If God is good why do bad things happen? Atheists…

If God is good why do bad things happen?

Atheists always ask this question to show that either God is unable to make the world right or doesn’t care to. Maybe not answering devout atheists would be best. Jesus told us “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.” Matthew‬ ‭7:6‬. Though, applying basic apologetics may stop the buck of the militant atheists. “But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,”
‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭3:14-15‬. “and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.” Ephesians‬ ‭5:10-11‬.

Atheists often come in the guise of seeking truth. As if there could be truth apart from God. Truth is not subject to the ideas of men. Truth is still truth even if nobody wants to believe it. If we are not going to acknowledge truth then the standard for morality is whatever our hearts are given up to. Skeptics arguments are nothing more than, “I don’t like it, therefore it isn’t true.” The heart is the root of the issue. People don’t want to correct diverse lusts so they eliminate any stigma of sin and any belief system associated with it. It’s something like atheistic evangelism. No matter how much truth someone is presented with, the natural heart will always reject it. Our job is just to present the gospel and leave the rest up to God.

Biblically, outside of a saving relationship with Jesus Christ we are all fallen and hostile toward God. The problem is not evidence. The problem is sin and suppression of the truth. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. Romans‬ ‭1:18‬.

Atheists trust in an atheistic perspective of logic. However, these discussions are only possible because of God. Why highly evolved descendants of bacteria would exercise energy to argue for anything at all in a purposeless universe is mind boggling. If the Big Bang randomly caused perfect conditions in our solar system with the planet earth so a bolt of lightning could strike a bunch of prehistoric scum then we are all nothing more than star dust. Our environment would have no ultimate purpose, meaning, or basis for morality. Atheists can not justify their appeals to laws of logic. Only because God exists we have a basis to uphold human value. We are made in God’s image. Therefore, we have a basis to believe in dignity, value, and responsibility. An atheist does not. Emotional appeals to pain, suffering, and evil in the world make sense if God exists. Emotional appeals have no place in an atheistic worldview. Every time atheists appeal to human value they are stealing from our world view. All appeals to human value and ethics become meaningless if we deny God. To say “God is evil” is meaningless for an atheist. According to his worldview nothing has meaning. Everything came from nothing. Life came from non life. If we really are just star dust in a purposeless universe without objective values then we might as well respond to every non biblical argument with, “so what?” Listen for the image of God to pour out of every appeal that atheists makes to what is a denial of the atheistic world view and can only make sense from a biblical perspective. You can’t steal from a Biblical view on a moral code and then suggest God to be a sinner. It’s a logical fallacy.

How could atheists be surprised by death through disease or catastrophe? Those are the natural consequences to nature. Naturalists are in no position to throw stones at a worldview that they reject.

Often those with qualms with God resort to appealing to suffering in the world with the main tactic to appeal to emotions. What’s wrong with agony and pain from an atheistic perspective? They need a basis for the objection. Christians can appreciate the tragic nature of death because we have a basis for it in scripture. Spare the false concern for humanity. This is the same view that leads a mouth to look to God and ask, “why won’t you help us,” while looking to their fellow man and saying, “there should be fewer of us to save the planet.” All while they never consider themselves for the chopping block, only the unborn, elderly, the less fortunate and the less enlightened.

Some stats say that there are roughly 150,000 people that die every day. There are many verses throughout the Old Testament when God commanded his people to kill the surrounding peoples. There was a time when God killed everyone except Noah and his family. God being God has the right to take life just as he gave it. If you think that’s bad then wait until he in perfect righteousness He casts countless souls into hell for eternal torment. That may sound mean. Criminals think police officers are mean. God is just. How arrogant must the creation be to judge the creator? If we look at Gods wrath and justice and become upset then that only means that we fail to comprehend the depth of the wickedness of our own sin nature. The only reason that we don’t understand the problem of sin nature is because we are under the prideful assumption that if God is good then He owes us something. What we fail to understand in that assumption is that we are not good. God does not owe good things to evil people. The God who sees the heart judges the heart. Fortunately as much as God is a God of wrath he is also a God of mercy. He provides a new heart leading to a saving faith, belief in Him and eternity in paradise. That’s the gospel.

The opposition should make us appreciate grace even more. If it were not for the grace of God retraining us we would make militant atheists look like a choir boys.