Does God cause bad things to happen to His children? Essay

As one goes through life, tragedy and misfortune seem inevitable. One may be afflicted by diseases, involved in an accident or one’s child could die. Some people may consider this as purely bad luck. Others yet may consider it as karma coming back to haunt them for their past wrongdoings and transgressions. Nevertheless, it is common for people to question if God is the force behind the bad things. The question then arises, does God indeed cause bad things to happen to his children, or is there some force behind it? As long as one has faith and belief in God, the question is inevitable at certain points in life. However, the question as to whether God really does cause bad things to happen to his people is openly debatable. On the one hand, believers and non-believers alike would like to think that God punishes us and causes bad things to happen. To this group of people, God is trying to teach His children a lesson in addition to bringing them back to glory. On the other hand, others are of the opinion that God causes bad things to happen to them just to get their attention or to get His point across. The Book of Romans, 8: 28 – And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose, forms the basis of this argument (Nelson, 1982). Free will. It would be safe to argue that God does not in any way cause bad things to happen to his children. In John 3: 16, the Bible talks of the undying love that God has for his earthly children that he gave his only son to die so that they could be saved from eternal damnation (Nelson, 1982). Accordingly, God has accorded human beings with the necessary freedom to act as they wish on earth but has also provided the rules that are to guide their action. More over, the consequences for disobedience have clearly been stated. The Good Book, the Bible, contains the Ten Commandments that God’s children are to abide by. Flouting the rules results in tragedy and misfortune. When people misuse their freedom, they cause bad things to happen to them. Too much of anything is poisonous. Concomitantly, too much freedom is harmful. Out of free will or freedom, men commit murder and even genocide (McLarty, N. d. ). When people err and disobey his rules and commandments they are separated from God love. This is what is referred to as falling from grace in the Bible. Thus, the same freedom accorded us by God is the same freedom that separates men from the love of God and also causes bad things to happen. It is worth noting that faith does not in any way qualify as some kind of insurance policy. On the contrary, it can only be described as a mantle of assurance (Riverpower. org, 2008). Consequently, there is no way that God causes bad things to happen to his children because He has assured in His Holy Word that He will be with us no matter what we encounter or go through in this life. This is because He is considered to be an all caring all loving God. He hurts when His children hurt which then means that there is no way that God would then cause suffering, tragedy and death. However, one can then ask the question. Since God is all loving, all caring and does not want his people to suffer, how is it that he does not stop bad things from happening? This takes us back to the point that God has accorded his children with free will that they are to apply accordingly. One has the option to do good or evil, both of which have consequences. It is openly clear that God operates under certain rules. Unlike humans who openly flout the rules provided for them, God does indeed respect his own rules. He keeps his end of the bargain as long as his children keep theirs. He will rescue those who call out to him and ask for his help because he is all loving and caring (Riverpower. org, 2008). If God was the cause of both good and bad things happening to his children, it would be tantamount to control. This would then make nonsense of the freedom/free will he has given to His people. Again, control would only serve to make them like puppets. God does not in any way seem to supersede human free will to choose their best course of action and enjoy the benefits or suffer the consequences after ward. The first evidence that God does not override the free will/freedom he has accorded his children is in the Book of Genesis. In the Garden of Eden, He had provided Adam and Eve with the necessities plus he also put rules in place that they were to adhere to; not to eat from the tree at the centre of the Garden (Nelson, 1982). He then let them choose their own actions. Consequently, he decided not to interfere with Eve even when she chose to eat from the forbidden tree. Ultimately, God does not in any way cause bad things to happen to his children rather they bring it upon themselves.