Sermon Cloud

    We believe in five things:

• God exists
• God is all-good
• God is all-powerful
• God is all-wise
• Evil exists

Here is where the problem comes-how can the last statement be reconciled with the other four?  If God made no claims to being totally good, then the existence of evil would be easy to explain, but God claims to be totally good.  If God were limited in power so that He was not strong enough to withstand evil, evil would be easy to explain, but God claims to be all-powerful.  If evil were just an illusion that had no reality, then the problem wouldn't really exist in the first place, but we all know that evil is not an illusion, it is real.  So how do you square an all-good, all powerful, all-wise God with the evil and suffering?

I also know that for many of you today, this is not just an academic question or just a theological debate.  For you, this is where the rubber of reality has hit the road of your life.  You've gone through pain.  You've gone through the loss of a child.  You've had suffering or you are going through illness.  You either know of someone or you are related to someone, who has either been murdered or committed suicide and you are searching for answers.  I want to confess that I can't stand up here today and give you the perfect answer from God on this issue, because the perfect answer really doesn't exist.  I can give us some biblical answers to these hard questions that can help us not only understand the problem of evil, but even experience victory when it comes our way.

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