While many in the world today point to tsunamis, earthquakes, aids, disease, death, etc. (or even to issues like the length of time God allowed before providing a Savior) as reason to denounce the graciousness of God and to lay charge at his being evil, wicked, pitiless, and the like; the case can be (and has historically been) made that the opposite is true.
Apart from God and his covenantal faithfulness (which results in his being gracious both to believers - and unbelievers (though to a different degree)), none of us as sinners, having fallen short of his righteous requirements, merit ANY good, and so the very fact that we all are not left destitute and given over to death at present, REVEALS the graciousness of God! In fact, tsunamis, earthquakes, aids, and the like should serve both as warning to those who content themselves with living in opposition and rebellion to God, as well as to stir up our appreciation and admiration for the graciousness of God.
What's interesting is that at the VERY places where unbelievers point in decrying the graciousness of God, the graciousness of God SHINES THE BRIGHTEST!
For it's not just believers that God shows grace to, but all people, in both revealing his grace and treating us better than our sins deserve.
The truth is that God is GRACIOUS to ALL, just more to some than others, but at the same time gracious to ALL! While for some, his blessings extend even to eternal life, for others it extends only to this life (to whatever length, degree, and/or level it's given), ... but even so, it's grace (and graciousness) to ALL!
For this reason, I'm skeptical of those who in failing to take God's justice into account deny God's gracious nature (and existence). Again, reason is found in the side of the truth of Scripture which proclaims a God who is gracious, and kind, and slow to anger, abounding in love, to ALL!
Swordbearer,
ReplyDeleteI officially accuse you of understating! You just must be too nice of a guy.
I always want to ask the 'Loving God' emphasizers why they don't question the 'God of Justice' and the 'Consuming Fire' for giving any sort of grace to anyone at all.
While comparing ourselves among ourselves we might conclude that we are good people. But as a friend of mine always says, "When you are born into and have always lived in a pigpen, things don't seem to stink."
Why do bad things happen to good people? Outside of Christ, what good people?
My pastor once said during a sermon that the great humanitarian and peaceful leader of Indian freedom, Mohandas Gandhi is in hell, while it is quite possible that serial killer Ted Bundy may be awaiting heaven. (If he actually did repent and was enabled to receive Christ before his execution as some like Dobson believe.)