Beyond Today Daily

Is God Just?

How can we understand why God allows suffering?

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[Gary Petty] Yesterday we did a Beyond Today program where we talked about a problem that people have with the Bible - something that bothers a lot of people. And that is why would God kill people in the Old Testament?

When you look at Sodom and Gomorrah or Jericho where God literally killed hundreds or even thousands of people, and yet we see in the Scripture where it says God is love. We look at the central message brought by Jesus Christ. Love is part of that message.

So why would a loving God kill people? People wrestle with this all the time.

Well, the answer lies in understanding the relationship between good and evil. God allows a certain amount of evil because He gives people free choice. But there's a point where evil grows and grows.

You know, there's an old saying that for evil to thrive, all that has to happen is for good men to do nothing. Just think about that for a minute. For evil to thrive all God has to do is nothing. There reaches a point where evil will grow to a point where God says it is enough, and He steps in to stop it - including if He has to actually slay the evil people.

You see, God in His goodness in the end, and this is a very positive point, God in His goodness in the end is going to win. Evil is going to lose.

That's BT Daily. Join us next time.

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Why Does God Allow Suffering?

Why Does God Allow Suffering?

If God is truly a God of love and mercy, why does He not intervene? Some have concluded that God simply doesn't exist. The answer, however, is much more complex. What does the Bible reveal about the causes of suffering?

Gary Petty

Gary Petty is a 1978 graduate of Ambassador College with a BS in mass communications. He worked for six years in radio in Pennsylvania and Texas. He was ordained a minister in 1984 and has served congregations in Longview and Houston Texas; Rockford, Illinois; Janesville and Beloit, Wisconsin; and San Antonio, Austin and Waco, Texas. He presently pastors United Church of God congregations in Nashville, Murfreesboro and Jackson, Tennessee.

Gary says he's "excited to be a part of preaching the good news of God's Kingdom over the airwaves," and "trusts the material presented will make a helpful difference in people's lives, bringing them closer to a relationship with their heavenly Father."