Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People?
I’ve heard this question on several occasions during my life. Sometimes it is in reference to a tragedy involving a friend or loved one, other times it may involve your own circumstances. I myself have been guilty of posing the question to my friends and even God. Much like Job’s friends, I too have tried to figure out what sin was in my or another person’s life that was contributing to their grief. (For those of you not familiar with Job or his story, I challenge you to read the Book of Job in the Old Testament of the Bible).
A few days ago, I happened across a radio sermon addressing the subject of why bad things happened to good people. I don’t know who I was listening to, but the message was impactful and made me think how insensitive we are to God’s word.
I hear to tell you that bad things don’t happen to good people. Yes, bad things don’t happen to good people. I know what you’re thinking, “This guy is crazy!”
“What about all the good people that are losing their homes due to the economy?”
“What about the soldiers in Iraq injured in the line of duty?”
“What about the police officer that was killed trying to stop a robbery?”
I’m sure we could all list hundreds of examples of tragic events that happen to apparently good people. We naively label them as good, forgetting what God’s word tells us about mankind.
Romans 3:10 states, “There is no one righteous, not even one.”
Isaiah 64:6 states that “our righteous acts are like filthy rags.”
Job asks in Job 25:4 “How then can a man be righteous before God?”
Romans 3:20 clarifies that we cannot be made righteous through acts or observing the law.
After reading these few of many verses echoing the same message, I feel we should restate our thinking of the posed question. Are bad things happening to good people?
Friday, April 24, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Salvation and the Fruits of the Spirit
For some time, God has been urging me to share a message with my friends and family regarding what it means to be a Christian.
If you’re like me, you’ve doubted you faith at various times. Perhaps you experienced a great tragedy, were in a slump, or just got out of bed on the “wrong side” one day. You've probably said to yourself, “Is this what being a Christian is all about? There has to be more than this. Am I really saved?”
With me, I’ve always looked for the one “magical” sign that I was truly a saved-Christian and living the way God wanted me to. Sure, I walked the aisle, said the “sinner’s prayer”, was baptized, and rededicated my life a few times. Despite these things, I still had my highs and lows, however; with my spiritual walk and relationship with God.
So how do you know if you’re truly saved? How do you know if you’re the “genuine article? I’ve asked myself these questions many times and had numerous discussions with pastors and counselors. Still, I didn’t have a solid answer….until now.
To know if something is genuine or not, we first have to understand the meaning of genuine. Webster defines genuine as “possessing the claimed or attributed characteristics, qualities; not counterfeit; authentic; real”.
Read the first part of the definition again; “Possessing the claimed or attributed characteristics, qualities”. So what are the characteristics and qualities of a Christian? The most popular answer, I find, is that a Christian is characterized by following God’s commands. Allow me to distinguish that commandments are rules and actions; not qualities and characteristics. I believe this fact is the most vital distinction between the old covenant and the new covenant. In other words, it’s not what you do; it’s what you are that matters.
As we all know, the Bible is full of “dos” and “don’ts”. One only has to start at the Ten Commandments to get an idea of how to live. In addition to these ten, there are 603 other commandments throughout the Torah or first five books of the Bible.
With the new law, however; we have been set free from the constraints of the previous 613 rules set forth in the Torah. Thanks to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross, we are no longer accountable for remembering and most important, keeping these laws. Now, instead of maintaining discipline, we are now responsible for producing. “Producing what?” you may ask yourself. Why fruit - the Fruit of the Spirit to be precise.
As you grow closer to God, the Holy Spirit is welcomed and begins His work in us. The fruit will then begin to manifest itself in our lives, producing that which is in essence the very character of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Fruit of the Spirit, the qualities are detailed in Galatians 5:22-23: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."
Defining the Fruits of the Spirit
Love
Universal, spiritual love, overwhelming compassion and understanding; Affection without criticism or limitation.
Joy
A strong feeling of great happiness, delight, a state or source of contentment or satisfaction; anything which makes one delighted or happy.
Peace
A state of mental or physical tranquility; calm, serenity; the absence of war; the state of harmony between people.
Longsuffering
Forbearance or fortitude; enduring: patiently bearing continual wrongs or trouble.
Gentleness
Not harsh, severe, rough or loud; easily handled or managed; not sudden or steep.
Goodness
The state or quality of being good; having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified.
Faith
A belief in the value, truth, or trustworthiness of someone or something; belief and trust in God; a system of religious beliefs
Meekness
Showing patience and a gentle disposition
Temperance
Moderation; restraint; the trait of avoiding excesses
In contrast, the Book of Galatians also identifies the Fruit of the Flesh in versus 20-21: “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
Defining the Fruits of the Flesh
Sexual Immorality
The evils ascribed to sexual acts that violate social conventions
Impurity
Not pure; not clean; dirty; foul; filthy; containing something which is unclean or unwholesome
Debauchery
Indulgence in sensual pleasures; scandalous activities involving sex, alcohol, or drugs without inhibition; Seduction from duty
Idolatry
Idolatry is the worship of any cult image, idea, or object, as opposed to the worship of God.
Witchcraft
The practice of magic, sorcery or the use supernatural powers to influence or predict events.
Hatred
The emotion of intense dislike; a feeling of dislike so strong that it demands action
Discord
A lack of agreement or harmony
Jealousy
Covetous: showing extreme cupidity; painfully desirous of another's advantages
Fits of Rage
Behave violently, as if in state of a great anger
Selfish Ambition
Motivation that is concerned chiefly or only with yourself and your advantage to the exclusion of others
Dissensions
Creating disagreements or conflicts of people's opinions or actions or characters
Factions
Creating a clique (often secret) that seeks power usually through intrigue
Envy
A feeling of grudging admiration and desire to have something that is possessed by another
Drunkenness
The state of being intoxicated by consumption of alcoholic beverages to a degree that mental and physical faculties
Orgies
Secret rite in the cults of ancient Greek or Roman deities involving singing and dancing and drinking and sexual activity
After reviewing these lists, think about which fruit you are producing. Would those closest to you say you exhibit love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance? While you may be mounting your defense by concentration on the more taboo Fruits of the Flesh, consider hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy. Do you bear these fruits regularly?
Jesus made it clear in John 15:2 that those who claim to be His followers but do not produce Fruit of the Spirit will be plucked up and taken away. He also declared that, inasmuch as many will profess to be His followers (Matthew 7:21-22), the deciding factor will not be what they profess to believe or even what they do, but rather the kind of people they are (Mathew 12:33).
In conclusion, we’re left with answering the question; how do you know if you’re really saved? The answer lies in the fruits you produce. Simply, a truly saved Christian that has accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior will bear the Fruit of the Spirit more and the fruits of the flesh less. That said, I implore each of you to examine your lives to ensure you are producing the right fruit. If you find that you are not, ask God to “prune” the bad fruit from your lives and graft you to the fruit-bearing vine of Jesus Christ!!
If you’re like me, you’ve doubted you faith at various times. Perhaps you experienced a great tragedy, were in a slump, or just got out of bed on the “wrong side” one day. You've probably said to yourself, “Is this what being a Christian is all about? There has to be more than this. Am I really saved?”
With me, I’ve always looked for the one “magical” sign that I was truly a saved-Christian and living the way God wanted me to. Sure, I walked the aisle, said the “sinner’s prayer”, was baptized, and rededicated my life a few times. Despite these things, I still had my highs and lows, however; with my spiritual walk and relationship with God.
So how do you know if you’re truly saved? How do you know if you’re the “genuine article? I’ve asked myself these questions many times and had numerous discussions with pastors and counselors. Still, I didn’t have a solid answer….until now.
To know if something is genuine or not, we first have to understand the meaning of genuine. Webster defines genuine as “possessing the claimed or attributed characteristics, qualities; not counterfeit; authentic; real”.
Read the first part of the definition again; “Possessing the claimed or attributed characteristics, qualities”. So what are the characteristics and qualities of a Christian? The most popular answer, I find, is that a Christian is characterized by following God’s commands. Allow me to distinguish that commandments are rules and actions; not qualities and characteristics. I believe this fact is the most vital distinction between the old covenant and the new covenant. In other words, it’s not what you do; it’s what you are that matters.
As we all know, the Bible is full of “dos” and “don’ts”. One only has to start at the Ten Commandments to get an idea of how to live. In addition to these ten, there are 603 other commandments throughout the Torah or first five books of the Bible.
With the new law, however; we have been set free from the constraints of the previous 613 rules set forth in the Torah. Thanks to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross, we are no longer accountable for remembering and most important, keeping these laws. Now, instead of maintaining discipline, we are now responsible for producing. “Producing what?” you may ask yourself. Why fruit - the Fruit of the Spirit to be precise.
As you grow closer to God, the Holy Spirit is welcomed and begins His work in us. The fruit will then begin to manifest itself in our lives, producing that which is in essence the very character of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Fruit of the Spirit, the qualities are detailed in Galatians 5:22-23: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."
Defining the Fruits of the Spirit
Love
Universal, spiritual love, overwhelming compassion and understanding; Affection without criticism or limitation.
Joy
A strong feeling of great happiness, delight, a state or source of contentment or satisfaction; anything which makes one delighted or happy.
Peace
A state of mental or physical tranquility; calm, serenity; the absence of war; the state of harmony between people.
Longsuffering
Forbearance or fortitude; enduring: patiently bearing continual wrongs or trouble.
Gentleness
Not harsh, severe, rough or loud; easily handled or managed; not sudden or steep.
Goodness
The state or quality of being good; having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified.
Faith
A belief in the value, truth, or trustworthiness of someone or something; belief and trust in God; a system of religious beliefs
Meekness
Showing patience and a gentle disposition
Temperance
Moderation; restraint; the trait of avoiding excesses
In contrast, the Book of Galatians also identifies the Fruit of the Flesh in versus 20-21: “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
Defining the Fruits of the Flesh
Sexual Immorality
The evils ascribed to sexual acts that violate social conventions
Impurity
Not pure; not clean; dirty; foul; filthy; containing something which is unclean or unwholesome
Debauchery
Indulgence in sensual pleasures; scandalous activities involving sex, alcohol, or drugs without inhibition; Seduction from duty
Idolatry
Idolatry is the worship of any cult image, idea, or object, as opposed to the worship of God.
Witchcraft
The practice of magic, sorcery or the use supernatural powers to influence or predict events.
Hatred
The emotion of intense dislike; a feeling of dislike so strong that it demands action
Discord
A lack of agreement or harmony
Jealousy
Covetous: showing extreme cupidity; painfully desirous of another's advantages
Fits of Rage
Behave violently, as if in state of a great anger
Selfish Ambition
Motivation that is concerned chiefly or only with yourself and your advantage to the exclusion of others
Dissensions
Creating disagreements or conflicts of people's opinions or actions or characters
Factions
Creating a clique (often secret) that seeks power usually through intrigue
Envy
A feeling of grudging admiration and desire to have something that is possessed by another
Drunkenness
The state of being intoxicated by consumption of alcoholic beverages to a degree that mental and physical faculties
Orgies
Secret rite in the cults of ancient Greek or Roman deities involving singing and dancing and drinking and sexual activity
After reviewing these lists, think about which fruit you are producing. Would those closest to you say you exhibit love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance? While you may be mounting your defense by concentration on the more taboo Fruits of the Flesh, consider hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy. Do you bear these fruits regularly?
Jesus made it clear in John 15:2 that those who claim to be His followers but do not produce Fruit of the Spirit will be plucked up and taken away. He also declared that, inasmuch as many will profess to be His followers (Matthew 7:21-22), the deciding factor will not be what they profess to believe or even what they do, but rather the kind of people they are (Mathew 12:33).
In conclusion, we’re left with answering the question; how do you know if you’re really saved? The answer lies in the fruits you produce. Simply, a truly saved Christian that has accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior will bear the Fruit of the Spirit more and the fruits of the flesh less. That said, I implore each of you to examine your lives to ensure you are producing the right fruit. If you find that you are not, ask God to “prune” the bad fruit from your lives and graft you to the fruit-bearing vine of Jesus Christ!!
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