When bad things happen it is easy to say something like, "What did I do to deserve this?" Probably nothing in the sense of the question above. God isn't punishing us when bad things happen. Of course, if we play with fire we get burnt, that is true. But that is not the same as saying that God is the author when bad things happen. This is so important. 'The gods' did bad things, just read Greek mythology! God does not. God dies on a cross for us, we did the crucifying, God did the rising. On the cross God judges human sin by being a victim of sin and raising the innocent Jesus from the dead. The risen Jesus sends out his disciples to preach repentance and forgiveness of sins, not vengeance. It would be wildly inconsistent for the Father of the Lord Jesus to then bring disaster down on our heads.
People can also have a tendency to misinterpret history in a similar way. An earthquake is not God's punishment. We shouldn't impute to God the disaster that follows the earthquake. People seem to have been (and still are) infatuated with end-of-the-world scenarios. Whether divinely inspired or human-induced, people continue to guess the meaning of events and interpret them as coming from a malevolent or angry god (even secularised people have their own versions of this). In the past people have been obsessed with dating 'the end', and dates still figure prominently in all kinds of secular future dooms. Jesus tells us not to misinterpret the events of history. He knew people would say all kinds of things in his name, and make all kinds of claims. So he explicitly says, don't be fooled by false messiahs, and don't see God as the author of disasters. Disasters, whether human-inspired or not, will come, but don't make God out to be a monster. (See Mark 13:1-8)
The event to correctly interpret is Jesus, his birth, ministry, death, and resurrection. God's response to suffering, evil, and death is not to make more of it. God’s response is to overcome suffering, evil, and death by surrendering to its power. Jesus, born in a stable, crucified and raised, interprets our history. We are loved, and in Christ our future is secure, even if it doesn't feel that way at times.
Isn't Jesus the one who first came threatening people with unending torture in hell for not believing the right things about him? If God is the author of eternal torment for our infinitessimal effort infinitely angering him, how could he not be the author of all of the other "consequences" of sin that he set up upon making us born sinners bound for hell? God made a law which makes us infinitely guilty of a sin despite us not being capable of the infinite effort that would justify such guilt. God is the one who multiplies our sins against himself infinitely to make us deserve to be punished infinitely. How is it then, any strretch of the imagination, that God didn't author every disaster that happens by authoring the rules that made the world fall when Adam sinned as was foreordained? Didn't Jesus inform Nicodemus that God retroactively damned all of humanity for not believing in the messiah who didn't exist yet (John 3:18)? Isn't it God who weaves our sinful flesh into us in the womb (Psalm 139:13)? Isn't it God who prides and glorifies himself in hardening those he chooses, patiently waiting for them to do what God prevents them from doing, and then immortalizes them in eternal hell becauseit displays his character (Romans 9)?
ReplyDeleteWhy did Jesus fail to solve the world's problems but simply promise that those who were convinced about the right things about him would have infinite bliss after they die and it's too late to redeem all of the earthly things that God ruined as a personal punishment on Eve (Gen 3:16), like childbirth and sex, which will not exist in heaven?
Thanks fro the comment. These are the kind of questions that must be wrestled with. At the moment there is a flurry of activity about eternal damnation ( or similar) and a more universalist outlook. The latter is very well embedded in the Christian tradition, from the Bible onward. One blogger, who is about to publish a book on the matter, has been doing some of the heavy lifting over the last few years on this topic. It is worth exploring his blog, it is full of verve, wisdom, good theology, heartfelt questioning, and the Good News of Jesus. Here is the link: https://afkimel.wordpress.com/
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