Proof of a Good God: 'Crucified Under Pontius Pilate'
Proof of a Good God: 'Crucified Under Pontius Pilate'
Rob Bell's Love Wins attracted a great deal of attention last year partly because of the questions he raised. They are not just Bell's questions, but questions all of us have. Take these, raised twice in the book:
Of all the billions of people who have ever lived, will only a select number "make it to a better place" and every single other person suffer in torment and punishment forever? Is this acceptable to God? Has God created millions of people over tens of thousands of years who are going to spend eternity in anguish? Can God do this, or even allow this, and still claim to be a loving God?
These questions come in many forms today, and range from the theoretical to the personal: The Buddhist child who dies in some remote corner of China, having never heard the gospel—is she going to hell? Why would a good God allow my wife to get cancer? And so forth.
No matter how or why it is asked, its basic form is this: How do we know that God can be trusted to be good?
That question usually comes with a partial answer, which also depends on the particular concerns of the questioner. It often goes like this: "Well, I know one thing for sure, I could never believe in a God who would ___." Fill in the blank. Like: "I could never believe in a God who would condemn the Buddhist child to hell."
This is one way we shape our faith as we stand in the shadows of one of these dark scenarios. Faith becomes not confidence in the love of God but mostly a defensive bulwark against our nightmares, against the haunting possibility that God may be unjust and arbitrary.
But can we do better than this? Is there a way to face this question squarely—is God good?—and come away with even more confidence in the love of God?
Job's Gospel
A faith that defends itself against the nightmare with "I could never believe in a God who would ___" is not much of a comfort in the end, because we know we're just making things up. Whether we happen to believe in a God who would do this or that has no bearing on who God actually is. Our belief about what is or is not possible with God cannot make him into the being we want him to be.
We've known too many unbelievable scenarios to have any such confidence. "I could never believe my husband would run off with another woman," says the astonished wife. And yet her husband did just that. The wife's belief had no bearing on the character of her husband. All well and good that we could never believe in a God who would do x, but it may make no difference. God may do it anyway.
To that, many reply, "Well, I'd rather spend an eternity in hell than worship a God who would _____."
This strikes some as foolish, given who we're talking about: the almighty Creator of heaven and earth. They too may feel troubled by questions and answers surrounding God's goodness, but they reply, "Well, I may not like a God who would do x. But better to submit to this all-powerful, if sometimes arbitrary deity and take my chances!"
They are no doubt thinking of Job, who after shaking his fist at God for the injustices perpetrated upon him, is interrogated by God with, "Who do you think you are, questioning the Creator of heaven and earth?"
At which point, Job submits in abject fear and humility: "I didn't know what I was talking about. Of course, I worship you, Lord" (to paraphrase Job 40-42).
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Steve Skeete
This is a 'good' article. What it says to me is that since when it comes to God there are always more questions than answers, it is imperative that 'the just...live by faith'. And since no one can know all the mind of God with any certainty since his 'judgments are unsearchable, and his paths beyond tracing out', there are matters that we must leave in his hands. Interestingly enough, Bro. Mark does present an answer to the difficult questions he poses in the article. When people say God cannot be good when x happens, or God is evil because x does not happen, Mark says, if you want to know what God is like, or not like, look at what Jesus did for us. We do not know all that God may or may not do, but we know what he did for us through and in Christ. The love of God, as demonstrated in Christ, answers a 'multitude' of questions.
Zenon Lotufo Junior
Theological arguments about the character of God, bad or good, have a relatively small effect on how we feel about him. A lot of research in psychology of religion shows that what actually determines our feelings about God and therefore our relationship with him, is not primarily the concept of God that we have acquired intellectually, but the Image of God formed mainly from the relationships with parents.
Wayne Searfoss
There are no ploblems like this if we have the Bible Covenant of Redemption. The Covenet of Redemption begins with the echo from eternity when God said it is not good that man should be alone. God puposed it is not good that we be alone. God began his creation on the basis of unfiegned love defined as what is best for God, what is best for angels and what is best for man, what is best for all eternity. What works against this is sin. God's holiness is based on this. Un fiegned love implies free choice. Implied is God's love being manifested by his spirit in communion with every embrio and the calling of every man. Every child is born with a halo. Every one comes to a time when we choose to rebel against all. The communion is gone but the spirit calls: return or lose you soul! This is repentance. Believing the voice of God is Faith. Jesus is our example. God cannot accept anyone who might destroy the eternal kingdom as did Satan. We are saved only by our dependance on God.