Almighty God gets blamed for a lot of things. Blaming God is so entrenched in our thinking that the insurance industry has an “Act of God” clause declaring that they are not responsible for catastrophes of such a large scale that can only be designated an act of God.

We know that the Holy Bible records some cataclysmic events such as the great worldwide flood, the disastrous ten plagues that hit Egypt just prior to the nation of Israel being delivered from slavery, and other acts where there is no doubt God caused it.

This is not an attempt to get God “off the hook,” because He is in charge — but He is entitled to a closer look.

In the beginning, the real beginning, God did create everything. He declared that it was all very good (Genesis 1:31). A significant part of God’s creation were humans. Humans differed from the rest of creation in that God gave them the ability to reason and make choices. God also differentiated humans from the rest of His creation by giving them a moral code (i.e. the power to choose between “right and wrong”) and specific consequences for violating the moral code.

In God’s creation He included some “super beings” called angels. One angel named Lucifer had a very special position with God, but chose to rebel against God and go his own way. God in His infinite goodness allowed this. Lucifer (or Satan as he is better known) also had access to God’s visible creation and focused in on the human element. Satan tempted the humans (Adam and Eve) and they chose to violate God’s moral code. This violation of God’s moral code by Adam and Eve brought about very difficult consequences to them personally and to their descendants, which includes all of us.

The consequences following the failure of Adam and Eve led to what is called a “fallen world,” in that, the original purposes of God have been twisted and distorted. Many things happen today that result from the “fallen” condition. God has power to do anything, but He is allowing things to run their course.

Even as everything seemed to be going “haywire,” God had a plan for redemption. God in His love and goodness set forth a way back to God and, even more than that, a way to live eternally with God Himself.

That plan was Jesus Christ, who is God’s only begotten Son. Jesus came to the earth and lived as a human, but fully and completely satisfied God’s righteousness. Mainstream religious people rejected Jesus as God’s Son and crucified Him. The death of Jesus Christ on the cross was in payment for all the sin of every person for all time.

God did not allow Jesus to remain in death’s hold, but gloriously resurrected Him from the dead. Now every person who will put their trust in what Jesus did on the cross for them is right back in good relationship with God; matter of fact, God adopts them as His children.

The point is, there is a way out of this mess!

 

Dan Puckett works with road team operations at Life Action Ministries in Buchanan, Michigan.