'If there is a God then why is there evil? Why do so many people suffer?' That's something that more and more people are saying these days as they defend their atheism. But it's not a big problem for us. We know what the Bible teaches. We know that God uses evil to bring about good. We have seen that in the life of Joseph. We have seen that in the struggles of Job. And, as the best example, we have seen that in the death of Jesus. In the Cross we see how God can use something that is so very evil to bring about something that is so very, very good.
Jesus' life sets the standard. Just as He suffered evil to bring about good so will we who are His disciples. Following Jesus includes suffering evil. Following Jesus means that life will hurt. He was quite clear about that. It's part of God's plan for good. As His Church we know that, and we accept it.
Jesus' life sets the standard. Just as He suffered evil to bring about good so will we who are His disciples. Following Jesus includes suffering evil. Following Jesus means that life will hurt. He was quite clear about that. It's part of God's plan for good. As His Church we know that, and we accept it.
And so, the Church can be defined as a group of people who are able to live well because we understand life. We understand that there is evil. We understand that God will bring some of that evil into each of our lives. We will suffer. And because we understand that, we have pledged ourselves to each other. We have promised to help one another deal with the suffering. And we do this in full Christian hope. We do this believing that God will use our suffering for good. He has promised that. And He will keep that promise. Jesus' resurrection is the proof.