Lord, Have Mercy: The anatomy of disaster and whether God’s wrath is really what we assume it to be.

As I prepare for our next sermon series, Lord, Have Mercy, one of the two questions I've been wrestling with is, how can God be good and allow bad things to happen?

I think that everybody can agree that bad things are happening today. In a world filled with human injustice, every kind of abuse, extortion of vulnerable people, food insecurity, economic chaos, or murder and genocide - it would be difficult to say that the world is void of bad things. I will let the philosophers debate whether the bad things we know to be happening are unavoidable, products of human consequence, or can be solved.

I do know that bad things were happening in 586 BC, too.

History tells us that Jerusalemites felt threatened because a foreign power, Babylon, surrounded their city to intimidate them into surrender. There was also a food crisis happening. Food insecurity quickly gave way to no food for anybody to eat. The hand-to-hand combat began. The government was overthrown. The king was arrested, impeached, and sentenced. Masses of people were murdered. Buildings were burned. Homes were destroyed. People with potential were captured and forced into slavery. Poor people were extorted and left to work the land.

You can check out all the details in 2 Kings 25 and a Near East History volume (start with searching "First Temple Period").

Did God allow these bad things to happen? It appears that He did.

So, how can God be good and allow bad things to happen?

There are two faith perspectives (biases) that shape how I am thinking about this question.

The first bias is that God created human beings with free will or the conscious control of our choices and actions. The Christian scriptures tell us how human beings are made in God's image - and God has conscious control of choices and actions. This bias also leans into the conviction that God is, by nature, good (like the question assumes). As a result, human free will enables us to consciously control our choices and actions to do good. You can read Genesis 2 for the complete picture.

If you think about it, if I paid my wife to say "I love you" and to be good to me, we could say she's manipulated, coerced, or obligated to love and be good to me - but she isn't free to do so. Her payment controls her choices and actions. It isn't love. It isn't good. And it isn't God-like.

The second bias is that free will was compromised by a consciously controlled choice to listen to and act upon something not-so-good. You can read Genesis 3 for the details. It was like the human will was captured, lured, coerced, and manipulated to make this not-so-good choice.

From that time on, free will remain free, and at the same time, bound by God's goodness or everything that was not so good (usually self-seeking or painful, evil, and destructive). I believe that's why our consciences sometimes feel "heavy" or "burdened." It's also why we are often encouraged to choose to set our minds on things above (Colossians 3:2) and renew our minds (Romans 12:2).

So, bad things result from not-so-good choices made by ourselves or others. These choices lead to consequences, affecting not just us but many other people.

Sometimes, even good people make mistakes or overlook the impact of their decisions. Pride and ego can cloud our judgment, causing unintentional harm. It's part of being human - we can't always make perfect choices, which is why apologies are necessary.

Other times, bad things happen because of someone else's actions. It's unfair, beyond our control, and leaves us feeling victimized. But even though we think about the consequences of other people's not-so-good choices, we're not responsible for choices made by others. Accountability means holding those who make choices accountable for good and bad outcomes.

Ultimately, every choice we make carries consequences, affecting not just ourselves but often many others as well. It's a reminder of the ripple effect of our actions in the world.

And that's why bad things happen to good people.

I've heard well-meaning Christians say that the "bad things" that have happened in the past and are happening today are really God's wrath poured out on us.

I would disagree (though I am open to hearing your perspective in the comment section below)… and here's why.

If God's wrath is determined by a cause-and-effect relationship, then we have a God I can control through my free will. I have read many commentators who would say that what was happening in 586 BC and what is happening today is God's wrath being poured out on people for their "ungodly" choices. In other words, what they're saying is that the script would go like this: "I love God, I do this for God and for others, and now God owes me good things" or, "I disobey God, I didn't do this for God, I didn't fully do this correctly for others, and now I lose something and have bad things happening to and around me."

That's not a God of grace and love - it's a God of manipulation.

Now, I'm not saying that God's wrath doesn't exist. It very much does. The Hebrew scriptures describe it as "God's nose is burning." The Greek scriptures describe it as retribution, anger, and getting justice (leveling the playing field). The English language defines wrath as extreme anger, like losing your temper.

I believe God can be both 100% love and still have wrath (remember, I can't control God). Interestingly, God controls His anger resulting from his broken heart over human sin. His wrath is a consequence and not a punishment. If you are a parent, you probably understand the distinction. Consequences are a result of positive or harmful behavior. Of course, every choice we make has a good or not-so-good consequence. On the other hand, punishment is the intentional emotional or physical pain given to somebody else to force them to behave or do what they want.

Whether it is 586 BC, today, or tomorrow, God is not inflicting emotional or physical pain on anybody to force them to behave or do what He wants them to do. Again, God is not a God of manipulation.

But we do see God's wrath (and I hope you might, too) as Jesus dies on the cross. Jesus died, so we see how much God 100% loves us. And, yes, as Jesus dies on the cross, 100% of God's anger is placed on Him. It equals the playing field by forgiving all sin. It cools God's burning nose. It is payment for retribution for everything humanity had robbed God of with their choices and actions. The entire sacrifice of Jesus for the sins of the world is 100% God's wrath so that we can experience 100% of God's love.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! (Romans 5:8-10).

I'm curious what you've heard about why bad things happen to good people and God's wrath. You can share your comments below.

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