From the Pulpit: Bad things

Why do bad things happen to good people? In last week’s article we talked about who is good and were left with “why do bad things happen to people”. So, this week, let’s talk about what is bad? From the very beginning, we have wanted to know what is bad and what is good. In Genesis chapter 3, Eve is tempted by this knowledge.

Now the serpent was craftier 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.”

Notice that it says “good and evil” not good FROM evil. We didn’t gain the wisdom to discern between the two; all we gained is that now we will experience them both. The temptation to be like God only brought us bad things. This first disobedient act brought evil into the world and now we live with it. So, God gave us commands to protect us from ourselves. We often use the phrase, ‘living our best life.’ If we followed God’s commands, we would be living a better life and that is what He wants for us. He wants it so much for us that He sent His Son to forgive us for all our disobedience, even back to the beginning.

We think we know better than God. We can’t understand why He allows certain things to happen in the world. But we can’t see the entire plan and how it is all woven together. Just like in the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life”, just removing one small thing has a ripple effect farther than we can see. We didn’t gain the knowledge of God by eating the fruit, we are still the created not the creator. As it says in Isaiah 55:8-9, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

We can’t judge what is good or bad, but we can trust that God has a plan and it is better than anything we could have come up with. His plan for us is to live with Him in heaven, where “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)

This is the best thing that can happen for all people through the death and resurrection of Jesus.