If God Exist And Is Good

By: Eric Boothe

Last Friday night in devotions we discussed the topic "If God is good and he exist, why is there turmoil in the world?" By turmoil we are talking about the biggies, natural disasters, wars, disease, death, fighting, divorce, destroyed relationships, drugs, things that destroy our bodies, corrupt politics and on and on it goes. We could list a long string of things that are wrong with the world and in doing so it's often easy to question God and if he really does exist. How can he, if he is good, allow all these things to happen? 

First we have to know that the turmoil we find in the world is not what God intended it to be like. It was not the way he created it to be. Genesis 1:31 states that "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good." There was no turmoil in the world and things were "very good." God gave man (Adam and Eve) one stipulation, they were not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God told them that if they ate off of the tree that they would surely die. Death would enter the world. Essentially God told them if they chose not to listen to him and chose instead to turn from him, he would allow them to do that and the result would be death (Gen. 2:17). There would now be a wall between them because they had turned their back on God.

We know how the story goes, Adam and Eve did eat from the tree they were told not to. As a result there were consequence, "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground..." (Gen. 3:17-19). The sin they committed had diverse effects, not only on them but on all of creation. The ground would now produce thorns and thistles, and Adam's work would no longer be so satisfying, instead it would produce sweat on his brow. In the end he would return to the ground in death. That's kind of dreary sounding don't you think? Sin would effect and did effect the whole cosmos, the whole universe. Sin has cosmic consequences and it has effected all of us. Man's disobedience is the cause of turmoil in the world. We broke the world, NOT GOD! We need to stop blaming God. It's our fault. The sin that we commit today has drastic effects as well. Sin effects us and those around us. Perhaps you have innocently felt the consequences of another persons sins, or seen how your sin effected those around you that you love.

Romans chapter 8 talks about how all of creation has been groaning. The writer compares these groans to the pains of childbirth. It's quite descriptive and unpleasant I know but he is making a point. There is great pain in all of creation. Creation is having a hard time holding itself together under the weight of the pain. What I love about this illustration is that it gives us a glimpse of hope. The pains of childbirth are only temporary and they signify a beginning, a birth. The writer of Romans goes on to say that those who know Jesus also "groan inwardly as we wait eagerly" for our redemption. We know that something is wrong with our bodies and the world, but we also have hope and an expectation that has been and will be fulfilled. God is good and all powerful. He will not let us down. He is able to work all things for good no matter how evil they may seem (Rom. 8:28). God has enacted a plan to free us from the world of turmoil that we live in. We are just waiting for it to play out in time.

God's plan is founded on Jesus. The writer of Romans calls himself a "wretched man." He realizes his need and turns toward God as he writes, "Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God- through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Rom. 7:25). We also need to turn towards God. He will save us and help us to live in the midst of the turmoil that we find in the world.