disasters? Some smugly ask these questions in an attempt to dismiss God. Others sincerely look at the cruelty in the world and wonder, why?
Why doesn't a loving God stop war, disease, natural disasters, and cruelty toward women and children? On this Tomorrow's World program, I'll give you three reasons why a loving God allows pain and suffering. Yes, there is great suffering found everywhere and you may personally be going through a painful trial yourself. But our Creator is a God of love, and that's why I'm offering a free resource that explains His great love for you and me.
John 3:16--Hidden Truths of the Golden Verse explains far more than most realize. Yes, John 3:16 explains God's love for mankind, despite the hardships we currently see, but within it are truths not generally understood, so be sure to have writing material available to take down our contact information so you can receive your free copy of John 3:16--Hidden Truths of the Golden Verse.
Now stay tuned as I'll be back in 5 seconds and give you three reasons why a loving God allows such great suffering on this troubled planet. ♪ A warm welcome to all of you from all of us here at Tomorrow's World, where we fearlessly take on the hard questions and tell you the plain truth straight from the pages of the Bible.
Atheists and agnostics think they have the perfect argument against God's existence, when they ask: "How can there be a loving God when children are abused, women are raped, people die from excruciatingly painful diseases, and innocent people are displaced and killed in war?" There are answers and I'll give you three of them today, but there are two aspects to this question:
Does God exist? And, Number 2, if He does: Is He truly a God of Love? Please bear with me as I address the question of God's existence. Frankly, dear friends, that is not as difficult as some make it out to be. It comes down to this: Either the vast universe and life on this planet is the result of blind chance, or it is the result of an intelligent Designer, in other words, God. Setting aside the huge question of how the universe came to be, let me get to the crux of this issue of life itself.
Could life arise from non- living matter by chance? Evolutionist Bill Bryson addresses the unlikelihood of life arising as a result of chance when discussing proteins--the building blocks of cellular life. As all knowledgeable people know, proteins are made up of long strings of amino acids connected in precise meaningful ways--similar to the way letters form sentences. You cannot throw vowels and consonants randomly together and form meaningful sentences.
Nor can you throw amino acids together randomly and form functioning proteins. As an example, Bryson speaks of the most common protein found in all of us--collagen: "But to make collagen, you need to arrange 1,055 amino acids in precisely the right sequence. But--and here's an obvious but crucial point-- you don't make it. It makes itself, spontaneously, without direction, and this is where the unlikelihoods come in.
The chances of a 1,055 sequence molecule like collagen spontaneously self-assembling are, frankly, nil. It just isn't going to happen." What an amazing admission. But collagen is only one protein needed for life. As Bryson points out: "No one really knows, but there may be as many as a million types of protein in the human body, and each one is a little miracle. By all the laws of probability proteins shouldn't exist." Now why does he call them little miracles? And why shouldn't they exist?
Bryson explains the laws of probability and points out that the odds of a more typical 200 amino acid protein self-assembling is 1 in 10260. That is a single chance in 1 followed by 260 zeros. About which Bryson states: "That in itself is a larger number than all the atoms in the universe." Think about that. This is only one typical protein, of which there may be as many as one million different types in the human body.
But my favorite Bryson quote comes from his book, The Body, in which he explains: "You could call together all the brainiest people who are alive now or have ever lived and endow them with the complete sum of human knowledge, and they could not between them make a single living cell, never mind a replicant Benedict Cumberbatch [a British actor]." Who is it now who believes in miracles? Bryson's comments mirror those of Michael Denton, PhD, in biochemistry.
We often hear the term "simple cell" thrown about. Here is what this biochemist says about that so-called simple cell: "The complexity of the simplest known type of cell is so great that it is impossible to accept that such an object could have been thrown together suddenly by some kind of freakish, vastly improbable, event. Such an occurrence would be indistinguishable from a miracle."
He explains what many scientists are coming to understand and why former evolutionists are changing their minds on the subject. "Although the tiniest bacterial cells are incredibly small... each is in effect a veritable micro-miniaturized factory containing thousands of exquisitely designed pieces of intricate molecular machinery... far more complicated than any machine built by man and absolutely without parallel in the non-living world."
The evidence for intelligence-- that is God--as the cause of life is massively compelling for anyone willing to look at the facts. So, why do we have terrible suffering in our world? If God is all-powerful, why can't He, or why won't He, put an end to all the awful suffering that is here on earth? I'll give the first answer to that question in the next portion of this Tomorrow's World program, but first, I want to tell you about today's free offer.
Perhaps the most well-known verse in the entire Bible is John 3:16... "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." This verse proclaims God's boundless love. Yes, He cares for mankind to a degree that is remarkable beyond our imagination, but how much do you know about this verse that is painted on rocks and displayed on billboards and hand-held signs at sporting events?
Our booklet, John 3:16-- Hidden Truths of the Golden Verse explains eight truths that are almost universally unrealized. I can almost assure you that our resource will open your eyes to things you have never understood. So, to gain a full understanding of this famous Scripture, order your free copy of John 3:16-- Hidden Truths of the Golden Verse.
And when I come back after a short break, I'll give you the first answer to the question, "If God is love, why do we see so much suffering?" ♪ For today's free offer call... Or go to... This clear and straight-forward resource will help you understand this vital truth-- straight from the pages of the Bible. If you're calling for the first time, you will also receive a free annual subscription to Tomorrow's World magazine.
Six inspiring issues discussing news, science, and modern culture will help you make sense of your world from a biblical perspective. Call today and join millions around the world who are turning to Tomorrow's World for truth, prophecy, and hope in these confusing times. Call now!
Or go to... ♪ Before the break I said I would give you the first answer to the question, "If God is love, why do we see so much suffering?" As we have seen in the previous portion of this program, The answer is not that God does not exist. It is not that He is too weak.
It is not that He does not care. No, God exists. He is all-powerful. And He truly is a God of love and compassion, as the resource we are offering today explains. So I urge you to take us up on this free offer: John 3:16--Hidden Truths of the Golden Verse. But again, we wonder: "If God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son" that we might have life, why does He allow war, children to be abducted, women to be raped, and people to die from long-lasting and painful diseases?
Let's ask a relevant question: Are we looking in the wrong direction by placing blame on God? The answer is yes. So, the first reason for suffering here on earth is: #1: We are doing it to ourselves. Consider this. A teenage boy is told by his parents not to smoke, as smoking can cause lung cancer, oral cancers, heart disease, emphysema, and a host of other maladies.
His parents dearly love him and they don't want him to hurt himself, but as with so many teens, he rejects his parent's loving advice and chooses rather to follow his friends and his own judgment. He takes up smoking, or more likely today, vaping. Of course, he doesn't think he will be addicted, nor suffer the consequences he's warned about. No, he thinks he's the exception.
But 35 years later he comes down with lung cancer and his life, his hopes and his dreams, are cut short by a long, painful death. Whose fault is it? His parents? No, they did everything they could reasonably do to prevent him from picking up the dangerous habit. Is it God's fault? Why blame Him when God commanded him to obey his parents? And note this additional warning to everyone not to trust one's own heart: "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death."
That's from Proverbs 14:12, and the warning is so important that it is repeated in chapter 16, verse 25. Can we not make the rational judgment that it's his own fault? Even though he was warned by parents, by God, by the Surgeon General, and probably numerous others, the immediate pleasure of fitting in with his peers was more important than what might happen decades later. Trusting our own ways, what seems right in our own eyes, and short-sightedness, have been man's problem from the beginning.
However, the problem does go deeper than that. When God created the first man and woman, he placed them in a beautiful garden filled with the most delicious organic fruits and vegetables that one could ever imagine. In this garden, He planted two special trees. We read of them in Genesis 2:9, "And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food.
The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." These two trees were symbolic. To eat of the tree of life was the choice to trust God for determining right and wrong, and to live accordingly. But to take of the other tree was an act of rebellion against God's rule, symbolizing man choosing for himself to determine good and evil. We are not animals that act according to instinct, but God made us free moral agents.
We must make moral choices and His laws reveal which choices are right. And He informs us that there are consequences for our decisions. Deuteronomy 30:19 tells us: "I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live." There was no ambiguity here: blessings and life on one side, curses and death on the other.
So why do we blame God for the choices that we freely make? Just as with a rebellious teenage son, we think we know better. We think God is keeping something good from us because there is a temporary benefit. For the teenager, the vanity of being accepted and looking good in the eyes of his friends, seems worth taking a risk on something that may or may not happen in the future. Is it not the same with us who are adults? No, God is not to blame for the choices that we make.
While He does not remove every natural consequence for our bad decisions, He will forgive us upon repentance, as our resource John 3:16-- Hidden Truths of the Golden Verse explains. This resource can be yours free of charge. All you have to do is ask. No one will hit you up for a donation and your name will not be sold to others. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. So, order your free copy of John 3:16--Hidden Truths of the Golden Verse and do it today.
And when I come back, I'll explain why we make wrong choices and suffer as a result. ♪ This clear and straight-forward resource will help you understand this vital truth-- straight from the pages of the Bible. Call now! Or go to... ♪ On this Tomorrow's World program, I'm asking and answering the question, "If God is love, why so much suffering?
Why war, famine, and disease?" As I've shown in the previous portion, to anyone with an objective mind, the blame for our pain and suffering is our own, not God's. He made us free moral agents and leaves it up to us to choose. Still, people argue, "An all-powerful loving God should stop it." Now let us consider how God would stop us from making bad decisions and suffering the consequences of them. God would have to take away free moral agency.
In effect, He would have to force us to make right choices. But our first parents said, by rebelling against God and taking of the forbidden tree, "God, stay out of our business. Don't tell us what to do. We want to do our own thing." And if we're honest with ourselves, we must admit we're no different.
Yes, we may rationalize that we are different, but we deceive ourselves, as Jeremiah told is in the 17th chapter and verse 9: "The heart [that is the mind of man] is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?" Wars are fought between nations, between neighbors, and even in homes between husbands and wives. Whether it is domestic violence or whether it is one nation warring against another, the result is pain and sorrow.
When there is conflict between individuals or nations, there are causes. And one cause is revealed to us in James 4, verses 1-2: "Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war." Selfish desire, lust, and greed end in conflict, but we learn elsewhere another cause of conflict, and that is--human pride.
Notice these Proverbs: "By pride comes nothing but strife, But with the well- advised is wisdom." That's chapter 13 and verse 10. "Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall." That's chapter 16 and verse 18. "He who is of a proud heart stirs up strife, But he who trusts in the LORD will be prospered." That's from Proverbs 28:25. As we see, human nature involves lust, greed, pride, and selfish desire.
To put it another way, we want what we want and dismiss God's law of outgoing concern. The end result is conflict, misery, and sorrow. Only the most calloused among us wants to see anyone suffer, especially innocent children and animals. How easy it is to blame God when the problem lies with us. In the last portion of this program I'll give you two other reasons for suffering, but let me remind you once again about today's free offer.
John 3:16 declares how great God's love is for humanity, but there are other messages in this pivotal verse that you need to know and that is why we are offering this important resource-- John 3:16--Hidden Truths of the Golden Verse. This easy-to-read booklet can be yours with a simple call to the toll-free number shown on your screen, or by going to TWTV.ORG/John316. Now if the phone line is busy, wait five minutes and try again, but order it today.
And when I come back, I'll give you two more causes of suffering. ♪ For today's free offer call... Or go to... This clear and straight-forward resource will help you understand this vital truth-- straight from the pages of the Bible. If you're calling for the first time, you will also receive a free annual subscription to Tomorrow's World magazine. Six inspiring issues discussing news, science, and modern culture will help you make sense of your world from a biblical perspective.
Call today and join millions around the world who are turning to Tomorrow's World for truth, prophecy, and hope in these confusing times. Call now! Or go to... ♪ Our belief in God's existence stands on firm ground and makes far more sense than a world of wondrously complex beings coming into existence by blind chance. And the Bible tells us that God is love. Before the break, I said I would give you two more causes of suffering on earth.
As explained earlier, rather than blaming God, reason Number 1 is: We are doing it to ourselves. Blaming God is easy, but it's wrong-headed. Most of our trials are a direct result of our own actions. How can one blame God for lung cancer if we refuse to heed the warnings. The same can be said for wars, accidents, and injuries. So don't blame God. The fault is with human beings. But there are other reasons for suffering as well.
God is a loving parent who occasionally punishes us for our good. Not only has God put in place natural consequences for disobedience, but He also steps in as a loving parent to remind us when we go astray.
This is explained in Hebrews 12, beginning in verse 5: "And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: "My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives." If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?
But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons." God is looking at the long-game. Suffering, whether as a result of our own foolishness, that of others, or discipline from God, produces character needed to be in God's family. As we read in Hebrews 12:11, "Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."
And this brings me to the most important reason for human suffering.
God desires for us to live forever in His Kingdom as His children. Most people have no idea why God created us. To them, we're here to cram into life as much happiness, fun, and success as possible before we die. They see this life as the dessert, and anything that comes later as the broccoli. Few understand what is at stake: a few years on earth, or life for eternity. And what kind of eternity? The Bible is clear. Scripture after Scripture speaks of us becoming children of God.
The Apostle Paul even calls us "joint heirs with Christ". Notice Romans 8:14-17: "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba [or that is Daddy], Father."
The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs-- heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, [now notice this] if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together." This is the context in which he puts in perspective the temporary suffering that comes with this life. Continuing in verse 18: "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God." In light of this, consider the common refrain: "No pain, no gain."
Yes, this temporary existence with all its trials, no matter how severe they may be, is nothing in comparison to what the future holds for those who learn to put God first. This is why Paul also said, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." That's from Romans 8:28. There is much suffering in our world--some excruciating and long-lasting--but blaming God is wrong-headed.
He's given us free moral agency to make decisions. Most of the heartache we suffer is the result of bad decisions. Sometimes it's the decision of others that cause us grief, but much of the time it's our own. Some suffering is a direct result of God stepping in as a loving parent to let us know we are on the wrong track. He wants us to succeed. He wants us to be in His Kingdom. And a few years of pain now can yield far greater reward.
As it tells us in Psalm 16:11, "You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore." All suffering must be understood in the context of John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." To learn more about God's love, order your free copy of John 3:16--Hidden Truths of the Golden Verse.
And be sure to come back next week when Richard Ames, Wallace Smith, Rod McNair, and I share with you the good news of the coming Kingdom of God, the meaning of life, and the prophecies of what's ahead. See you next time. ♪ For today's free offer call... Or go to... Call today and join millions around the world who are turning to Tomorrow's World for truth, prophecy, and hope in these confusing times. ♪ The preceding program is produced by the Living Church of God. ♪