Prepared (3) – Good God?

Welcome to CROLCC, we are so glad you are here worshiping with us. We have been in our series Prepared and we are talking about what to say when friends or family question our faith. And we are not talking about genuine questions regarding our faith. We are talking about those times when they just throw us off balance by making those one-liner comments – “oh, so you are a church person now?” “You don’t really believe everything in the Bible, do you?” “Never mind, you are a church person, you won’t be able to go to that.”

Over the past two weeks we have given you something to say back when those award moments happens. It begins with “I believe Jesus died for my sin and rose from the dead.” Then we said, “But I don’t believe it because the Bible says so, it’s better than that…” I hope you remember how to fill in the rest, if you don’t, let me give you a hint, it begins with “because Matthew said so and Mark said so…”

Now there’s one other question about God that elicits the most emotion, “if God is good, why is there so much suffering in the world? If God were all-powerful, he could eliminate suffering. If God were loving, he would eliminate suffering. So, is he unable or unwilling?” That’s what we are going to talk about today.

Moving Forward

We have the knowledge of good and evil. We know things aren’t right in the world. So we resist evil and injustice around us and in us because our consciences are informed by something outside of us: God. His image in us. Jesus pointed to a day when what ought to be will be.

Changing Your Mind
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed.
Romans 8:18–19

Discussion Questions

1. Has anyone ever asked you, “If God is good, why is there so much suffering in the world?” If so, how did you respond?

2. Talk about some things you read about or saw on the news this week that reveal the brokenness of the world. How did you respond to those stories?

3. Read Romans 8:18–21. Is it difficult for you to believe that one day all of creation will be “liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God”? Why or why not?

4. To be able to answer other people’s tough questions about why God allows suffering in the world, you first have to arrive at some personal conclusions. What is one thing you can do to this week to answer that question for yourself? How can this group help you?