There are questions which challenge faith but God’s Word has answers. Following are a few common questions people ask which challenge faith along with Biblical answers.

If there is a good and loving God, how could He allow so much evil in the world?

That is a question often asked by Christian and non-Christian alike, especially at times when loved ones die or terrible evils and tragedies occur.

Is there an answer? While the wisdom and workings of God are often hidden from our eyes, He has revealed to us in the Scriptures what we need to know.

First of all, God did not create evil and suffering and death. God gave life, both physical and spiritual, when He created man in His image and breathed into man the breath of life (cf. Genesis 1:26-27; 2:7); and, at the close of the sixth day, when God looked upon all that He had created and made, “it was very good” (Genesis 1:31).

Evil, suffering and death entered into God’s creation when Adam and Eve, the first man and woman, doubted God’s words, failed to trust Him and disobeyed His command (Genesis 2:16-17; 3:1-24). And this evil was evidenced in their hiding from God, the murder of Abel, the wickedness and unbelief at the time of the Genesis Flood and in the evil and suffering which has continued down through the centuries — including the rejection and crucifixion of Jesus Christ, God’s own dear Son in human flesh.

How could a good and all-knowing God create a world in which He knew man would turn away and bring about such evil and suffering?

The answer lies in His wisdom and love and grace. Yes, He knew man would sin and He knew His creation would be ravaged by sin and evil, but He created man with a free will and with a knowledge of God and His ways. He created man with the eternal and gracious purpose to redeem us and give to us the everlasting joys of heaven in perfect fellowship with Him.

The Bible tells us in Ephesians 2:4-7 that “God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.”

If God is good and all-powerful, why would He not immediately put an end to the evil and suffering in this world?

To answer that question, we need to remember what putting an end to all evil would mean. It would not only mean the immediate judgment and eternal damnation of men like Adolph Hitler and Joseph Stalin, it would mean the immediate judgment and damnation of each and every one of us, for, as the Bible says in Romans 3:10-12, “There is none righteous, no, not one: there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” Yes, God could immediately remove all evil from this world, but that would mean the eternal ruin of us all!

God will put an end to evil in this world. He has promised to do so. But the Bible also tells us “the Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

So, God tolerates the evil in this world to give us and all mankind opportunity to hear the truth of His Word, repent of our rebellious and sinful ways and place our faith in Christ Jesus. This evil world goes on because God does not desire us to perish forever in the fires of hell. He longs for us to turn to Jesus for pardon and forgiveness and for life eternal in a new and perfect world He will create. But, in God’s time, this world will be judged and the evil and wickedness will be removed (2 Peter 3:10ff.).

And, finally, why would a good and gracious God allow His own people to suffer?

Though we may not fully see and understand God’s workings in this life, we are assured by Scripture “that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 3:28).

We may not understand why God allows trouble and suffering to come. We may be grasping for an explanation when sickness comes, a loved one dies or a tragedy occurs. Yet, as believers, we know and believe that God is our loving heavenly Father and has our eternal good and the good of all God’s elect children in mind. We commit the keeping of our souls “to Him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator” (1 Peter 4:19).

Remember, we so often see things only from the perspective of here and now in this life. God looks upon the things of here and now in this life with the perspective of what’s best for our eternal future.

And, yes, in this life we will suffer — Jesus, the sinless and holy Son of God, suffered more than all — but “we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). We know and believe that “our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (2 Corinthians 4:17).

Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible.

“By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: for he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” Hebrews 11:8-10 (Read Genesis 12)

James wrote (James 2:18): “Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.” And most certainly, we see Abraham’s faith by his works.

It is as we read in Genesis 12:1-3, “Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”

And how did Abram respond? Genesis 12:4-5 says: “So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.”

After going as far as Haran and staying there until his father died (Acts 7:2ff.), Abram heeded God’s command and promise and traveled to the land of Canaan, where he lived as a stranger – never possessing more than a field and cave for a burial place – but trusted God’s promise that his descendants would possess the land and that God would fulfill His promises to make of him a great nation and through his Seed to bless all the nations of the world (cf. Genesis 12:1-3; 13:14ff.; 15:5-6; 17:3-8; 22:15-18).

It was by faith that Abraham moved to this new, foreign land and dwelt there – because he believed God’s promises and trusted that God would fulfill all His words and promises and send One who would redeem him and all mankind from sin and its punishment. As we read, Abraham “believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness” (Genesis 15:6).

Do you have faith like Abraham? You say you have faith in God and His promises, but what has that faith moved you to do? You say you believe that Christ Jesus died for all your sins and rose again; does that faith move you to live in the confidence that God is merciful and forgives you all your sins through faith in Jesus’ name? Cf. Romans 1:16-17; 5:1-2. You say you believe that Jesus will come again and raise up all who died to give to all who trust in Him eternal life in heaven, but do you fear death? Cf. 1 Corinthians 15; 1 Thessalonians 4:13ff.

You say you believe that God will provide for all your needs. Do you fret and worry? Cf. Matthew 6:25ff. You say you believe that God will care for you and bless you if you trust Him and give generously and sacrificially to the work of His kingdom, but do you give as He has blessed you? Cf. Proverbs 3:9-10.

You say you believe God’s commandments and the teaching of His Word are good and right, but do you trust God’s Word enough to shun sin and resist evil and false doctrine to walk in His ways? Cf. Proverbs 3:5-8; 8:13.

Perhaps God has called you to enter into His service as a pastor, teacher or missionary. Perhaps He has called you to leave your family and homeland and travel to some faraway place to serve Him and bear witness to Christ Jesus? Do you follow His leading, trusting that He will care for you and provide for all your needs?

Indeed, the list could go on. Abraham had faith in the LORD God and His promises, but that faith also moved Abraham to act. He left his homeland and his people and sojourned in a foreign land, trusting that God had a better plan and that God would fulfill His promises. As the writer to the Hebrews states, Abraham “looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.”

And so, the question follows: “What about you and me?” We trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and His blood shed for us upon the cross for our salvation. We look forward to our eternal home in heaven which is given us for Jesus’ sake. Do we live out our faith? Do we live for the kingdom of God? Or, do we live for this world and the pleasures of this world? Are we living in accord with our professed faith? Are we looking “for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God”? Cf. 1 John 2:15ff.; James 4:4.

Once again, the Bible tells us: “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves” (2 Corinthians 13:5). And when we do, we see our sinfulness, our failings to live and walk by faith. We see our need to repent and look to Jesus and His cross for forgiveness, and then also for the help and strength to amend our ways and walk by faith.

And, in Jesus there is forgiveness, and in Jesus there is life. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). “Jesus Christ the righteous … is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:1,2). And God tells us: “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye” (Psalm 32:8; cf. Psalm 32:1ff.).

O dearest Jesus, forgive us for our failures to truly trust You and live our lives in that faith. Have mercy upon us for the sake of your shed blood. Cleanse us from our sin and move us to live by faith, trusting in You alone for forgiveness and life, and living our lives here in this world in faith, looking “for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” Amen.

Centered paragraph.

“By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.” Hebrews 11:7 (Read Genesis 6-9)

When the number of people grew upon the earth, so also did the wickedness and rebellion against the Lord God. The believers (sons of God) intermarried with unbelievers (daughters of men) and the result was more and more people who did not walk in the ways of the Lord but followed after the imaginations of their own hearts — after their own evil thoughts and desires.

Genesis 6 says, “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the Lord said, ‘I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them’” (v. 5-7).

The account continues, “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord … Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God” (v. 8, 9).

God told Noah, in days when the earth was yet watered by a mist (Genesis 2:6), that He would send rains and a flood upon the earth to destroy man and beast. And God commanded Noah to build an ark to save himself, his family and two of every kind of animal from the coming flood (Genesis 6:14ff.).

Even though a flood like that of which God warned was unheard of in Noah’s day, Noah believed the Lord and prepared an ark, warning others around him to repent of their wickedness and turn back to the Lord (cf. 2 Peter 2:5). By so doing, Noah forsook the present world and became an heir of the righteousness of God which is by faith.

Similarly, God calls upon all mankind today to repent and return to Him, warning that “the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men” (2 Peter 3:7). God will once again judge this world and all mankind. As He was, at the time of the flood, forced to destroy those who would not repent and turn to Him for mercy, so He will soon condemn all who reject Him and the salvation He offers in the cross of Jesus. This present world and all of man’s evil works will be burned up on that day when Jesus Christ returns.

Those who heed God’s warning and repent, trusting in Christ Jesus and His shed blood for forgiveness and life, forsake this present world and look forward to another in which there will be everlasting righteousness, innocence and blessedness. They are forgiven and accounted righteous through faith in Jesus and walk in fellowship with the Almighty God by that faith and confidence in Jesus and His sacrifice for the sins of the world.

And God’s judgment is coming. But He is being patient with us, not desiring that any perish, “but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). He calls us to turn from our evil ways, looking to Jesus and His cross in faith for forgiveness and life everlasting!

O dearest Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, have mercy upon us, forgive us and grant us a place in your everlasting kingdom. Amen.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.