Why is life so tough if God is so loving? When circumstances seems to contradict God's Word.
Although it is impossible from our point of view to understand every reason behind everything that happened (like Job), one thing is definitely sure, the Bible does give us the answer why life is the way it is in 2011. The answer we find in the Bible is that God is love and that He never intended us to suffer like we do today. We learn from reading the Book of Genesis that everything was once very good.
And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. Genesis 1:31When the Lord stated that everything was "very good" He was stating there was perfection throughout all the creation. There was no death, no weather catastrophes, no suffering, no murder, no hate, no evil--everything was perfect and without blemish!
What happened? Why is life today so different from the "very good" at creation? Did the Lord mess up somewhere? No, the Lord didn't make any mistakes (Deuteronomy 32:4). One thing many forget is that the Lord created man different from all the rest of creation, He created us as free moral agents. In fact, the Bible states that we are created in His image.
Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.Genesis 1:26-27Since the Lord created us in His image, we therefore have the ability to make rational choices. Humanity was created with the ability to either love God and His Word, or reject Him and go our own way. We learn from reading the Bible that humanity did make a choice--that choice was to go our own way apart from God's Word. All choices have consequences, and the Bible lets us know that there were world wide consequences for humanities' rejection of God's authority.
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. Romans 1:18-25The Bible teaches us that the troubles we have in life today are a direct result of man's sin against His Creator. The Bible states in the Book of Romans:
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned. Romans 5:12
As it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one." "Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive." "The venom of asps is under their lips." "Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness." "Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known." "There is no fear of God before their eyes." Romans 3:10-18
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23The Lord never intended for us to be living in the world we are now living. He created us to have fellowship with Him and live in a world that was perfect. The sin of man has brought all the trouble to our world, including our lives.When did this separation and trouble begin? It began in the Garden of Eden as stated in Genesis. God gave Adam one rule to live by with consequences for disobeying.
The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." Genesis 2:15-17We learn while continuing in our reading of Genesis that Eve was temped by Satan (click Who is Satan? to learn more about who Satan is).
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?" And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'" But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. Genesis 3:1-7The Bible tells us in the New Testament about Adam and Eve at the fall of man;
For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.1 Timothy 2:13-14Adam willfully disobeyed the Lord's command, resulting in death and suffering for all humanity and all creation.
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned. Romans 5:12
Please consider carefully what the following passages from the Bible say:
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. John 3:16-18
Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life [note: words are from Christ Himself-Rev. Steve]. John 5:24
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23
For one will scarcely die for a righteous person--though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die-- but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. Romans 5:7-9
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you--unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. 1 Corinthians 15:1-4
For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.1 Corinthians 15:22
because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, "Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Romans 10:9-13
the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:7
My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.1 John 2:1-2
In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.1 John 4:9-10
Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.1 John 4:15Looking again at the question, why is life so tough if God is so loving, I hope you saw from the Bible the answer that life is tough because we have sinned against God. I also hope you saw the answer to the sin question from the Bible that God is love because He sent His only begotten Son into the world to rescue you and me from the judgment of our sin. The key to this question is are you going to continue living life in this sin cursed world apart from the love of God in Jesus Christ, or are you going to believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? To continue in sin results in judgment and eternal fire (Daniel 12:2; Revelation 20:12-15); to believe in Christ results in eternal life (John 3:16) and the joy of knowing that as you live the rest of your life in this sin cursed world, you have the promise of His presence (John 16:33; Matthew 28:20). The choice is yours to make, the consequences of your choice are eternal. "Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation." 2 Corinthians 6:2. Once you breath your last breath it is too late for you to make your relationship right with God.
And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment. Hebrews 9:27I encourage you right now to "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved" Acts 16:31.
If you have any furthur questions about eternal life in Christ, email me at psalm119.89@gmail.com.
In Christ,
Rev. Steve
Psalm 119.89
