1. Where is God when …

3.  Why does evil exist?  If God is all-powerful, why not abolish evil?  If God is all-loving, surely He wants to stop bad things? Either He wants to but can’t, (so He isn’t all-powerful) or Either He wants to but can’t, (so He isn’t all-powerful) or He can but doesn’t want to … (in which case He isn’t very loving!) He can but doesn’t want to … (in which case He isn’t very loving!)

5. Rom 5:12 Sin entered world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned … II Peter 3:3-6 First of all, must understand that in last days scoffers will come saying, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. (NIV. © 1973, 1978, 1984, by International Bible Society )

6.  How can a loving God (to paraphrase David Attenborough) create a parasite that invades the eyes of an African child, rendering the child blind, when that particular parasite has no other function other than to render children blind?

8. 7 E’s of ‘history’  EVOLUTION  EVOLUTION is how life began  EVIL  EVIL i.e. death & disease have always existed  EARTH  EARTH shaped by billions of years of processes  EVERYONE  EVERYONE evolved from ape-like ancestor  ETHICS  ETHICS made by Man – just “evolved”  ESCAPE  ESCAPE death ends man’s existence  END  END sun will run out, life cease, universe may ‘die. ’ 7 C’s of history CREATION CREATION CORRUPTION CORRUPTION CATASTROPHE CATASTROPHE CONFUSION CONFUSION CHRIST CHRIST CROSS CROSS CONSUMMATION CONSUMMATION

10. Let’s imagine what God could have done … … instead of creating Man and the earth the way things are. Are you sure about this?

11.  God created a beautiful universe  He made it work by harmonious laws … … but He didn’t create life - or at the most only plant and lower forms of animal life. He appreciated it as a master artist forever He appreciated it as a master artist forever There were no people to show it to or share it with. There were no people to show it to or share it with.

12.  God created all this plus self- conscious, free-willed beings like Himself: people  With freedom of choice, the people declared their independence from God They broke His harmonious laws Situation became very unpleasant God exterminated them. The end. An experiment that failed

13.  God created self conscious beings, people like Himself  But He programmed them  They could only do His will  They couldn’t mess up His universe God and His people lived happily ever after. God and His people lived happily ever after. Force, not love. No choice. Robots. Force, not love. No choice. Robots. So far, these cosmic histories are clearly false. That’s not what happened. So far, these cosmic histories are clearly false. That’s not what happened.

14.  God created people and they broke His perfect laws  Things got very unpleasant  God left the whole mess & went off to other dimensions Let people create their own hell until they destroy selves & the messed-up universe Let people create their own hell until they destroy selves & the messed-up universe Many feel this is what happened – God just wound up the universe and let it go. Many feel this is what happened – God just wound up the universe and let it go.

15.  God created people with freedom of choice.  Everything was just as we see it except … … when people started breaking His laws, God just forgave them. God bent His own laws of justice to accommodate all the hate and violence God bent His own laws of justice to accommodate all the hate and violence He overlooked their little problems with racism & injustice & hate & sin & … He overlooked their little problems with racism & injustice & hate & sin & …

16.  God still provided rain, sun & everything necessary to sustain the greed & wars & suffering that resulted. Some people think this is the gospel. Some people think this is the gospel. We just do our best and God just forgives. We just do our best and God just forgives. But what about the injustice etc? But what about the injustice etc? This is still not the best alternative This is still not the best alternative It doesn’t show any forethought or care. It doesn’t show any forethought or care.

17.  Finally – something that looks like the Bible’s good news.  All the bad news described above, except, when people broke His laws, God had plan. He didn’t exterminate His people; He didn’t exterminate His people; He didn’t just overlook their crimes; He didn’t just overlook their crimes; He didn’t run out on them; He didn’t run out on them; He didn’t force them to fit into the harmony of His universe. What did He do? … He didn’t force them to fit into the harmony of His universe. What did He do? …

18. He looked at these people who were responsible for all the harm their law-breaking had caused He pronounced a death sentence on them. That’s the bad news. That’s the bad news. But He also granted a full pardon to all who would take it. But He also granted a full pardon to all who would take it. That’s the gospel (= good news) That’s the gospel (= good news)

19.  Why does evil exist?  Because it is the only way for God to allow Man to be free  The alternatives do not make sense God didn’t create evil God didn’t create evil Even an all-powerful God could not have created a world in which people had genuine freedom and yet there was no potentiality for sin, because our freedom includes the possibility of sin within its own meaning. Even an all-powerful God could not have created a world in which people had genuine freedom and yet there was no potentiality for sin, because our freedom includes the possibility of sin within its own meaning.

20.  Does  Does God always heal?  What  What about Paul’s thorn in the flesh? ?  What  What about Epaphroditus?  Cf.  Cf. special miracles ~ Acts 19:11-12  Didn’t  Didn’t Jesus promise “greater things”?  Whose  Whose faith – the sick or pray-er?

21.  In this fallen world sin, sickness & death will be “normal” until Jesus comes again  Message of Job: “Let God be God”  See Isa 45:6–7, 9–10; Jer 18; Rom 9:19-21 (potter & clay)  Secular-humanism has no answer for the problems of suffering and death  But Jesus has – Acts 10:38

22. (Isa 43:2) When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned; nor shall the flame kindle on you.