Job 40.8 asks would you condemn Me to justify yourself?
A few weeks ago the papers reported another atrocity of ISIS terrorists murdering children in the name of their god. The story I read, reported by a journalist from Great Britain, ended with his comments of disgust concerning religion and its abuse of people. Correctly, this man had a problem with religion that justifies the murder and maiming of children.
Below the surface was his disdain with the belief in god because if there is a god then he should be good and if he is good then he should stop the killing in his name.
Certainly many atrocities have been done in the name of religion. When POTUS lumps Christianity into the mix of all religions who do evil he misses one key element: evil done by Christians is condemned by other Christians because it is condemned in the written Word of God.
Christianity isn’t above reproach, but the Scripture is because there we can find the true and good nature of God and the record of His commands which can be summed up in loving Him and loving one another as we love ourselves. No other religion has such written commands and were the whole world to obey those two things we would not have the atrocities we see today.
The journalist blamed God for not interfering with the will of murderers in their evil deed. My guess is that this same journalist would have a hard time with God interfering in his life.
Should God force one man to obey Him He must force all men to obey Him to be consistent and just. Most of us have wanted God to step up and crush the evil man but we don’t want Him stepping into our world and demanding our allegiance to Him and His ways.
The freedom the murderer has is the same freedom I have to do good or evil.
God is not evil because He gives us the freedom to choose evil. We are evil because we choose evil in disobedience to His commands.
God’s Name and ways have been maligned and misrepresented for centuries both from within, the religious leaders, and without, defiant observers. This is why God gives us the Scriptures, so that we can know Who He truly is and what He truly requires from us.
One day we will all stand before God and give account for our obedience to His commands. Those who loved Him will live with Him forever on the new earth where there will be no more death, disease or despair but those who hated Him, who ignored Him, who disobeyed Him will suffer eternally with all those who did the same.
We will not be able to blame God for our choices on that day when He calls us all to account.
