How Can a Good God?

The question is often heard: "How can a good (or loving) God..."

Stop me if you've heard these before.
"...let bad things happen to good people?"
"...send a good person to hell?"
"...let my loved one die?"
you could end this sentance with war, famine, fire flood, or a million other things.

The question remains basically unchanged.

How can we be expected to call God gracious/righteous/loving if He doesn't intervene to prevent the above from happening?

So what is a Christian to answer? For the most part, Christians today tend to skirt the issue, and the non-Christian is not impressed by our non-answers. In fact, our failure to provide an honest answer to this question is one reason non-Christians discredit our faith.

Don't we ourselves cringe inwardly when hearing (or God forbid, giving) these feeble explainations? (a) Man has free will, it's all his fault. (b)The Devil does bad things. (c)Sometimes these things just happen, and we don't know why.

Is the will of man or the devil so overwhelming that it can handcuff a magnificient, almighty and sovereign God? Is God himself a slave of capricious chance? If yes, what sort of an emasculated God is being offered us?!? May He forgive and correct us for our small view of him.

No. To answer the question, you must put the question itself on trial.

What is implied by the question?
1) A denegrated view of God.
God's Goodness/Mercy/Love is somehow deficient because of His inadequacy in (x) situation.
This assumes God's inability to assess the situation, know the players involved, to see from the vantage point of eternity, to see everything within the context of His greater plan, and to accomplish his will.
2) An exalted view of man.
A self-righteous sense of 'deserving better' than what happened. An inflated sense of man's moral objectivity, and understanding of the larger outcomes.

Isn't it interesting that it is always God's Love that goes on trial, as though that were not one of the most easily-defended traits he has?

Let us remember that it was not God's love that the angels proclaimed, but his Holiness, in the vision in Isaiah 6:3, repeated in Revelation 4:8. "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory."

Let us pose this question in response. If God is so HOLY, how is Sinful man permitted ANY good thing in this life OR the next? The only thing God, in his perfect holiness owed us was judgement. Raw and unending. Let those who complain about not getting what they deserve, begin with what they truly deserve.

Those who feign interest in the consistancy of God's character must demand that He not excuse ANY of even their smallest sins, but demand the full penalty of each of them. They must thereafter decline the grace from the sacrifice of His Son. They'd have to, as it wouldn't be FAIR to let another take their well-deserved penalty on their behalf.

Let the rest of us enjoy the Grace (undeserved kindness) He has freely offered us.

My sin obligated a holy God to judge me. His love prompted Christ to take His wrath upon himself that I may live. And so I live.

Remember the answer God himself gave Job.
It was not: I had my reasons.
It was: I AM GOD.